Commissioner Lara announces appointments to the Insurance Diversity Task Force and the WCIRB Governing Committee
News: 2025 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 include reappointing members Mitch Steiger and C. Bryan Little to the California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) Governing Committee as well as reappointing member Dr. Fabiola Cobarrubias to the Insurance Diversity Task Force.
"I am pleased to announce these reappointments to the Insurance Diversity Task Force and the WCIRB Governing Committee," said Commissioner Lara.“Now more than ever, diversity means business and community input is essential to protecting consumers. I appreciate the insight and perspectives these members bring to our oversight of the nation’s largest insurance market.
The WCIRB Governing Committee sets policy, oversees WCIRB management, and reviews all issues involving pure premium rates, classifications, rating plans, rating systems, manual rules and policy, and endorsement forms. The WCIRB is a private organization licensed by the Department for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and compiling rating data, with funding coming from assessments of its insurance company members. All workers’ compensation insurance companies in California are required by law to be members of the WCIRB.
The Insurance Diversity Task Force advises the Department’s nationally recognized Insurance Diversity Program (formerly the Insurance Diversity Initiative), which encourages insurers to expand access and economic inclusion with diverse business owners, such as a woman-owned, veteran-/disabled veteran-owned, historically disadvantaged community-owned, people with disability-owned, or LGBTQ+-owned businesses, as well as advance diversity of insurance company corporate boards. The Task Force makes recommendations to the Insurance Commissioner regarding innovative ways to increase diversity within the insurance industry.
The next Insurance Diversity Task Force meeting will be held on March 12, 2025 and the next WCIRB Governing Committee meeting will be held on April 16, 2025.
More details are available at: www.insurance.ca.gov/boards. All positions are uncompensated.
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Media Notes:
Newly reappointed members include:
WCIRB Governing Committee
Mitch Steiger is a Legislative Representative for CFT, A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals, which represents over 120,000 education workers across California. Steiger represents CFT on the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC), the Cal/OSHA Advisory Committee, the Worker Occupational Safety & Health Training Education Program (WOSHTEP) Advisory Committee, and he is a member of the Field Representatives Union (FRU) as well as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Steiger has been reappointed to the WCIRB Governing Committee as an organized labor representative with a term ending on April 14, 2027.
C. Brian Little is Senior Director of Policy Advocacy at the California Farm Bureau Federation where he implements legislative and regulatory initiatives for all matters related to agricultural employment, including occupational safety and health as well as workers’ compensation insurance, for the largest general interest agriculture organization in California. Little also serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Farm Employers Labor Service, a subscriber organization affiliated with the California Farm Bureau which provides compliance assistance services for California agricultural employers. In a previous role, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health at the U.S. Department of Labor. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Agricultural Personnel Management Association. Little has been reappointed to the WCIRB Governing Committee in the insured employer representative seat with a term ending on April 14, 2027.
Insurance Diversity Task Force
Dr. Fabiola Cobarrubias is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Inpatient Medical Group, an independent medical group that provides hospitalist and specialist services in the Bay Area. She currently serves as a director on the board of ProAssurance Corporation, a property and casualty insurance company focused on professional liability and workers’ compensation. Dr. Cobarrubias previously served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors and Governance Committee Chair for NORCAL Group, a national medical professional liability carrier, and as Chair of the Board of Directors of Brown and Toland Physicians. She completed a Governance Fellowship of the National Association of Corporate Directors and is a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association. Dr. Cobarrubias has been reappointed to the Task Force as an insurance industry representative with expertise in governing board diversity, with a term ending March 7, 2027.
Led by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the California Department of Insurance is the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace and safeguards all of the state’s consumers by fairly regulating the insurance industry. Under the Commissioner’s direction, the Department uses its authority to protect Californians from insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, oversee insurer solvency to pay claims, set standards for agents and broker licensing, perform market conduct reviews of insurance companies, resolve consumer complaints, and investigate and prosecute insurance fraud. Consumers are urged to call 1-800-927-4357 with any questions or contact us at www.insurance.ca.gov via webform or online chat. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800-927-4357. Teletypewriter (TTY), please dial 800-482-4833.
