MAYBE, just maybe, some large insurance companies figure that anytime a Republican becomes insurance commissioner of California they can get away with murder.

That's what happened back in 1994, when every major insurance carrier stopped writing new homeowner's insurance policies in the wake of the Northridge earthquake as part of a campaign to force California to excuse them from all or most of their obligation to pay future earthquake insurance claims.

Republican Chuck Quackenbush had just become insurance commissioner with the help of large campaign contributions from insurance companies and quickly succumbed to this blackmail. The result is today's California Earthquake Authority, which now writes about 70 percent of all quake insurance policies in the state. Almost all those policies carry far less coverage and significantly higher deductibles than was the general practice before 1994.

EEEC Announces Results of Car Wash Enforcement Sweeps

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Investigators with the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition (EEEC) recently targeted businesses in the car wash industry that were operating illegally. The businesses visited were in Orange County.

"As of July 2006, all companies in California who detail or wash cars were required to be registered with the state," said EEEC Executive Director David Dorame. "We have found that companies that are not in compliance with this requirement are often out of compliance with other California labor laws.

State's insurance czar on job

Maybe some insurance companies figure that anytime a Republican becomes insurance commissioner of California they can get away with murder.

That's what happened in 1994, when every major insurance carrier stopped writing new homeowner's insurance policies in the wake of the Northridge earthquake to force California to excuse them from all or most of their obligation to pay future earthquake insurance claims.

.