October 2, 2025 • 36 mins
The John Kobylt Show Hour 1 (10/02) - ABC7 Bay Area did a deep dive into CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's taxpayer funded travel and security raising concerns.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Can't. I am six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You're listening to the John Cobel Podcast on the iHeartRadio
app after four o'clock John Cobelt Show on demand on
the iHeart app, and that's where you get to listen
to whatever you miss. Now, just sit still for a
little bit, because we've got to play for you something
that will really make your blood boil.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It should absolutely make you crazy.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
And it involves a guy who we have discussed probably
for ten years now. He's the California Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara.
He is a complete clown, that's right. His nickname is
cal Fart Lara. That's what people call him because when
(00:45):
he was in the legislature, he passed a bill, wrote
a bill that would require all the cows in California
to wear this big boxy device on their backs with
a two tube that connects to their anus, so when
the cal farts, the box would trap the methane from
(01:08):
the calfart true story, go look it up. Because he
thought that was going to relieve climate change, global warming,
because methane is a powerful component. The guys for real,
like you go up Interstate five and you see those
those hundreds and hundreds of cows, thousands of cows on
the side of the earth. He wanted to install a
box on all of them. Cal Fartlarra. Then, shockingly, because
(01:34):
the voters of California are really among the stupidest people
on the planet, they made him insurance commissioner. His claim
to fame is he's the first gay insurance commissioner, which
is going to be pivotal important in this story. They
were going to play for you. Stephanie Sierra and Olivia
(01:55):
Gonzalez from ABC seven in San Francisco didn't investigation, and
they did a report a few months back detailing that
Ricardo Lara has traveled the globe repeatedly. Well, California's insurance
situation has just collapsed the fires. What's happened in the Palisades.
(02:22):
You had insurance companies canceling coverage in the Palisades just
weeks and months before the fire happened. People are just
not covered, people are not getting paid. And it's happened
in other areas of the state that were affected by
the fire. It's a total disaster, and Ricardo Lara is
(02:43):
never around. You will hear this report now, it's a
nine minute report we've broken it up into like part
one and two, but decided that because there's so much
information in these reports, we're gonna I'm gonna interject to
come when it comes to a particular point, I think
we should stop and discuss. I don't know how long
(03:03):
it's gonna take to play the whole thing, but you've
got to hear this whole thing. Rire Cardillara is a crook,
and he hides behind being gay to justify his his corruption,
and uh, considering how much people are suffering, I go
personally how people are suffering here in Los Angeles, from
the Palisades fire out to Dina fire because you know,
(03:25):
the the insurance went screwy on him. You're you're you're
just you're probably gonna pop a You're gonna pop an
artery in your neck. That's what's gonna happen. Not even
a vain all right, So here we go, Stephanie Sierra,
Olivia Gonzalez. This is ABC seven in San Francis Cisco.
Let's start.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
California's insurance Commissioner is a frequent flyer, jets at a
cross country but mostly all over the world. A nice gig, right,
especially if taxpayers are picking up the town, upgrading his
flights to business and first class, expensing the five star resorts, days,
limo service, even a safari.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
The list goes on.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Thousands of records obtained by seven on Your Side investigates
show California's Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Latta, racked up the receipts
in recent years at least forty eight trips across the
globe to virtually every dot you see on this map
since he assumed office in twenty nineteen, and that may
just be scratching the tarmac, as years of his travel
records remain missing from the state.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
That's the biggest concern.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
If you were to ask my office the purpose of
government travel, we'd be able to identify every stems benefit
that came from these trips.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
The vice chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee, Assembly Member
Greg Wallace, is pursuing a state audit into the matter
following our investigation, But new documents obtained by seven on
Your Side show several of the trips paid for with
taxpayer funds were five times more expensive than we previously reported.
Speaker 6 (04:51):
Is that on the best interest of the state.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Ray asbel is, a former HR manager for the state.
He explains all departments are required to id identify a
clear established need to travel, and for out of country trips,
a mission critical purpose is required, But after nine months
of questioning, the California Department of Insurance was unable to
specify those reasons for a series of trips, including a
(05:15):
five star hotel stay in New York City for PrideFest
that coused taxpayers more than eleven six hundred dollars. A
four day trip listed no insurance related meetings on his calendar,
but a vip rooftop event with DJ Kitty Glitter made
the cut. Private security was hired to escort him to
various events on this trip, costing taxpayers.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
More than ninety four hundred dollars.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
The department says it defers to California Highway Patrol for
any private security or transport travel expenses, adding CHP not
the commissioner makes those decisions.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Let's stop here. This is what I was talking about
during the intro. So he's openly gay, and he thinks
he's bulletproof. He thinks he could be his cur rupt
as he wants to be. And if you criticize him,
what do you think he's going to start calling you
or his allies that's you're homophobic.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
That's the game.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
So he thinks he's entitled to go to a Pride
Fest event in New York City, five star hotel. Let
me just review what Stephanie Sierra said. Five star hotel
eleven thousand, six hundred dollars for the trip, four days,
(06:33):
No insurance meetings on the schedule, none. This was a
holiday in New York to celebrate Pride Month. And if
you raise any questions, just like, oh are you homophobic?
Pretty good deal, a vip rooftop event with DJ Kitty Glitter.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
You paid for all this you did. What are you
doing today? Working? Huh? Tough day, long commute.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Nastiness at the office, sweating out in the sun. Your
tax money funds Ricardo Lara and his trip to see
DJ Kitty Glitter, five five star hotel.
Speaker 7 (07:23):
What about that safari? I want to go on a safari?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
I know you do well. You want to run for
insurance commissions. That's not fair because then you could run
and I end up paying for it. Yeah yeah, okay.
Private security on top of this, private security costing ninety
four hundred dollars. That's on top of the eleven thousand
(07:49):
he spent on the trip, So now we're up to
twenty thousand dollars for four days at PrideFest. I'm afraid
to look online to see who DJ Kitty Glitter is,
and I don't want to be traumatized.
Speaker 7 (08:03):
Oh, I thought you wanted to go to a concert.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
No, I mean, I'm hoping it's not a furry.
Speaker 7 (08:10):
I actually know nothing of that DJ.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Eric's looking at us.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I've never heard. I mean, DJs are sometimes famous in
their own little realm. But all right, now he's doing this,
and again, the state of insurance in California is utterly disastrous.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
This is a fine vacation.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
For himself privately, but somehow we had to cover twenty
grand by my calculation, right, it's eleven thousand for the
trip and then nine thousand for the security security. Who
is going to try to assault the insurance commissioner in
New York City? How would you know who he is?
He's just another I was going to say, another guy
(08:53):
in a suit, but he's probably just walking around in
casual clothes because this was not a business trip. There
was no official government duties. He's just another guy out there.
He actually does this. And the thing is some of
this was reported on months ago and nothing happened.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Nothing.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
He's an elected official. Probably sixty percent of you voted
for this, for this character. All Right, we're gonna take
a break, We're gonna play some more. There's a lot
more to this and it only gets worse. And we're
also gonna give away thousand dollars and Debora Mark, who's
never been on a so far, that's.
