Gillespie, Hayden Inch Toward Race : Both Take Steps to Become First Elected Insurance Commissioner

Taking her most definite steps yet toward running for state insurance commissioner when it becomes an elective post next year, Insurance Commissioner Roxani Gillespie has filed a “candidate intention statement” with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and scheduled at least three fund-raisers.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) said Thursday that Hayden is forming an exploratory committee “to take a good serious look at the insurance commissioner’s position.”

Although Gillespie, a Republican, and Hayden, a Democrat, are probably the most widely known of the prospective candidates for the state’s newest elective office, several others have been making political noises as the opening moves are made in the developing race.

Others in the Race

Among these are State Board of Equalization member Conway Collis, television commentator Bill Press, tort reform activist Tom Skornia, trial attorney Ray Bourhis and insurance agent Frank Thomas. All except Skornia are Democrats.

Neither Gillespie nor Hayden said Thursday that they are committed at this point to being candidates, and neither set a date for finally making a decision. But in separate interviews both said they are seriously exploring the possibility of running.

Gillespie, who until recently had disavowed any intention of being a candidate, has been Gov. George Deukmejian’s appointed insurance commissioner since June, 1986, and recently, as a result of the passage of Proposition 103 and her responsibility for deciding which insurance companies will be subject to rate rollbacks, has been much in the public limelight.

State of Campaign Organization

She said in an interview that she has scheduled an initial Southern California fund-raising event June 28 under the leadership of Peter Caloyeras, president of Axios, a Greek-American association. Gillespie was born in Greece and has been making a number of calls in California’s Greek community in recent weeks to form a base of support.

The commissioner noted that state election laws require that a candidate intention statement be filed before any money is raised. She also this week filed a statement of campaign organization with California Secretary of State March Fong Eu.

“In my case, running would be a big step,” Gillespie said. “I have to think about it. I don’t know enough about the process.”

Hayden declared, “On the recommendation of some of my long-time friends and advisers, I’ve agreed to explore the question of running for commissioner more formally, although I still have a lot of reservations about doing it.

“I will not speak out on insurance issues until I’ve made a decision to run. If I start speaking out, it’ll look like I’m running . . . and that would only create momentum.”

Hayden aide Bill Schulz said that while an exploratory committee of five to 10 people is being organized, Hayden is not filing a candidate intention statement at this point because he does not intend to be raising any money during the exploratory period.

Schulz said Hayden had been contacted by “people within the insurance industry” and would be meeting with them as well as with consumer representatives during his exploration.

Political Skirmishing

Already, meanwhile, there is some political skirmishing between prospective contenders.

Collis, for example, took credit Thursday for prodding Gillespie into a somewhat more flexible position on the standards she will use in judging whether insurance companies will be forced to give their customers rate rollbacks and rebates as called for in Proposition 103.

Gillespie, until recently, had said she would reach these judgments separately for each line of insurance sold by each company. Then, after an exchange of correspondence between her department and Collis, she indicated that in some cases she might make a collective judgment based on all of a company’s lines affected by Proposition 103.

The insurance commissioner said she has not made up her mind yet about a change of standards and is not even sure such a change would benefit consumers. But Collis said Thursday that he is convinced she will begin bending more toward consumers now that she is thinking of becoming a candidate.

“Her tactics will be to grant 20% rollbacks and then have companies come in and sue her,” Collis said. “Then, it will seem she’s not in their corner anymore. That’s sure to be her tactic. She’s unquestionably doing that for political reasons, but I don’t care. What’s important is that consumers obtain their rollbacks.”

Told of Collis’ remarks, Gillespie shot back, “Conway Collis has not prodded me to do anything.

“I’m going to try to be as professional as I possibly can about this. Whatever I do, I want it to be upheld by the courts, if it comes to that. The whole nation is going to be watching what we do here in California, and I want to do the right thing, not the political thing.”

Press, meanwhile, said he has gone farther toward running than any of the other prospective candidates, hiring both a campaign manager, David Mixner, and a fund-raising consultant, Joann Ruden.

“I’m surprised there are not even more candidates yet, because I believe this is a very important post,” he said. “It’s a unique opportunity to create a consumer advocate for Californians. That’s why I’m interested in it.”

Press earlier in the week had accused Gillespie of contacting Greek diplomatic representatives in California for help in raising money for a race. Gillespie denied doing so.