Latest news with #StevenBradford
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former SLO County supervisor candidate announces run for statewide office
A San Luis Obispo County insurance professional and three-time local political candidate has announced a new campaign for public office: She will run for California insurance commissioner. Republican Stacy Korsgaden, who previously ran and lost races for District 3 supervisor in 2020 and 2022 along with a race for Mayor of Grover Beach in 2022, will run for the role of California insurance commissioner against an open field of opponents in 2026 to replace current Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who has held the role since 2018 and will be termed out. Korsgaden, who lives in Grover Beach and has worked as a licensed insurance professional and financial adviser for more than 30 years, announced her candidacy in a July 31 news release posted to her campaign's Facebook page, saying the state's insurance system is flawed and in need of fixing. 'California's insurance market is broken, and working families are paying the price,' Korsgaden said in the release. 'Policies are being canceled, costs are skyrocketing and options are shrinking.' 'It's time for new leadership that puts people before politics,' she continued. The Tribune reached out to Korsgaden for comment but did not receive a reply as of Tuesday afternoon. Who else is running for insurance commissioner Korsgaden is the first Republican to announce a run for the position in the 2026 election. Former state senator and vice chair of the California Black Caucus Steven Bradford, a Democrat, announced his candidacy for the position in at the start of June. Bradford previously served on the state's Insurance Committee. State Sen. Mike McGuire, another Democrat and current president pro tempore of the California State Senate, announced his intentions to run for insurance commissioner as early as October 2023. In the most recent election for the post, Lara defeated Republican Robert P. Howell, a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity equipment manufacturer, securing 59.9% of the 10.6 million votes cast in the race, according to Ballotpedia. Korsgaden's platform for insurance commissioner Korsgaden's campaign will focus on lowering insurance costs, securing more competitive options for homeowners and auto insurance, and fighting insurance cancellations that have impacted California homeowners and small businesses, according to the news release. 'Decades of one-party control and failed Democratic policies have created a crisis,' Korsgaden said. 'I'll bring common sense, real-world experience and a commitment to fixing what's broken.' According to her campaign website, Korsgaden became interested in insurance after the death of her father in a car accident. 'The life insurance policy he had taken out just weeks earlier meant her family could stay afloat during that difficult time,' Korsgaden's campaign website read. 'The experience shaped Stacy's lifelong mission: to help families build financial security and protect what matters most.' Candidate attended Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington, D.C. Aside from her local candidacies, Korsgaden attracted attention when she attended the Jan. 6, 2021, political rally protesting alleged election interference in the 2020 presidential election that ended in an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building. She said she was not involved in the violent storming of the building that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. In her upcoming campaign, Korsgaden is echoing President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' message with a similar slogan of her own — 'Make Insurance Great Again' — according to her campaign website.
Los Angeles Times
08-04-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
State-of-the-Art Vision Clinic for the Underserved Opens in Long Beach
Angels for Sight, a community-based vision care organization has opened a state-of-the-art vision clinic that will serve thousands of children, families, seniors, veterans and the unhoused in Los Angeles County. The clinic dedication ceremony took place on March 28, 2025, in Long Beach, California. Former State Senator Steven Bradford was instrumental in helping secure the funding needed to build the new state-of-the-art vision clinic that will provide vision care services and glasses to those who have no access to these services. Bradford is a longtime supporter of Angels for Sight, a 501(c)(3) that was launched in his district in 2004. The California State Budget Allocation ensured that countless underserved residents of Los Angeles County would have access to quality vision care. The opening of this clinic is the culmination of over 20 years of work by countless Angels for Sight supporters and volunteers. Shea Hamilton, the founder of Angels for Sight, had long hoped to open a larger facility to better serve the community she so loved. The organization had outgrown its original clinic location in Compton, which was heavily damaged during the unprecedented rains in 2021. Unfortunately, Hamilton died unexpectedly in 2023, just after learning that the much-needed funds to help her realize her dream of creating a larger, state-of-the-art vision clinic was finally going to become a reality. Jesa Townsend, executive director of Angels for Sight shared, 'Angels for Sight has long been a beacon of hope, ensuring that essential eye care is a right, not a privilege. Too often overlooked in health equity, it is vital to education, workforce development and well-being. By fostering partnerships and addressing socioeconomic issues beyond vision care, we strive to build a more just and equitable future. I am honored to build on this legacy, expand access for the most vulnerable and work alongside our dedicated supporters to create lasting impact.' The board of directors of Angels for Sight subsequently created a new collaboration with the Marshall B. Ketchum University's (MBKU) Southern California College of Optometry whose students and doctors will be staffing the clinic. Not only will the community be receiving excellent care but the clinic will also serve as a teaching center helping MBKU's Southern California College of Optometry graduate students gain hands-on clinical experience under the watchful guidance of faculty doctors. 'This clinic represents everything MBKU stands for,' said Dr. Mark E. Nakano, associate dean of clinical affairs at Marshall B. Ketchum University and the new clinical director at Angels for Sight. 'It's about creating meaningful opportunities for our students to deliver real-world care while uplifting underserved communities. Our partnership with Angels for Sight reflects MBKU's ongoing mission to prepare future healthcare leaders who are equipped to serve communities with compassion, excellence and commitment.' The Angels for Sight Vision Clinic dedication event that took place on March 28 was the culmination of a long journey to provide quality vision care to a number of communities in Los Angeles County – 21 years after the founding of the organization. Members of the community, dignitaries who were instrumental in helping to establish the clinic along with other health–focused organizations serving kids, families, seniors and unhoused individuals were in attendance to celebrate this milestone. Information was sourced from Globe Newswire. To learn more, contact barbara.c@