Speaker 8 (09:32):
Right because they're very, very expensive. But if somebody wants
to start a GoFundMe not.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Where the taxpayer pays for it, then they're free. Deborah Mark,
this is wasn't there a no fund? Maybe you're going
to start the other day. It's like I think every
few days now you want to go.
Speaker 7 (09:48):
Fund rued something for shoes.
Speaker 9 (09:49):
Yeah, you're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI
AM six.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Forty Ricardillara is Thelifornia Insurance Commissioner. Insurance in this state,
you know, is a disaster. It's extremely expensive. Companies cancel
on a whim. A lot of people have no insurance.
They get thrown in the fair plan. The fair plan
hardly covers anything, at least in the Palisades. The whole
(10:18):
system is a total, absolute, mismanaged.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Corrupt bust.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Ricardo Lara is the Democratic Insurance Commissioner who runs it
cal Fort Lara, and he has spent most of his
time as commissioner traveling forty eight trips. Most of them
seem to have nothing to do with the insurance business,
and most of them were charged entirely to you and me,
(10:46):
the California tax payer. We're in the middle of playing
this story from ABC seven Stephanie Sierra and up up
in the Bay Area, and we will continue playing the story.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Go ahead, HP not.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
The commissioner makes those decisions based on things like threat assessments.
Speaker 10 (11:04):
Government job is government service. It's not supposed to be wealthy.
You're not supposed to be in nice buildings in New
York having these high priced securities.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Former South may assembly Member Evan Lowe, an openly gay
politician who worked closely with Latta, says the security costs
may be warranted due to rising threats targeting the LGBTQ community.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
I've been subjected to them too many do. It is
not unique to me, but the unfortunate realities that we're
dealt with in this political environment.
Speaker 11 (11:31):
But he also recognizes the right shop a second, there
is no way we should be paying ten thousand dollars
in security costs because the insurance commissioner is gay.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I don't care. We should not have to pay for that.
I do not know why it matters that he's gay.
Why do they harp on this so much? I don't
know which of my I don't know, or agent, my doctor, dentist.
I don't know which of them are gay and which aren't.
(12:04):
I don't want to know. I don't ask people that
I'm doing business with, Hey, who are you sleeping with?
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Be sleeping with girls? Guys? What is it? What's going on?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Maybe if they're a furry, you know, I'd want to know,
but that I probably would see it would be obvious.
Speaker 6 (12:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
You go to the dentist's office and there's a guy
standing there in a rabbit suit. It's like, all right,
I know what I'm dealing with here, but sure to that?
Why does anybody give a crap? And if so, he's
public with it, and he's got this huge ego and
he thinks that people in New York City are going
to come after him because he's gay, Because you know,
it's hardly any gay people in New York City and
(12:43):
that they're going to recognize him as an insurance commissioner
and they're going to be overcome with some kind of
hostility because, oh my god, we have a gay insurance
commissioner for California here, and then we got to pay
ten thousand dollars worth of security.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
No, it's got nothing to do with that.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
It's that he's an arrogant go maniac who thinks that
we all serve him, and he likes to walk around
a lot of security because it makes him feel like
a big important deal. A BFD I think is Joe
Biden would put it.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah, he's a big bleeping deal.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Walk around with a bunch of not garage bodyguard, security guards,
guys with guns.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Why do you have that?
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, you know the political climate, the threat out There
is no threat to insurance commissioners in a state that
said three thousand miles away. It's like, sit down, shut up,
get off it. He's not undergoing any threat going to
PrideFest in New York and he doesn't desert. If you're
that scared, then stay home and save us to ten
(13:45):
thousand dollars in security fees. I mean, enough is enough
of this stuff already sees all right, continue, but he.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Also recognizes there has to be accountability.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Having said that, I think you're also making a ballad
making sure that there's great justification on any public dollars
that is being spent one penny, two pennies, whatever it
might be.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
But we're not talking about pennies here.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Yeah, right, petty show a lotas five day trip to Bogata,
Columbia for an LGBTI political leaders conference costed taxpayers more
than twenty four thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
That's five times more than we previously reported.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
No insurance related meetings listed on his calendar either, but
receipts showed more than seven grand was spent on taxi fares.
Turns out a private security firm accompanied him at the conference.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Stop there, right, stop there. This one's even worse than
Pride Fest. This is twenty four thousand dollars, seven thousand.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Dollars on taxi fares.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Well, what he was taking a taxi to Brazil, but
wasn't taxi fares. That was a cover, that was a lie.
It was again the private security. Now who's coming after
who's going after the insurance commissioner in boga Ta, Colombia,
and there were no there was no there's no insurance
(15:07):
meetings there. LGBTI, what happened to the q LGBTI Political
Leaders Conference? Political leader, you're supposed to regularly run the
insurance industry.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
What's wrong with you?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I mean, between the Pride fest and uh, this trip
to Colombia, that's forty four thousand dollars, forty four thousand dollars,
sixteen thousand dollars just on private security for old cal Fart.
Lara play more.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Lo is the CEO of the Victory Institute, a LGBTQ
advocacy organization, on this trip.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
What was accomplished on that trip?
Speaker 5 (15:56):
I don't know the substance of what was discussed during
that period of time, but the order organization does convene
a number of lgency like officials to talk about their experiences.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
What is it like serving? How do you deal with
being a public official?
Speaker 6 (16:07):
Well?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Stop, stop, stop stopping.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
He flies to Bogata, Colombia to be part of a
conference of lgbt IQ political leaders to answer the question
what is it like serving? What does your sexuality matter?
When you're sitting in a chair at your desk, trying
to hash out some issue with an insurance company. Do
(16:35):
people actually talk about their their their sexual interests at
at these government meetings? I mean realize insurance is a
pretty dry topic. Maybe it would be more entertaining if
everybody start poured out, pouring out their fantasies or what
they did last night. Seriously, he's got to fly to Bogata,
Colombia to say, what is it like serving when when
(16:55):
you're a gay and when you're a gay insurance commissioner? Well,
what would the answer to that possible be? How would
you answer that? What is it like serving? It's a dry,
boring industry, a lot of complicated numbers. How do you
deal with being a public official? Well, how he deals
(17:19):
with being a public official? Is he looks us, he
steals from us. He spends tens of thousands of dollars
on bogus trips that have nothing to do with insurance.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Play some more.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
This is why critics ask might a zoom call be
a cheaper alternative for an educational conference?
Speaker 5 (17:37):
And I welcome these type of questions to be able
to articulate that because.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
That's Evan Lowe again, Who's what is he? He's the.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Former assembly member who's also gay. I welcome these type
of questions. I have an answer. Yes, a zoom call
is cheaper. It would take about thirty seconds to say,
to answer the question, what is it like serving? I
don't know how you'd answered that, but I think you
could answer in thirty seconds. This is not that interesting
a question. How do you deal with being a public official?
That's a nonsense question. So I welcome these type of quay.
