You can just call California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara: "Temu Gavin Newsom." Lara is looking for his next taxpayer-funded gig and is running for lieutenant governor in 2026. But the failed commissioner who helped destroy the insurance marketplace in the state, and precipitated the chain reaction of cancellations and failed policy payouts to affected Southern Californians in the wake of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires in January, is merely a poor man's substitute working from the same playbook that got Hair Gel to the lieutenant governorship, and then as governor. Just as Newsom should have never been anywhere near the California governorship or higher office (shudder), the same can be said of Lara. His political ambitions to become lieutenant governor should be derailed, and he must be held accountable for his criminal malfeasance and cavalier waste of taxpayer money.
Did you know that corrupt California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara is also running for lieutenant governor in 2026?
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) October 1, 2025
Dude has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and spent it on high end meals, travel, and donations to other democrats… https://t.co/0zYnCkm50w pic.twitter.com/m3Por8O12W
Back in late March and April, RedState reported on Lara and his penchant for expensive vacations on the taxpayer dime, as well as his using a fraudulent campaign slush fund to pay for expensive dinners that had nothing to do with his job.
Read More: Revealed: CA Insurance Commissioner's Questionable Taxpayer-Funded Globe-Trotting
ABC7's "7 on Your Side" investigation has done the heavy lifting on much of this information, and they have dug even deeper of late, detailing exactly how Lara spent his time on those jaunts, which aside from South Africa and Bogota, Columbia, included trips to Scotland, Egypt, Chile, Costa Rica, Tokyo, Uruguay, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Guatemala, Ireland, and THREE trips to Bermuda.
What is particularly suspicious is not just where but what Lara spent taxpayer money on. First-class flight upgrades, African safaris, and Pride festivals, to name a few. You know, ordinary insurance commissioner stuff <insert *eyeroll* emoji>.
California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) decided to do its job and is currently investigating Lara for possible misuse of public funds, ranging from 2019 to 2024. Ya think?! Lara took at least 48 domestic and international trips, where he racked up expenses such as five-star hotels, a VIP rooftop event with "DJ Kitty Glitter," and private security? Lara is the insurance commissioner: the most inconspicuous of positions. Half of California couldn't pick him out of a lineup. So, what does he need a security detail for?
LGBTQ legislator Evan Low (D-San Jose) explained why Lara is so special to afford this type of protection.
Former South Bay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-28) -- an openly gay politician who worked closely with Lara -- says the security costs may be warranted due to rising threats targeting the LGBTQ community.
"Well I know that in this environment there is increased scrutiny and attacks (are) real, I've been subjected to them too, many do, it's not unique to me," said Low. "But it's the unfortunate reality that we're dealt with in this political environment."
But he also recognizes there has to be accountability.
"Having said that -- I think you're also making a valid point, which is making sure that there's great justification on any public dollars that is being spent," Low continued. "One penny, two pennies, whatever it might be, and it validates that."
That's rich. We're special because we're gay, so bilking the taxpayer for security detail AND vacations that have nothing to do with my job is perfectly okay.
But as "7 on Your Side" elucidates, these are not mere pennies here. According to their investigation, security for two of Lara's 2019 trips cost the taxpayer more than $16,400. Those charges were in addition to a $260,000 payout to the California Highway Patrol in 2019. This law enforcement arm of the state also protects the governor.
While travel is not uncommon for the position of California's Insurance Commissioner, and prior commissioners have also traveled internationally, political analysts raise questions about the frequency, cost, and lack of transparency with Lara's trips.
For example, last November Lara took an extravagant trip to Cape Town, South Africa for an international insurance conference. The conference was only two days -- yet receipts show taxpayers paid for his entire two-and-a-half-week stay. Just his security detail alone cost taxpayers more than $33,000, not including bills for a "Big 5 Safari and Spa" -- as well as expensive hiking equipment.
I'm having a hard time understanding why hiking poles are part of something the state needs for insurance.
Being the good investigators that they are, "7 on Your Side" acquired the travel records for members of the state insurance committees. These members often travel in tandem with the insurance commissioner.
Yet receipts show a significant disparity. For example, Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee Lisa Calderon averages just under $19,000 annually for all her taxpayer-funded trips over the past five years. Compare that to Lara's records, where security detail costs alone for a single trip amounted to $33,000[.]
