California DOI Announces Reappointments to Key Insurance Advisory Committees
The California Department of Insurance, led by Commissioner Ricardo Lara, has announced the reappointment of key members to several advisory committees aimed at advancing consumer protection and market competitiveness in the state.
The reappointments include individuals to the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan (CAARP) Advisory Committee, the California Organized Investment Network (COIN) Advisory Board, and the Insurance Diversity Task Force. CAARP was established by the Governor and State Legislature to provide auto insurance to motorists who cannot secure coverage due to driving histories or other exceptional factors. Its California Low Cost Auto Program assigns income-eligible, responsible drivers to private insurers based on market share. The Advisory Committee offers policy counsel to the Commissioner on the operation of these programs. COIN, created within the Department of Insurance in 1996, guides insurers on investments that achieve both financial returns and environmental or social benefits in underserved California communities.
Priorities under Commissioner Lara include affordable housing, healthcare equity, climate initiatives, and increased diversity among investment managers. The COIN Advisory Board supports strategic guidance to meet these objectives. The Insurance Diversity Task Force operates under the Department’s Office of Insurance Diversity and Innovation, recommending strategies to enhance economic inclusion of diverse business owners including veterans, disabled individuals, and historically underrepresented groups. It also addresses diversity in insurance corporate governance. Upcoming meetings for these bodies are scheduled through the end of 2025. Public members of CAARP receive a stipend per meeting, while other roles are unpaid. Individual appointees bring extensive expertise across insurance brokerage, legal representation, consumer advocacy, economic development, and supplier diversity.
The Department emphasizes its consumer protection role in regulating insurance rates, solvency, licensing, market conduct, complaint resolution, and fraud investigation in California’s insurance market. This series of reappointments reinforces the Department’s ongoing commitment to fostering a balanced, inclusive, and well-regulated insurance environment in the state.