Ben Allen
Candidate for Insurance Commissioner
Benjamin J. 'Ben' Allen is a Democratic state senator. He is running for insurance commissioner, an open seat. The vote is set for November 3, 2026. He was born March 13, 1978, in Santa Monica. Allen went to local public schools there. He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1996. He earned a B.A. in history, with honors, from Harvard, in 2000. He earned an advanced degree, in Latin American studies, from Cambridge, in 2001. He earned a law degree from UC Berkeley, in 2008. There he served on the UC Board of Regents. He held the seat for voting students. Before office, Allen worked on Latin America issues. That was for the National Democratic Institute, in Washington. He served as spokesman for a New York congressman, Jose Serrano. He practiced law at two firms: Bryan Cave and Richardson & Patel. He worked with a nonprofit, the Spark Program. He also taught at UCLA's law school. He served on the Santa Monica-Malibu school board. He was later its president. He won a state Senate seat in 2014. He represented the 26th District, from 2014 to 2022. Since 2022 he has held the 24th District. That covers Westside, Hollywood, South Bay, and the Santa Monica Mountains. He is in his third term. Allen announced his run for insurance commissioner on September 16, 2025. He campaigns on help for disaster victims. He also wants to steady the insurance market. His district was hit by the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles County. In the June 2, 2026 primary he placed second, with 1,649,501 votes (19.4%). He now faces fellow Democrat Jane Kim, a former San Francisco supervisor, in November. She got 2,328,836 votes (27.4%) in the primary. The state Democratic Party backed Allen for the fall race, in August 2026. That came after a close February convention vote. Allen got about 42% there, and Kim about 40%. Neither reached the 60% needed. His backers include Senate leader Monique Limón. They also include Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff back him too. So do the Consumer Federation of California, labor unions, and California Environmental Voters. Born March 13, 1978. Home: Santa Monica/Westside Los Angeles County area, California. Job: State senator, 24th District. He is also a lawyer. Prior office: State Senate, 26th District, 2014-2022, then 24th District, 2022-present. This is his third term. He was a Santa Monica-Malibu school board member and president before 2014; exact years not confirmed. He was a voting UC student regent while at Berkeley Law, about 2008. He is not an incumbent in this contest. It is an open seat.
On the issues
- Taxes & Cost of Living
Says insurers are pulling out of fire-prone communities, leaving homeowners stranded on the state's high-risk FAIR Plan, and wants to restore a competitive market.
“insurers are pulling out of communities and leaving homeowners stranded on the overburdened FAIR Plan.”
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Says Californians rebuilding after a disaster deserve prompt, fair treatment from their insurers rather than prolonged bureaucratic delay.
“After a disaster, Californians deserve timely, fair treatment from their insurers—not months of bureaucracy when they're trying to rebuild their lives.”
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Has pledged not to accept campaign contributions from the insurance industry while running to regulate it.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Says the Department of Insurance needs to be modernized and made less complex and opaque for consumers.
“modernize the Department of Insurance”
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Wants insurance reform that balances consumer protection with market stability so insurers return to writing policies in wildfire-exposed communities.
“balances consumer protection with market stability”
Source →
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