(18:15):
I'm flabbergasted by this. The thing is Channel seven did
a shorter version of this report with less detail some
months ago, and it had absolutely no effect.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
On the world.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Ricardi Larar just still kept flying around with his security
authorage that we were paying for, kept going on these
long trips internationally to meetings that had nothing to do
with insurance. It changed nothing. You didn see the governor
come out and say, bringing noth of this crap.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
Place more because again, public dollars are that much more important.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
But the commissioner has not articulated that answer. The security
for just two of lata's twenty nineteen trips cost taxpayers
more than sixteen grant. Those charges are in addition to
a two hundred and sixty thousand dollars contract a lot
of had with California High Patrol that year to provide
protection services.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Stop holy crap.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So those two trips cost sixteen thousand, and then Lara
has a two hundred and sixty thousand dollars contract with
CHP for more protection. Who the hell is after an
insurance commissioner? What are the threats? Exactly? There are no threats.
This is to make him feel like mister big stuff.
(19:26):
Two hundred and sixty thousand dollars of our tax money.
So he has a driver all the time. Does somebody
tuck him in at night? We got a lot more
of this. This is a This is ABC seven. How
much shall we have?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
All right? Play last thirteen seconds of this part.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Well, travel is.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Not uncommon for California's insurance commissioner, and prior commissioners have
also traveled internationally. Political analysts are raising questions about the frequency, cost,
and lack of transparency with Lata's trips.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Okay, we'll do part two when we come back. Ricardo Lara,
the California and Sure Company commissioner, huge failure at his job,
and he's costing us tens of thousands of dollars. On
nonsense non insurance trips around the globe.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Run every day from one in till four o'clock and
then after for It's John Cobelt's show on demand. That's
the podcast version of it. Moistline eight seven seven Moist
eighty six. You might have something to say about this
thing we're covering Ricardo Lara, the insurance Commissioner eight seven
seven Moist eighty six eight seven seven six six four
seven eight eight six, or use the talkback feature on
(20:37):
the iHeartRadio app. We had been playing this lengthy story
put together by Channel seven in San Francisco by Stephanie Sierra.
She had done a version of this some months ago
when they got some of the information about the insurance
Commissioner Ricardo Lara's extensive traveling. Much of this have having
(21:01):
nothing to do with his job as insurance commissioner. A
lot of this is not insurance meetings. This is just
tourism and he has has just incredibly expensive trips, staying
at expensive hotels, having a having enormous expenses for security
detail for a guy.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
That nobody knows who he is.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I mean, outside of political geeks and Sacramento, who the
hell knows who Ricardo Larra is. And he's got a
security entourage that is as costly as Lady Gagas. I mean,
I just don't I don't understand. I mean, he's got
a huge he's a huge ego case and we're paying
for it. And nobody in Sacramento ever blew the whistle
(21:49):
on this, even though it's been known for quite some time. Well,
this is a more extensive report. The spending is worse
than you could have imagined. We're going to go to
part two now and we're going to talk about the
last thing we did is all right. We highlighted two
of the trips. There's forty eight of them. Two of
them cost taxpayers more than sixteen thousand dollars just for security.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
And then we were.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Told that Lara has a two hundred and sixty thousand
dollars contract.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
With the CHP.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
For secure for protection services two hundred sixty and I
think that only is for a year. Now, let's continue
this travelog. Oh, for example, pay attention because I think
I think you might get more information never about the
safari here for.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Example, last November, Lada took a trip to Cape Town,
South Africa for an international insurance conference, but the conference
was only two days, Yet receipt show taxpayers paid for
his entire two and a half week's day at a
luxury hotel. Records are still missing from this trip, but
we can tell you his security detail alone cost taxpayers
(22:59):
more than thirty three thousand dollars, and that's not including
any of the miscellaneous bills like expensive hiking equipment.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
I'm having a hard time understanding why hiking poles are
part of something that the state needs for insurance and
tax Wait.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Wait, hiking poles.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
That was the voice of ray Asbel, and he used
to work with California HR, so I understand we got
charged for hiking poles and his security on this trip
more than thirty three thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Yeah. Now, let's play some.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
More here, and taxpayers paid for a visit to the
Big five Safarian spa.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
It just doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 12 (23:41):
That's a strong case that that line has been crossed
because if we are spending taxpayer money on excursions that
seem like it's a vacation, and people are saying the
business purpose of the trip to put that right.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Stop, stop, what is a spa? You know what a
big five?
Speaker 2 (23:58):
If that jumped down the Big five safari, that's when
you see lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and African buffalo. Those
are the big five animals. And so this is this
is the elite safari, two day conference, two and a
half week trip, thirty three thousand insecurity so he could
(24:21):
see all the big animals.
Speaker 7 (24:25):
You just have to laugh. It's so ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
This is so blatant. I've never seen anybody this blatant
about it. This out in the open.
Speaker 7 (24:34):
And he's in charge of h's.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
In people are going bankrupt, they're homeless because of their
insurance problems.
Speaker 7 (24:42):
And he's going on safaris and going in a spa.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Now, yes, play some more to put that trip and
perspective for you.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
We requested all the travel records of legislators on both
state insurance committees, but received show a significant disparity. Let
me show you what I mean, and one example involving
Lisa A. Calderon the Assembly Insurance Committee chair. She averaged
roughly nineteen thousand dollars annually over the past five years
for all her taxpayer funded travel. Now, compare that to
(25:10):
Commissioner Lada's HP security detail exceeding thirty three thousand dollars for.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Just one trip.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Commissioner Ladda and assembly Member Calderon's role is not a
direct comparison in scope of representation, but the Department has
not provided the travel records from previous commissioners, describing them
as incomplete. In fact, Lada's staff provided a list of
five international trips former Commissioner Dave Jones took during his tenure.
Compare that to at least twenty one international trips Lada took.
Speaker 6 (25:41):
So I don't think it passed the sniff test whatsoever.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Yet somehow this next trip passed the sniff test for
the commissioner. It included a luxurious ten day trip to Dubai,
staying at a pricing five star resort.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
The department stop.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Dubai, Yeah, a pricey five star resort.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
This is so outrageous, this is so galling play some more.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
The Department says this was to participate in United Nations
policy panels and insurance forums, and while his office has
been unable to provide the receipts for his own costs.
Seven on your Side obtained records showing taxpayers paid more
than twenty four thousand on the flight's pay and luxury
hotel accommodations just for his CHP security details, which included
(26:29):
hiring a limousine service and a personal chauffeur.
Speaker 8 (26:33):
Sorry, stop, is this the President of the United States?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Twenty four thousand dollars a chauffeur a private limousine in Dubai.
The thing is, he did this repeatedly, over and over
and over again. He's been the insurance commissioner for six
years now. This is the second term. This is standard
(26:57):
way of life, and nobody stopped him. Was publicized, nobody
stopped him.
Speaker 7 (27:02):
Play some more to put that in perspective.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Seven on your Side requested any security related expenses build
to taxpayers for the insurance commissioners in Illinois, New York, Texas,
and Florida from twenty eighteen through June this year, yet
none of them produced any responsive records.
Speaker 12 (27:19):
The people of the state have the right to ask
those questions.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
The department says any personal excursions are paid for by
the commissioner personally, so we asked if that was the
case for the fifteen international trips listed in this report
that are missing his own travel records, and we.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
Never got a straight answer.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
To be clear, Commissioner loves total travel cost to taxpayers
is likely much higher, given the Department has failed to
provide most, if not all, of his own expenses for
many of these prices stot Stock.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
So they're hiding even more trips. Maybe these trips are
even more expensive. Why are they hiding it? They were
willing to release this. This makes them look good play some.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
More aside from just Cape Town, but also Scotland, Chile, Egypt,
Costa Rica, Tokyo, Uruguay, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Guatemala, Ireland, and
three trips to Bermuda despite our repeated attempts.
