The Southern California wildfires will likely go down as the largest natural disaster in California in more than a decade — more than 500,000 acres burned, nearly 2,000 homes destroyed or damaged, and losses totaling at least $1 billion dollars in San Diego alone.
There is no doubt that disasters of this sort are a tragedy of epic proportions. And my heart goes out to all of the victims of these devastating wildfires.
At times like this, it is certainly the case that some of our elected officials have an opportunity — no, an obligation to step up and make a positive difference, both materially using the powers of their offices to help to deal with the crisis and its aftermath, as well as inspirationally, providing assurances to all of those touched by the terrible situation.
I have been extremely impressed with the job that Governor Schwarzenegger has been doing the 
last week. As is appropriate for the Governor of any state to be struck thusly, he has dropped everything else and taken a lead role as our state’s chief executive. While this page has had some noted public policy disagreements with Governor Schwarzenegger lately, it has been easy to put those aside for the time being and marvel at the energy and focus that the Governor has put into dealing with the wildfires.
Of course, as has been the case since the day that Arnold came onto the political scene, he continues to suck all of the oxygen out of a room as all of the media attention is on the charismatic Governor.
But I think that it is worthy of note that Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the only Republican elected official who has stepped up to the plate in a big way during this tragedy.
FlashReport readers should be quite pleased and impressed with the hard work of California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (pictured in the crowd above with the Governor).
When word of these wildfires first came out, Poizner acted immediately — both publicly and behind the scenes.
I called Commissioner Poizner to talk with him for a bit about the fires, and his role. I had read a number of anecdotal things about his and the Department of Insurance’s response to the situation, but with the "Arnold factor" I reference above, I wanted to get the full picture.
Right off the bat, Steve shared with my his sympathies for those victims of the fire, telling me that "nothing can prepare you for the loss of your home, your property, and your personal mementos," adding that it was devastating to see the areas where the fires had come through and burned down entire neighborhoods.
In his role as the chief executive of our state’s large Department of Insurance, Poizner quickly declared a State of Insurance Emergency for California. By doing this, he was able to cut red tape, put more insurance adjusters on the ground and speed up the payment of claims. Poizner told me that he personally called around to the CEO’s of California major insurers, to encourage them into speedy action (don’t underestimate the impact of a phone call from the person from the government who regulates your business). This declaration will become increasingly important to fire victims in the days and weeks ahead.
Did you know that the Department of Insurance has almost 300 law enforcement personnel? I 
didn’t until Steve told me. Apparently in an immediate action, he deployed almost all of them into the disaster-struck areas to assist local law enforcement with evacuations, traffic control and to prevent looting in the early hours of the fires. Over half of these officers are still on the ground, to deal with the aftermath of the fires. This not only includes enforcement in cases of insurance fraud, but also going after those that try to victimize victims (a second time!) posing as fake insurance adjusters or phony contractors.
Poizner toured the damaged areas via helicopter with Governor Schwarzenegger and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Later, when President Bush was in California, Poizner was part of the briefing and went with the President to thank firefighters for their heroic efforts. Poizner also met with displaced fire victims at Qualcomm Stadium and other evacuation centers in Southern California.
These appearances by Poizner start to cross that bridge from not only being an action executive with real on-the-ground responsibilities, but also being an important community leader, helping to instill confidence for those directly and indirectly impacted by the wildfires. In the last few days, Poizner has appeared on Fox News, CNN and virtually every local newscast and radio program in Southern California.
Poizner’s role regarding this tragedy has really just begun. You see, Governor Schwarzenegger has tapped him to lead the recovery effort once all the fires are contained and extinguished (thank goodness we’re almost there). This will be a massive undertaking, but since more than 80% of all of the rebuilding money for southern California will come from insurance companies, it’s a natural fit for the Insurance Commissioner.
From my conversation with Poizner, I have tell you that he is clearly up to the task. At a Press Conference in Orange County with Governor Schwarzenegger last weekend, Poizner issued a stern warning to those seeking to defraud victims: "We will hunt you down and we will find you." (okay, it might not be quite as intimidating as when Arnold says it, but the resources available to Poizner to follow through on that promise are very real, and will make a big difference.)
Poizner shared with me that he has dispatched strike forces of consumer services teams to help victims get back on their feet. Those teams will remain at OES/FEMA Disaster Assistance Centers as long as necessary. When we spoke yesterday, he was actually at the airport, preparing to fly to San Diego to participate in a special Town Hall meeting with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.
Long after these fires are off of our television sets and out of our minds, the victims will still be dealing with the long-term effects. Poizner’s committed to seeing each of them all of the way through the material side of that equation.
Steve Poizner wants California’s response to the disasters to serve as a national example of what can be done when local, state and federal officials work together. Given his strong performance this last week, it is clear that for his part, Poizner is working towards making that desire into a reality.
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