Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Woman Sentenced in $135K Staged Collision Ring
Feb 24 2021 // Zandra Monterrozo, 44, of Corona, Calif., pleaded guilty and was sentenced for her involvement in an organized ring that intentionally staged vehicle collisions to collect more than $135,000 in insurance payouts. Eleven...
Fire Victim Trust Sues California Utility Executives for Causing Wildfires
Feb 24 2021 // The Fire Victim Trust has filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court against certain former officers and directors of PG&E Corp. and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for their role in causing the catastrophic 2017...
California Governor Wants Vaccines for Central Valley Farmworkers
Feb 24 2021 // More vaccines are headed to California’s vast Central Valley, an agricultural region whose workers and residents have been hard hit by coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. The multi-county region, which...
California School Employee Arraigned for Workers’ Comp Fraud After Virus Diagnosis
Feb 23 2021 // Stephanie Medrano, 33, of West Covina, Calif., was arraigned on Tuesday on multiple counts of grand theft and insurance fraud after allegedly making misrepresentations following a COVID-19 diagnosis in an attempt to...
California Commissioner Wants Rate Transparency Rules for Wildfire Risk
Feb 23 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has proposed new rules to give homeowners and businesses open access to their properties’ wildfire risk scores. The new rules would require insurance companies to...
California Lawmakers Introduce Proposal to Ban Fracking by 2027
Feb 23 2021 // New legislation would ban all fracking in California by 2027, taking aim at the powerful oil and gas industry in the state already planning to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Progressive California has long...
Settlement Reached in California Suit Alleging Franco Sexual Misconduct
Feb 23 2021 // A settlement agreement has been reached in a lawsuit that alleged James Franco intimidated students at an acting and film school he founded into gratuitous and exploitative sexual situations. A status report jointly filed...
The Liberty Company in California Adds Chubb’s Darling
Feb 22 2021 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has named Jim Darling an executive board member. Darling has 40 years of property/casualty experience. Among his senior executive roles during his career, he served as a regional...
Fight Brewing over Insurer-Backed California Bill That Includes Autobody Shops
Feb 22 2021 // An insurance industry-backed California bill to create a new regulatory board for towing and storage companies under the California Department of Consumer Affairs has drawn opposition from the auto body industry. Assembly...
California Surplus Lines Weathered Pandemic, Wildfires, Civil Unrest
Feb 22 2021 // In a year marred by a pandemic, massive Western U.S. wildfires, civil unrest, and a contentious election, California’s surplus lines market “didn’t miss a beat.” That was the message from Ben McKay,...
California Bill Would Mandate Minimum Insurance Coverage at Rehabs
Feb 19 2021 // Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach, in collaboration with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara introduced a bill intended to ensure that licensed drug abuse recovery and treatment facilities and...
California Commissioner Wants More Group Discounts for Lower-Income Drivers
Feb 18 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday released revised draft regulations to expand drivers’ access to group discounts. The revised draft regulations will extend discounts to previously...
Captain Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter in California Dive Boat Fire
Feb 18 2021 // The captain of a scuba diving boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people, pleaded not guilty this week to manslaughter charges. Jerry Boylan was arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles on 34...
Newfront Insurance in California Adds AmTrust Surety’s Spruill-Iqbal
Feb 18 2021 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Newfront Insurance has named Lindsay Spruill-Iqbal a principal and surety producer. Spruill-Iqbal joins Newfront from AmTrust Surety. Spruill-Iqbal has more than 15 years of marketing and...
NTIS Transportation Insurance Services in California Moves to Las Vegas
Feb 17 2021 // NTIS Transportation Insurance Services has relocated from Laguna Hills, Calif., to Las Vegas, Nev. The California staff will now work remote. The firm has also added new staff and additional truck insurance markets. NTIS...
The Liberty Company Adds Ruggles in California
Feb 17 2021 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has added Mark Ruggles. Ruggles will be based in Northern California. He has more than 30 years in the industry with past stops at Brown & Brown, McGriff, and most recently...
California Commissioner Names Morales Diversity Task Force Leader
Feb 16 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has named Mark Morales to lead the California Department of Insurance’s Diversity Task Force, the first LGBTQ+ person named to the post. Morales replaces Sal Peinado,...
California Mother, Son Arrested for Fraud Involving Aston Martin
Feb 16 2021 // Ahmad Haris Tajyar, 45, and his mother, Malalay Tajyar, 70, both of Porter Ranch, Calif., were arrested on one felony count of insurance fraud each after allegedly filing a false auto insurance claim and making fraudulent...
Newfront in California Adds Gallagher’s Pedisich
Feb 16 2021 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Newfront Insurance has added Nick Pedisich as a principal and commercial insurance broker. He joins Newfront from Gallagher, where he was the area vice president. Prior to that, he had...
GM Settles With California Over Ignition Switch Statements for $5.75M
Feb 16 2021 // General Motors Co. agreed to a $5.75 million settlement to resolve allegations it made false statements to California’s largest pension system and other investors over its deadly ignition switch recalls. California...
