Cea

In an Aug. 12 Commentary, Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush cited as evidence of the fiscal stability of the proposed California Earthquake Authority the fact that reinsurers and private investors support it and "reinsurers and private investors do not put $3.5 billion in enterprises that are too risky." Rather than prove that the CEA is adequately capitalized, this statement supports one of our main points about the CEA: that the reinsurers and investors are well protected, but consumers instead are placed at high risk.

President Obama will name economist Austan Goolsbee to head his Council of Economic Advisors during a news conference Friday, filling a crucial position with a longtime advisor and friend from his tenure at the University of Chicago. A data-driven economist known for his work in tax policy, Goolsbee will step up from his current position as a member of the CEA to head the council at a crucial moment, according to an administration official. The position was vacated last week by Berkeley economist Christina Romer, who left after a brutal 20 months of wrestling with the faltering economy.

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of Hybritech's second product that tests CEA in blood serum will maintain the San Diego-based biomedical firm's campaign to secure a portion of the $25-million-per-year diagnostic market, company officials believe. That market now is controlled by Chicago-based Abbott Labs. CEA is found in patients with cancer of the colon, rectum, breast or lung.

Re "Overhaul the Earthquake Authority, Before the Next Big Quake," Jan. 14. It was with utter disbelief and disgust [that] I read Philip Angelides' article. It's not so much what he says in the article but more what he fails to mention that so angered me. As a resident of Northridge, I suffered greatly in the Jan. 17, 1994, quake. I was also very fortunate that I had an excellent policy, provided by one of the many insurance carriers. However, when state residents could no longer obtain these polices, we were given no other options but to go through the California Earthquake Authority.

I received the notice and bill from the California Earthquake Authority for earthquake insurance on my home. I am absolutely livid and outraged about the insurance premium, $888. I am also scared that since I can't afford this premium, I cannot get earthquake insurance. My property coverage is $185,000 and the premium is $732. The CEA earthquake insurance, with a 15% deductible, costs more than my entire property and liability insurance. This is outrageous and unacceptable. The CEA requires a 15% deductible, which means if I incur $30,000 damage from an earthquake, I will receive only $2,250, which after paying the $888 premium, leaves me a net of only $1,362.

In the Times Board of Economists column, "Council of Economic Advisers Report Reveals Fallacies of Optimistic Forecasting" (March 15), George Perry criticized the council's projections of the effect of the President's policy proposals: The "2.2% . . . increase (by 1997) in the trend of GDP projected to result from the policy changes . . . appears outside all reasonable grounds." While I respect Perry's right to an honest difference of opinion, I must respond when his misunderstanding of the conceptual basis of the Council of Economic Advisers' (CEA)

President Obama will name economist Austan Goolsbee to head his Council of Economic Advisors during a news conference Friday, filling a crucial position with a longtime advisor and friend from his tenure at the University of Chicago. A data-driven economist known for his work in tax policy, Goolsbee will step up from his current position as a member of the CEA to head the council at a crucial moment, according to an administration official. The position was vacated last week by Berkeley economist Christina Romer, who left after a brutal 20 months of wrestling with the faltering economy.

Tim Cea and the Littlerock High boys' soccer team have risen from the depths fast enough to get the bends. The Lobos, traditionally a Golden League doormat, tied for the Golden League title last week. Cea, who the previous two seasons labored on teams so dismal that opposing starters were often rested, has 24 goals. A senior midfielder and forward who combines speed and ball-handling skills, Cea (pronounced SEE-ah) is enjoying this season after paying his dues.

The County Employees Assn., beset by internal dissension for the past two years, now faces new woes, partly because of contracts it made with the county this year. After losing more than 1,000 members within the past two years, the 6,000-member union now stands to lose another employee unit, county nurses, and has failed in its bids to gain two other units. The final touch was a lawsuit filed last week against the union's board by dissident members.

LAS VEGAS - At this year's International Consumer Electronics Show, everything is getting a bit "smarter. " Smartphones ushered in the notion that cellphones didn't have to be limited to just making calls, and tablets uprooted the definition of the personal computer. Now, the buzz at the world's largest tech gadget conference has shifted from the devices themselves to the growing crop of accessories and technologies that are piggybacking on their massive popularity. Connectivity is one of the main reasons smartphones and tablets became blockbuster hits among consumers, and tech manufacturers want to bring that feature to other objects - many of them everyday, non-digital household items.

The state agency that offers the bulk of California earthquake insurance policies took a major step Thursday toward making the coverage more attractive to consumers. The California Earthquake Authority tentatively approved a plan that would allow homeowners to choose a 10% deductible or contents coverage of up to $100,000 by paying an additional premium. Expanded coverage would be available by spring 1999 if the board approves the details of the plan at its November meeting.

I received the notice and bill from the California Earthquake Authority for earthquake insurance on my home. I am absolutely livid and outraged about the insurance premium, $888. I am also scared that since I can't afford this premium, I cannot get earthquake insurance. My property coverage is $185,000 and the premium is $732. The CEA earthquake insurance, with a 15% deductible, costs more than my entire property and liability insurance. This is outrageous and unacceptable. The CEA requires a 15% deductible, which means if I incur $30,000 damage from an earthquake, I will receive only $2,250, which after paying the $888 premium, leaves me a net of only $1,362.

Tim Cea and the Littlerock High boys' soccer team have risen from the depths fast enough to get the bends. The Lobos, traditionally a Golden League doormat, tied for the Golden League title last week. Cea, who the previous two seasons labored on teams so dismal that opposing starters were often rested, has 24 goals. A senior midfielder and forward who combines speed and ball-handling skills, Cea (pronounced SEE-ah) is enjoying this season after paying his dues.

In the Times Board of Economists column, "Council of Economic Advisers Report Reveals Fallacies of Optimistic Forecasting" (March 15), George Perry criticized the council's projections of the effect of the President's policy proposals: The "2.2% . . . increase (by 1997) in the trend of GDP projected to result from the policy changes . . . appears outside all reasonable grounds." While I respect Perry's right to an honest difference of opinion, I must respond when his misunderstanding of the conceptual basis of the Council of Economic Advisers' (CEA)

The County Employees Assn., beset by internal dissension for the past two years, now faces new woes, partly because of contracts it made with the county this year. After losing more than 1,000 members within the past two years, the 6,000-member union now stands to lose another employee unit, county nurses, and has failed in its bids to gain two other units. The final touch was a lawsuit filed last week against the union's board by dissident members.

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of Hybritech's second product that tests CEA in blood serum will maintain the San Diego-based biomedical firm's campaign to secure a portion of the $25-million-per-year diagnostic market, company officials believe. That market now is controlled by Chicago-based Abbott Labs. CEA is found in patients with cancer of the colon, rectum, breast or lung.