Commissioner Lara announces appointments to the CAARP Advisory Committee, the COIN Advisory Board, the CEA Advisory Panel, and the Curriculum Board

News: 2024 Press Release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today announced several appointments to help drive forward the California Department of Insurance’s mission to protect California consumers. These appointments include naming new member Claudia Perez and reappointing members Bernardo de la Torre, Cynthia Strathmann, and Doug Heller to the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan (CAARP) Advisory Committee; naming Deborah La Franchi as the newest member of the California Organized Investment Network (COIN) Advisory Board; reappointing members Todd Anglin and Mark Simmonds to the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) Advisory Panel; and, reappointing members Anne Lintz and Peter Schifrin to the Curriculum Board.

“I am pleased to announce these new appointments to the CAARP Advisory Committee and the COIN Advisory Board, as well as the reappointments to the CEA Advisory Panel and the Curriculum Board,” said Commissioner Lara. “The appointees play an important role in protecting consumers and helping maintain a robust insurance market in our state, and I am grateful they are willing to serve their fellow Californians by lending their considerable experience and knowledge.”

The Governor and California State Legislature created CAARP to provide auto insurance for motorists unable to obtain coverage in the private market due to their driving records or other extraordinary circumstances. One program within the plan – the California Low Cost Auto Program – aims to provide affordable liability insurance to income-eligible good drivers by assigning them to private insurers based upon the companies’ share of the auto insurance market. The CAARP Advisory Committee provides policy advice to Commissioner Lara on matters affecting the operation of its programs.

The CEA provides earthquake insurance for California homeowners, condominium owners, mobile homeowners, and renters. The CEA Advisory Panel advises the Governing Board of the CEA on issues including basic insurance coverage issues, CEA's insurance rates, long-term sustainability and survivability of the CEA, and availability and affordability of earthquake coverage.

The California Organized Investment Network (COIN) was established in 1996 within the Department of Insurance to guide insurers on making financially sound investments that yield environmental benefits throughout California and social benefits within the State’s underserved communities. Commissioner Lara has prioritized COIN investments which drive affordable housing, support small businesses, combat climate change, and encourage investors to utilize diverse investment managers more. The COIN Advisory Board provides guidance to the Commissioner and the COIN program to meet its mission and chief priorities.

The Curriculum Board oversees the development of pre-licensing and continuing education curriculum for agents and brokers to uphold professional standards that protect consumers. This includes a list of preapproved courses of study as well as courses of study for professional designations. This Board also develops standards for providers and instructors who offer courses and other training to licensed agents and brokers.

The next CAARP Advisory Committee meeting will be held on November 19 and November 20, 2024, the next CEA Advisory Panel meeting is December 4, 2024, the next COIN Advisory Board meeting is November 7, 2024, and the next Curriculum Board meeting is February 20, 2025.

More details are available at: www.insurance.ca.gov/boards. Public members of the CAARP Advisory Committee receive $250 per meeting. All other positions are uncompensated.

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Media Notes:

Newly appointed members include:

CAARP Advisory Committee

Claudia Perez is Chief of Staff to Santa Ana City Mayor Valerie Amezcua and also Owner of CP Consulting, a leadership design firm. She has a public service career spanning over two decades. Beginning in 2001, Perez held various positions in the California State Legislature, including as a district staff member for then-Senator Martha Escutia, Office Manager for then-Assemblyman Mike Eng, and Senior Field Representative for Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, before retiring in 2022. Throughout her career, Claudia has been actively involved in several committees, including the County of Orange Planning Commission (District 4), where she served as Chairwoman. Perez joins the CAARP Advisory Committee in the public member seat, with her term set to end on October 31, 2025.

Bernardo de la Torre is owner of Law Offices of Bernardo de la Torre in La Mirada, a law firm founded in 1985 and specializing in the representation of injured workers. De la Torre is a member of the California Applicant Attorneys Association Board of Directors and is a founding member of LatinoComp, which is a non-profit workers’ compensation professional organization. He is a former Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Pro Tem and is a recipient of the Attorney of the Year Award from the Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles County in 2011. De la Torre has been reappointed to the CAARP Advisory Committee in the public member representative seat, with a term ending on November 10, 2025.

