Earlier this month as fires were ravaging the hills of Southern California, the California Senate chair for the Insurance Committee was left vacant as Sen. Susan Rubio (D) was being questioned in a federal corruption probe. As a result, the state legislature was presented with a predicament as the wildfires in Los Angeles created a major insurance crisis.
Reports indicate that a person matching the description of Sen. Rubio had been accused in federal court documents of soliciting bribes and illegal campaign contributions. However, Rubio has not been charged with a crime and has denied the allegations brought against her. Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire previously stated that he was waiting to hear from federal prosecutors about Rubio before deciding on whether to reinstate her.
“We have requested and are awaiting additional information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office before finalizing any decisions,” McGuire’s office told CalMatters in a statement. Rubio has maintained that she is “currently not involved” in the federal corruption investigation that various other local officials in California have been implicated in.
However, while federal officials have not outright identified Rubio in the case, reports have pointed out that there is nobody else matching the description of “Person 20,” who has been accused in federal court documents of seeking $240,000 in bribes from a cannabis company and having accepted $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions. The allegations reportedly pertain to when Rubio served on the Baldwin Park City Council.
Despite the concerns about Rubio, she was reappointed to chair the Insurance Committee after the position went unoccupied for weeks. Reaffirming his support for Rubio, McGuire said, “I have confidence in her experience and her ability to lead the Committee while the State faces unprecedented challenges with the insurance market.”
Rubio recently explained that she is seeking to dedicate her time to helping Californians recover. “Following the appointment last Friday, Senators are meeting to discuss the work to be done,” according to a statement from Rubio. “After having the opportunity to meet with all members of the committee, we’ll solidify and highlight the next steps forward for California and to support those impacted by the wildfires in being made whole.”
However, some figures in California have expressed concern about Rubio’s appointment amid the crisis in California. Jamie Court, president and chairman of Consumer Watchdog, explained that he is “very concerned” with Rubio amid the “escalating crisis” in the Golden State. “She’s given the insurance commissioner whatever he wants to do, which is screw up the system,” Court explained. “The Insurance Committee is owned by the insurance industry and Susan Rubio is the gatekeeper.”
"*" indicates required fields
A spokesman for Rubio, Matthew Z’berg, told CalMatters in a statement over email, “It’s unfortunate that Senator Rubio continues to receive questions based on a case that she is currently not involved with.” He added, “Senator Rubio’s focus is on serving the constituents of the 22nd Senate District and addressing important issues affecting California families.”
The spokesman further noted that she “encouraged (McGuire) to appoint a new chair to be announced with all other assignments. She also conveyed to him that by leaving the position open, he would be feeding into false narratives and speculation.” Z’berg continued, ““Insurance issues affecting consumers across the state are of particular interest to him. It is a critical issue that he has been very vocal about in the past, and will likely continue to do so.”
Watch Gavin Newsom get confronted by a resident over the fires:
Featured image credit: California State Senate, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SusanRubio-300×300.jpg