CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Zelman to Quit, Run for Insurance Post

Walter A. Zelman, executive director of California Common Cause for 13 years, announced in Sacramento that he will resign as head of the public interest lobbying group on Dec. 1 and seek the Democratic nomination for state insurance commissioner. Zelman, 45, of Los Angeles, said he will not accept campaign contributions from the insurance industry or from law firms specializing in personal injury cases. He also challenged his Democratic opponents to agree to a voluntary spending limit of $750,000 for the primary. “You can’t be an independent consumer advocate with $100,000 from the trial lawyers in your pocket,” Zelman said. But the longtime proponent of spending limits and public financing of campaigns said he will not limit his own spending unless other candidates agree to follow suit.