Speaker 12 (28:13):
I think this would warrant a committee hearing to review
this type of situation, for the Commissioner to come in
and answer questions, why.
Speaker 10 (28:21):
Do you have the security? Is this security necessary? Is
this price tag necessary?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Commissioner Lada was unavailable for an interview. We repeatedly reached
out for further comment to these findings. His office did
not respond to most of the requested trips, but did
send us the following statement addressing Lada's trip to Bogatah,
As the first openly gay person elected to lead a
statewide office in California history and one of the nation's
most visible gay leaders, Commissioner Lada was invited to speak
(28:49):
on the fight for human rights.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Stop stop, stop, this is bs. This is garbage.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Again, he's gay, So why look at the insurance that
you he should be in California a disaster. Oh but
he's gay. Yeah, but you're blowing one hundreds of thousands
of dollars on travel. Well it's because he's gay. Well
he has to speak out on being gay. Yeah, what
are you talking about? Your job is to regulate the
insurance industry and your total failure at it.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Well, yeah, but you don't understand he's gay.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
But he's traveling to South Africa to look at big animals,
Well because he's gay. Well he's in Dubai Bogata, New
York because well as one of the leading gay events.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
That's got nothing to do with anything.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
I don't Nobody is interested in who he sleeps with
at night or what he does nobody. What they care
about is their house is not insured. That payments for
everybody in California.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Are through the roof. I know this.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Our insurance payments are mind boggling. Everybody's insurance is mind
boggling if they can get it. A lot of insurance
cannot be purchased anymore because he has so completely effed
up the entire insurance industry.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
And he's flying around the world. And I told you this.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
I didn't even hear this part of the story when
I said this half an hour ago. It's like the
excuse is going to be he's gay. I mean, which
want drive my head through the wall play some more.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
On the same time, he was leading the fight for
health insurance equality with other state insurance commissioners, adding last
week for all department funded travel, we comply with FPPC
rules and reporting requirements.
Speaker 12 (30:29):
The public and the voters and the citizens of the
state are tired of seeing elected officials and appointed officials
who believe that the rules do not apply.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
To them, Which brings us back to this question, where
is the ethical line?
Speaker 5 (30:42):
Your question about where that line exists. It's something that
we go through ethics training on. Actually, I'm going to
talk about so understanding public scrutiny and we need to
be cognizant of that now.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
In just the past hour, the department responded saying Commissioner
Alta has attended ethical training sessions.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Of the oversight over this position.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
According to the Governor's office, California's Insurance Commissioner is a
constitutional office that operates independently from the administration, meaning they're
not subject to the same rules, and this house raised
questions about accountability moving forward here.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
This is not an ethics problem. This is criminal. Okay.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
This guy is stealing our tax money and enjoying the
hell out of life with all his travel, insecurity and
all this nonsense, and he's hiding behind being gay.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
He's using that as a shield. Got to do the news.
Speaker 9 (31:33):
You're listening to John Cobbels on demand from KFI six.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
We are all shaken and in shock over the last
hour in the Migraine. Yeah, I know, I'm I'm already
I'm already exhausted. We have been playing X well he played.
We eventually played the whole story and it was by
Channel seven in San Francisco, and they had through all
(32:00):
of Ricardo Lara's travel, expensive expense receipts and reports. Stephani
Sierra from ABC seven. It's something that's very rare. This
was like a nine month investigation Riccardillara is the insurance commissioner.
He's a terrible insurance commissioner, but people elected him twice.
(32:22):
And the insurance industry is obviously the biggest failure of
any insurance industry in the history of the planet. People
can't get insurance. If they can, it's extremely expensive, it's
often canceled on them. The insurance companies don't follow through
with the payments they should. The fires have just obliterated
(32:44):
people's lives, not just their homes, but their lives because
the insurance industry is behaving so badly, and he's done
nothing to help. He just travels around and enjoys himself
on this. This is pleasure travel. Most of this that
we went through has nothing to do with his duties
(33:07):
and the like. There was one two day conference he
went to in South Africa, but it stretched to two
and a half weeks because he went on a safari
to look at all the big animals. He has spent
tens of thousands of dollars on private security. He's got
I don't understand he's got a mental illness, because anybody
(33:33):
else would be ashamed of this, and he must be
of extreme paranoia or he's got such a bloated, out
of control ego, he feels he deserves this massive amount
of security. And then you talk to any of his
aids and they go, well, you know, because he's the
(33:55):
most prominent gay politician in California, in the world. Nobody
knows who he is. There is zero people who care
that he's gay. But I told you it's it's it's
it's way to use a shield. If any kind of
any kind of criticism, you hold up the air shield.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
You're an insurance.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Commissioner, a corrupt, bad insurance commissioner, disastrous, destructive insurance commissioner.
But your sex life? Why why do I have to know?
Why do we even have to know what his sex
life is, what his desires are.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
I don't have to know that. I don't want to
know that anybody's.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
I want to know why insurance is so extremely expensive,
Why insurance companies don't pay off on the claims, Why
is the industry so corrupt? Why were so many policies
canceled in the Palisades before the fire? What do we
living in there in this state? And nobody knows who
(35:03):
he is? This has been reported on. Like I said
a few months ago, with far fewer details. They don't
know who he is, and they don't seem to care.
They don't connect all their insurance troubles with this criminal.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
They don't.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
But that's what the problem is. And like I said
at the end of the story, he doesn't even report
to do so he's you know, he's an independent insurance commissioner.
So he's got his own bizarre fifdom, his own budget,
and he does what he wants. And then they go, well,
you know, he's been to ethics training, the ethics stop it,
that's a that's a scam, ethics training.
Speaker 8 (35:40):
Why is nobody trying to recall him?
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Up until today, nobody knew that it was this bad.
Speaker 8 (35:48):
Well not even this, but just the whole debacle of
the whole insurance industry.
Speaker 7 (35:53):
Yeah, and what's happening.
Speaker 8 (35:54):
I just I don't understand why people aren't making more
noise about it.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
I bet you most people don't know there is an
insurance commissioner.
Speaker 7 (36:01):
He was elected in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
They don't know. They don't pay attention. I mean most
of the people in the state. They just look down
the list and they see Democrat, Democrat, Democrat, democrat, and
the click click click click those boxes. I mean, he
could be one of the zoo animals that he saw
in South Africa. You could put five zoo animals to
run for all these government positions, right Secretary of State
(36:26):
and insurance commissioner and the lieutenant governor. You know, just
just make up names of zoo animals and put them
on the ballot. They'd win anyway, as long as they
have a Democrat. I do have good news what this
will be his last term. It's a two term limit,
so she's gonna get away with it. Yes, yeah, you
think there's gonna be an investigation. Hey, you've been listening
to the John Cobalt Show podcast. You can always hear
(36:49):
the show live on KFI AM six forty from one
to four pm every Monday through Friday, and of course,
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
Can't. I am six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You're listening to the John Cobel Podcast on the iHeartRadio
app after four o'clock John Cobelt Show on demand on
the iHeart app, and that's where you get to listen
to whatever you miss. Now, just sit still for a
little bit, because we've got to play for you something
that will really make your blood boil.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It should absolutely make you crazy.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
And it involves a guy who we have discussed probably
for ten years now. He's the California Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara.
