California News

California Uber and Lyft Car Rental Decision Delayed

The first major product of General Motors Co.’s $500 million investment in Lyft Inc. was a short-term car-rental program. Last month, the companies began leasing Chevrolets in Chicago for up to eight weeks as part of the Express Drive program, …

Cameras Trained on Mountains around Lake Tahoe Help Wildfire Battle

A growing network of cameras trained on the mountains around Lake Tahoe is changing the way crews fight Western wildfires by allowing early detection that triggers quicker, cheaper, more tactical suppression than traditional war-like operations, experts said this week. The …

Uber to Settle Suit for $100M, Drivers Stay Independent Contractors

Uber has agreed to pay up to $100 million to settle a class-action lawsuit which resolves a major challenge to its business model by allowing the ridesharing service to keep its California and Massachusetts drivers as independent contractors. The lawsuit …

American Lung Association Says California Has Nation’s Dirtiest Air

Millions of Californians live in places with dirty air, according to an annual report card issued this week that ranks two major urban areas in the state as the nation’s most polluted. Bakersfield tops the list for having the most …

Sierras Along California, Nevada Line Long Overdue for Big Quake

Scientists say the Sierra’s eastern front is long overdue for a large earthquake along the California-Nevada line, where a magnitude-7 event expected on average every 30 years hasn’t occurred in six decades. Nevada Seismology Laboratory Director Graham Kent says the …

CEA Says It Could Pay All Claims if San Francisco 1906 Quake Hit Today

The California Earthquake Authority is taking the opportunity to tout its financial strength on the 110-Year anniversary of 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. CEA, a not-for-profit publicly managed organization that provides residential earthquake insurance, said it would be able pay all …

Pacific Specialty Insurance Company Recognized by Celent as a Model Insurer for Operational Excellence

Palo Alto, CA, April 18, 2016- Pacific Specialty Insurance Company has been recognized by Celent as a Model Insurer for operational excellence in their work to transform their legacy systems and infrastructure. Celent is a global research and advisory firm …

California Insurance Agent Convicted of Worker’s Comp Insurance Fraud

Kannai David Scantlen, 41, of Valley Springs, Calif., a former insurance agent conducting business as Kan I Save Insurance Services, was convicted of insurance fraud and sentenced to 60 days, three years of formal probation, and ordered to pay $20,000 …

After Pay by Gender, Is Pay by Race Next for California Protects?

Just as California businesses begin to implement a law requiring equal pay for workers regardless of their gender, already the toughest of its kind in the nation, a state lawmaker is seeking to expand it to protect employees from racial …

EPIC Names Miller Vice President in California

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has named Penny Miller vice president in the firm’s employee benefits consulting team. She will be based in San Francisco and report to David Wiesner, regional director of employee benefits. Miller has 25 years of …