that makes a claim more difficult to resolve successfully. “You must handle a claim carefully from the beginning. You won’t recover later,” she says. She can look at properties that wildfires destroyed in Sonoma County and tell who had help and who didn’t. The most impressive rebuilds are those whose owners hired professionals, because they got larger settlements. Public insurance adjusters are licensed, and the field is relatively new. They became prominent after insurance companies changed, and making money became the primary motivator, she says. “It’s a good industry that really helps people,” says Defever, but insurance companies often try to discredit them, because they lose so much money when people hire them “They have to pay 30% more to people who get help, and that adds up to millions of dollars,” she says, so they’ll try to dissuade a client from seeking outside assistance. She also found it disturbing when California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a warning about public insurance adjusters this past January after the catastrophic wildfires in Southern California, suggesting their intentions might be less than honorable. “Try to settle your claim directly with your insurance company before hiring a public adjuster or an attorney,” Lara said in an information guide titled “Don’t Get Scammed After a Disaster.” “To scare people away from getting the help that they need is really upsetting,” Defever says.
A place to call home San Francisco and the North Bay beckoned to Defever
Kathleen Defever has set a course to become an authority on insurance law.
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Unlocking Wines
Picayune—it’s bigger than you think— and an allegory to Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf’s approach to life.
By Tim Carl M eaning “a little bit” in old French dialect, Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf pays homage to her roots with her wine brand, Picayune. More than a label, it also serves as an allegory for her approach to life. While seeking balance in all things, she feeds from her many travels and flux of eclectic input. “Wine is an important part of my story, but it’s only one part,” she says. “Family, community, friends and connection with nature and pursuing my dreams are all intertwined.”
Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf, owner, Picayune. [All photos courtesy of Tim Carl Photography]
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June 2025
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