He is a complete clown, that's right. His nickname is
cal Fart Lara. That's what people call him because when
(00:45):
he was in the legislature, he passed a bill, wrote
a bill that would require all the cows in California
to wear this big boxy device on their backs with
a two tube that connects to their anus, so when
the cal farts, the box would trap the methane from
(01:08):
the calfart true story, go look it up. Because he
thought that was going to relieve climate change, global warming,
because methane is a powerful component. The guys for real,
like you go up Interstate five and you see those
those hundreds and hundreds of cows, thousands of cows on
the side of the earth. He wanted to install a
box on all of them. Cal Fartlarra. Then, shockingly, because
(01:34):
the voters of California are really among the stupidest people
on the planet, they made him insurance commissioner. His claim
to fame is he's the first gay insurance commissioner, which
is going to be pivotal important in this story. They
were going to play for you. Stephanie Sierra and Olivia
(01:55):
Gonzalez from ABC seven in San Francisco didn't investigation, and
they did a report a few months back detailing that
Ricardo Lara has traveled the globe repeatedly. Well, California's insurance
situation has just collapsed the fires. What's happened in the Palisades.
(02:22):
You had insurance companies canceling coverage in the Palisades just
weeks and months before the fire happened. People are just
not covered, people are not getting paid. And it's happened
in other areas of the state that were affected by
the fire. It's a total disaster, and Ricardo Lara is
(02:43):
never around. You will hear this report now, it's a
nine minute report we've broken it up into like part
one and two, but decided that because there's so much
information in these reports, we're gonna I'm gonna interject to
come when it comes to a particular point, I think
we should stop and discuss. I don't know how long
(03:03):
it's gonna take to play the whole thing, but you've
got to hear this whole thing. Rire Cardillara is a crook,
and he hides behind being gay to justify his his corruption,
and uh, considering how much people are suffering, I go
personally how people are suffering here in Los Angeles, from
the Palisades fire out to Dina fire because you know,
(03:25):
the the insurance went screwy on him. You're you're you're
just you're probably gonna pop a You're gonna pop an
artery in your neck. That's what's gonna happen. Not even
a vain all right, So here we go, Stephanie Sierra,
Olivia Gonzalez. This is ABC seven in San Francis Cisco.
Let's start.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
California's insurance Commissioner is a frequent flyer, jets at a
cross country but mostly all over the world. A nice gig, right,
especially if taxpayers are picking up the town, upgrading his
flights to business and first class, expensing the five star resorts, days,
limo service, even a safari.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
The list goes on.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Thousands of records obtained by seven on Your Side investigates
show California's Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Latta, racked up the receipts
in recent years at least forty eight trips across the
globe to virtually every dot you see on this map
since he assumed office in twenty nineteen, and that may
just be scratching the tarmac, as years of his travel
records remain missing from the state.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
That's the biggest concern.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
If you were to ask my office the purpose of
government travel, we'd be able to identify every stems benefit
that came from these trips.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
The vice chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee, Assembly Member
Greg Wallace, is pursuing a state audit into the matter
following our investigation, But new documents obtained by seven on
Your Side show several of the trips paid for with
taxpayer funds were five times more expensive than we previously reported.
Speaker 6 (04:51):
Is that on the best interest of the state.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Ray asbel is, a former HR manager for the state.
He explains all departments are required to id identify a
clear established need to travel, and for out of country trips,
a mission critical purpose is required, But after nine months
of questioning, the California Department of Insurance was unable to
specify those reasons for a series of trips, including a
(05:15):
five star hotel stay in New York City for PrideFest
that coused taxpayers more than eleven six hundred dollars. A
four day trip listed no insurance related meetings on his calendar,
but a vip rooftop event with DJ Kitty Glitter made
the cut. Private security was hired to escort him to
various events on this trip, costing taxpayers.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
More than ninety four hundred dollars.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
The department says it defers to California Highway Patrol for
any private security or transport travel expenses, adding CHP not
the commissioner makes those decisions.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Let's stop here. This is what I was talking about
during the intro. So he's openly gay, and he thinks
he's bulletproof. He thinks he could be his cur rupt
as he wants to be. And if you criticize him,
what do you think he's going to start calling you
or his allies that's you're homophobic.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
That's the game.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
So he thinks he's entitled to go to a Pride
Fest event in New York City, five star hotel. Let
me just review what Stephanie Sierra said. Five star hotel
eleven thousand, six hundred dollars for the trip, four days,
(06:33):
No insurance meetings on the schedule, none. This was a
holiday in New York to celebrate Pride Month. And if
you raise any questions, just like, oh are you homophobic?
Pretty good deal, a vip rooftop event with DJ Kitty Glitter.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
You paid for all this you did. What are you
doing today? Working? Huh? Tough day, long commute.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Nastiness at the office, sweating out in the sun. Your
tax money funds Ricardo Lara and his trip to see
DJ Kitty Glitter, five five star hotel.
Speaker 7 (07:23):
What about that safari? I want to go on a safari?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
I know you do well. You want to run for
insurance commissions. That's not fair because then you could run
and I end up paying for it. Yeah yeah, okay.
Private security on top of this, private security costing ninety
four hundred dollars. That's on top of the eleven thousand
(07:49):
he spent on the trip, So now we're up to
twenty thousand dollars for four days at PrideFest. I'm afraid
to look online to see who DJ Kitty Glitter is,
and I don't want to be traumatized.
Speaker 7 (08:03):
Oh, I thought you wanted to go to a concert.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
No, I mean, I'm hoping it's not a furry.
Speaker 7 (08:10):
I actually know nothing of that DJ.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Eric's looking at us.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I've never heard. I mean, DJs are sometimes famous in
their own little realm. But all right, now he's doing this,
and again, the state of insurance in California is utterly disastrous.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
This is a fine vacation.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
For himself privately, but somehow we had to cover twenty
grand by my calculation, right, it's eleven thousand for the
trip and then nine thousand for the security security. Who
is going to try to assault the insurance commissioner in
New York City? How would you know who he is?
He's just another I was going to say, another guy
(08:53):
in a suit, but he's probably just walking around in
casual clothes because this was not a business trip. There
was no official government duties. He's just another guy out there.
He actually does this. And the thing is some of
this was reported on months ago and nothing happened.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Nothing.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
He's an elected official. Probably sixty percent of you voted
for this, for this character. All Right, we're gonna take
a break, We're gonna play some more. There's a lot
more to this and it only gets worse. And we're
also gonna give away thousand dollars and Debora Mark, who's
never been on a so far, that's.
Speaker 8 (09:32):
Right because they're very, very expensive. But if somebody wants
to start a GoFundMe not.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Where the taxpayer pays for it, then they're free. Deborah Mark,
this is wasn't there a no fund? Maybe you're going
to start the other day. It's like I think every
few days now you want to go.
