Latest California Headlines

All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says

Sep 2 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance. The data released in late-August from the...

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires California Benefits Broker, Garnett-Powers & Associates

Aug 30 2019 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired the University Services business of Mission Viejo, California-based benefits broker and consultant Garnett-Powers & Associates Insurance Services Inc. Terms of the transaction...

Uber, Lyft Pledge $60M to Fight Possible California Labor Ballot

Aug 30 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are putting $60 million behind a potential ballot measure to ensure they don’t have to reclassify their California drivers as employees. The ride-hailing giants and other gig...

Tesla Begins Rolling Out Its Auto Insurance in California

Aug 28 2019 // Tesla Inc. said on Wednesday it was launching an insurance service designed to give drivers in California, its biggest market, lower rates because of safety features on its electric vehicles. Chief Executive Elon Musk has...

California Earthquake Authority Policy Sales Spiked After Ridgecrest Quakes

Aug 28 2019 // The California Earthquake Authority gained 23,861 earthquake insurance policies following the magnitude 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes and aftershocks that struck on unnamed faults near Ridgecrest beginning on the July 4...

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Report Shows Written Premium Falling

Aug 27 2019 // The Workers’ Compensation Bureau of California on Tuesday issued its latest quarterly report on insurer loss and premium experience valued as of March 31. The report shows written premium for 2018 is 4% below that...

Measles May Have Been Brought to Southern California by Tourist

Aug 27 2019 // A New Zealand teenager who visited Disneyland and other Southern California tourist spots last week brought along more than just her luggage. She brought measles. Public health officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties...

Evacuations Lifted in Wildfire Along California-Nevada Border

Aug 27 2019 // Authorities say a fast-moving wildfire on rural land along the California-Nevada border burned one home before crews were able to slow its spread. Fire spokesman Adam Mayberry says the blaze about 25 miles north of Reno,...

How Small Businesses Are Training for Active Shooters

Aug 27 2019 // At a four-hour meeting last month, Michelle Abdow’s staffers got to experience some of the sights, sounds and even smells they could encounter if someone invaded their office and began shooting. Security experts and...

California Woman Hit by Police Truck to Get $260,000

Aug 26 2019 // The Santa Rosa City Council has agreed to pay a settlement to a California woman hit by a police truck. The Press Democrat reported that 29-year-old Laure Friedell filed a lawsuit in March 2018 after her right foot and...

Former University Southern California Gynecologist in Sex Assault Case Released On Bail

Aug 26 2019 // A former University of Southern California gynecologist charged with sexually abusing patents has posted bail and been released from jail. The Los Angeles Times reports Dr. George Tyndall was freed Friday evening on...

California Utility Wants Help Paying Wildfire Victims

Aug 23 2019 // A troubled California utility company is asking the state Legislature to let it borrow money without paying taxes so it can compensate victims of a devastating wildfire caused by its equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric...

For Many U.S. Communities, There’s No Easy Path to Safety From Disasters

Aug 23 2019 // As the country enters peak season for major natural disasters, new research indicates which states and communities are the riskiest for those needing to evacuate whether from wildfires or hurricanes. StreetLight Data Inc.,...

Retreat as an Answer to Climate Change?

Aug 22 2019 // Think retreat is never an option? Think again. “Faced with global warming, rising sea levels, and the climate-related extremes they intensify, the question is no longer whether some communities will retreat—moving...

California State Fund Declares $105M Dividend for Workers’ Comp Policyholders

Aug 22 2019 // The board of California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced plans to distribute a $105 million dividend to qualifying policyholders with policies that took effect between Jan. 1 and Aug. 19. This dividend...

Do Cannabis or Alcohol Taxes Have Higher Upside for Society?

Aug 22 2019 // Which helps society more? Alcohol or cannabis. That sounds like a funny question, but it may be an important one with more local governments embracing the opportunity to bring in tax revenue from cannabis sales. A new...

Guy Carpenter Tapped for California Wildfire Fund Reinsurance Program

Aug 22 2019 // Guy Carpenter & Company LLC has been named the sole reinsurance intermediary for the newly formed California Wildfire Fund, which is currently being administered by the California Earthquake Authority. Guy Carpenter...

Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says

Aug 21 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance. The data released this week from the CDI...

The Lowdown: Employer Risk in California and Beyond

Aug 21 2019 // Newly released this week on Research & Trends, “Risky Business – Employment Practice Litigation on the Rise” offers insights into the many predicaments your business prospects and clients could find...

Top 15 Earthquake Insurance Companies

Aug 21 2019 // Earthquake coverage is available mostly from private insurance companies. In California homeowners can also get coverage from the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), a privately funded, publicly managed organization....