CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS: INSURANCE COMMISSIONER : Charges Traded Over Pitches to Lawyers

In a bitter clash Saturday before a meeting of the Consumer Federation of California, two Democrats running for insurance commissioner, Bill Press and Conway Collis, accused each other of making improper pitches for campaign contributions in closed meetings with leaders of the California Trial Lawyers Assn.

A third Democratic candidate, Walter Zelman, remarked that the trial lawyers “didn’t even invite me” to the meetings. He said that showed he is freer of the powerful lobby on insurance issues than Press and Collis.

The fireworks at the two-hour forum in El Segundo began when Collis, chairman of the State Board of Equalization, accused Press of telling the board of the Trial Lawyers Assn. that he had “delivered” for them on key issues in the past and now “I want your money” in return.

Press, a former KABC television commentator, denied ever saying that. He then accused Collis of telling the trial lawyers at a later board meeting that they should give him “$200,000 or else.”

Press later withdrew the “or else” portion of his accusation. But Collis said there was actually an “or else,” and that was a warning to the trial lawyers that unless they stopped giving so much money to Press, and gave to Collis instead, that a foe of trial lawyer interests--state Sen. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove)--would end up being elected commissioner.

And although Collis did not deny asking the lawyers for $200,000 in responding to Press’ charge at the meeting, he said later that he had not “specifically” asked for that amount. Instead, he said, he simply told the trial lawyers that he was “$200,000 short of what I will need to beat Garamendi.”

Collis added, however, that he has not received any contributions from the trial lawyers because he has angered them by supporting caps on attorneys’ fees in insurance cases. He released a list of $86,500 in trial lawyer contributions he said Press had received.

Trial Lawyer Assn. officials were not available Saturday for comment on the accusations. But in the past the organization’s leaders have said they would not discuss what is said in private meetings of board members.

Collis said Press told the trial lawyers’ board that he had “delivered” in 1986 in supporting retention of Rose Bird as chief justice of the state Supreme Court and in opposing Proposition 51, the so-called “deep-pockets” initiative that restricted certain lawsuits. He said Press also listed his 1988 support of Proposition 100, the trial lawyers’ insurance initiative. All three positions turned out to be losing ones with the electorate.

Collis said he was present at a trial lawyers board meeting in San Francisco when Press told the attorneys: “You asked. I delivered. Now I’m here to collect. But I don’t want your endorsement, because I want to win. I want your money.”

Press insisted he had not said this. Besides, he added, it wasn’t the trial lawyers who asked him to take these positions, but others.

“You try not to be harsh in these forums,” Collis rejoined. But, he went on: “You were lying, Bill, with regard to your statements to the CTLA board. I know what you said.”

Press said he was not present when Collis spoke to a later meeting of trial lawyer board members at Lake Tahoe. But, he said, he received a reliable account of what Collis said.