But the $7.4 billion CEA is in the midst of its most controversial debate since its formation last year, in effect pitting residents of seismically active areas of the state against the residents of those areas that don't suffer periodic earthquakes. The issue: How much should the CEA-backed policies cost?

Using sophisticated mathematical models developed by the world-renowned San Francisco consulting engineering firm EQE, the earthquake agency developed a scale of premiums for the entire state, dividing California into 19 "rating territories" ranked according to risk. The lower the quake risk, the lower the premiums. Sacramentans, for example, may pay at the bottom of the scale, say $2 per $1,000 of insured property value, while residents of the San Francisco Bay area may pay $9 or $10 per $1,000.

The policies are bare-bone, covering the replacement cost of the primary structure, but excluding such things as pools, hot tubs, landscaping and garages. Authorities say the average premium runs about $3.50 to $4 statewide.

CEA officials, under fire from an array of critics who include Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer, are reconsidering their rating schedule. Lockyer has excoriated the rating scheme as the product of what he called "junk science," and said that areas of the state with similar seismic risk were being charged different rates. Particularly costly was CEA coverage in Lockyer's own Hayward district.

At a Capitol meeting last week, CEA officials announced they were considering an average rate reduction of 11 percent. Such a change would require approval of the CEA's board of directors, and it is likely that it will be endorsed, if only to halt the political pressure from politicians such as Lockyer.

We will soon have available a full size, full color wall map of the California Legislative Districts. The map contains photos of Senate and Assembly members and depicts the entire state of California, divided into Legislative districts.

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*** 1998 Directories ***

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