Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Commissioner Asks National Regulators to Block Aetna-Humana Deal
Jun 24 2016 // California’s insurance commissioner on Thursday urged national antitrust regulators to block health insurer Aetna Inc’s proposed $34 billion acquisition of Humana Inc. David Jones, whose state Department of...
Jury Backs Led Zeppelin in ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Copyright Trial
Jun 23 2016 // Led Zeppelin won’t have to share royalties from one of rock-and-roll’s masterpieces after a jury found guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant didn’t steal the opening chords of “Stairway to...
Judge Allows Bulk of Starbucks Suit in California over Lattes to Proceed
Jun 23 2016 // A federal judge is allowing the bulk of a lawsuit accusing Starbucks of systematically under-filling lattes to move forward. Two California residents are suing the Seattle-based coffee chain, claiming that Starbucks lattes...
Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Copyright Case Goes to Jury
Jun 22 2016 // The recollections of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about events 45 years ago were questioned a final time before jurors were asked to decide who to believe about the genesis of the band’s classic...
Day and Mann Named to Board of Topa in California
Jun 22 2016 // Michael Day and Judy Mann have been named to the board of Directors for Topa Insurance Group in California. Day was the chief financial officer for CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, until his retirement in 2015. Mann...
Foo Fighters Suing Lloyd’s in California over Concert Canceled after Paris Attacks
Jun 22 2016 // The Foo Fighters are suing insurers for failing to reimburse them for European shows they cancelled following the Paris terrorist attacks in November. The suit, filed Monday in federal court in Los Angeles against...
Following Two Days of Broken Western Heat Records Comes a Respite
Jun 22 2016 // Residents of Southern California and the Southwest were looking for a break after some of the hottest weather in decades had utilities warning of power failures and cities opening pools and cooling centers. At least four...
Aetna-Humana Deal Approved in California, with Conditions
Jun 21 2016 // The California Department of Managed Health Care approved Aetna Inc.’s acquisition of Humana Inc. with conditions including the insurer’s commitment to keeping premium increases at a minimum in the small group...
Applied Underwriters’ Workers’ Comp Business Faulted by California Regulator
Jun 21 2016 // California’s insurance commissioner said a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. insurance business evaded a state law designed to protect small businesses from unexpected workers’ compensation costs. Commissioner Dave Jones...
Insurance Startup in California Eyeing Gig Economy Opens $2M Seed Round
Jun 20 2016 // Bunker Project Inc., a San Francisco, Calif.-based insurance technology startup, announced a $2 million seed funding round. The round was co-led by Comcast Ventures and Route 66 Ventures. Insurance carriers Hiscox and...
California Commissioner Lowers Workers’ Comp Advisory Rate
Jun 20 2016 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones adopted and issued a revised advisory pure premium rate, lowering the benchmark to $2.30 per $100 of payroll for workers’ compensation insurance. The change is effective...
California Agent Pleads Guilty to Selling Bogus Bonds and Premium Theft
Jun 20 2016 // John Antonio Ruiz, 49, of Riverside, Calif., pleaded guilty earlier this month to 11 felony counts of grand theft after selling $334,972 in bogus surety bonds and stealing the client’s premium. His theft left a major...
Ratings Downgrades for Members of California-based CSAA: A.M. Best
Jun 20 2016 // A.M. Best has downgraded the financial strength rating to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings to “a+” from “aa-” of the members of Walnut Creek, Calif.-based CSAA...
Blue Moon ‘Craft Beer’ Suit in California against MillerCoors Tossed
Jun 17 2016 // MillerCoors LLC won the dismissal of a proposed class action lawsuit by a self-described beer aficionado who said the brewing giant tricked consumers into paying premium prices for Blue Moon by falsely portraying it as...
California’s Commissioner is Asking U.S. to Stop Anthem-Cigna Deal
Jun 17 2016 // California’s insurance commissioner wants the U.S. Department of Justice to block health insurer Anthem Inc.’s acquisition of Cigna Corp, saying he is concerned it will raise premiums in the state. California...
Pacific Gas in California Set to Face Jury over Pipeline Blast
Jun 17 2016 // One of the country’s largest utility companies is set to face a jury in a criminal trial accusing it of obstructing investigators in the wake of a deadly pipeline explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area. The...
California Wildfire Grows, Fires Threaten Communities around West
Jun 17 2016 // Hundreds of firefighters battled a 1,400-acre fire moving through coastal canyons in California on Thursday. Hot, dry weather across the Western U.S. challenged firefighters with blazes in Arizona and New Mexico. In...
Small Businesses Ask California Legislature to Reauthorize, Amend COIN
Jun 15 2016 // The Small Business Investor Alliance is throwing its support for behind a bill to reauthorize and amend the California Organized Investment Network program. Assembly Bill 2728 will reauthorize COIN and ensure that...
Allstate Returns to California Homeowners Market With 12.6 Percent Reduction
Jun 14 2016 // Allstate Insurance returned to the California homeowners insurance market this week following a nine-year absence writing new policies. Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones welcomed Allstate, which entered into an agreement...
Other Calderon Pleads Guilty to Bribery as Part of Workers’ Comp Scheme
Jun 13 2016 // The United States Attorney for the Central District announced on Monday that former California State Sen. Ronald S. Calderon has agreed to plead guilty to a federal corruption charge. Calderon admitted in a plea agreement...
