California News

California Insurance Commissioner’s Analysis Shows $7.7B in Losses from Extreme Heat Events

The cumulative cost of the seven heat events in California in the past decade amounted to $7.7 billion in losses, a new report shows. The analysis from California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s office is the result of legislation he sponsored …

Containment Grows on Wildfire Near Site of Most Destructive Blaze in California History

Residents of a California area near the town of Paradise, the site of the state’s most destructive wildfire in history, were ordered to evacuate and roads were closed this week as a wildfire spread. The Apache Fire in Palermo, which …

AccuWeather: Year’s First Big Heatwave Raises Wildfire Risk in West

Severe heat will raise the risk of brush and grassfires from central and northern California, also bringing a moderate to and high risk of wildfires in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, a forecast out on Monday shows. The first …

AccuWeather: Intense Heat Baking Mexico to Shift into Western U.S.

The heat dome that led to record-high temperatures in Mexico is forecast to expand northward and bring higher temperatures to parts of the Western U.S., according to AccuWeather. Meteorologists say 82% of Mexico was experiencing conditions ranging from abnormally dry …

California Trucker Death Led to Workers’ Comp Investigation That Found $2M in Underreported Payroll

An investigation began after an employee was found dead in a company owned semi-truck led to the arraignment of a California man on three felony counts of workers’ compensation fraud. Heigo Kubar, 84, of Fresno, was arraigned this week on …

California Business Owner Ordered to Pay $687K in Restitution for Workers’ Comp Fraud

A California business owner convicted of felony workers’ compensation insurance fraud was ordered to pay $687,560 in restitution to the victims. An investigation by the California Department of Insurance determined that Jorge Maldonado, owner of Pro-Care Building Maintenance, under-reported the …

Study: California’s 2023 Snowy Rescue from Megadrought a Freak Event

Last year’s snow deluge in California, which quickly erased a two decade long megadrought, was essentially a once-in-a-lifetime rescue from above, a new study found. Don’t get used to it because with climate change the 2023 California snow bonanza —a …

California Green City Backers Advance Landowner Legal Fight

A company that bought property for a group of tech billionaires trying to build a sustainable city in northern California won a ruling advancing its lawsuit that accused landowners in the project’s target area of a conspiracy to drive up …

New $20 Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers in California Began Monday

Most fast food workers in California will be paid at least $20 an hour began Monday, when a new law kicked in giving more financial security to an historically low-paying profession while threatening to raise prices in a state already …

Cal/OSHA Increases Civil Penalty Amounts for 2024

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health recently increased penalties for certain violations, with some maximum penalties planned to rise as much as $4,983 this year, a smaller increase than in the past. This annual Cal/OSHA increase is required by …