Latest California Headlines

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

Calm Winds Aid Firefighters in Making Progress on California Fire

Dec 19 2017 // Crews are using a break in winds to do a controlled burn to remove dry brush and build containment lines around Southern California’s Thomas Fire. Fire spokesman Capt. Rick Crawford said Tuesday that officials will...

The Charity Issue: Photos of Giving

Dec 18 2017 // The Keane Insurance Group John Keane, president of The Keane Insurance Group, founded the Keane Charitable Group in 2010 after the earthquake in Haiti. Since then, The Keane Group has raised more than $1 million to build...

California’s Thomas Fire Now Third Largest in State History

Dec 18 2017 // California’s Thomas Fire is roughly 45 percent contained and is now considered the third largest wildfire in state history, authorities say. Firefighters battling the fire northwest of Los Angeles are working against...

California Pot Sold Jan. 1 Could be Tainted

Dec 18 2017 // That legal weed you’ll be able to buy in California on New Year’s Day may not be as green as it seems. Any marijuana sold when recreational sales become legal Jan. 1 in the nation’s most populous state...

Homeowners Fear Losing Insurance in Midst of California Fires

Dec 18 2017 // California homeowners and regulators have a new fear about wildfires ravaging the state: that insurers will drop coverage. Massive, out-of-season fires in northern and southern California are causing billions of dollars in...

California Wildfire Claims Top $9.4B, Department of Insurance Says

Dec 18 2017 // California Commissioner Dave Jones announced in early December that the total of insured losses from the wildfires in California in October had topped $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims. That figure is near...

Wells Fargo Facing Insurance License Discipline in California

Dec 18 2017 // Wells Fargo was served with an accusation in December by the California Department of Insurance seeking to suspend or revoke its licenses for alleged improper insurance sales practices related to the company’s online...

Northern California Agency Owner Answers Christmas Wishes of Single Mothers in Need

Dec 18 2017 // Commercial Coverage Insurance Agency Owner Samantha Tradelius approaches running the nonprofit she started two years ago, The Sparkle Foundation, in the same manner she runs her insurance agency: it’s about taking...

Tougher Utility Rules Being Considered in Wake of California Wildfires

Dec 15 2017 // California utilities may face tougher safety rules for power lines, phone lines and utility poles in parts of the state most prone to wildfires. Under the proposed rules being considered by the California Public Utilities...

Winds Kick up Fire Threat from California Wildfires

Dec 15 2017 // Dry, gusting winds are aggravating fire worries across much of central and western California, including those areas where infernos are still raging and places that were scorched in October, the U.S. Storm Prediction...

Farmers Reports $1.2B in Claims from Northern California Wildfires

Dec 15 2017 // Farmers Insurance reported it has received more than 4,000 claims from the Northern California wildfires to date at an estimated gross cost of $1.2 billion. With reinsurance, the Los Angeles-based carrier estimates its...

Cheech of Cheech & Chong Heralds New Tool for California Pot Businesses

Dec 14 2017 // Comedian and legendary stoner Cheech Marin doesn’t want your pot business to go up in smoke. That’s why he’s in a new public service announcement publicizing a California Secretary of State website for...

A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Crusader Insurance in California

Dec 14 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of Crusader Insurance Co. Additionally,...

Hotels Facing Increased Scrutiny Over Employees’ Safety

Dec 14 2017 // One guest at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle opened his door naked and urged housekeeper Ely Dar to come in. Another offered her money in exchange for a massage. A guest once told her she was beautiful, then grabbed...

Cavignac & Associates in California Names Lopez Account Administrator

Dec 13 2017 // San Diego, Calif.-based Cavignac & Associates has named Linda Lopez account administrator of its employee benefits department. Lopez will assist the employee benefits department account manager with the daily service...

Verisk: 96% of the Area in California Fire at High or Extreme Wildfire Risk

Dec 13 2017 // Most of the area within the massive Thomas fire in Southern California is at high or extreme wildfire risk, according to a Verisk report on Wednesday. The fire encompasses more than 230,500 acres, and while containment on...

Wind Threat Remains as Crews Gain on Huge California Wildfire

Dec 13 2017 // After achieving increased containment on one of the biggest wildfires in California history, officials warned that communities remain at risk and the threat could increase as unpredictable winds whip up again. Red Flag...

Woman Wounded in Las Vegas Shooting Drops ‘Bump Stock’ Maker from Suit

Dec 12 2017 // The maker of a rapid-fire gun accessory that police say was used in the Oct. 1 mass shooting that killed 58 people and left hundreds injured at an open-air concert on the Las Vegas Strip has been removed from a wounded...

California Opens Online System to License New Marijuana Businesses

Dec 12 2017 // California has began accepting applications from businesses that want to operate in the state’s legal marijuana industry next year, a milestone for the emerging market. After months in development, an online system...

California Commissioner Wants Halt to Moratoriums in Wildfire Areas

Dec 12 2017 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has issued a formal notice to insurers directing them to cease any and all moratoriums on auto insurance and reminding them that California law prohibits the practice. Jones...