[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Doug Heller
Executive Director
Consumer Watchdog

Mercury Insurance is holding a press conference today with California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to announce rate decreases for drivers, homeowners and renters. As the LA Times reports.

The auto rate reductions were based partially on new state criteria [implementing Proposition 103] that downplay the importance of the ZIP Code where a car is typically parked overnight. The cut took effect in May but had not been announced, the department said.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

So where was Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner today? Word is that he was chewing on chicken wings (and probably some caviar) in former eBay head honcho's Meg Whitman's Atherton backyard at a fundraiser she hosted for Sen. John McCain.
 
Whitman is said to have raised $2.5 million for McCain today -- which must have made her fellow bizillionaire a bit jealous. Because while he was at the fundraiser, one of Poizner's state employees was trying to plant stories with reporters that Whitman had raised money for (gasp) Democrats in the past.
 
Outrageous you say? Well, turns out that Mr. Poizner was pretty adept at doing that too before he figured out he'd have a better chance buying his way to the governship via the Republican route (not that I can blame him, since the GOP has no bench except for fellow Polo Club members Jerry Parsky, Rick Caruso, and Whitman).
 
In 2000, Poizner gave $10,000 to the Democratic National Committee. He also donated $1,000 in February 2000 to Al Gore and $2,000 to John Kerry in February 2001.
 

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

You know the drill:

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It seems like a week doesn't go by without some announcement by wimpy GOP Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner that he's dropping a million bucks here or there for some Republican cause in effort to lay the groundwork for a 2010 gubernatorial run. His latest cause is a new bounty for new GOP registrants at up to $6 per head.

But while dumping some of his personal wealth across the field of Republican politics like a farmer spreads fertilizer on his fields, Poizner still banks a $169,743 annual paycheck from California taxpayers. Unlike Gov. Schwarzenegger --  who hasn't taken a dime from taxpayers -- Poizner has no problem pocketing his six figure salary. Like he needs it.

According to the AP:

"Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner of Los Gatos, who made a fortune when he sold his technology company in 2000, accepts his state salary. Qualcomm paid $1 billion for Poizner's former company, SnapTrack, which developed global-positioning chips for cell phones.

There's more...

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It's not Steve Poizner. Nor Meg Whitman. Nor Carly Fiorina. No, apparently there is another well-heeled Republican that might have his eye on the governorship in 2010, or perhaps even Mayor of Los Angeles.

His name is Rick Caruso, an LA developer. That's according to the KNBC blog, californiafaultline.

Caruso is the kind of Republican the newly-formed, "moderate" CRAFT group talks about recruiting for top statewide office. He's wealthy, a successful developer, and far from the uber-right. In the interview, he talks much the same way Arnold did about wanting action and making a difference, and dissing those who've spent years in public service. He calls Arnold a "great leader," and says he'd want n an executive position. I’m just wired that way.”

Caruso has donated hundreds of thousands of Schwarzenegger's causes over the years, including his latest Republican redistricting plan. He's just the kind of candidate Arnold might endorse in 2010. Keep your eye out.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It's hard for politicians to be subtle sometimes. Just moments after calling speculation about a gubernatorial bid "wildly premature," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom indicated that he would run if he could "add value to the race," according to Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee. If that's not an annoucement, I'm not sure what is.

Newsom also made news today for threatening to sue the state government over cuts to Medi-Cal, calling the reduction in care unconsionable, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Gavin's right. When the legislature approved the cuts, Democrats were hopeful that funding could be restored for Medi-Cal and scheduled the cuts to begin this summer to provide time for other solutions. When we're chipping away at basic services for our neediest citizens, it certainly says something about our values.

The gubernatorial field is already getting more crowded by the day, and by the San Jose Mercury News count, four of other candidates besides Gavin are either current or former Silican Valley moguls: Steve Westly, Steve Poizner, eBay CEO Meg Whitman and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina (all but Westly are Republicans).

There's more... 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

On Thursday I was invited to be on a panel at the California Chamber of Commerce's Advocacy Day in Sacramento. It was a chance for the big business community -- which is lopsidedly Republican -- to get a take on the results of the February election and start plotting for their June and November campaigns.
 
Although it has been quiet lately -- probably still smarting from Gov. Schwarzenegger joining Assembly Democrats in pushing for health care legislation -- the Chamber remains a powerful political force, aiding and abetting conservative causes and often intervening in Democratic primaries for business-friendly candidates. So of course I was delighted to provide the Democratic viewpoint on a panel with Alan Hoffenblum, the Republican campaigner who is co-publisher of The Target Book, and GOP consultant Kevin Spillane, late of the No on 93 campaign. I also sat in on the lunch address by Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and a presentation on the "Voters First" redistricting initiative by the governor's staff and a GOP consultant.

There's more...