State/24″/mike1st/mark2nd

By DANIEL TAUB

Staff Reporter

They’re sometimes dismissed as “other races,” but the posts of state controller, treasurer and insurance commissioner have an impact on businesses and private citizens throughout California.

The controller serves as the state’s primary accountant and check writer; the treasurer handles California’s investments, including the investment of its $230 billion employee investment fund; and the insurance commissioner approves insurance rates statewide and enforces industry regulation.

If races for these three offices rarely strike a chord with the general electorate, they’re even more neglected this year because none of the three has the benefit of a defining set of issues.

“There are no issues in this election at all that I can see,” said Tony Quinn, a Republican political analyst and consultant to the National Federation of Independent Business.

Nevertheless, all three races are somewhat contentious even if, in two of the three, the incumbent candidate is expected to win. Here is a look at the contests:

Controller

First-term Democratic incumbent Kathleen Connell is running for re-election against Republican Ruben Barrales, a San Mateo County supervisor making his first run for statewide office.

Connell appears safe in retaining her office. She has a large lead over Barrales in the polls, and has at least some name recognition among voters. (She signs your state income tax refunds.) Barrales, meanwhile, is largely unknown outside San Mateo County.

“Ruben Barrales has a great future, but he’s going to have to wait awhile for higher office,” said John Pitney, associate professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. “He’s facing an incumbency, and a fund-raising advantage, and a fairly low profile on his part.”

Although lack of name recognition is perhaps Barrales’ biggest hurdle, he also is being hurt by his fund-raising disadvantage. Coming out of the primary, Connell had about $1 million in her war chest, while Barrales had only about $30,000.

In a race with few defining issues, fund-raising is one of the few that have come up. Earlier this year, Connell filed suit against the California Public Employees’ Retirement System board for blocking its members, including Connell, from accepting campaign contributions from businesses and individuals doing business with CalPERS. Connell argued that the regulation was aimed specifically at her. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled in her favor.

That squabble has given Barrales at least one issue to latch onto. He vowed that he would not accept campaign funds from those doing business with CalPERS.

Treasurer

Unlike Connell in the controller’s race, Republican Curt Pringle, who is running for Treasurer, does not have the advantage of being an incumbent. (Current Treasurer Matt Fong is running for U.S. Senate.) Pringle does, however, have the benefit of some name recognition that comes from having served in the state Assembly since 1992 including a short stint as Assembly speaker two years ago.

“To the limited extent that people know candidates at this level, Pringle probably has the edge,” Pitney said. “Although, still, most Californians, when they hear the name ‘Pringle,’ they think of potato chips.”

As of an August poll, 40 percent of Californian voters were unfamiliar with Pringle and his Democratic opponent, Phil Angelides. Angelides served as chairman of the state’s Democratic Party from 1990 to 1993, and is making his second run for treasurer.

Angelides believes California should avoid investing its money in such areas as tobacco manufacturing, and is pushing to invest more heavily in California companies, which now account for about 10 percent of investments by CalPERS and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS).

Pringle, for his part, says his primary concern is not investing in California, but in managing the investments well.

“If all things are equal, investing in California is good,” Pringle said. “But I don’t think there should be a percentage set aside.”

Insurance commissioner

The incumbent, Republican Chuck Quackenbush, has the clear advantage. Though he is somewhat controversial critics have accused him of being in the back pocket of the insurance industry he is better known than his opponent.

Democrat Diane Martinez, a state assemblywoman from Rosemead, is not nearly as well funded, either. While Quackenbush has enough financial backing to run television commercials regularly, Martinez has yet to run one and won’t.

“We don’t have money for commercials,” Martinez acknowledged. She is compensating for her lack of funds by driving up and down the state in a Ford Taurus station wagon, meeting with community groups and speaking about her plans on local radio stations.

“I’ve been outspent in every single election I have run in by at least two to one, and at most 20 to one, and I have still won,” she said.

Martinez has criticized Quackenbush for failing to fully enforce Proposition 103, which was intended to reform automobile insurance in California; for failing to force the insurance industry to provide affordable, comprehensive earthquake insurance; and for taking millions of dollars in campaign contributions from insurance companies.

“The fact is that Quackenbush has not only been bought off by the industry, but is not doing his job for consumers because of it,” Martinez said.

A spokesman for Quackenbush said he was not available for comment last week. In the past, he has touted a 10 percent decline in auto insurance rates during his four-year term, and more than $30 million in regulatory fines he has collected.

Staff Reporter Howard Fine contributed to this story.