Latest California Headlines

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

M5.2 Earthquake Rattles California-Nevada State Line

Apr 13 2020 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 rattled the remote California-Nevada state line but no damage or injuries were reported. The quake just struck after 7:36 a.m. Saturday and was centered near Bodie, a...

California Orders Insurers to Refund Premiums to Drivers, Businesses Hit by COVID-19

Apr 13 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday ordered insurance companies to return insurance premiums to consumers and businesses and provide financial relief during the COVID-19 emergency. The...

4 Ways COVID-19 Will Change Cannabis and Insurance

Apr 9 2020 // One may not need to be able to read the cannabis leaves to divine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cannabis and insurance. Some good guesses from any insurance professional with their foot in the door of a...

Judge Won’t Approve California Wildfire Victims Letter Attacking PG&E

Apr 9 2020 // A federal judge has refused to put his stamp of approval on a letter to Northern California wildfire victims from attorneys who allege that Pacific Gas & Electric may be breaking its promises as it tries to preserve a...

The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers Adds Kiley in California

Apr 9 2020 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has added Jacob Kiley to its San Jose, Calif., office. Kiley specializes in contractor, hospitality, technology and non-profit accounts. Kiley has been with One Risk Group LLC for the...

California’s Workers’ Comp Bureau Will Skip Mid-Year Filing Due to COVID-19

Apr 8 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California’s governing committee has decided not to submit a July 1, 2020 rate. The committee met this week to review the WCIRB actuarial committee’s...

Market Tumult Threatens PG&E Deal with California Wildfire Victims

Apr 8 2020 // Lawyers who negotiated a crucial $13.5 billion deal for the victims of deadly wildfires caused by Pacific Gas & Electric equipment are expressing serious doubts about whether the nation’s largest utility will be...

California Will Let Startup Nuro Test Driverless Delivery Vehicles

Apr 8 2020 // California’s Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday authorized autonomous technology startup Nuro to test two driverless delivery vehicles in nine cities, a decision that comes as coronavirus concerns lock down many...

California Supreme Court Ruling Will Enable Montrose to Tap Excess Policies

Apr 7 2020 // A decision this week by the California Supreme Court gave policyholders with long-tail environmental claims a potentially big win, finding that polices within each policy period can be vertically stacked. The decision was...

InterWest Acquires CBS Bond & Insurance Services in California

Apr 6 2020 // InterWest Insurance Services has acquired CBS Bond & Insurance Services in Sacramento, Calif. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CBS specializes in bond and commercial insurance programs. InterWest is a regional...

California Commissioner on Immigrant Eligibility for Workers’ Comp Benefits

Apr 6 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today alerted insurance companies that all workers affected by COVID-19 on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits regardless of their immigration...

Another Member PG&E California Wildfire Panel Resigns

Apr 6 2020 // The former chief financial officer for a Northern California city destroyed in a 2018 wildfire caused by Pacific Gas & Electric equipment is trying to upend the utility’s plan for getting out of bankruptcy...

Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake Confirmed in Southern California

Apr 6 2020 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 rattled much of inland Southern California on Friday evening but no damage or injuries were reported, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake struck just after 6:53...

Zoom Trouble

Apr 6 2020 // Online video conferencing has proven itself a useful technology tool in the midst of a worldwide quarantine thanks to COVID-19 but such rapid expansion in recent weeks is causing one of the largest firms a bit of privacy...

California Commissioner Orders Insurance Claim, Coverage Deadline Extensions

Apr 3 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued a notice to insurers ordering them to stop enforcing policy or statutory deadlines on policyholders for claims or coverage until 90 days after the statewide...

A Coronavirus Outbreak Among Farm Workers Would Be Catastrophic: Viewpoint

Apr 3 2020 // There is no evidence that Covid-19 has been transmitted by food or food packaging, according to U.S. federal health agencies. How the virus fares among food workers may be a different story. By law, food manufacturers must...

Bender Insurance Solutions in California Names Rohr Vice President of Finance

Apr 3 2020 // Sacramento, Calif.-based Bender Insurance Solutions has named Heather Rohr vice president of finance. Rohr oversees administration, budgeting, financial management, accounting services and facilities maintenance. She has...

Insurance Office of America Adds Miller in California

Apr 3 2020 // Insurance Office of America has added Steve Miller to lead the mobility and innovation group. Miller will be based in Pleasanton, Calif. He was previously vice president at McGriff Insurance Services. In his 15 years in...

Regulators Mull Reversing $462M Increase in PG&E’s California Wildfire Fines

Apr 1 2020 // California power regulators are weighing a recommendation to back off plans to fine Pacific Gas and Electric an additional $462 million for igniting a series of Northern California 2018 deadly wildfires rather than risk...

High-Flying Zoom Faces Privacy Suit Claiming It Fails to Protect User Data

Mar 31 2020 // Zoom Video Communications, which has seen its stock zoom by 115% since January, is being sued by a Sacramento user who claims the service unlawfully discloses users’ personal information. The video service has...