With this editorial, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board wraps up its endorsements for the Nov. 3 election by weighing in on five statewide offices. By far the most important contest is for insurance commissioner, which pits two candidates with reputations as progressive Democrats: state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, and former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim.<\/p>\n
But there is a huge difference between them: Allen, whose district includes Pacific Palisades \u2014 which was leveled by a massive L.A. blaze in January 2025 \u2014 has seen up close the complexities of home insurance in a state at constant risk of devastating wildfires. Like current Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, he cites the importance of preventing more large insurers from abandoning the state because of unprofitability. Such departures would further supersize the heavily regulated FAIR Plan, the state\u2019s fire insurer of last resort, which has grown explosively in recent years despite offering bare-bones coverage. Allen knows that there are no easy answers.<\/p>\n
Kim, by contrast, calls for \u201csingle-payer universal disaster insurance\u201d in which a state fund would cover disaster losses for everyone. She asserts New Zealand, France and Spain have similar programs that have been big successes. But as a devastating analysis<\/a> in The San Francisco Standard documents, she\u2019s lying.<\/p>\n \u201cSince California\u2019s insurance crisis is driven by wildfire, these countries must run a comprehensive government insurance program that includes fire risk, right? Nope. None of these countries\u2019 state-run insurance systems cover fire,\u201d wrote Patrick Wolff. \u201cKim\u2019s idea of replacing private wildfire insurance with the state would put California taxpayers on the hook for untold billions.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s doubtful that Kim would be able to implement her incoherent plan if elected. But here\u2019s one certain result of her winning: more home insurers fleeing the state rather than dealing with a reckless know-nothing.<\/p>\n In the race for controller, Democratic incumbent Malia Cohen \u2014 as her own website shows<\/a> \u2014 has always seemed more interested in burnishing her credentials with the left than the nuts and bolts of her job as the state\u2019s de facto chief fiscal officer and bookkeeper. The former San Francisco supervisor has been repeatedly dinged by the state auditor for multibillion-dollar errors in financial reports.<\/p>\n Her opponent, San Diego Republican Herb W. Morgan, is far more impressive and qualified. The founder of a very successful investment firm and a former member of the board of the San Diego City Employees\u2019 Retirement System has extremely promising ideas about bringing \u201cradical transparency\u201d to state finances by launching a website that makes it much easier to scrutinize spending decisions.<\/p>\n In the race for lieutenant governor, the Republican candidate is Gloria Romero, who only joined the GOP in 2024. As a Democrat, she represented Los Angeles in the Assembly from 1998 to 2010, where she was praised for being willing to take on teacher unions. Now she calls dangerous Robert F. Kennedy Jr. her personal hero and traffics<\/a> in fringe medical theories.<\/p>\n Her Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Fiona Ma, has a much stronger reputation than most state leaders. Elected in 2018, the CPA and former state lawmaker has served ably as California\u2019s lead banker and asset manager, especially in the chaotic early months of the pandemic.<\/p>\n The lieutenant governor\u2019s job is mostly ceremonial. The most important quality in candidates seeking the post is the ability to serve as governor if necessary because of tragedy or other events. The candidate who has spent recent years overseeing the finances of the nation\u2019s biggest and richest state is our choice.<\/p>\n For secretary of state, we endorse incumbent Shirley N. Weber. The Democrat distinguished herself as a criminal justice and education reformer while in the Assembly representing San Diego and has done a solid job since being appointed to her state post by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. For years, she has offered calm, thoughtful defenses that refute the wild election conspiracy claims made by Donald Trump. But she also acknowledges legit concerns. In an interview with editorial writers, she was open to changes in the state\u2019s ballot harvesting law that would require that only a person known to a voter could deliver that voter\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n