Speaking to a gathering of the United Chambers of Commerce, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner assessed his department’s performance in his first year in office and gave goals for 2008. Poizner said in an interview after his speech at UCC’s annual “Celebrating Business” recognition dinner that quick response by his department to the October wildfires in several areas of the state was the top accomplishment of his first year. He said 25,000 of the 37,000 insurance claims made after the fires have already been paid. “It’s been a very busy time,” the former Silicon Valley executive and high school teacher said. Despite those accomplishments, Poizner said he was frustrated by what he called the “wrong direction” in which the state was going. “Our long-term health and prosperity are in jeopardy,” he said. Poizner called the state’s highway system “terrible” and said California wasn’t keeping up with changes in the world economy. “Most people in Sacramento are oblivious to the changes in the global economy,” he said. He lamented that for the first time, 40 percent of Silicon Valley venture capital is being invested outside of California and claimed that the state needs to pay better attention to job creation. Poizner said his goals for the coming year include lowering insurance rates by combating insurance fraud. “I’m going to make sure insurance companies pass through these costs to consumers,” he said. He also said he intends to help further fine tune the state workers’ compensation system which he said has become more business friendly since it was revamped in 2003 (when the total cost of premiums was $32 billion). Now premiums have fallen to $20 billion. The commissioner also said he would focus on getting more uninsured drivers off the road. He said 25 percent of drivers in the state are uninsured. At the UCC event, several companies and individuals were honored for their contributions to the local business community. The honorees were: Individual of the Year Lulu Mercado, nominated by the San Fernando Valley Filipino American Chamber of Commerce. Small Business of the Year Mooney Industries Precision Machining Inc., nominated by the Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber of Commerce; and Deats Design, nominated by the Woodland Hills/Tarzana Chamber of Commerce. Medium Business of the Year Gelb Group, nominated by the Encino Chamber of Commerce. Large Business of the Year Northeast Valley Health Corp., nominated by the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce. Public Safety Official of the Year LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, nominated by the Encino Chamber of Commerce. Tami Ginsburg Celebration of Service Award Lee McTaggert, nominated by the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce. UCC’s 2008 Chairman Stephen T. Holzer also honored outgoing Chairman Pamela Corradi for her service to the organization.
