While firefighters risked their lives and families fled their homes in January’s devastating wildfires, California’s Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara was indulging in a high-end dinner with one of the state’s top insurance executives.
The timing couldn’t have been worse—or more telling.
A $697 Meal While Homes Burned
On January 15, as smoke blanketed Los Angeles and emergency crews searched through scorched neighborhoods, Lara was seated at San Laurel, a glitzy restaurant by celebrity chef José Andrés.
His dinner guest?
Raul Vargas, the CEO of Farmers Insurance, California’s second-largest home insurer.
Their lavish meal included dishes like sea urchin and lobster salpicón, plus a rack of lamb and two bottles of wine.
The bill totaled nearly $700.
Lara paid part of the tab—$234—from a campaign fund originally meant for a lieutenant governor run that never happened.
Vargas picked up the rest.
A State in Crisis, a Leader Under Fire
That same day, the Palisades fire had just left behind a trail of destruction and the Eaton fire was still burning.
Entire communities had been forced to evacuate, unsure if their homes would survive.
For many Californians, the bigger fear wasn’t just fire—it was whether their insurance companies would actually pay out.
In recent years, premiums have skyrocketed.
In some cases, policies were outright canceled as insurers pulled out of high-risk areas.
Between 2020 and 2022, nearly 3 million homeowner policies weren’t renewed, including more than half a million in Los Angeles County alone.
Campaign Funds or a Slush Fund?
This dinner isn’t the only time Lara has used campaign money for fine dining.
In April 2024, he spent over $1,000 at Piatti, an upscale Italian restaurant, for what he labeled a “campaign strategy meeting.”
That dinner included steaks, meatballs, cocktails, wine, and dessert—enough to raise eyebrows.
He also held four separate meetings at a ritzy Indian spot called Baar Baar in 2023.
One visit featured a bottle of riesling, beef short ribs, shrimp, lamb, and cocktails—including three drinks called “Slumdog Millionaire.”
Critics argue that these meals blur the line between campaigning and cozying up to the industry he’s supposed to regulate.
Carmen Balber of Consumer Watchdog put it bluntly: “It sounds like he’s mixing regulation and politics once more… Maybe ‘shocker’ is the wrong word, but it’s disappointing.”
Skipping Hearings for Bermuda?
Lara’s travel record hasn’t helped his image either.
After California’s deadliest wildfires in years, the first Senate hearing on the insurance fallout was held on March 12, 2025.
Lara didn’t show. Instead, he was in Bermuda giving a 15-minute speech at a conference attended by global reinsurance firms.
That absence wasn’t an anomaly.
Reports say Lara has missed several key hearings over the past six years, often opting to travel out of state—or out of the country—instead.
His Office Pushes Back
Lara’s team insists that these trips are part of the job.
A spokesperson argued that nearly 40% of the world’s reinsurance groups are headquartered in Bermuda, and Lara’s goal is to “engage directly” with them to keep insurers in California.
“He’s working to retain insurance companies in the market and attract those that have left,” they said.
“This ensures California consumers have real choices—not just last resorts.”
Trust Eroding Amid Crisis
Still, with rising premiums and fewer options for homeowners, Californians are asking hard questions about where their commissioner’s loyalties lie.
After apologizing back in 2019 for accepting large campaign donations from industry insiders, Lara promised to change.
But for many, the recent revelations suggest old habits die hard.
And while he’s wining and dining at five-star spots, thousands of families are left wondering if their own insurance will come through when disaster strikes again.