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SAN FRANCISCO — Insurance Commissioner Harry Low took the oath of office Monday, promising to restore public trust in the position his predecessor left under threat of impeachment. 

Gov. Gray Davis appointed Low, a retired appeals court judge, to head the Insurance Department after Chuck Quackenbush resigned this summer. 

Quackenbush, an elected Republican under investigation by two legislative committees, was accused of using at least $6 million from insurer settlements on TV ads and other spending to benefit himself politically. 

“Our goal is to make California’s insurance commission the best of any in this nation,” Low said. “The public will be closely monitoring our work and I’m committed to making our work as open and responsive to the public as possible.” 

Low was sworn in by state Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk in a brief ceremony held in a conference room here. About 150 people attended, including lawmakers, judges, friends and family. 

Davis called Low a “distinguished jurist with a brilliant mind and a balanced approach.” 

“He has dedicated his entire life to public service, not to political ambition,” Davis said in a written statement. “I believe he will focus the office of the Insurance Commissioner on its fundamental mission of protecting consumers.” 

Low will serve the remaining two years of Quackenbush’s second, four-year term. He has said he has not ruled out running for the office in 2002. 

At the heart of the Quackenbush scandal was the California Research and Assistance Fund, created with about $12 million from insurers accused of mishandling claims filed after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. 

Quackenbush let a half-dozen insurers avoid up to $3 billion in potential penalties by giving to the fund. It was created to fund earthquake research and consumer aid, but Quackenbush acknowledged none of the $6 million CRAF spent went to either purpose. 

Quackenbush resigned in late June, prompting lawmakers to drop their investigations. He has denied wrongdoing.