FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2022

Today, candidate for Insurance Commissioner, Assemblymember Marc Levine released the following statement (video of statement attached) on the lobbyist disclosures in the Ricardo Lara lawsuit published in today’s story in the San Diego Union-Tribune by investigative reporter Jeff McDonald:

“The new revelations about Ricardo Lara’s influence peddling scandal are deeply troubling. 

“Lara has been spending his time focusing on trying to secure a $2 million bonus for his lobbyist friends and helping a shady campaign contributor instead of focusing on protecting consumers. 

“It’s particularly troubling that we’re depending on an outside lawsuit to force Lara and his team to be transparent and divulge their contacts and actions. Lara needs to release the documents and communications around this scandal and do it now. 

"Compelling transparency from the insurance industry is one of the central functions of the office of the Insurance Commissioner. When I am Insurance Commissioner, I will make transparency a hallmark of my office, not just when it comes to the industry itself, but I will also publicly disclose any contacts between my office and insurance companies or their lobbyists. California consumers deserve this new approach.”

-Assemblymember Marc Levine, candidate for California Insurance Commissioner