(a) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, on or before March 15 of each year, the commissioner shall prepare and propose a plan in a report to the Legislature setting forth the methods the commissioner intends to implement to inform households eligible for the program about the availability of low-cost automobile insurance.
(b) The plan shall include, at a minimum, a brief description of methods proposed to be used, anticipated costs, sources of revenue, goals, targets, objectives, and a justification of the proposed methods. The plan shall also explain how the department proposes to work in cooperation with the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan, the social service agencies, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and community-based organizations in order to inform eligible households of the existence of the program.
(c) The plan shall also include all of the following:
(1) The commissioner’s determination regarding whether the program has been successful, based on the criteria specified in subdivision (d), and an explanation regarding that success or lack thereof.
(2) In cooperation with the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan, structural characteristics of the program that may require statutory revision in order for the program to succeed or to improve upon existing success.
(3) Impediments to success of the program that can reasonably be overcome by revision to the strategies adopted by the department.
(4) A detailed explanation of the department’s use for the program of funds assessed pursuant to Section 1872.81 for the previous fiscal year.
(5) For the previous calendar year, a list of the total low-cost auto premium for each county in which the program was available.
(d) The program is successful if the following occur:
(1) The program generated sufficient premiums to cover losses incurred under policies issued under the program, and expenses incurred by the program, as calculated pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 11629.72.
(2) The program served the public purpose of offering access to automobile insurance to otherwise underserved communities in the program areas.
(3) The program offered access to automobile insurance to previously uninsured motorists seeking affordable coverage in the program areas.
(4) The program’s outreach efforts lead uninsured motorists to contact a producer, and the driver obtains any auto insurance policy that complies with California law.
(e) Any written or oral advertisements, including, but not limited to, paid or unpaid commercial or noncommercial advertising, by the department with reference to the low-cost automobile insurance program shall reference the department and shall not reference the commissioner by name or office, or include the commissioner’s voice, image, or likeness. The department shall not participate with any nongovernmental entity that produces or intends to produce advertisements or educational material that include the name of the commissioner or his or her voice, image, or likeness, and that are intended to make eligible households aware of the existence of low-cost automobile insurance.
(f) A report submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 487, Sec. 11. (SB 1273) Effective January 1, 2015. Repealed as of January 1, 2020, pursuant to Section 11629.84.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018