Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Voters Deciding Fate of Gig Economy Workers
Nov 3 2020 // Trend-setting California votes on the future of the gig economy on Tuesday, deciding whether to back a ballot proposal by Uber and its allies that would cement app-based food delivery and ride-hail drivers’ status as...
California’s Temporary Total Disability Rates for 2021 Increasing
Nov 2 2020 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that the 2021 minimum and maximum temporary total disability rates will increase on Jan. 1, 2021. The minimum TTD rate will increase from $194.91 to $203.44...
R.E. Chaix & Associates Acquires National Advantage in California
Nov 2 2020 // R.E. Chaix & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc. has purchased the assets of National Advantage Insurance Services Inc. in Tustin, Calif. National Advantage Insurance Services specializes in commercial auto,...
$166M in Fines Recommended for PG&E Over California Outages
Nov 2 2020 // California regulators are being asked to fine Pacific Gas & Electric nearly $166 million for failing to properly inform customers before it cut power to millions of people last year. The sweeping outages without proper...
Newfront in California Adds Alliant’s Vanderyacht to Run Logistics Practice
Nov 2 2020 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Newfront Insurance has named Jason Vanderyacht a principal and logistics practice leader. Vanderyacht comes from Alliant, where as vice president. He was with Roanoke Trade before that. Jason...
California Permits GM’s Driverless Car to Cruise Streets of San Francisco
Nov 2 2020 // The race for driverless autonomous vehicles is heating up and in October, Cruise became the first to receive a permit to test cars without anyone in them on the streets of San Francisco from California’s Department...
California Pledges to Protect Homeowners from Insurer Withdrawals Due to Wildfires
Nov 2 2020 // California’s insurance commissioner in late October pledged to step up efforts to protect the state’s residents from wildfires and address a pullback of private insurers from the state’s riskiest...
Wrongful Death Suit Filed in California Over Woman Who Died After Ingesting Marijuana
Nov 2 2020 // The law firm CaseyGerry has filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court on behalf of the parents of Le’Sharia Bre’Aun Steele, a 28-year old flight attendant from Alabama who died in San Diego, Calif. after...
California City to Pay $7M to Family of Man Killed by Officer
Oct 30 2020 // A San Francisco Bay Area city has agreed to pay $7.3 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of a man who died after an officer placed him in a controversial neck hold that has since been banned in California in the wake...
California Street Racer Charged with Auto Insurance Fraud, Grand Theft
Oct 29 2020 // Michael Lynn Cooper, 55, of Ontario, Calif., was charged with multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and grand theft after allegedly misrepresenting the facts of a collision to his insurance company to receive a payout...
Scientists Want New Framework for Understanding California Wildfire Costs, Risks
Oct 29 2020 // A new report out shows challenges current fire management policies in California, proposes a new framework for understanding the total cost of wildfire in the state and suggests that health impacts from smoke my represent...
Utility in California Slow to Pull Plug Before Wildfire Erupted
Oct 29 2020 // Correction: In an earlier version of this story, the Associated Press misspelled the last name of Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. Facing extreme wildfire conditions this week that included...
Woodruff Sawyer Names McEvoy of Marsh Property Practice Leader in California
Oct 29 2020 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Woodruff Sawyer has named Mark McEvoy its property practice leader. McEvoy is based in San Francisco and will lead the practice nationally. McEvoy has more than 13 years of experience in both...
Insurers Again Battled Many California Bills, but a Fight Last Year Was Biggest Recent Victory
Oct 28 2020 // The election is nearly here, and while it’s been quite a year all around, things could have been worse for the insurance industry. When the year started, insurance industry lobbyists were facing a big battle, and not...
California Claims Adjuster and Chiropractor Arrested in $1.6M Operation
Oct 28 2020 // Claims adjuster, Agop Sarafian, 65, of La Crescenta, Calif., and chiropractor, Shahe Topjian, D.C. 65, of Granada Hills, Calif., were arrested on felony insurance fraud charges after allegedly conspiring to defraud...
Correction: Southern California Edison Says Equipment May Have Sparked Wildfire
Oct 28 2020 // Southern California Edison said its equipment may have sparked a fast-moving wildfire that forced evacuation orders for some 100,000 people and seriously injured two firefighters on Monday as powerful winds across the...
The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers Adds Foster in California
Oct 28 2020 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has added Christine Foster to the Woodland Hills, Calif., office. Foster has more than 27 years of experience. She was previously with Foster & Associates She has also worked for...
California Closes Record for 2021 Pure Premium Workers’ Comp Filing
Oct 27 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued a notice closing the record for the Jan. 1, 2021 workers’ compensation pure premium rate filing. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of...
Winds Fanned California Fires and Kept Thousands of Evacuees Away
Oct 27 2020 // Crews tried to beat back two out-of-control wildfires in Southern California on Tuesday that have kept tens of thousands of people out of their homes. Fierce winds that drove twin fires through brushy hills near cities in...
Judge in California OKs $78M Settlement by Air Medical Company
Oct 27 2020 // A judge has given final approval to a $78 million settlement by a medical helicopter company that was sued by its California flight crew employees over unpaid overtime and missed breaks. The decision last week by Alameda...
