California senator reappointed as insurance chair despite questions over corruption probe

The leader of the California Senate has reappointed the former chair of the chamber’s insurance committee, despite uncertainty over her possible involvement in a federal corruption probe.

On Friday, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire announced he was reappointing Democratic Sen. Susan Rubio of West Covina to chair the committee after the seat had been vacant for three weeks.

“Senator Rubio has headed up the Insurance Committee since 2019, and I have confidence in her experience and her ability to lead the committee while the state faces unprecedented challenges with the insurance market,” McGuire said in an emailed statement, referencing the Los Angeles fires.

The insurance committee chair was the only one McGuire left vacant when he announced his committee assignments on Jan. 3. McGuire told CalMatters he had been “awaiting additional information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office before finalizing any decisions.”

McGuire said Friday in a statement: “The Senate takes allegations of ethical and criminal behavior incredibly seriously which is why I directed the Senate’s legal counsel to pursue answers as to whether any violation involving a member of the Senate occurred. What’s been learned: No case has been filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and no additional information is available from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles had no comment and referred CalMatters to the Department of Justice’s policy guidelines that detail when federal prosecutors can publicly discuss investigations.

“DOJ generally will not confirm the existence of or otherwise comment about ongoing investigations,” it reads. “DOJ personnel shall not respond to questions about the existence of an ongoing investigation or comment on its nature or progress before charges are publicly filed.”

Federal officials have not identified Rubio by name in the corruption probe, which has ensnared a handful of other officials in San Bernardino County, Compton, Commerce and Baldwin Park.

However, no one else matches the description of “Person 20,” who according to recently released federal court documents asked for $240,000 in bribes from a cannabis company and accepted $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions. The allegations stem from when Rubio was a member of the Baldwin Park City Council.

Rubio emphatically denied accepting bribes in an interview with CalMatters’ reporting partner, CBS News, that aired Wednesday night. But when asked if she denied that she was “Person 20” she responded, “I’m not saying that.”

“I’m just saying that you read the report,” she continued. “And whatever is happening there is happening there, but I think that (investigators) would have to reach out to me in order for me to be part of any of this.”

Rubio’s office previously told the Los Angeles Times in a statement that she “volunteered hours of her time” aiding the authorities in their investigation and that she “has no reason to believe that she would be included in any criminal allegations.”