VOTER GUIDE
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
What is the Insurance Commissioner?
The Commissioner oversees the California Department of Insurance, which regulates the state's insurance industry. There are almost 1,400 employees in the department
The Department of Insurance is charged with licensing insurance companies and reviewing their financial statements, establishing rate regulations, investigating consumer complaints, and punishing insurers with fines or penalties for regulatory noncompliance
California is one of 11 states that elects their insurance officials; the rest are appointed
The salary and benefits of this full-time position total $212,000 per year
Why You Should Care
The Insurance Commissioner acts as a watchdog for insurance rates throughout the state. This impacts your finances as a resident.
Our Vision for the Office
The Insurance Commissioner should be willing and able to regulate companies that all too often act in their own best interest.
No endorsement
Why we’re not endorsing anyone: While Ricardo Lara has been solidly on the side of the consumer, it should also be noted that Lara broke his promise to voters during his campaign not to accept contributions from the insurance companies he regulates. He accepted $270,000 from at least 56 employees with ties to the industry. In addition to these questionable ethical decisions, Lara stuck taxpayers with the bill of his second residence in Sacramento by counting his rent among his reimbursements, which are paid by the state. He also accepted tickets to a Beyoncé concert from an oil company, and directly intervened at least twice to overrule his own department’s Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to benefit a business with ties to his campaign donors.
It’s really disappointing that a better choice for this office, Marc Levine failed to make the ballot. Lara’s opponent is Robert Howell, a president of a cybersecurity equipment manufacturer in Silicon Valley, and is running as a self-described “Reagan Republican.”
In 2020, Howell ran twice and lost for different offices. In March 2020 he competed in a primary for State Senate District 15, a part of Silicon Valley that includes San Jose and Cupertino. He finished fourth out of seven total candidates, and failed to advance to the general election. Then, again in November, he ran for a spot on the board of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, where he also lost.
Paid for by TogetherSF Action. Not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.
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