Insurance chief, two senators look to boost lieutenant governor’s role
Contra Costa Times (California)
California consumer activist Jamie Court is a seasoned observer of state government and politics. But this year’s primary for lieutenant governor has him shaking his head.
Three ambitious Democrats, each with records of accomplishment, are vying for the least powerful constitutional office in the state. Timing and term limits have produced a crowded field: Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and state Sens. Jackie Speier of San Mateo and Liz Figueroa of Fremont.
“It’s kind of a disappointment that all three are running,” said Court, who runs the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. Although he doesn’t endorse candidates, Court half-joked: “They’re all too good for that lame office.”
California’s Constitution gives the lieutenant governor few specific duties, other than stepping in if the governor’s office becomes vacant. But as they compete to face Republican Tom McClintock in the fall election, each of the Democrats has vowed to bring new prominence to the post.
The outcome could be historic, especially if it puts the winner in position to run for governor in four or eight years. California has never had a female governor or lieutenant governor.
In theory, a Democratic lieutenant governor could be a prominent voice countering a GOP governor, if Arnold Schwarzenegger is re-elected this year. But incumbent Democrat Cruz Bustamante, like most of his predecessors, never raised the profile of the job before reaching his two-term limit this year.
“The office of lieutenant governor has never achieved its full potential,” Garamendi said. He vowed to use the position “as it’s never been used before” to promote universal health insurance and measures to fight global warming.
Not to be outdone, Speier promised to expand the job’s limited portfolio by becoming the state’s leading champion for higher education funding and programs, and making her office a watchdog for government accountability.
Figueroa, meanwhile, said that as the first Latina and grandmother to hold the office, she would advocate for children and families of all backgrounds while reaching out to residents.
All three are for abortion rights, endorsed by the Sierra Club and praised by consumer groups. McClintock, a Thousand Oaks state senator, is a fiscal and social conservative.
Polls show Garamendi is the best-known of the trio, after running unsuccessfully for governor in 1982 and 1994 and winning two statewide elections for insurance commissioner. But Speier has raised the most money and is planning an ad blitz in vote-rich Southern California.
Figueroa lags her opponents in name recognition and fund raising. Still, the bilingual daughter of Salvadoran immigrants is often sought by Spanish-language broadcasters to discuss her campaign and other issues.
“That could be sort of a wild card for this election,” said Kimberly Nalder, a political scientist at Sacramento State, referring to the growing number of Latino voters.
Figueroa, 55, has authored laws that restricted telemarketers, allowed patients to sue their HMOs and barred so-called “drive-through” hospital procedures by providing minimum two-day stays for mastectomies and childbirth.
She especially touts her role in co-authoring legislation to create the Healthy Families program, which provides subsidized insurance for children of moderate-income parents.
Speier, also 55, built her political career after surviving a 1978 massacre in Jonestown, Guyana. She was shot five times in an ambush that killed her boss, U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan.
She’s been a prolific legislator, writing laws to regulate the banking, insurance and health care industries, including a landmark bill that barred companies from selling their customers’ financial information, and one that bans teenage athletes from using dietary supplements. She’s also led oversight hearings on state universities and prisons.
Garamendi, 61, is a Calaveras County rancher and former legislator who became the state’s first elected insurance commissioner, then joined the Clinton administration Interior Department, before returning to his old job after scandal forced Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush to resign.
As the state’s top insurance regulator, Garamendi has imposed stiff penalties on companies that he said wrongly denied coverage, and before approving one big merger, required the parties to fund health programs for the needy. During his Interior stint, Garamendi negotiated to save the Headwaters redwood grove.
While Speier and Figueroa are both termed out of the Senate, Garamendi is voluntarily seeking a new job. But despite his earlier bids for governor, he insisted he’s not thinking beyond the lieutenant governor’s race.
Likewise, Speier said she’s focused on the No. 2 spot, though she’s said she wants to be the state’s first woman governor. And while Figueroa said she has no higher aspirations, she wouldn’t rule anything out.
