Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ex-Tesla Factory Worker Loses Bid in California for New Trial in Race Bias Case
Oct 4 2023 // A Black former factory worker for Tesla lost his bid on Wednesday for a third trial in his race discrimination lawsuit against the electric carmaker, after a California federal judge rejected his claims that the...
California Judge Rules Tesla Owners Must Arbitrate False Ad Claims Over Autopilot Feature
Oct 2 2023 // A California federal judge has ruled that a group of people who own cars made by Tesla Inc must pursue claims that the company misled the public about its autopilot features in individual arbitration rather than court. The...
Court Orders Subway Franchise Owners in California to Pay Workers Nearly $1M
Oct 2 2023 // A federal court ordered the owners of 14 Subway locations north of San Francisco to pay employees nearly $1 million in damages and back pay, and also to sell or shut their businesses, with any sale proceeds going to the...
California School District Paying $2.25M to Settle Suit Involving Teacher Who Had Student’s Baby
Oct 2 2023 // A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing. The settlement brings...
Kaiser to Pay $49M in California for Dumping Private Medical Records, Medical Waste
Oct 2 2023 // Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $49 million as part of a settlement with California prosecutors who say the health care giant illegally disposed of thousands of private medical records, hazardous materials and medical...
Business Moves
Oct 2 2023 // East McConkey Insurance & Benefits, Gallen Insurance Agency McConkey Insurance & Benefits, an independent insurance agency based in York, Pennsylvania, has acquired Gallen Insurance Agency, located in Berks...
People
Oct 2 2023 // National Charles Symington Charles Symington is the new president and chief executive of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big I), effective Sept. 1. In September 2022, Symington was promoted...
Agents, Insureds Said Surprised by Nationwide’s 10,000 Nonrenewals in NC
Sep 29 2023 // In February, Nationwide Mutual Insurance filed notice with the North Carolina Department of Insurance that it would non-renew some 10,525 homeowner policies in the state due in large part to the growing risk from climate...
Tesla Sued by US Agency Over Alleged Harassment of Black Factory Workers
Sep 29 2023 // A U.S. civil rights agency sued Tesla Inc. on Thursday, claiming the electric carmaker has tolerated severe harassment of Black employees at its flagship Fremont, California, assembly plant, in charges similar to cases...
A Hidden Climate Danger Threatens Coastal Communities With Toxic Chemicals
Sep 29 2023 // A little-known climate threat lurks under our feet: rising groundwater that could release toxic chemicals from more than 132,000 contaminated sites in coastal areas of the US. In a first of its kind study, researchers...
Cyber Security and Insurance Platform Paladin in California Rebrands to Upfort
Sep 29 2023 // Paladin Cyber has changed its corporate name to Upfort. Upfort also announced two senior hires, Jeremy Wieber and Matthew Leanza, to advance its strategic initiatives and spearhead the company’s partnership-centric...
Inszone Acquires Sanfilippo & Sons in California
Sep 28 2023 // Inszone Insurance Services acquired Sanfilippo & Sons Insurance Services LLC in San Jose, California. Sanfilippo & Sons was founded in 1960 by Roy Sanfilippo. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sacramento,...
ALKEME Acquires The F&I Agency in California
Sep 27 2023 // ALKEME acquired the F&I Agency in Thousand Oaks, California. The F&I Agency serves the Western U.S. Based in Ladera Ranch, CA, and backed by GCP Capital Partners, ALKEME provides property/casualty, benefits,...
Fine and Punishment: The Process of Insurance Regulatory Actions
Sep 27 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Insurance industry professionals tend to underestimate the business threat of regulatory actions. While data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners...
California’s Minimum Wage to Increase to $16 Per Hour in 2024
Sep 26 2023 // California’s minimum wage will increase to $16 per hour for all employers on Jan. 1, 2024. In 2023, the minimum wage was $15.50 for all employees regardless of employer size. Some cities and counties in California...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Hartley Cylke Pacific Insurance Services in California
Sep 26 2023 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Hartley Cylke Pacific Insurance Services Inc. in San Diego, California. Michael Hartley, John Cylke, James Hawes and their team will remain in their current location under the...
Report Examines 10-Year California Workers Comp Payment Trends
Sep 25 2023 // Average paid losses on California workers’ compensation lost-time claims fell immediately after legislative reforms of SB 863 took effect a decade ago, but then gradually increased up until the pandemic hit,...
California Governor Vetoes Bill to Have Human Drivers Ride in Autonomous Trucks
Sep 25 2023 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill to require human drivers on board self-driving trucks, a measure that union leaders and truck drivers said would save hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state. The...
AM Best Tweaks State Farm Outlook to Negative After Weather, Regulatory Issues
Sep 25 2023 // The AM Best financial rating firm has downgraded its outlook for multiple State Farm insurance companies due to weather losses and regulations that the firm said hinder the insurance giant’s ability to adequately...
California Commissioner Wants FAIR Plan Changes, Modeling to Improve Insurance Market Conditions
Sep 22 2023 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a package of sweeping executive actions that include changes to the FAIR Plan, new rules for the review of climate catastrophe models, and public meetings exploring...
