Heading a national ridesharing outline a political gain for Jones?
Ian Adams, Western Region Director at R Street Institute, believes Jones is using his role on the commission as a podium to campaign for his next office as he enters his final four-year term in office and begins looking down the road.
There those who believe Jones has his eye on California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ post. Harris in January formally entered the U.S. Senate contest to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Harris is so far considered by most to be the front-runner.
“You’ve got Kamala Harris, who in two years will be leaving office early, and I think Dave Jones does have his eye on higher office and he probably likes the idea of attorney general,” Adams said. “Jones is going to be essentially camping for the next three-and-a-half years for whatever office comes next.”
…“He’s really doing a lot of things that are designed to get media attention,” Adams said.
Chairing an NAIC committee on a hot topic like ridesharing is a way for Jones to call attention to the fact that California has led the way on ridesharing regulation, and a way for him to show everyone he can help lay groundwork for dealing with issues of national importance, Adams said.
“If he does have another office in mind this is a great way of raising his profile,” Adams said. “There’s been a larger push by the California Department of Insurance with consumer-friendly, relatively high-profile, attention-getting moves.”
…R Street’s Adams agree there’s a real fear that committee could make overreaching suggestions in terms of insurance coverage and make future innovations from the budding ridesharing more onerous for companies to introduce.
“You don’t want to strangle the industry in the crib,” Adams said. “I think there will be a lot of pushback on the issue of coverage expansions across the board in terms of coverage amounts.”
