The following letter was sent to Chuck Quackenbush
As a Republican and candidate for the Assembly, I am writing to you today to ask you to resign the Office of Insurance Commissioner for the State of California.
Asking an elected official to resign is never a matter to be considered lightly. Over the next several months, due process will establish whether you broke any laws when you decided to allow insurance companies facing billion-dollar fines to avoid them simply by making about $12.9 million in contributions to private foundations with links to your office. However, the facts clearly show that you are guilty of breaking the public trust.
The steady gathering of evidence against you has certainly eroded public and legislative confidence in your office. Based upon comments from the Attorney General and Members of the Legislature, it is clear that protracted legal proceedings will soon follow, further distracting your attention from the crucial task of regulating the insurance industry. This is the last thing our State needs right now.
All of this comes down to accountability. Not only have you and your office exposed the public to malfeasant management practices, but also potentially illegal actions. It is time as an elected official that you step forward and do the right thing, thus sparing the public from enduring yet another spectacle in our government and the media. I urge you to do just that by resigning your position as soon as possible.
Jayne Murphy Shapiro
Candidate, 41st Assembly District