Speaker 7 (09:48):
Fund rued something for shoes.
Speaker 9 (09:49):
Yeah, you're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI
AM six.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Forty Ricardillara is Thelifornia Insurance Commissioner. Insurance in this state,
you know, is a disaster. It's extremely expensive. Companies cancel
on a whim. A lot of people have no insurance.
They get thrown in the fair plan. The fair plan
hardly covers anything, at least in the Palisades. The whole
(10:18):
system is a total, absolute, mismanaged.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Corrupt bust.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Ricardo Lara is the Democratic Insurance Commissioner who runs it
cal Fort Lara, and he has spent most of his
time as commissioner traveling forty eight trips. Most of them
seem to have nothing to do with the insurance business,
and most of them were charged entirely to you and me,
(10:46):
the California tax payer. We're in the middle of playing
this story from ABC seven Stephanie Sierra and up up
in the Bay Area, and we will continue playing the story.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Go ahead, HP not.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
The commissioner makes those decisions based on things like threat assessments.
Speaker 10 (11:04):
Government job is government service. It's not supposed to be wealthy.
You're not supposed to be in nice buildings in New
York having these high priced securities.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Former South may assembly Member Evan Lowe, an openly gay
politician who worked closely with Latta, says the security costs
may be warranted due to rising threats targeting the LGBTQ community.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
I've been subjected to them too many do. It is
not unique to me, but the unfortunate realities that we're
dealt with in this political environment.
Speaker 11 (11:31):
But he also recognizes the right shop a second, there
is no way we should be paying ten thousand dollars
in security costs because the insurance commissioner is gay.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I don't care. We should not have to pay for that.
I do not know why it matters that he's gay.
Why do they harp on this so much? I don't
know which of my I don't know, or agent, my doctor, dentist.
I don't know which of them are gay and which aren't.
(12:04):
I don't want to know. I don't ask people that
I'm doing business with, Hey, who are you sleeping with?
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Be sleeping with girls? Guys? What is it? What's going on?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Maybe if they're a furry, you know, I'd want to know,
but that I probably would see it would be obvious.
Speaker 6 (12:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
You go to the dentist's office and there's a guy
standing there in a rabbit suit. It's like, all right,
I know what I'm dealing with here, but sure to that?
Why does anybody give a crap? And if so, he's
public with it, and he's got this huge ego and
he thinks that people in New York City are going
to come after him because he's gay, Because you know,
it's hardly any gay people in New York City and
(12:43):
that they're going to recognize him as an insurance commissioner
and they're going to be overcome with some kind of
hostility because, oh my god, we have a gay insurance
commissioner for California here, and then we got to pay
ten thousand dollars worth of security.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
No, it's got nothing to do with that.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
It's that he's an arrogant go maniac who thinks that
we all serve him, and he likes to walk around
a lot of security because it makes him feel like
a big important deal. A BFD I think is Joe
Biden would put it.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah, he's a big bleeping deal.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Walk around with a bunch of not garage bodyguard, security guards,
guys with guns.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Why do you have that?
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, you know the political climate, the threat out There
is no threat to insurance commissioners in a state that
said three thousand miles away. It's like, sit down, shut up,
get off it. He's not undergoing any threat going to
PrideFest in New York and he doesn't desert. If you're
that scared, then stay home and save us to ten
(13:45):
thousand dollars in security fees. I mean, enough is enough
of this stuff already sees all right, continue, but he.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Also recognizes there has to be accountability.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Having said that, I think you're also making a ballad
making sure that there's great justification on any public dollars
that is being spent one penny, two pennies, whatever it
might be.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
But we're not talking about pennies here.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Yeah, right, petty show a lotas five day trip to Bogata,
Columbia for an LGBTI political leaders conference costed taxpayers more
than twenty four thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
That's five times more than we previously reported.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
No insurance related meetings listed on his calendar either, but
receipts showed more than seven grand was spent on taxi fares.
Turns out a private security firm accompanied him at the conference.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Stop there, right, stop there. This one's even worse than
Pride Fest. This is twenty four thousand dollars, seven thousand.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Dollars on taxi fares.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Well, what he was taking a taxi to Brazil, but
wasn't taxi fares. That was a cover, that was a lie.
It was again the private security. Now who's coming after
who's going after the insurance commissioner in boga Ta, Colombia,
and there were no there was no there's no insurance
(15:07):
meetings there. LGBTI, what happened to the q LGBTI Political
Leaders Conference? Political leader, you're supposed to regularly run the
insurance industry.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
What's wrong with you?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I mean, between the Pride fest and uh, this trip
to Colombia, that's forty four thousand dollars, forty four thousand dollars,
sixteen thousand dollars just on private security for old cal Fart.
Lara play more.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Lo is the CEO of the Victory Institute, a LGBTQ
advocacy organization, on this trip.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
What was accomplished on that trip?
Speaker 5 (15:56):
I don't know the substance of what was discussed during
that period of time, but the order organization does convene
a number of lgency like officials to talk about their experiences.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
What is it like serving? How do you deal with
being a public official?
Speaker 6 (16:07):
Well?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Stop, stop, stop stopping.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
He flies to Bogata, Colombia to be part of a
conference of lgbt IQ political leaders to answer the question
what is it like serving? What does your sexuality matter?
When you're sitting in a chair at your desk, trying
to hash out some issue with an insurance company. Do
(16:35):
people actually talk about their their their sexual interests at
at these government meetings? I mean realize insurance is a
pretty dry topic. Maybe it would be more entertaining if
everybody start poured out, pouring out their fantasies or what
they did last night. Seriously, he's got to fly to Bogata,
Colombia to say, what is it like serving when when
(16:55):
you're a gay and when you're a gay insurance commissioner? Well,
what would the answer to that possible be? How would
you answer that? What is it like serving? It's a dry,
boring industry, a lot of complicated numbers. How do you
deal with being a public official? Well, how he deals
(17:19):
with being a public official? Is he looks us, he
steals from us. He spends tens of thousands of dollars
on bogus trips that have nothing to do with insurance.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Play some more.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
This is why critics ask might a zoom call be
a cheaper alternative for an educational conference?
Speaker 5 (17:37):
And I welcome these type of questions to be able
to articulate that because.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
That's Evan Lowe again, Who's what is he? He's the.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Former assembly member who's also gay. I welcome these type
of questions. I have an answer. Yes, a zoom call
is cheaper. It would take about thirty seconds to say,
to answer the question, what is it like serving? I
don't know how you'd answered that, but I think you
could answer in thirty seconds. This is not that interesting
a question. How do you deal with being a public official?
That's a nonsense question. So I welcome these type of quay.
