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Literature For Prop. 17 Omits Mercury’s Millions

In what is shaping up to be a hotly contested ballot measure, Mercury Insurance — the state’s third-largest auto insurer — is bankrolling an initiative that would allow insurers to base their rates partly on how long drivers have kept up their policies.

Yet, as often happens with ballot propositions, it would be hard to know that judging from the campaign literature on Proposition 17, the California Continuous Coverage Discount Act.

Officially, the proposition is the handiwork of Californians for Fair Auto Insurance Rates or Cal-FAIR, which describes itself as “a growing coalition of consumer advocates, businesses and insurers from across the state.”

But Cal-FAIR is actually the creation of a Sacramento public-affairs firm, Bicker, Castillo & Fairbanks, that has so far earned $200,000 from Mercury for its work on the campaign, part of the insurer’s $3.5 million total contribution to the effort.

Kathy Fairbanks, a partner in the firm, said the name is supposed to reflect the “broad support among consumers groups and businesses” for the proposition. “The objective of Read more…