California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and Assembly Member Luis Alejo will be the keynote speakers at the annual Rose Ann Vuich Dinner and Awards Presentation on Saturday, May 10, at the Lamp Liter Inn in Visalia.
“We are happy that we have two brilliant and effective leaders coming to Tulare County to speak to us Democrats,” said Ruben Macareno the chairman of the Tulare County Democratic Party.
Jones leads the California Department of Insurance (CDI), the largest consumer protection agency in the state, which regulates the $123 billion insurance industry. Since being elected, he has saved policyholders more than $1.4 billion in premiums. He also issued emergency regulations to require that at least 80% of the individual health insurance premium dollars go to actual health care, and not to insurer profits, marketing and overhead and much more.
In 2011, Jones was named one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers by the state’s largest legal newspaper, the Daily Journal. The Greenlining Institute gave Jones their “2012 Big Heart Award” for this work promoting insurance industry diversity. Jones received the 2012 Distinguished Advocate Award from Autism Speaks.
Alejo has received numerous awards for his work. In 2013, he had all of his 11 bills become law. The most notable bills were Assembly Bill 60, the Safe and Responsible Driver Act, which gives undocumented immigrants the opportunity to apply for a driver’s license. The other was AB 10, which raises the minimum wage in California to $10 an hour, the highest in the nation.
Scheduled for the evening is a silent auction, local recognition of Democrats for their achievements in 2013, a pre-dinner reception at 5:30pm; and a dinner and program at 7pm. Individual tickets are $75 per person.
For more information, call 372-2126 or email ruben.macareno@yahoo.com.