[...]
Records show Lara's five-day trip to Bogota, Colombia for an "LGBTI Political Leaders Conference" cost taxpayers more than $24,000. That's five times more than previously recorded. No insurance-related meetings were listed on his calendar, but receipts show he spent more than $7,000 on "taxi fares." It turns out a private security firm was hired to accompany him at the conference.
Low, who's now CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, invited Lara to the conference. We asked him what was accomplished during the trip.
"I don't know the substance of what was discussed during that period of time, but the organization does convene a number of LGBT elected officials to talk about their experiences," said Low. "What is it like serving? How do you deal with being a public official?"
My first thought: Could this not have been done over Zoom? Apparently, we are not the only ones asking that question.
This is why critics ask: might a Zoom call be a cheaper alternative for an educational conference? "In general, event organizers and hosts seek in-person attendance," responded Michael Soller, Deputy Commissioner of the Communications and Press Relations Branch for CDI, in an email to 7 On Your Side.
"And I welcome these type of questions to be able to articulate that," said Low.
But the Commissioner hasn't articulated that answer.
This is our shocked face.
Commissioner Lara was unavailable for an interview. We repeatedly reached out for further comment. His office did not respond to most of the requested trips, but did send us the following statement addressing Lara's trips to Bogota: "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 Lara was invited to speak on the fight for human rights -- at the same time he was leading the fight for health insurance equality with other state insurance commissioners."
Once again, playing the "first" and "gay" cards. Wouldn't the health insurance equality topic have been better spoken to by the Director of California Public Health? Women and minorities are also discriminated against — probably more so than gay men. To make a fine point surrounding this, working with other state insurance commissioners can easily be done over Zoom. Lara took a similar "radio silent," "nothing to see here" stance after the devastating wildfires in January, from which many Southern Californians still have not recovered or rebuilt their homes. Don't Democrats believe that housing should be a human right? Apparently not.
As RedState covered in April:
Lara himself doesn't appear to be showing up to work, which is no surprise. He has yet to appear before any hearings or committees investigating the state's insurance crisis, like a State Farm Insurance hearing on Tuesday that Lara himself demanded be held. In March, Lara jetted off to Bermuda for the Bermuda Risk Summit, a conference held by executives of insurance and reinsurance agencies, despite the California legislature's request that he sit down with them to hash out how he dropped the ball.
When it comes to California corruption and incompetence, it's always a raging wildfire. In an exclusive investigation from the San Francisco Standard, they pull the lid off more malfeasance and fraud by Lara. The Standard reports that Lara created a shell campaign account two years ago in order to mount a run for California Lt. Governor. Except by all indications and reporting, he never did the due diligence to file with the Secretary of State to run for the office, or did anything to mount an actual campaign. The only thing Lara did was dine out on this shell campaign—literally.
Ricardo Lara lives like a king on taxpayer money while people in the Palisades are still homeless.#CADem elected officials ignore our struggles because they know there’s no accountability or consequences.
— Bruce Lou (@RealBruceLou) October 2, 2025
“Let them eat cake” sums it up. https://t.co/yV5iZtXXDl pic.twitter.com/WnkjdVUnVz
The 2026 campaign appears to be a real one rather than a reason for money laundering, and Lara is happily raking in the contributions toward a 2026 lieutenant governor run. But Lara still doesn't believe that transparency and honesty are part and parcel of holding public office. If anything, from Lara's lack of a credible response, he sneers at the concept. Even more egregious: Lara's office has refused to release to ABC7 the travel records for at least 15 of those trips, despite repeated requests.
Political analyst and Assistant Professor of Public Affairs at CSU East Bay Brandon Philips made it plain.
For the Commissioner to come in and answer questions and if those questions can't be answered efficiently, the ramifications would be losing that position. And possibly paying back that money to the state of California.
California is buried in debt, and residents still pay exorbitant sums for utilities and to fill up their cars. On a recent visit to the Golden State, I paid $4.69 for gas. That is criminal; so is what Lara has done under the auspices of insurance commissioner. A payback to taxpayers would be long overdue. If Lara is indicted for his criminal activity, then add in that perp walk. Lara has spent far too long wrecking the lives of Californians through his mismanagement of the insurance industry, while robbing the taxpayer blind. He should not be allowed to run for dog catcher, let alone lieutenant governor.
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