California

Insurance Companies Double Down On Deceptive Campaign to Influence Insurance Commissioner Race

$2.655 Million To Date To Sacramento Political Committee That Doesn’t Disclose Industry Funding In Ads Supporting Villines, Attacking Jones.

Insurance companies’ addition of $1.365 million this weekend to their campaign to elect Mike Villines as CA insurance commissioner is consistent with Consumer Watchdog’s expectation that the industry will spend at least $5 million before election day.  

The following insurance industry contributions, totaling $2.655 million, have been given to a Sacramento political committee called "JobsPAC," since late September: 

  • George Joseph, Chairman of Mercury Insurance – $775,000
  • Allstate Insurance – $700,000
  • Liberty Mutual – $490,000
  • Progressive Insurance – $390,000
  • Anthem Blue Cross – $100,000
  • Health Net – $100,000
  • Farmers Insurance- $100,000

To date, JobsPAC has spent approximately $845,000 on ads attacking candidate Dave Jones and $566,000 on ads supporting Mike Villines.  Consumer advocates expect that JobsPAC will report another one million dollar expenditure on the race in the next few days and another two to three million dollars in insurance industry contributions and campaign expenditures before election day.

Because the industry money is first going to JobsPAC, the fact that it came from insurance companies will not be disclosed to voters who see or hear the ads.  A copy of the television advertisement being aired can be viewed here.  The advertisement’s disclosure, which makes no mention of insurance company funding, reads: "PAID FOR BY JOBSPAC, A BI-PARTISAN COALITION OF CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS.  NOT AUTHORIZED BY A CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE-CONTROLLED COMMITTEE."

This insurance industry campaign to choose the next insurance commissioner is becoming an electoral deception of epic proportions.  Most of the information Californians will get about the candidates for insurance commissioner will be delivered in advertisements entirely paid for by the insurance industry and voters won’t even know it.

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Posted by Doug Heller, Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing an effective voice for taxpayers and consumers in an era when special interests dominate public discourse, government and politics. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter.