Candidate for
Insurance Commissioner; Democratic Party

Dave Jones is a Democratic candidate for Insurance Commissioner. Jones (D-Sacramento) is serving his third term representing the 9th District (Sacramento) in the California State Assembly. He is Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and serves on the Judiciary (formerly the Chair) and the Accountability & Administrative Review Committees. Jones also serves on the Assembly's Select Committees on Domestic Violence and Foster Care.

Dave Jones has had many significant legislative accomplishments in his five years in the State Assembly. During that time, he obtained passage of over ninety bills. These bills demonstrate his commitment to children and families, consumer protection, affordable housing, education (with special emphasis on early childhood education), environmental protection, health care, privacy rights, civil rights, equal access to the courts, economic development, and privacy protection.

Jones' Assembly Bill 1233 was called the "most important housing bill of the year" in 2005 by affordable housing advocates. His landmark 2006 conservatorship reform bill (AB 1363) enacted sweeping protections for seniors and dependent adults facing abuse. His AB 2759 in 2008 created the nation's largest early childhood education and pre-school program to give children the best possible start. His AB 1383 from 2009 + the hospital safety net bill - is expected to bring up to $2.3 billion in federal funds annually to pay for health care in California, including $320 annually for children's health coverage. His AB 119 from 2009 prohibits gender discrimination in health insurance pricing. Jones' consumer protection legislation has added important new protections to Californians' financial, personal and medical privacy. His environmental legislation has helped to improve air quality, promote communities where people can walk, bike or take public transit, improve water quality, and protect endangered species like the California Sea Otter.

Additionally, he has worked to address the foreclosure crisis plaguing California. Jones led the effort to put the $4.09 billion Disaster Preparedness and Flood Protection bond on the ballot in 2006. Jones has also improved equal access to the courts by increasing resources to meet the legal needs of low income, disabled and senior Californians.

Assemblymember Jones received numerous awards including the California Consumer Federation's 2008 Consumer Champion Award and the Western Center on Law and Poverty's "Leadership Award." He has been honored by organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Environment California, the Urban League, Preschool California, CalPIRG and the National Organization for Women (NOW) for his work. Capitol Weekly named Assemblymember Jones the "most effective legislator." The national Floodplain Management Association honored Jones with its 2006 award for Meritorious Achievement for his work to prevent catastrophic flooding in California.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Dave Jones served as a Sacramento City Councilmember for five and a half years. Before his election to the City Council, Jones worked for six years as a legal aid attorney with Legal Services of Northern California, providing free legal assistance to the poor. In 1995, Jones was one of only 13 Americans awarded the prestigious and competitive White House Fellowship. He served in the Clinton Administration for three years, first as Special Assistant and then Counsel to United States Attorney General Janet Reno.

Jones is a graduate of DePauw University, Harvard Law School and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He and his wife, Kim Flores, have two children, Isabelle and William, and live in Sacramento.