Latest California Headlines

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

Fire Damages 40 Units at Southern California Apartment Building

May 7 2021 // A fire that erupted at a Southern California apartment building damaged 40 units, killed pets and injured a firefighter, authorities said. The blaze was reported shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday in the shared attic of a...

California Contractor Arrested in Nearly $1M Workers’ Comp Scheme

May 6 2021 // Carolyn Plaza of Fresno, Calif., self-surrendered on May 6 after a warrant for her arrest was issued on six felony counts of insurance fraud. A complaint filed on April 16, alleges Plaza underreported more than $3 million...

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Koff & Associates in California

May 6 2021 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Berkeley, Calif.-based Kaneko & Krammer Corp. Catherine Kaneko, Georg Krammer and their team will continue to operate from their current location under the direction of Scott...

Judge Weighs Whether PG&E Violated Probation With 2019 California Fire

May 6 2021 // A federal judge is weighing whether Pacific Gas & Electric violated its criminal probation by sparking a wildfire north of San Francisco that destroyed more than 100 homes and injured six firefighters in October...

Group Says Its Analysis Shows Proposed California Law Will Harm Music Creators

May 5 2021 // Proposed California legislation would make contracts between labels and artists nearly unenforceable, reducing the incentive for record labels to invest in recording artists and potentially depressing California’s...

People Moves: EPIC Adds Shepard in California, M.J. Hall Adds Baker in Alaska

May 4 2021 // EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has named Rob Shepherd a senior principal in its risk management operation in Los Angeles, Calif. Shepherd is responsible for new business development and the design, placement, and...

Driver in California Crash That Killed 9 Was Drunk, Report Shows

May 4 2021 // The driver of an SUV involved in a central California crash that killed nine, including seven children, was drunk and didn’t have a license, federal investigators said in a preliminary report. The children, who were...

Alera Group Acquires California’s Adamson & McGoldrick Insurance

May 3 2021 // Alera Group, a financial services and risk management company based in Deerfield, Illinois, has acquired Adamson & McGoldrick Insurance Solutions, a strategic advisor providing risk management and benefits strategies...

In His Own Words: Q&A with Applied Underwriters’ Menzies on Buffet, California and ‘Pumping Entrepreneurial Power’

May 3 2021 // Steve Menzies, founder and chairman of Applied Underwriters Inc., is a busy man. Since he reacquired his company from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2019, he has been buying businesses, creating new...

$1M Settlement in California Suit Over Alleged Assault by Foster Child

May 3 2021 // San Diego County has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit by three boys who alleged they were sexually assaulted by their foster brother, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The lawsuit claimed county social workers hid...

California MGU Foresight Expands Commercial Property Offerings

Apr 30 2021 // San Francisco-based Foresight Risk & Insurance Services is offering new commercial property insurance lines coverages including inland marine, contractors equipment and builders’ risk, which will be offered as a...

People Moves: InterWest Names Espinosa Senior Director in California, IMA Adds Washington to Executive Leadership

Apr 30 2021 // InterWest Insurance Services has named Brad Espinosa senior director in its surety division. He will be based in Sacramento, Calif., and report to Keith Schuler, president and CEO of InterWest Insurance Services. He has...

Former California Agent Arrested On 90 Counts of Insurance Fraud

Apr 28 2021 // Former insurance broker Karen Marie Dondanville, 53, of Mission Viejo, Calif., was arrested on 90 felony counts including grand theft, insurance fraud, financial elder abuse, and forgery for allegedly collecting premiums...

Judge in California Tosses Suit of Man Who Alleged Jackson Molestation

Apr 28 2021 // A judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit of a man who alleged that Michael Jackson sexually abused him as a boy. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young granted the Jackson estate’s request to dismiss...

IMA Financial Group Acquires California’s Bolton

Apr 28 2021 // Denver-based insurance brokerage IMA Financial Group said it is expanding to California by acquiring Bolton & Co. in a transaction effective May 1, 2021. The combined brokerage firm will employ 1,200 associates and...

People Moves: Topa in California Names Torio Director of Tech, Resilience Names Reed EVP

Apr 28 2021 // Topa Insurance Co. has named Paul Torio director of technology. Torio is responsible for developing and delivering solutions across Topa’s technology infrastructure in support of business goals. He has worked at Topa...

Small Quakes Confirmed in Lake Tahoe Region of California, Nevada

Apr 27 2021 // A series of small earthquakes jolted the Lake Tahoe region of California and Nevada on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. A 3.7 magnitude quake struck at 8:33 a.m. centered about 4.5 miles southeast of Dollar...

Delos Announces New Capacity for California Wildfire Areas

Apr 27 2021 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Delos Insurance Solutions announced an agreement with reinsurance companies that the firm said will result in a five-fold increase in insurance capacity for California homeowners in areas prone...

California Man Charged for Scheme Involving Lost Cellphone Claims

Apr 26 2021 // Thein Kevin Nguyen, 31, of Sacramento, Calif., has been charged with one felony count of fraud for allegedly running a scam where he reportedly filed 35 fraudulent cell phone loss claims, collected the proceeds from the...

California Governor Wants Ban on New Fracking by 2024

Apr 26 2021 // Gov. Gavin Newsom said said California will stop issuing fracking permits by 2024 and halt all oil drilling by 2045, using his authority to take on the state’s powerful oil and gas industry in a year he will likely...