Cynthia Strathmann is Executive Director for Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), a non-profit economic justice organization that advocates for tenant rights, healthy housing, and equitable development in Los Angeles. Formerly, Strathmann was a Research and Policy Analyst for Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) and is also a former Research Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California where she managed a National Institutes of Health-funded study of South Los Angeles families and health disparities. Strathmann has been reappointed to the CAARP Advisory Committee in the public member representative seat, with a term ending on November 10, 2025.

Doug Heller is Director of Insurance for the Consumer Federation of America. Heller has authored op-eds, articles, and reports on auto insurance pricing in the United States, overseen regulatory challenges to insurance company rates and practices, and provided expertise in insurance-related litigation. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog. He is also an appointee to the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance. Heller has been reappointed to the CAARP Advisory Committee in the public member representative seat, with a term ending on November 10, 2025.

CEA Advisory Panel:

Todd Anglin is Agent-Owner of a State Farm Insurance Agency, providing services in Property/Casualty, Life/Health, Variable Securities, Bank, Notary, and other financial services for the past 11 years. Prior to opening his insurance business, Anglin was District Manager for Sprint Nextel Corporation where he led sales in the San Francisco East Bay market, the highest volume market in the company. He is also an appointee on the Fairview Municipal Advisory Committee, which oversees county land use and other community issues. Anglin has been reappointed to the CEA Advisory Panel in the insurance agent representative seat, with a term ending on October 31, 2028.
 

Mark Simmonds is Senior Vice President, State Product Management for Allstate. Simmonds has over 20 years of personal lines insurance and reinsurance experience. Previous to his role at Allstate, he was Senior Vice President of Distribution and Agency Operations for CSAA Insurance Group and prior to that was Director of State Operations for Liberty Mutual Insurance. He previously served on the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan Governing Board. Simmonds has been reappointed to the CEA Advisory Panel in the insurance company representatitve seat, with a term ending on October 31, 2028.

COIN Advisory Board:

Deborah La Franchi is the founder and CEO of SDS Capital Group (SDS). SDS manages six funds/products that invest in economic development and affordable housing projects, such as the SDS Supportive Housing Fund, which has financed 800+ apartment units for the unhoused. La Franchi also founded Sustainable Communities Fund, a nonprofit benefitting 1,500+ low-income entrepreneurs receiving micro/small business loans. She serves on the UCLA Ziman Affordable Housing Advisory Council and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Advisory Board. She served on the City of Los Angeles Mayor-Elect Karen Bass’s Mayoral Transition Advisory Team and as Assistant Deputy Mayor for Economic Development from 1998 to 2000.  La Franchi joins the COIN Advisory Board in the affordable housing practitioner representative seat with a term ending on October 31, 2026.

Curriculum Board:
Anne Lintz is Owner of Anne Lintz Insurance Agency, Inc., a State Farm Agency. Lintz lives and serves consumers in rural and high wildfire risk counties of California and is in the top 100 State Farm agents out of 19,000 in the country for multiple-line sales. She is a member of the California Farm Bureau Federation and previously served on the Sutter Amador Hospital Philanthropy Board and the Mule Creek Prison Community Board. Lintz has been reappointed to the Curriculum Board in the agent/broker representative seat with a term ending on October 13, 2027.

Peter Schifrin is Chief Executive Officer of Schifrin, Gagnon & Dickey, Inc., a statewide claim adjusting and investigation company. In addition to his over 40 years of experience as an insurance adjuster, he is past President for the National Association of Independent Insurance Adjusters, which is the national organization over the California Association of Independent Insurance Adjusters. Schifrin has been reappointed to the Curriculum Board in the insurance adjuster representative seat with a term ending on October 13, 2027.