Latest California Headlines

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

Students from University of Southern California, Other Schools File Admissions-Scandal Class Action

Mar 15 2019 // The University of Southern California, Yale University, the University of California Los Angeles and other colleges were sued by two Stanford University students seeking class status over the admissions-bribery scandal...

Topa in California Names Griffard Director of Financial Planning And Analysis

Mar 15 2019 // Topa Insurance Co. in Calabasas, Calif., has named Geoffrey Griffard director of financial planning and analysis. He has more than 10 years of experience in financial planning, including serving as a manager of financial...

Climate Activists to Pressure U.S. Insurers Underwriting Fossil Fuel Industry

Mar 14 2019 // Expect calls for the insurance industry to stop investing in or insuring the fossil fuel industry and fossil fuel projects to grow louder in California and throughout the U.S. A new petition by several climate change and...

ISU Insurance Agency in California Names Martinez Vice President

Mar 14 2019 // ISU Insurance Agency Network has named Jorge Martinez vice president of carrier relations. Martinez will report to Dan McCarthy, ISU’s chief operating officer. He has 10 years of experience in the industry, including...

Airbnb Loses Huge Battle Over California City’s Rental Law

Mar 14 2019 // Airbnb Inc. and Expedia Group Inc.’s HomeAway failed to persuade a U.S. court of appeals to strike down a Santa Monica law that makes the companies liable for illicit rentals in the Southern California beach...

Deadly 2017 California Wildfire Found Sparked by Edison Power Lines

Mar 14 2019 // The devastating Thomas Fire that killed two people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures northwest of Los Angeles in December 2017 was sparked by power lines owned by Southern California Edison Co , fire officials said...

California Jury Orders J&J to Pay $29 Million in Talc-Linked Cancer Trial

Mar 13 2019 // Johnson & Johnson must pay $29 million to a dying California woman who blamed asbestos-tainted talc for causing her cancer, the company’s latest loss over its iconic baby powder. Jurors in state court in Oakland,...

As It Prepares IPO, Uber Settles Driver Classification Disputes for $20 Million

Mar 13 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. will pay $20 million to settle California lawsuits challenging the company’s classification of drivers as independent contractors, and not employees owed the benefits of traditional...

Roundup Weed Killer, Not Hepatitis, Caused Plaintiff’s Cancer, Argues Lawyer

Mar 13 2019 // A lawyer representing a man who claims Bayer AG’s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer urged jurors to imagine the scales of justice ever so slightly tilted in his favor, as if weighted by a feather, and said that...

Reliance Partners Acquires CTS in California

Mar 12 2019 // Reliance Partners is acquiring Sacramento, Calif.-based CTS Insurance Agency. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The combination expands Reliance Partners’ transportation and logistics footprint to the West...

Lane Joins Alliant Specialty as Executive VP in California

Mar 12 2019 // Newport Beach, Calif.-based Alliant Insurance Services has named Rob Lane executive vice president at Alliant Specialty. Lane will provide client advocacy, strategic consulting, and claims resolution services to...

Before Heading to Prison, Attorney Apologizes for Major Workers’ Comp Fraud

Mar 12 2019 // Sean Enrique O’Keefe said he started out as a “humanistic attorney,” but he became a mercenary and then a criminal who netted $700,000 a year by sending San Diego workers’ compensation claimants to...

California Race Track Imposing New Safety, Welfare Rules for Horses

Mar 11 2019 // California’s Santa Anita racetrack will impose new rules to scrutinize horses training on its racetrack and add a director of equine welfare following the deaths of 21 horses since Dec. 26. The main dirt track and...

Lepore Promoted to VP at California’s Burnham Benefits Insurance Services

Mar 11 2019 // Irvine, California-based Burnham Benefits Insurance Services has promoted Maggie Lepore to vice president. Lepore continues to expand Burnham’s central coast footprint through her diverse expertise with public...

Former California Commissioner Named Fellow at ClimateWorks Foundation

Mar 11 2019 // ClimateWorks Foundation has tapped former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones as a distinguished fellow. In his eight years as commissioner, Jones made climate risks in the insurance industry a priority, including...

United Valley in California Names O’Dell Assistant Vice President

Mar 8 2019 // Fresno, Calif.-based United Valley Insurance Services Inc. has named Michael O’Dell assistant vice president of business analytics. He has been with United Valley for 19 years. He has had a range of responsibilities...

Mayer Brown Adds Baysinger, Duchene in California

Mar 8 2019 // Mayer Brown announced that a team led by partner Kara Baysinger has joined the firm, adding to its global insurance capabilities and growing corporate and securities practice. As a partner based in Mayer Brown’s San...

California Track Cancels Racing After 21 Horses Die in 2 Months

Mar 7 2019 // Santa Anita racetrack in California has canceled racing indefinitely to re-examine its dirt surface after the deaths of 21 horses in the last two months. Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns...

Forest Management After Fires a Focus for California Agency

Mar 7 2019 // After successive years of devastating wildfires, California’s fire agency has announced a plan that would dramatically increase the removal of dead trees and other forest management efforts with the help of the...

Mayer Brown Names Insurance Transaction Attorney Chen Partner in California

Mar 7 2019 // Mayer Brown has named Paul P. Chen a partner in the corporate and securities practice in Northern California. Chen focuses on complex transactions in the insurance, financial services and health care sectors, especially...