Supporters of Prop 17 are on the air with their first TV spot
promoting the June ballot measure. 

The initiative, bankrolled by insurance giant Mercury General
Corporation, would allow auto insurance companies to offer “continuous
coverage” discounts to motorists who switch insurance carriers.
Supporters say the change would lower prices for consumers who want to
switch companies. Critics counter that it would allow allow companies to
raise rates for new drivers or motorists with a lapse in coverage.

The spot draws on language in the Secretary of State-issued voter
guide to highlight the “good driver discounts” that could be extended to
new customers under the measure. Click
here to watch the ad, which hits the airwaves today.

Prop 17 opponents criticized the campaign for presenting statements
from their ballot arguments, which are included in the voter guide, as
facts.

“Prop 17’s sponsor, Mercury Insurance, has launched its ad blitz the
same way it launched its campaign, with deception aimed at covering up a
lie,” Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Doug Heller said in a
statement. “The ad misleads voters into thinking that this biased
information is from a trusted source, when, in fact, it just quotes the
lies Mercury submitted as its best arguments for Prop 17.”

(This post was updated at 1:56 p.m. with a response from the No on 17
campaign.)

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