In an update to a previous investigation, 7 On Your Side provides new insights into the travel expenses of the state insurance commissioner. The inquiry focuses on the travel history of Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.

Beginning in January 2025, the team examined thousands of public documents revealing over 100 trips made by Lara both domestically and internationally. Notably, one such trip last year was to Cape Town, South Africa.

Given the magnitude of California’s insurance market, which ranks among the largest globally, travel is a routine part of the role for both current and former insurance commissioners.

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Initial reports suggested that Commissioner Lara’s travel was funded by taxpayer dollars. However, after additional correspondence with Lara’s office and further examination of the records, it is important to clarify that the travel expenses are financed through:

The California Department of Insurance, or CDI, which is a special-revenue-fund agency primarily supported by fees and assessments on the insurance industry — rather than proceeds from taxes. That money is deposited into the state insurance fund, which is subject to an annual appropriation by the legislature.

CDI says travel organized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is paid for by that group. The Department of Insurance pays NAIC a $150,000 annual assessment from its operating budget.

Commissioner Lara has taken “personal days” on certain trips, and the department says Lara pays for those travel expenses himself. CDI told 7 On Your Side it does not have records or receipts of Commissioner Lara’s personal spending on the 2024 trip to South Africa because, like other agencies, it doesn’t keep or ask for records of employees’ spending on their own time.

ABC7 obtained several records showing safari-related security expenses in Cape Town in early December last year. However, the department states there is no record that Commissioner Lara’s personal safari expense was paid for by the department. Only CHP security accompanying Lara on the safari was expensed.

After further communication, CDI says Commissioner Lara was in South Africa for 11 days, not for the two and a half weeks that his security detail was there. As stated in our prior reporting, Commissioner Lara and the department say they are not responsible for determining security needs.

As a matter of policy dating back several commissioners, Commissioner Lara’s security and protection services are provided by a contract with the California Highway Patrol.

Our prior report stated that security protection from two 2019 trips was provided “in addition” to the annual contract that covered expenses up to $260,000 that year, but Commissioner Lara’s office later clarified that all security during travel is “included within” that contract every year. CDI says security services are covered anywhere CHP determines it is needed, per their own confidential threat assessments and security protocols.

In the course of our continued questioning, the California Department of Insurance has acknowledged some poor record-keeping for certain trips dating back to before Lara’s tenure — adding that some older records are no longer accessible.

Specifically, we’ve identified more than a dozen of Commissioner Lara’s trips that were not reported on state disclosure forms, required by law.

The department has since told us it is updating these filings for Lara’s participation in NAIC-funded events.

Editor’s Note: The story previously reported has been updated with new information provided after the air date.

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