Earthquake Insurance

Re “Quake Insurance Bill Offers Less Coverage,” June 24:

Let me see if I have this straight. Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle and other elected officials are hammering out a deal on our behalf regarding earthquake insurance that goes like this:

Homeowners will agree to pay premiums to the insurance companies for earthquake coverage for months, years, whatever.

In the event of an earthquake and actual damage, however, the insurance companies are not obligated to pay anything out. Further, this is stated in the agreement that I will make with the insurance company? Hey, what’s the catch?

Well, if I ever had any doubt that the insurance companies are one of the biggest lobbyists in the state, this certainly clarifies that. How much money has that lobby contributed to Pringle, Quackenbush and their cohorts anyhow?

ANNIE AYALA JELNICK

Long Beach

* Recently our family experienced one of life’s little ironies. On June 17 I mailed a letter protesting the insidious and unfair $12-a-year tax to be levied on our property by the Los Angeles Community College District. On June 18 we received a bill from our homeowner’s insurance company, which included a 100% increase in the earthquake portion of our policy, amounting to $700! This increase has the blessing of the Insurance Commission.

The result, of necessity, will be a lifestyle change for our family as we really have no recourse. Inquiries to other companies have resulted in even higher quotes than our present company offers and many people find earthquake insurance unavailable to them at all. What will keep earthquake insurance from doubling every year? Somehow I know a flood of letters from irate homeowners will make no difference.

Talk about an “insidious and unfair” threat to homeowners! Given a choice, I’d prefer the $12-per-year tax!

SUSAN DAVIS

Reseda