On Monday, the workers' compensation insurer Zenith National Insurance named former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) to its board of directors, a move that drew immediate criticism from a consumer advocacy group, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Núñez was speaker of the Assembly in 2004 when legislation overhauling the state workers' compensation insurance system was approved.
Doug Heller -- executive director of Consumer Watchdog, a group that monitors the insurance industry -- called the legislation a "complete giveaway" to the industry.
Regarding Núñez's appointment, Heller said, "This is the revolving door working at its worst."
Núñez said, "I'm in the private sector now, so I make no apologies for being on this board or any other board that might reach out to me and ask me to be a part of it."
Zenith filings indicate that directors are paid $90,000 annually, with an additional $40,000 for each committee on which directors serve (Goldmacher, Sacramento Bee, 12/2).