Ricardo Lara Is the Insurance Industry’s Favorite Democrat
Democrat Ricardo Lara is running for reelection as California state insurance commissioner in today’s primary. A new complaint alleges that he’s secretly accepting insurance industry donations after swearing them off — and it’s not the first time.
California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, California. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)
When Californians head to the polls today to pick their nominees for governor and US senator, they’ll also be voting on nominees for one down-ballot office that’s critically important not just for California but for the entire country: the state insurance commissioner.
And according to a new complaint, the incumbent in the race, Democrat Ricardo Lara, could once again be benefiting from donations by insurance companies he’s supposed to be regulating.
Last month, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) asking it to look into whether it was illegal for a pro-Lara independent expenditure committee to accept $125,000 in support from two closely tied LGBT political committees, after one of them received a similar amount of funding from the insurance industry.
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