Critics of California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi's proposed changes to regulations governing how auto insurance rates are determined say the courts have already ruled against the changes.

At the center of the criticism is Mr. Garamendi's proposal to seek a rule change that would put more emphasis on a driver's record in determining premium rates rather than his or her location and other factors.

Current California law says that the three required factors for determining auto insurance rates (driving record, annual miles driven and years of driving experience) cannot be outweighed by the average weight of a list of a number of other factors that include the ZIP code where the car is located, marital status or additional insurance coverage a driver may have with one carrier.