My friends call me crazy. Not because I'm mentally instable or completely out of my mind (although some might argue otherwise), but because I take so many pictures. I can't help it; I love documenting my life -- my friends and family, the things we do and places we go. I'm a firm believer that photos are priceless.

The concept of posting photos to the Web is nothing new, but I've finally gotten around to doing it myself. I've spent the past week or so scanning pictures and posting them to my personal Web site. I currently have over 100 photos and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Even if I could go back through my years of photographs and scan all my favorites, I'd still be struggling to keep up with each roll of film I get back from the developers.

A virtual photo album is not only a great way to have all your favorite memories at your fingertips (and forever preserve them in the case of that unspeakable tragedy), but your distant relatives can easily keep updated on what's going on in your life -- visually.

My Dad learned how to use e-mail two months ago. He still has no idea what he's doing half the time, but it's great to be able to keep in touch with him on a regular basis, despite the fact that we're 3,000 miles apart. Now we can easily communicate through writing -- and photos. If I want to show my Dad a picture of me and my friends, I don't have to wait until I go home next or send it through the mail. Rather, I simply scan it and post it to my Web site. I e-mail him the URL and voila! There's the picture -- right on my Dad's laptop.

Consider starting your own virtual documentary of your life. Your friends and loved ones will be glad you did.

Have a great week!

-Gabe

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But that's about to change. The election of Democrat Gray Davis as governor means that key pro-trial lawyer legislation is likely to be signed into law. Publicly, insurance industry lobbyists are expressing confidence, but privately they are hunkering down for a legislative onslaught.

The two big issues are tort reform and automobile insurance, and to some extent the two are intertwined.

In 1988, the lawyers and insurers clashed over these and related issues and spent $80 million on an array of ballot initiatives, one of which was approved by voters. A decade later, the issues are still festering, and while nobody yet is publicly predicting another ballot initiative free-for-all, that possibility certainly exists.

Insurers believe that the cost of coverage would be decreased if the tort, or civil, court system was changed to limit the scope of lawyers' contingency fees and their right to sue. In particular, insurers oppose the bad-faith, third-party lawsuits that they believe lawyers have used to target deep-pocket insurers to obtain inflated settlements. Years ago, a law that allowed the filing of such suits -- known in the Capitol as the "Royal Globe" doctrine -- was repealed, much to the joy of insurers. But now, insurers believe that Davis' election may mean that Royal Globe will be reinstated.

On auto insurance, a number of possibilities are looming. First is a low-cost auto policy, costing perhaps $350 annually for good drivers, that would provide minimal coverage to meet California's mandatory insurance law. Democrats generally support such proposal, hoping to reap the obvious political benefits among inner-city drivers who pay the highest rates. But in the past, the insurance industry has balked, contending that the Democrats' plans contain subsidies that penalize good drivers in rural areas and do nothing to limit lawyers' attempts to obtain inflated settlements that insurers say are the real cause of high rates. The insurers' low-cost alternative is no-fault coverage, in which a policyholder's company pays the damages no matter who is to blame. Under no-fault, most cases are handled by the companies and don't go to court -- the provision the lawyers don't like.

Last year and early this year, a number of closed-door meetings were held in Los Angeles involving the major figures in the insurance and trial lawyer camps. The goal was to work out a compromise on tort reform, auto insurance and other issues. They didn't succeed, and that failure is likely to come back and haunt them -- especially the insurers -- this year when bill introductions begin for the new Legislature next week.

For the insurance industry, the Davis governorship may be tough indeed.

Good story on the water issue [in the 11.23.98 CAW], but there was one error. SB 200 (the peripheral canal bill) was placed on the ballot by a referendum petition signed by the voters, not by the Legislature. In fact, the Legislature has no ability to place anything on the ballot except bonds and Constitutional Amendments. Unlike local governments, they cannot place "opinion measures" on the ballot.

(I was Deputy Director of the Department of Water Resources at the time.)

-Jerry Meral

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