CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR NAMES LOW TO FILL OUT QUACKENBUSH TERM

California governor Gray Davis has nominated former state appeals court judge Harry Low to serve the remaining two years of the term of former insurance commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, who resigned earlier this month in the face of a scandal involving his alleged misuse of insurer funds. Mr Low’s appointment remains subject to the approval of the state legislature. Acting insurance commissioner Clark Kelso said that Mr Low was “a man of impeccable integrity and thoughtful judgement”, adding that “I cannot imagine a person better suited to the task of serving as California’s insurance commissioner”. Mr Quackenbush remains the focus of federal and state investigations into the creation of two foundations that financed polling, advertisements and community outreach to boost his political image.