Jasper "Jay" Jackson

• Office: Insurance Commissioner
• Election Date: June 7, 2022
• Candidate: Jasper "Jay" Jackson
• Due Date: Monday, April 25
• Printable Version

Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the June 7, 2022 primary election! GrowSF believes in a growing, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco via common sense solutions and effective government.

The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco and have the expertise to enact meaningful policy changes.

We ask that you please complete this questionnaire by Monday, April 25 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.

Table of Contents

• Vision
  • Short-form questions
    • Small Business
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • General
• Policy
• Personal
• Thank you

Vision

GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco. We work to propose and pass laws that align incentives of private businesses and individuals to promote shared prosperity for every San Franciscan.

As a candidate for federal office, your day-to-day responsibilities in office will affect not just San Francisco, but California and the United States as a whole. As a representative of the people of California and of San Francisco, the policies you bring to Washington should reflect the best of what we have to offer.

This section of our questionnaire seeks to help us gain an understanding of your alignment with our vision for San Francisco. Note that some of the questions may be outside the scope of the office you're running for.

Short-form questions

Please mark the box that best aligns with your position. You may explain any position if you so desire, but this section is designed to be a quick overview of your governing philosophy and view of the problems of the city, state, and/or country.

If you are not familiar with San Francisco in particular, feel free to skip the questions about it. But please do answer the questions about state and federal policy.

Small Business

Some small businesses in San Francisco complain about too-high rates for event or general liability insurance. Do you think these complaints have merit in general?

Any complaint made by either the citizens or businesses of this state have merit and should be examined with the utmost care and diligence.

What reforms ought the office of the Insurance Commissioner make to help small businesses recover from the pandemic?

Outreach and interface with the various parties concerned with matters germain to insurance and its regulation must be expanded, accelerated and improved inorder to serve the needs of an economy racked by the ravages of Covid 19. My plan, when elected, is to increase public and private outreach, while creating more innovative ways for the public and private sector to interface with the offices of the Insurance Commissioner.

Housing

How well do the homeowners & renters insurance markets run?

In my opinion, the homeowners and renters insurance markets run well; however, there is always room for improvement. Said improvements can and should come by way of creating new avenues of communications with the office of Insurance Commissioner that reflects both a sensitivity towards both the consumer of insurance products and the companies that provide them. My vision of good governance is based upon hearing all sides of every issue before me and then fashioning a reasonable solution to address the needs of every entity involved.

Are there currently any homeowners or renters insurance market failures where the Insurance Commissioner ought to step in to fix?

The office of Insurance Commissioner is governed by state laws and regulations that prohibit czar-like actions or that allows the commission to take steps to intercede without appropriate legislation. Hence, I believe the best path towards administrating the objectives of the Office of Insurance Commissioner, while addressing the needs of a changing world, is to establish excellent relations with California's two legislative bodies, whose mandate is to pass laws that fairly address the needs of all Californians where insurance is concerned.

Public Safety

Are current policies around earthquake insurance adequate to ensure the state can recover from a hundred-year earthquake?

While many political pundits opine that our current level of earthquake insurance is inadequate, as California's Insurance Commissioner, my course of action would be to encourage the state legislature to engage in a study regarding the potential damages caused by a massive earthquake event. Then, once that study is completed, to pass legislation to assure that insurance policies provide the appropriate amount of coverage.

Are current policies around fire insurance adequate for the growing risk of wildfires along the Wildlife-Urban interface (WUI)?

Again, while it is often said that current levels of fire-insurance are inadequate to meet the challenges of global warming, arson and drought, to be sure, more definitive study is required to provide a more exact and precise response to the issues Californians now face regarding all three causes. Therefore, as Insurance Commissioner, I would propose both government funded research and resultant legislative action to address the growing risk of wildfires and the cost of insurance premiums designed to safeguard Californians from this destructive trend. I would also propose a Blue Ribbon Commission, composed of experts in the field, to create an actionable grid designed to predict where, when and what impact future fire catastrophes can and will create. In doing so, a cost factor analysis can be developed to determine if current policies are sufficient to cover any and all potential costs.

Should fire insurance cost more in high-risk areas?

Since 2014, more than 15,000 homes in medium or extreme fire-risk areas have turned to the states' California Fair Access to Insurance Requirement Plan, to acquire insurance. (PEWtrust.org.) This statistic suggests that California's high-risk fire insurance is not only hard to attain, the cost in high risk areas is already astronomical. As a result, those with insufficient coverage, or no coverage at all, have frequently become a burden upon the state, when these costs are absorbed by emergency recovery programs. Hence, I believe California's approach to the rising cost of insurance in "High-Risk" areas should be to address the cost of insurance through the lens of a collective state response. In other words, all Californians should bear the cost of the aggregate expense of insurance no matter the risk factor. For there is no difference between the cost of damages created by an earthquake, flood or fire. Hence, a collective insurance cost would serve to lower the price of insurance throughout the California economy.

