Endorsements 2006

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER | No Endorsement

Somehow, early in his campaign for this post, Cruz Bustamante allowed himself to accept more than $120,000 in campaign contributions from insurance companies. After an outcry that must have sounded familiar to him (his 2003 campaign for governor was derided and fined for accepting inappropriate contributions from Indian tribes) he returned the money. But not before he revealed once again an ethical blind spot and a political tin ear.

Bustamante and his opponent, Steve Poizner, agree about the substance of many of the issues that will face the insurance commissioner in coming years. Poizner, a Silicon Valley billionaire who is self-financing most of his campaign, ran the Schwarzenegger redistricting initiative last year; that is his only experience in politics, and it was, at bottom, a partisan move masked as bi-partisan reform.

The candidates disagree on one issue involving state workers compensation. Following recent reforms to the system, some labor groups say, workers are being short-changed on compensation for injuries. Bustamante, while supporting the reforms overall, agrees that some injured workers are losing out. He says that with insurance companies making record profits, benefits should be increased. Poizner fears that reopening the debate could undo some of the fixes that in fact saved the system.

Neither of these men would be a terrible insurance commissioner; maybe one or both of them could be great. This one’s a toss up.