Critics See Voter Revolt Group Going ‘Political’

Who knows, maybe it’s a hard habit to break. But after withstanding the brute force of the insurance titans, after outmaneuvering California’s savvy trial lawyers, after winning the $100-million insurance initiative war with their upstart Proposition 103--after all that, leaders of Voter Revolt are still ruffling fur and making enemies.

Now the charge is that the consumer populists behind Voter Revolt are becoming what they used to denounce, they are becoming “political.”

“That’s the worst thing you can call me, being political,” moaned Harvey Rosenfield, chairman of Voter Revolt and spark plug of the landmark Proposition 103 campaign.

Despite success in the November election, Voter Revolt is in debt, in court, in need of friends and in the fight of its life these days to save Proposition 103’s insurance rate rollbacks.

It is also trying to prevent its reputation from being smudged by a small but persistent band of behind-the-scenes critics, including politicians and fellow consumer-interest activists, who say Voter Revolt has stooped to old-fashioned, cash-register politics.

Specifically, critics say Voter Revolt has dangled the promise of a political endorsement in front of politicians at the same time it is pressuring them for financial and political help--the kind of deal-making that purists are presumed to avoid.

“Here you have a so-called citizens group, and already they are out selling their masthead, their banner,” said one disenchanted Democratic political consultant who is close to the issue.

Not so, objects Voter Revolt.

“After 2 1/2 years of proving ourselves, crawling and scraping for this cause without any help from special interests, we now have unnamed assailants striking at the heart of this organization’s credibility. That’s outrageous,” Rosenfield said. “A consumer advocate has nothing but his reputation.”

The basics are these:

- Voter Revolt is saddled with a $1-million-plus campaign debt and needs even more money and political backing to wage its legal and legislative struggle to save Proposition 103.

- The group has appealed to political leaders for help, in particular, those eyeing the new elective office of state insurance commissioner created by Proposition 103. At the same time, the organization tantalizingly promises that its endorsement is up for grabs by the man or woman who does the most for the cause of Proposition 103.

- Voter Revolt has stood in the path of Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), fearing that he could be a formidable candidate for insurance commissioner but persuaded that he was not a good friend to Proposition 103.

Among primary provisions, Proposition 103 calls for a 20% rollback in auto and other liability insurance rates and establishes the elective office of insurance commissioner to supervise government insurance regulation. The constitutionality of the proposition is being tested in the state Supreme Court.

During the long campaign for insurance reform, Voter Revolt and its leaders survived relentless attacks by insurance companies and trial lawyers.

But this latest round of criticism is the first time since the election that Voter Revolt has come under sustained fire from those who normally side with pro-consumer activists.

At least two Democrats who are considering running for insurance commissioner are privately sending word that they believe Voter Revolt has been too hasty and too overt in aligning itself with would-be insurance commissioner candidate and State Board of Equalization member Conway Collis.

Growing Skill

Collis is a politician of growing skill, quick to hit any hole in the line of scrimmage. He is considered an accomplished fund-raiser and is implacably determined to separate himself from his fellow work-a-day officeholders.

Last month, in conjunction with Voter Revolt, Collis announced formation of his own unofficial committee to support and defend Proposition 103. This was widely reported as a move that gave Collis the inside track for Voter Revolt’s endorsement in the likely event that he later announces his candidacy for insurance commissioner.

“What we know is there is a group with a big debt, more than $1 million. Conway Collis is a known fund-raiser. . . . We have a group that needs money and a guy who can get it. I can’t help but see the mutual self-interest,” said one Democrat who is exploring whether to run for insurance commissioner.

The Democrat, like many of those interviewed, declined to be identified for fear of angering Voter Revolt officials.

“They wrote this proposition, put it on the ballot and got it passed. Their endorsement is going to be very important,” the Democrat said.

Another would-be candidate has found Voter Revolt officials have been blunt, to say the least, in seeking financial help from politicians, according to a close associate.

“They are looking for funds to continue to operate. They want someone to help fund the operation of the 103 committee, with the obvious implication that you are much more likely to get their endorsement for insurance commissioner if you help,” this source recounted. “We told them basically to jump off a cliff.”

Rosenfield and Voter Revolt’s political director, Bill Zimmerman, a well-known Santa Monica Democratic campaign consultant, acknowledge that their need for money and political support has played an important part in their relationship with elected officials, including the angry dispute with Hayden.

But this is far short of putting the good name of Voter Revolt up for sale, they insist.

“Insulting,” Collis snapped. “That’s insulting to me; that’s insulting to them. I’m sure if they wanted to sell out, State Farm would have bought them Hawaii. . . .

“This is an issue that really moves people, and I want to help bring about long-term reform.”

Said Zimmerman: “It’s not our style to extort money from people in exchange for political support. And to those who would make the charge, I suggest to them they should get involved, help defend 103 in the courts and Legislature.

“We need support, not just financially, but politically,” he added.

Zimmerman said that more than any other would-be candidate, Collis “has taken positive steps to help. . . .”

“One thing he has done is open some doors for us in the business community. If others had taken positive steps, they wouldn’t be complaining,” Zimmerman said.

Is Voter Revolt being held by its critics to unusually high standards?

“The average person may think, politics, so what else is new?” said one consumer-interest activist. “But if you have a political organization that says it represents the people, a consumer’s advocacy group, they should be beyond reproach with money and endorsements.”

At least two other Democrats mentioned as possible contenders have pitched in to support the cause of Voter Revolt.

KABC news commentator Bill Press said he “did the best I could do for 103--I endorsed it on television and radio and urged people to vote for it.”

“I did several commentaries that the insurance companies were trying to buy this election,” he said.

State Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Tarzana) has given the group $25,000 in recent weeks, even though Voter Revolt has attacked his record as chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee as anti-consumer.

“My donations were to help keep 103 alive, to help keep reform alive, not conditioned that they say nice things about me,” Robbins said.

Still another potential contender, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn, was one of just a very few politicians active on behalf of Proposition 103 before it passed and became a celebrated cause.

Voter Revolt says its endorsement is still by no means decided and will not even be considered until after court tests of the initiative are concluded.

“Anyone who supports 103 is a friend of ours,” Rosenfield said. “We want more people clamoring to be part of this fight.”

Anyone can be a friend, that is, except Hayden. So far, the only nonpartisan public opinion poll on the race put Hayden ahead of all Democratic candidates as of February. Hayden has said only that he is considering the race.

Once friends and business associates, Zimmerman and Hayden have drifted apart--far apart by most accounts. But the relationship became truly unpleasant when the wealthy and influential assemblyman gave only $1,000 to the campaign for 103 and offered nothing since to help with the debt.

“If anybody should have been there, it should have been Tom. It was disgusting,” Rosenfield said.

Hayden says he was preoccupied with helping the presidential campaign of Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and yet another state ballot initiative--Proposition 99, the cigarette tax measure.

“This is all self-serving nonsense,” Hayden said. “I gave money to 103. Zimmerman seemed upset that I gave it at the end (of the campaign). But he didn’t send it back. I assume he used it to help get the measure passed.”

Hayden’s backers argue that officials of Voter Revolt “are merely the technicians” behind Proposition 103. The most important political endorsement for any would-be insurance commissioner, they say, is that of consumer leader Ralph Nader, who assisted with the ballot proposition campaign.

Nader says his actions will be independent from Voter Revolt’s.

“I may support their choice, I may not,” he said. “I may speak out, I don’t know, but only as an individual.”