(18:15):
I'm flabbergasted by this. The thing is Channel seven did
a shorter version of this report with less detail some
months ago, and it had absolutely no effect.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
On the world.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Ricardi Larar just still kept flying around with his security
authorage that we were paying for, kept going on these
long trips internationally to meetings that had nothing to do
with insurance. It changed nothing. You didn see the governor
come out and say, bringing noth of this crap.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
Place more because again, public dollars are that much more important.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
But the commissioner has not articulated that answer. The security
for just two of lata's twenty nineteen trips cost taxpayers
more than sixteen grant. Those charges are in addition to
a two hundred and sixty thousand dollars contract a lot
of had with California High Patrol that year to provide
protection services.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Stop holy crap.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So those two trips cost sixteen thousand, and then Lara
has a two hundred and sixty thousand dollars contract with
CHP for more protection. Who the hell is after an
insurance commissioner? What are the threats? Exactly? There are no threats.
This is to make him feel like mister big stuff.
(19:26):
Two hundred and sixty thousand dollars of our tax money.
So he has a driver all the time. Does somebody
tuck him in at night? We got a lot more
of this. This is a This is ABC seven. How
much shall we have?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
All right? Play last thirteen seconds of this part.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Well, travel is.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Not uncommon for California's insurance commissioner, and prior commissioners have
also traveled internationally. Political analysts are raising questions about the frequency, cost,
and lack of transparency with Lata's trips.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Okay, we'll do part two when we come back. Ricardo Lara,
the California and Sure Company commissioner, huge failure at his job,
and he's costing us tens of thousands of dollars. On
nonsense non insurance trips around the globe.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Run every day from one in till four o'clock and
then after for It's John Cobelt's show on demand. That's
the podcast version of it. Moistline eight seven seven Moist
eighty six. You might have something to say about this
thing we're covering Ricardo Lara, the insurance Commissioner eight seven
seven Moist eighty six eight seven seven six six four
seven eight eight six, or use the talkback feature on
(20:37):
the iHeartRadio app. We had been playing this lengthy story
put together by Channel seven in San Francisco by Stephanie Sierra.
She had done a version of this some months ago
when they got some of the information about the insurance
Commissioner Ricardo Lara's extensive traveling. Much of this have having
(21:01):
nothing to do with his job as insurance commissioner. A
lot of this is not insurance meetings. This is just
tourism and he has has just incredibly expensive trips, staying
at expensive hotels, having a having enormous expenses for security
detail for a guy.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
That nobody knows who he is.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I mean, outside of political geeks and Sacramento, who the
hell knows who Ricardo Larra is. And he's got a
security entourage that is as costly as Lady Gagas. I mean,
I just don't I don't understand. I mean, he's got
a huge he's a huge ego case and we're paying
for it. And nobody in Sacramento ever blew the whistle
(21:49):
on this, even though it's been known for quite some time. Well,
this is a more extensive report. The spending is worse
than you could have imagined. We're going to go to
part two now and we're going to talk about the
last thing we did is all right. We highlighted two
of the trips. There's forty eight of them. Two of
them cost taxpayers more than sixteen thousand dollars just for security.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
And then we were.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Told that Lara has a two hundred and sixty thousand
dollars contract.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
With the CHP.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
For secure for protection services two hundred sixty and I
think that only is for a year. Now, let's continue
this travelog. Oh, for example, pay attention because I think
I think you might get more information never about the
safari here for.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Example, last November, Lada took a trip to Cape Town,
South Africa for an international insurance conference, but the conference
was only two days, Yet receipt show taxpayers paid for
his entire two and a half week's day at a
luxury hotel. Records are still missing from this trip, but
we can tell you his security detail alone cost taxpayers
(22:59):
more than thirty three thousand dollars, and that's not including
any of the miscellaneous bills like expensive hiking equipment.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
I'm having a hard time understanding why hiking poles are
part of something that the state needs for insurance and
tax Wait.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Wait, hiking poles.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
That was the voice of ray Asbel, and he used
to work with California HR, so I understand we got
charged for hiking poles and his security on this trip
more than thirty three thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Yeah. Now, let's play some.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
More here, and taxpayers paid for a visit to the
Big five Safarian spa.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
It just doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 12 (23:41):
That's a strong case that that line has been crossed
because if we are spending taxpayer money on excursions that
seem like it's a vacation, and people are saying the
business purpose of the trip to put that right.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Stop, stop, what is a spa? You know what a
big five?
Speaker 2 (23:58):
If that jumped down the Big five safari, that's when
you see lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and African buffalo. Those
are the big five animals. And so this is this
is the elite safari, two day conference, two and a
half week trip, thirty three thousand insecurity so he could
(24:21):
see all the big animals.
Speaker 7 (24:25):
You just have to laugh. It's so ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
This is so blatant. I've never seen anybody this blatant
about it. This out in the open.
Speaker 7 (24:34):
And he's in charge of h's.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
In people are going bankrupt, they're homeless because of their
insurance problems.
Speaker 7 (24:42):
And he's going on safaris and going in a spa.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Now, yes, play some more to put that trip and
perspective for you.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
We requested all the travel records of legislators on both
state insurance committees, but received show a significant disparity. Let
me show you what I mean, and one example involving
Lisa A. Calderon the Assembly Insurance Committee chair. She averaged
roughly nineteen thousand dollars annually over the past five years
for all her taxpayer funded travel. Now, compare that to
(25:10):
Commissioner Lada's HP security detail exceeding thirty three thousand dollars for.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Just one trip.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Commissioner Ladda and assembly Member Calderon's role is not a
direct comparison in scope of representation, but the Department has
not provided the travel records from previous commissioners, describing them
as incomplete. In fact, Lada's staff provided a list of
five international trips former Commissioner Dave Jones took during his tenure.
Compare that to at least twenty one international trips Lada took.
Speaker 6 (25:41):
So I don't think it passed the sniff test whatsoever.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Yet somehow this next trip passed the sniff test for
the commissioner. It included a luxurious ten day trip to Dubai,
staying at a pricing five star resort.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
The department stop.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Dubai, Yeah, a pricey five star resort.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
This is so outrageous, this is so galling play some more.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
The Department says this was to participate in United Nations
policy panels and insurance forums, and while his office has
been unable to provide the receipts for his own costs.
Seven on your Side obtained records showing taxpayers paid more
than twenty four thousand on the flight's pay and luxury
hotel accommodations just for his CHP security details, which included
(26:29):
hiring a limousine service and a personal chauffeur.
Speaker 8 (26:33):
Sorry, stop, is this the President of the United States?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Twenty four thousand dollars a chauffeur a private limousine in Dubai.
The thing is, he did this repeatedly, over and over
and over again. He's been the insurance commissioner for six
years now. This is the second term. This is standard
(26:57):
way of life, and nobody stopped him. Was publicized, nobody
stopped him.
Speaker 7 (27:02):
Play some more to put that in perspective.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Seven on your Side requested any security related expenses build
to taxpayers for the insurance commissioners in Illinois, New York, Texas,
and Florida from twenty eighteen through June this year, yet
none of them produced any responsive records.
Speaker 12 (27:19):
The people of the state have the right to ask
those questions.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
The department says any personal excursions are paid for by
the commissioner personally, so we asked if that was the
case for the fifteen international trips listed in this report
that are missing his own travel records, and we.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
Never got a straight answer.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
To be clear, Commissioner loves total travel cost to taxpayers
is likely much higher, given the Department has failed to
provide most, if not all, of his own expenses for
many of these prices stot Stock.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
So they're hiding even more trips. Maybe these trips are
even more expensive. Why are they hiding it? They were
willing to release this. This makes them look good play some.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
More aside from just Cape Town, but also Scotland, Chile, Egypt,
Costa Rica, Tokyo, Uruguay, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Guatemala, Ireland, and
three trips to Bermuda despite our repeated attempts.
