Insurance Commissioner Recovering After Heart Surgery
By Associated Press - April 4, 2006SACRAMENTO (AP) _ State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi was recovering in the hospital Tuesday after undergoing surgery to repair his mitral valve, spokesman Byron Tucker said.
Garamendi emerged late Monday from more than five hours of surgery, which Tucker called a "100 percent success." Surgeons expected Garamendi to return to his normal routine after a relatively short recovery period.
Garamendi, 61, is one of three people running for the Democratic nomination to succeed Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who is barred by term limits from seeking a third term.
The mitral valve, a parachute-like valve on the left side of the heart, keeps blood from flowing backward into the lungs.
Tucker said Garamendi was herding cattle and repairing fences at his ranch near the Gold Rush town of Mokelumne Hill in Calaveras County when he felt some discomfort. His family took him to the hospital.
He said Garamendi was able to walk into the hospital under his own power. His family would not release the name of the hospital.
Garamendi is a former state legislator who is in his second term as insurance commissioner. He won the post in 1990, the first person elected to regulate insurance companies in California. Previously, the commissioner had been appointed by the governor.
After an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994, Garamendi ran again for commissioner in 2002 and won. | 
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