CALDERON GOES FOR COMMISH

Thomas M. Calderon, the chair of the Assembly Committee on Insurance, officially announced his candidacy for California Insurance Commissioner. Calderon’s press office said he has distinguished himself as a reformer of the workers’ compensation system and as one of the key people responsible for rooting out corruption in the Department of Insurance. He will begin his statewide candidacy with endorsements from more than 35 legislators, Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, Mayor Willie Brown, key labor leaders and consumers’ attorneys. Calderon has reportedly been a consensus builder in the State Legislature, acting as a negotiator on a number of policy issues including teacher pay increases, water quality, bringing new sources of energy into California and workers’ comp. Calderon has chaired a series of hearings on key insurance issues, including workers’ comp, the future of the California Earthquake Authority and the status of the ongoing reformation of the California Department of Insurance.