California's insurance commissioner approved a plan Tuesday, Feb. 11, to keep the state's insurance of last resort solvent by collecting an additional $1 billion from all private insurance members after a record number of claims were filed following January wildfires in Los Angeles County. In the announcement, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said the FAIR Plan can continue paying consumer claims by permitting its member insurance companies to collect an "assessment" from consumers " even those who are not directly affected by the fires. This is likely to drive up insurance costs for homeowners across the state as private insurers try to plug the financial hole in the FAIR Plan.