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The Authority for California Cities Excess Liability (ACCEL) is a group of medium-size California cities self insuring their catastrophic losses. Member cities first joined together in 1986 when the marketplace was unable to offer cities sufficient insurance coverage. ACCEL pools General Liability, Automobile Liability, and Public Officials Errors and Omissions losses. Member cities share risk in excess of $1,000,000. ACCEL pools almost every catastrophic loss incurred by its members, thereby eliminating the need for commercial excess insurance protection.

Strong underwriting standards have been established for admission to ACCEL. Entities with poor loss experience will be scrutinized thoroughly by their ACCEL peers before approval or disapproval for membership.

Each member city has a representative on the Board of Directors. The Board and its committees are responsible for deciding the risks the Authority will underwrite, monitoring the costs of large claims, and arranging financial programs. Underwriting decisions determine the eligibility of cities for membership and to identify specific risks that will not be pooled.