Big Oil Has a Friend in California’s State Insurance Commissioner
California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara could be playing a key role in fighting climate change in the state. Instead, he has taken campaign money and gifts from fossil fuel interests — and done “almost nothing” to address climate catastrophe.
A photo of the 2015 California Valley Fire. (Jeff Head / Flickr)
From rising sea levels that could flood coastal settlements, to droughts that threaten farms statewide, to apocalyptic forest fires, California is on the front lines of the climate disaster. But due to its size and its impact on the rest of the country, the state is also perfectly positioned to wield a key, under-discussed tool for fighting climate change: insurance regulation.
But as loss of life and property damage grow in the state with each passing season, California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has been backpedaling on the issue — after receiving more than $17,000 in donations and gifts from fossil fuel interests during his 2018 campaign.
When he was sworn into the job three years ago, Lara vowed to use his power to combat global warming.
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