Questionnaire and answers:
Southern California Americans for Democratic Action

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER QUESTIONNAIRE
Southern California Chapter, Americans for Democratic Action Fall 2006 General Election

Americans for Democratic Action is an independent progressive political organization that was founded in 1947 by Eleanor Roosevelt, Walter Reuther, John Kenneth Galbraith, Reinhold Neibuhr, Hubert Humphrey, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and other leaders in the progressive political community. Nationally, ADA has about 60,000 members, and the Southern California Chapter has the largest membership and contribution base.

About Yourself

1. What is your name?

Larry Cafiero

2. What experiences have shaped you and prepared you to serve as Insurance Commissioner?

When the Insurance Commissioner's office was established, it was deemed by the state NOT to have someone from the insurance industry running it. My experience as a newspaper editor on various levels in the newspaper give me the experience to run the Department of Insurance. The fact that I don't take corporate contributions -- as Greens do not take campaign contributions from corporations -- makes me stand out against my opponents in the two major parties insofar my decisions would not be swayed by campaign donors.

About Your Politics

3. Describe your previous political experience. Have you been active in political parties, organizations, or campaigns?

I have been active in politics for close to three decades, possibly longer if you consider work I had done as a volunteer.

4. How would you describe yourself politically?

Green. If you want to put me on a political spectrum, that would be left of center, but

About Your Campaign

5. Describe the organization of your campaign (without revealing any secrets). How much do you anticipate spending and how will you raise that amount?

The campaign is run by Tod Landis, and there are several groups of volunteers working in different geographic areas around the state. I anticipate spending as much as I can raise, but unlike the two major parties, this will be in donations raised from people and not corporations. Admittedly, this puts me at a disadvantage, but it does make me the candidate who is unencumbered with campaign debts to pay to corporations once I'm elected.

6. What is/are the themes of your campaign?

Fix Workers Compesation "reform," which is a joke unless you're an injured worker

Universal Health Care now -- An Insurance Commissioner unencumbered by corporate campaign donations would be best to facilitate the implementation of Sheila Kuehl's Health Care for All initiative when it passes (and I believe it will pass eventually)

7. Who has endorsed your campaign?

A list of endorsees across party lines can be seen at http://www.votecafiero.com/endorse.html

About The Issues Ð General Topics
We are interested in learning more about your view on topical issues that may or may not directly impact your duties as a local government elected official but that help shape public policy. Please respond in 2-3 sentences.

What is your position on:

1. The Death Penalty: Against. There's no need for two or three sentences -- the death penalty is wrong. Period

2. "Three Strikes" Law and whether reinstatement of voting rights to ex-prisoners: "Three Strikes" needs amending so people like Santos Reyes don't get sent to jail for life because he cheated on a DMV test. The law is flawed and needs reform.

3. Universal Health Care: Absolutely for -- Sheila Kuehl's bill will pass inevitably and it will take an Insurance Commissioner unencumbered by corporate campaign donations to facilitate and enforce its measures.

4. Reproductive Choice: For -- a woman should have control over her body.

5. Privatization of Social Security & Medicare: Against, in a big way. One only has to look at how the insurance industry handles health care to see that this would be a huge mistake.

6. Affirmative Action: For

7. School Vouchers: Against

8. International Trade Agreements (e.g. WTO, NAFTA, FTAA, MAI, etc.): Against, and the fact that they are shown to be unworkable even to the governments they "serve" reveals the flaws in such agreements.

9. Environmental Protection (e.g. Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, etc.): For, and I believe all the aforementioned acts, as well as all environmental protection legislation, should be strengthened.

10. Electoral and Campaign Finance Reform (including Public Campaign Financing): Absolutely for -- if ever there was an issue that cries out for support, it is this one. As long as this is true "reform" and not consolidation of the two-party stranglehold on the government, then I am for it.

About The Issues Ð Insurance Commissioner Topics:

1. What are the most important issues for California and how will you tackle them if elected?

Fixing Workers' Comp "reform" which is costing injured workers up to 70 percent of benefits they once received before this bipartisan debacle in 2004. While the Insurance Commissioner holds no legislative power, he or she (in my case, he) can initiate studies and provide legislators with the proper information to fix faulty legislation such as this.

Implementing Universal Health Care -- The legislature has already given a green light to Sheila Kuehl's bill on several levels, and it remains to be seen whether the legisature and the governor have the wisdom to pass and sign the bill. If the bill survives a gubernatorial veto and legal challenges from the insurance industry, it will take an Insurance Commissioner unencumbered by corporate campaign contributions to implement and enforce it, and that Insurance Commissioner would be me.

2. How will you implement Prop. 103? Do you support John GaramendiÕs plan to finally implement the phasing out of zip codes as a basis of auto insurance rates?

Proposition 103 needs to be implemented completely, and despite suits that have made a couple of sections moot, I think the Insurance Commmissioner should implement the law as a whole. The phasing out of ZIP codes for insurance rates should have been done earlier, but yes, I support this aspect of the law.

3. Do you support Sheila KuehlÕs Healthcare For All Initiative? What steps can be taken to reduce the Healthcare costs in California while making sure that more Californians receive coverage?

Like the Green Party of California, I absolutely support this initiative, and all Californians should have health care coverage available to them. Health care costs are not the issue -- making sure Californians are healthy is the issue -- and to this end I immediately would explore expanding Medical and Medicare coverage to Californians with the intention of implementing during my tenure universal health care for all Californians.

4. What is your views on Campaign Finance Reform? Do you support Clean Money? What other stances can be taken to lessen corporate influence on our elected officials?

Campaign finance reform, if it is true finance reform that includes all political parties and is not a government handout to maintain the two-party stranglehold now afflicting the government, is clearly welcome and I am all for it. Failing this, there should be strict laws against corporate donations to campaigns and other legislation, like free air time and print media space, for all candidates on an equal footing.

5. Have you received any money from the Insurance Industry? If so, how can you assure the electorate that youÕll be working harder for them than for insurance company donors?

As I mentioned earlier, candidates of the Green Party do not take corporate contributions, including (and especially, in my case) insurance industry contributions. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.

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