Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) said he has a role as a strong consumer advocate in mind in his bid to run for state Insurance Commissioner in 2010.

Jones, who formally filed paperwork to seek the job Thursday, said the insurance commissioner needs to both hold the insurance industry accountable and be willing to promote legislation that helps consumers.

"It's not acceptable for someone to pay insurance premiums year after year, only to have it rescinded when they get sick," Jones said.

Though the seat may be open with the move by current Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to seek the Republican nomination for governor in two years, Jones said he planned to run for the job either way.

Jones said he has put together a campaign team of Parke Skelton as his political consultant and SG&A Campaigns to run his effort. He said he also has more than $1 million in cash-on-hand for the race, though he didn't expect it to begin in earnest until early 2010.

"My primary focus, of course, will be my role as chair of the Assembly Health Committee, but I will be talking to people about my candidacy," said Jones, who would be termed out of his Assembly seat in two years.

Before being elected to the Assembly in 2004, Jones was a Sacramento city councilman for five years. He also worked as a public-interest lawyer and under then-Attorney General Janet Reno during the Clinton Administration.

To date, termed-out Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka) is the only other Democratic candidate who had filed a statement of intent to run for Poizner's seat, but Jones said Berg had decided not to run and would endorse him.

She donated money from her Insurance Commissioner account to other legislative candidates this year, he added.

Poizner has an open campaign account to run for re-election, though most expect he will not do so.

ELSEWHERE on PolitickerCA.com:

• Assemblyman Jones to make 2010 run for Insurance Commissioner