‘Risk reduction doesn’t lead to rate reduction’: Democrat Jaron Brandon, running for California State Senate seat, on fire insurance crisis

Democratic candidate Jaron Brandon is running for California State Senate District 4 against Republican Alexandra Duarte. Ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, he spoke exclusively with HT.com about rising fire insurance costs, rural healthcare, immigration enforcement and creating more jobs in rural communities.

Jaron Brandon discusses California’s fire insurance crisis, rural healthcare gaps, immigration enforcement and his plans for communities across the state. (voteforjaron.com)Brandon, who has served as a Tuolumne County supervisor for six years, said rural communities are often left out of major decisions made in Sacramento.

He wants to bring their concerns to the state government and make housing, healthcare and local jobs more accessible. Born and raised in Tuolumne County, Brandon grew up in a mobile home park with his mother. His father ran a small business selling musical instruments.

He later became the first person in his family to attend college and got involved in student government. “I grew up in a trailer park with my mom, a mobile home park. My dad was a small business owner who sold musical instruments and I was first in my family to go to college,” he told HT.com.

Fire insurance is one of the biggest concerns Brandon hears from residents in mountain communities. He said people face wildfire risks every year, while the cost of protecting their homes has become difficult to manage. He wants California to replace its existing FAIR Plan and consider a public insurance system for major disasters.

He also believes money spent on reducing fire risks should help lower insurance costs. “The bigger problem in California isn’t the risk reduction, though. It’s the fact that when we do risk reduction, it doesn’t lead to rate reduction,” Brandon said.

He also questioned insurance companies using AI and drones to cancel policies without sending someone to inspect properties. He wants an independent body to review whether rate increases are justified after communities complete fire prevention work.

Brandon said some communities in his district have no nearby hospitals, while others depend on facilities facing financial difficulties. He also raised concerns about maternity services, saying pregnant women in mountain communities cannot always find a hospital with a maternity ward.

He wants to protect rural hospitals, review state regulations that add to their costs and train more local people for healthcare jobs. He suggested using community colleges and online education to prepare students for careers in nursing, medicine and hospital administration.

On rising medical costs, Brandon said the US healthcare system needs major changes rather than temporary measures. “I believe the US health care system is fundamentally broken,” he told HT.com. Immigration was another major subject Brandon addressed.

He said the US needs stronger border security and a legal pathway to residency but criticized the Trump administration's enforcement approach, as "one that treats immigrants as something to be feared." He also argued that immigration enforcement should focus on serious offenders rather than people going to work or raising families in the US.

He wants faster asylum proceedings and a legal path to residency for people who have lived and worked in the US for years. He also raised concerns about Indian immigrants working in trucking, transport and agriculture, saying some are afraid to go to work or spend money because of hostility towards their communities.

Brandon argued that immigrants contribute to local businesses and the wider economy. He also criticized immigration enforcement at churches and courthouses. “How we treat the stranger and people in our country is a matter of principle that we should not compromise,” he said.

Brandon cited his work on drug-related crime, road repairs and forest management as examples of his experience in local government. He said the average road condition rating in his county improved from around 21% to 34% during his time as supervisor.

He also claimed more than 300,000 acres received forest fuel reduction treatment.