CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Judge Vogel Named to Court of Appeal

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Miriam Vogel, the referee in a series of courtroom battles over Proposition 103’s insurance reforms, was appointed to the 2nd District Court of Appeal. Gov. George Deukmejian appointed Vogel, 50, to replace L. Thaxton Hanson, who retired. While interpreting Proposition 103 in a Los Angeles lawsuit, Vogel ruled that auto insurers could raise rates on assigned-risk policies, overruling Insurance Commissioner Roxani Gillespie’s freeze on such increases. Vogel received her law degree from Whittier College in 1975, and Deukmejian appointed her to the Superior Court in 1985. The position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The salary for appellate court justices is $107,964.