Speaker 12 (28:13):
I think this would warrant a committee hearing to review
this type of situation, for the Commissioner to come in
and answer questions, why.
Speaker 10 (28:21):
Do you have the security? Is this security necessary? Is
this price tag necessary?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Commissioner Lada was unavailable for an interview. We repeatedly reached
out for further comment to these findings. His office did
not respond to most of the requested trips, but did
send us the following statement addressing Lada's trip to Bogatah,
As the first openly gay person elected to lead a
statewide office in California history and one of the nation's
most visible gay leaders, Commissioner Lada was invited to speak
(28:49):
on the fight for human rights.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Stop stop, stop, this is bs. This is garbage.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Again, he's gay, So why look at the insurance that
you he should be in California a disaster. Oh but
he's gay. Yeah, but you're blowing one hundreds of thousands
of dollars on travel. Well it's because he's gay. Well
he has to speak out on being gay. Yeah, what
are you talking about? Your job is to regulate the
insurance industry and your total failure at it.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Well, yeah, but you don't understand he's gay.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
But he's traveling to South Africa to look at big animals,
Well because he's gay. Well he's in Dubai Bogata, New
York because well as one of the leading gay events.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
That's got nothing to do with anything.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
I don't Nobody is interested in who he sleeps with
at night or what he does nobody. What they care
about is their house is not insured. That payments for
everybody in California.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Are through the roof. I know this.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Our insurance payments are mind boggling. Everybody's insurance is mind
boggling if they can get it. A lot of insurance
cannot be purchased anymore because he has so completely effed
up the entire insurance industry.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
And he's flying around the world. And I told you this.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
I didn't even hear this part of the story when
I said this half an hour ago. It's like the
excuse is going to be he's gay. I mean, which
want drive my head through the wall play some more.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
On the same time, he was leading the fight for
health insurance equality with other state insurance commissioners, adding last
week for all department funded travel, we comply with FPPC
rules and reporting requirements.
Speaker 12 (30:29):
The public and the voters and the citizens of the
state are tired of seeing elected officials and appointed officials
who believe that the rules do not apply.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
To them, Which brings us back to this question, where
is the ethical line?
Speaker 5 (30:42):
Your question about where that line exists. It's something that
we go through ethics training on. Actually, I'm going to
talk about so understanding public scrutiny and we need to
be cognizant of that now.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
In just the past hour, the department responded saying Commissioner
Alta has attended ethical training sessions.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Of the oversight over this position.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
According to the Governor's office, California's Insurance Commissioner is a
constitutional office that operates independently from the administration, meaning they're
not subject to the same rules, and this house raised
questions about accountability moving forward here.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
This is not an ethics problem. This is criminal. Okay.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
This guy is stealing our tax money and enjoying the
hell out of life with all his travel, insecurity and
all this nonsense, and he's hiding behind being gay.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
He's using that as a shield. Got to do the news.
Speaker 9 (31:33):
You're listening to John Cobbels on demand from KFI six.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
We are all shaken and in shock over the last
hour in the Migraine. Yeah, I know, I'm I'm already
I'm already exhausted. We have been playing X well he played.
We eventually played the whole story and it was by
Channel seven in San Francisco, and they had through all
(32:00):
of Ricardo Lara's travel, expensive expense receipts and reports. Stephani
Sierra from ABC seven. It's something that's very rare. This
was like a nine month investigation Riccardillara is the insurance commissioner.
He's a terrible insurance commissioner, but people elected him twice.
(32:22):
And the insurance industry is obviously the biggest failure of
any insurance industry in the history of the planet. People
can't get insurance. If they can, it's extremely expensive, it's
often canceled on them. The insurance companies don't follow through
with the payments they should. The fires have just obliterated
(32:44):
people's lives, not just their homes, but their lives because
the insurance industry is behaving so badly, and he's done
nothing to help. He just travels around and enjoys himself
on this. This is pleasure travel. Most of this that
we went through has nothing to do with his duties
(33:07):
and the like. There was one two day conference he
went to in South Africa, but it stretched to two
and a half weeks because he went on a safari
to look at all the big animals. He has spent
tens of thousands of dollars on private security. He's got
I don't understand he's got a mental illness, because anybody
(33:33):
else would be ashamed of this, and he must be
of extreme paranoia or he's got such a bloated, out
of control ego, he feels he deserves this massive amount
of security. And then you talk to any of his
aids and they go, well, you know, because he's the
(33:55):
most prominent gay politician in California, in the world. Nobody
knows who he is. There is zero people who care
that he's gay. But I told you it's it's it's
it's way to use a shield. If any kind of
any kind of criticism, you hold up the air shield.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
You're an insurance.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Commissioner, a corrupt, bad insurance commissioner, disastrous, destructive insurance commissioner.
But your sex life? Why why do I have to know?
Why do we even have to know what his sex
life is, what his desires are.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
I don't have to know that. I don't want to
know that anybody's.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
I want to know why insurance is so extremely expensive,
Why insurance companies don't pay off on the claims, Why
is the industry so corrupt? Why were so many policies
canceled in the Palisades before the fire? What do we
living in there in this state? And nobody knows who
(35:03):
he is? This has been reported on. Like I said
a few months ago, with far fewer details. They don't
know who he is, and they don't seem to care.
They don't connect all their insurance troubles with this criminal.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
They don't.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
But that's what the problem is. And like I said
at the end of the story, he doesn't even report
to do so he's you know, he's an independent insurance commissioner.
So he's got his own bizarre fifdom, his own budget,
and he does what he wants. And then they go, well,
you know, he's been to ethics training, the ethics stop it,
that's a that's a scam, ethics training.
Speaker 8 (35:40):
Why is nobody trying to recall him?
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Up until today, nobody knew that it was this bad.
Speaker 8 (35:48):
Well not even this, but just the whole debacle of
the whole insurance industry.
Speaker 7 (35:53):
Yeah, and what's happening.
Speaker 8 (35:54):
I just I don't understand why people aren't making more
noise about it.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
I bet you most people don't know there is an
insurance commissioner.
Speaker 7 (36:01):
He was elected in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
They don't know. They don't pay attention. I mean most
of the people in the state. They just look down
the list and they see Democrat, Democrat, Democrat, democrat, and
the click click click click those boxes. I mean, he
could be one of the zoo animals that he saw
in South Africa. You could put five zoo animals to
run for all these government positions, right Secretary of State
(36:26):
and insurance commissioner and the lieutenant governor. You know, just
just make up names of zoo animals and put them
on the ballot. They'd win anyway, as long as they
have a Democrat. I do have good news what this
will be his last term. It's a two term limit,
so she's gonna get away with it. Yes, yeah, you
think there's gonna be an investigation. Hey, you've been listening
to the John Cobalt Show podcast. You can always hear
(36:49):
the show live on KFI AM six forty from one
to four pm every Monday through Friday, and of course,
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
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John Kobylt
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