General

Tell us one thing you think needs to change in San Francisco, California, or the Nation that the average voter wouldn't know about.

The average voter in the United States needs to be more aware of who sits on the bench of the courthouses of America. This is so because the average American mistakenly believes that judges are apolitical, and uninfluenced by politics and the societal pressures they bring to bear. As a result, many unsuspecting Americans find all too late that the interpretation of the law by judges is far more powerful than the laws themselves, and even the institution that author them.

Policy

Now we'd like to get some details about how you intend to use your elected office to achieve your goals.

Why are you running for Insurance Commissioner?

I am running for Insurance Commissioner to ensure that the laws of the State of California, governing insurance are briskly enforced, and that the consumers as well as the providers of insurance receive a fair, informed and reliable response to all their questions, needs and concerns.

What is your #1 goal?

My most pressing goal is to assure the people of the Great State of California, that the Office of Insurance Commissioner shall operate in a fair, unbiased and effective manner as long as I occupy its helm.

How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?

I will build a coalition as well as political capital by demonstrating my desire to serve the needs of the people with honesty, integrity and transparency. These three fundamental building blocks compose the adhesive of good leadership with the capacity to bring people together and keep them together despite whatever adversities arise.

Will the power of the office of Insurance Commissioner be enough to achieve this goal?

No, however, working together with vested interest no matter how diverse, in a fair and equitable manner can and will provide the needed political capital to achieve whatever goals my office envisions.

What are your #2 and #3 goals?

My second goal as Insurance Commission is to empower as many California residents as I can by educating them of their rights, responsibilities and obligations to acquire and maintain insurance coverage capable of protecting their future.

My third goal as Insurance Commissioner is to employ and empower a highly capable staff to expedite the needs of our office while demonstrating the utmost respect for the people we serve.

Will the power of the office of Insurance Commissioner be enough to achieve these goals?

Power, alone, can never outperform commitment, courage, and concern. These three elements: commitment to deliver the best services, courage to go the extra mile for Californians, and concern for the residents we serve, will compose the cornerstone principles that shall govern our efforts to meet all our goals.

What is an existing policy you would like to reform?

I would like to strengthen and expand California's Fair Plan Insurance in order to protect more homeowners from catastrophes that often occur without warning. This necessarily means an increase in the Fair Plan budget as well as its scope of operation. Doing so would assure that the government's response to the growing need for supplemental insurance coverage does not ultimately overburden the states' highly-stressed economy.

What is an "out there" change that you would make to state/local government policy, if you could? (For example: changing how elections work, creating a Bay Area regional government, etc.)

My "out there" change in Federal, State and Local government would be the passage of a law that requires employees and employers to bear the cost of a Homeless Insurance Fund. Much like social-security, a Homelessness Security Insurance agency, would require employees and employers to invest a percentage of either profits or earnings into an account so that if a citizen loses their home or residence, they can draw funds that will enable them to secure adequate housing for at least one year.

Personal

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. The eldest of five children I learned early in life that hard-work, no matter how menial, is and was the key to success. Hence, at the impressionable age of eleven years old, burdened with the responsibility of helping raise my younger brothers and sisters, I began my career as a handyman. It was the most challenging period of my life.

Sometimes, in the discomfort of a snow blizzard or the torrent rainfall of a Chicago winter, I would travel my old neighborhood-knocking on every door I passed, seeking whatever work I could find. Committed to helping raise my family I'd often find myself shoveling snow, without boots or cutting a neighbor's lawn with a borrowed mower. This went on for years, until my fortunes changed--pursuing my education made that happen.

At Morgan Park High School in Chicago I earned stellar grades, played varsity football and became the Student Body Vice President. After high school I attended Northern Illinois University and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. Continuing my education I became a licensed Paralegal and began my professional career. Not long thereafter the opportunity arose to move to the warm temperatures of Los Angeles. I left immediately.

In Los Angeles, still working to solidify my professional life, I met and married the love of my life...Cynthia. Not long after that, we moved our young family to Compton, where I have served as a commissioner, coach and block club president for over twenty years.

How long have you lived in California? What brought you here and what keeps you here?

I have lived in California for over 34 years. I came here seeking a professional opportunity.

What do you love most about California and/or your hometown?

What I love most about California is its welcoming neighbors and friendly atmosphere.

What do you dislike the most about California and/or your hometown?

I dislike the high level of homelessness that haunts California's streets and its neighborhoods.

Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)

My philanthropic, political and fraternal associations include:

1. Volunteer little league coach.

2. City of Compton Block Club Commissioner

3. Neighborhood USA Block Club, member

4. Active member of the Los Angeles, Democratic Party

5. Member of the Compton NAACP

6. Member of the 64th Assembly Districts' Public Safety Commission

7. Member the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and finally

8. Member of the Golden State Grand Lodge of Masonry.

Thank you

Thank you for giving us your time and answering our questionnaire. We look forward to reading your answers and considering your candidacy!