Questionnaire and answers:
KGO-TV San Francisco (ABC)

These questions from voters are open-ended. Your responses may be any length but we suggest you keep them as concise as possible. Although we ask that you answer all of the questions, you are not required to do so. Any skipped questions will be labeled as ÒCandidate Declined to RespondÓ on the website.

Please compose your responses to these questions in Word or a similar program and e-mail them directly to Hertz Research. We ask that you send your responses as soon as possible and no later than Wednesday, September 13th.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, your background and why you feel you are qualified to hold this office? [Please include your website, e-mail and postal addresses as well as the phone number you want us to list for your campaign]

My name is Larry Cafiero. I am 48, married to Japanese peace activist Kyoko Kawashima and we have an 8-year-old daughter. I have been in the media for nearly three decades. I live in Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz County) and currently work as a copy editor at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. I have been active in peace and social justice issues since I was a teenager. My background in the news field, including running small newspapers, gives me the knowledge and experience to run the Department of Insurance. You can find out more by going to http://www.votecafiero.com. My campaign can be reached by phone at 831-438-1401 or by mail at P.O. Box 203, Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0203.

2. Please you tell us your general views about the role of government and some of the most important things you would like to accomplish in office.

Elected representatives of the people should be just that -- elected representatives "of the people." Unfortunately, our current system has fostered an atmosphere where our elected officials represent their campaign contributors and special interests far and above the people they are elected to represent. As Insurance Commissioner, I plan to be a consumer advocate fighting for the people of California, not a "rubber stamp" for the insurance industry

3. Many voters have expressed concern about the level of influence special interest groups exert on office holders. If elected, what steps would you take to avoid conflicts of interest between campaign contributors and your official duties?

Green Party candidates do not take corporate campaign contributions. Because I don't take corporate contributions, I will answer only to the people of California, not to special interests. The candidates for the two major parties cannot say this -- at least not truthfully. Having said this, I would have no conflict with campaign contributors -- most, if not all, of them average people who believe in the same things I do -- and I would work solely for benefit of the people of California.

4. What steps would you take to try to reduce the cost of insurance in California?

For drivers, a pay-at-the-pump auto liability insurance plan would cut drivers' liaibilty insurance bill in half, by most estimates. This program puts a few cents on the gallon into a statewide fund to provide all drivers with liability insurance -- you still pay for theft and other types of auto insurance as you usually would, but the largest part of your auto insurance bill is paid for as you drive. For homeowners, the state should -- and can -- provide the same earthquake and catastrophic event insurance that veterans get through Calvet mortgages, and this program needs to be expanded to the general public.

5. What is your opinion regarding the pricing of vehicle insurance coverage based on where a person lives rather than on their driving record?

Auto insurance should be based on a person's driving record alone. Period.

6. What ideas or proposals do you have for making health care coverage more accessible and affordable in California?

The most clearly simple proposal for providing health care to all Californians sits on the governor's desk in the form of Senate Bill 840, which he plans to veto (if he hasn't already). This would make health care accessible and affordable to all Californians if the governor had the wisdom to sign it. Providing the governor carries through the gross injustice of a veto of SB840, health care coverage can be expanded by widening the scope of Medi-Cal and having the Insurance Commissioner be a watchdog, rather than a rubber stamp, over the insurance industry.

7. What steps, if any, would you take to improve the availability and improve coverage levels for earthquake insurance?

It's simple common sense for homeowners to have earthquake insurance, so I am not in favor of a law forcing mandatory earthquake insurance for homeowners because I trust those who buy homes have the sense to buy insurance. However, the broader issue is how affordable this insurance should be, and the Insurance Commissioner's office should make sure that premiums are affordable to California's homeowners.

8. What are your views on no-fault insurance and do you think it is viable for California?

I think no-fault auto insurance should be explored, and I think it's clearly viable for California's drivers. Incidentally, when the legislature passed SB1427 in 2002, it brought state-sponsored auto insurance to low-income individuals in a handful of California counties. This year it goes to several additional counties. This should be expanded to all counties.

9. Currently, do you feel there is a good balance in state insurance laws between providing Californians with affordable coverage and giving insurance companies the opportunity to achieve a reasonable level of profitability?

The insurance industry has achieved an incredibly high level of profitability in California, to the tune of over $120 billion a year in this state alone. This comes at the expense -- and sometimes hardship -- of California's homeowners, business owners, drivers, and those seeking medical care. If a balance is needed in the state, it would be to give some of that money back to the consumer, and as a consumer advocate leading the Department of Insurance, I would fight to bring insurance premiums down.

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