While we haven't been thrilled with Ricardo Lara's performance, we don't think any of his opponents would do a better job. Marc Levine is probably his most high-profile opponent, but Levine thinks that insurance rates for people in fire-prone areas are too high, while economic analysis shows that rates are too low. People need to be discouraged from living in fire-prone areas, and higher rates for insurance provide that disincentive.

However, Lara also wants the state to force insurance companies to cover structures at high risk of wildfires, ensuring that people continue to live and work in disaster-prone areas. This will lead to more death and destruction.

We'd like to extend a special thanks to Jasper "Jay" Jackson for his thoughtful answers on the GrowSF questionnaire. Most candidates running for statewide office ignore the smaller, non-partisan groups hoping to share useful information with voters, but Jackson showed true grace in providing us a full suite of answers. If you're the kind of person who likes to reward people for their charity, you might want to vote for Jasper "Jay" Jackson.