Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Heat Stokes Fire Risk, Residents Asked to Curb Power Use
Jun 12 2019 // A second day of unrelenting heat is scorching California, sending temperatures to near record levels, raising risk of wildfires and prompting calls for energy conservation. Temperatures surged past 100 degrees Fahrenheit...
California Surplus Lines Stamping Fee Goes to 0.25% in 2020
Jun 11 2019 // The Surplus Line Association of California board has voted to adjust the stamping fee to 0.25%, effective Jan. 1, 2020, the group announced on Tuesday. The stamping fee has been set at 0.2% for seven years, the longest...
Hammer Sparks Led to California’s Mendocino Blaze
Jun 11 2019 // California fire officials say sparks from a hammer driving a metal stake into the ground ignited a 2018 blaze in Northern California that killed a firefighter and became the largest wildland fire in state history. The...
Some Claims of Medical Cannabis Lack Scientific Evidence
Jun 11 2019 // Marijuana has been shown to help ease pain and a few other health problems, yet two-thirds of U.S. states have decided pot should be legal to treat many other conditions with little scientific backing. At least 1.4 million...
Wells Fargo Settling California Car Loan Suit for $385M
Jun 10 2019 // Wells Fargo has agreed to pay at least $385 million to settle a California lawsuit alleging it signed up thousands of auto loan customers for costly car insurance without their consent, resulting in many having their...
PG&E in California Proactively Cuts Power Because of Weather
Jun 10 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric implemented a controversial practice of cutting power to selected portions of Northern California on Saturday to guard against wildfires as the weather turned very windy, dry and hot. Electricity...
How the Workers’ Compensation Industry Is Embracing Telemedicine
Jun 10 2019 // The use of telemedicine may be in its nascent stages within the workers’ compensation system, but the starting line has definitely been crossed with employers and workers’ comp insurers embracing the ability to...
Former California Insurance Agent Charged With Multiple Felonies
Jun 6 2019 // Felony charges for grand theft and identity theft were filed against Alicia Calderon, 33, a former licensed insurance producer in California, after investigators reportedly discovered evidence that Calderon took money from...
Cavignac & Associates in California Names Camateros Account Administrator
Jun 6 2019 // San Diego, Calif.-based Cavignac & Associates has named Deane Camateros an account administrator within the agency’s employee benefits department. Camateros is charged with assisting the department’s...
Monarch E&S in California Names Morton Vice President
Jun 6 2019 // Burbank, Calif.-based Monarch E&S Insurance Services has named Phillip Morton vice president, commercial lines department manager. He was previously a senior underwriter/broker for the firm. Monarch is a division of...
Farmers in California Names Noh CFO of Farmers Insurance Exchanges
Jun 4 2019 // Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Farmers Insurance has named Thomas Noh chief financial officer of the Farmers Insurance Exchanges. He succeeds Ron Myhan, who retired after nearly 40 years with Farmers. Noh is a finance...
Western Growers in California Names Berend Senior Director of Commercial Lines
Jun 4 2019 // Western Growers Insurance Services Inc. has named Natalie Berend senior director of commercial lines. Berend will lead the account management team and is responsible for planning, directing and coordinating operational...
Monarch E&S in California Names Borisoff Vice President
Jun 4 2019 // Burbank, Calif.-based Monarch E&S Insurance Services has named Devon Borisoff vice president, director of carrier relations. He was previously a commercial underwriter for Monarch. Borisoff has held past positions with...
Coffee Won’t Need Cancer Warning in California
Jun 4 2019 // California coffee lovers can indulge their caffeine habit without worry now that the state has decided the beverage doesn’t need a cancer warning after all. That conclusion by a state regulator comes eight years...
Insurtech Avinew Acquires Betterdrive in California
Jun 4 2019 // Insurtech company Avinew has acquired Sunnyvalye, Calif.-based Betterdrive. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ravindhran Sankar, CEO and founder, will be named director of research and development. Avinew will...
California Assembly Approves Bill to Tighten Rules on Contractors
Jun 3 2019 // The California Assembly has voted to tighten the rules for labeling workers as independent contractors rather than employees. The legislation passed last week could have big implications for how workers are treated in...
Monarch E&S in California Names McLeod Vice President
Jun 3 2019 // Burbank, Calif.-based Monarch E&S Insurance Services has added Stefanie Mcleod to its management team as vice president and personal lines department manager. Mcleod will be working out of the Burbank office. She...
Bankruptcy Judge Approves PG&E $105 Million Assistance Fund for Wildfire Victims
Jun 3 2019 // PG&E Corp. may set up a $105 million housing fund for victims of 2017 and 2018 wildfires in California, which set records for devastation and were blamed on the utility’s equipment, the judge overseeing the...
Direct Written Premium Fell in California Workers’ Comp System in 2018
Jun 3 2019 // Total direct written premium in the California workers’ compensation system fell for the second consecutive year in 2018, declining 3.8 percent to less than $12.3 billion as nine of the 10 largest insurer groups in...
California Legislature Mulling Electric Scooter Regulation
Jun 3 2019 // The California Assembly has approved new rules for electric bikes and scooters. Businesses like Bird and Spin have deployed scooters to cities across California and the country in recent years. Often local governments have...
