Communications and Press Relations Branch - Deputy Commissioner

Michael Soller was appointed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara as Deputy Commissioner of the Communications and Press Relations Branch in January 2019. He served as Communications Director to Commissioner Lara in the California Senate. He is a previous Communications Director for the California Democratic Party under former Chairman and Senate President Pro Tempore-Emeritus John Burton.

Michael has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters Degree in History from the University of California at Los Angeles.

As Deputy Commissioner of the Communications and Press Relations Branch at the California Department of Insurance (CDI), Michael coordinates communication within the Department and disseminates CDI's work on behalf of the public to consumers, media, CDI staff and other stakeholders.

The function of the Communications and Press Relations Branch is to keep a wide variety of stakeholders (such as the media, general public, consumer advocates, the Governor's Office, allied agencies, public policy official, and regulated entities) informed about significant insurance issues. Branch staff work closely with internal stakeholders to advance CDI's goals and objectives and serve as effective liaisons with the media (including television, newspaper, radio, online publications, and bloggers) via press releases, phone calls, emails, social media outreach, videos, and events.

The Communications and Press Relations Branch includes the Department’s Press Secretary.