Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Pipeline Owner Agrees to Pay $60M in 2015 California Spill
Mar 16 2020 // The owner of an oil pipeline that spewed thousands of barrels of crude oil onto Southern California beaches in 2015 will pay $60 million to to settle allegations that it violated safety laws, the U.S. Environmental...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires McConnell, Manit & Trout in California
Mar 16 2020 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired McConnell, Manit & Trout Insurance Services LLC in San Louis, Obispo, Calif. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rick McConnell, Mike Manit, Doug Trout and their associates...
California City is Paying $42.6 M to Settle Sex Abuse Claims
Mar 13 2020 // Santa Monica will pay $42.6 million to nearly two dozen victims of a city employee and former youth volunteer who killed himself after being charged with molestation, according to a newspaper report. The City Council on...
California Employees Who Bring Labor Claims Can’t Recover for Their Unpaid Wages
Mar 12 2020 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that plaintiffs in Private Attorney General Act cases cannot recover for their own or their fellow employees’ unpaid wages, but are limited to recovering civil penalties set...
AssuredPartners Acquires Wateridge Insurance Services in California
Mar 12 2020 // AssuredPartners Inc. has acquired Wateridge Insurance Services Inc. of San Diego, Calif. The team of 67 will remain under the operational leadership of Jeff Byroads, John Clanton and John Dorris. Lake Mary, Fla.-based...
California Governor Warns of More Restrictions to Stop Virus
Mar 12 2020 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged the state’s nearly 40 million residents to avoid sporting events, concerts and large gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and adamantly warned the elderly to stay...
PG&E Has Settled One Battle Involving California Wildfire Fund
Mar 11 2020 // Pacific Gas & Electric told a federal bankruptcy judge that it has settled a dispute with disaster-relief agencies that threatened to siphon money away from a $13.5 billion fund earmarked for victims of catastrophic...
Insurance Office of America Names Cohen in California to Cannabis Team
Mar 11 2020 // Insurance Office of America has added Aaron Cohen to its Western region. Aaron will expand the firm’s team of cannabis industry specialists as a risk management consultant. He will be based in Encino, Calif. Aaron...
Insurance Industry Is Being Dragged Into Subsidizing Illegal Marijuana Grow Houses
Mar 11 2020 // GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — While California has a $1.4 billion legal marijuana market, a black market of perhaps equal size is thriving. Some enterprising growers are working on ways to get home insurers to cover their...
California Governor Names Hagen Department of Industrial Relations Director
Mar 10 2020 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has named Katrina S. Hagen director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. She fills the position vacated by former director Christine Baker, who retired in 2018. Hagen, 47, of...
Large Earthquake off Coast of Northern California Confirmed
Mar 10 2020 // A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck a spot off the coast of Northern California on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake hit at 6:59 p.m. and was centered in a spot 55.5 miles west of Ferndale, a town...
Program: 10K-Plus Homes in California Retrofitted to Reduce Earthquake Damage
Mar 9 2020 // The California Earthquake Authority’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program has reached the milestone of aiding more than 10,000 California homeowners to seismically retrofit their homes. The EBB grant program provides...
Surplus Lines Association of California Makes Executives Staff Moves
Mar 9 2020 // The Surplus Line Association of California announced on Monday that Pat McAuley, who had served most recently as the senior vice president for the education and compliance department, officially retired on Feb. 28 after...
Realign Capital Strategies in California Names McAuliffe Partner
Mar 9 2020 // San Diego, Calif.-based Realign Capital Strategies LLC has named Tim McAuliffe a partner. McAuliffe is an underwriter with more than 25 years of experience in various lines of business. He previously spent 10 years with...
California Father and Son Charged With Auto Insurance Fraud
Mar 9 2020 // A father and son from California have been charged with felony counts of auto insurance fraud after allegedly falsifying an insurance claim in order to receive an undeserved payout from an insurance company. The charges...
California FAIR Plan Can Offer Only Fire Insurance, Judge Says
Mar 9 2020 // A fund that offers only fire insurance to California residents in wildfire-prone areas can’t be required to provide coverage for other hazards such as flooding or theft, a judge ruled in late February. Superior Court...
Alleged Family-Run Auto Insurance Fraud Ring Snared in California
Mar 9 2020 // California Department of Insurance detectives arrested seven suspects on 31 felony charges of auto insurance fraud for their alleged involvement in a family-run organized auto fraud ring dubbed Operation Car...
California Public Utilities Commission Fines PG&E $2.1B over Wildfires
Mar 9 2020 // The California Public Utilities Commission issued an administrative law judge decision imposing $2.137 billion in penalties against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for the utility’s role in the catastrophic 2017 and...
Topa in California Names Stern Director of Claims Auditing and Compliance
Mar 6 2020 // Calabasas, Calif.-based Topa Insurance Co. has named Kari Stern director of claims auditing and compliance. Stern is responsible for department-wide legal and regulatory compliance, and manages the internal and external...
One U.S. State May Look at Insurers’ Fossil Fuel Investments and Underwriting to Combat Climate Change
Mar 5 2020 // A Connecticut lawmaker has plans for a bill that not only calls for the state to look at which insurers have fossil fuel investments – a growing trend among government entities as of late – but also which ones are...
