Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Few Resources, Old-Growth Forest Allowed Growth of California Wildfire
Sep 23 2020 // A lack of firefighting resources in the hours after it was sparked allowed a fast-moving wildfire to make an unprecedented run through Southern California mountains and eventually find fuel in old-growth trees to become...
For Carnival Cruise Lines, 1920 ‘Death on the High Seas Act’ Curbs Coronavirus Damages
Sep 23 2020 // Carnival Corp. is poised to dramatically curb monetary damages for passengers killed by the coronavirus under the latest court decision to side with the company. If a ruling Monday by a Los Angeles federal judge is...
Lockton Pacific Promotes Hostovich and Barnes in California
Sep 23 2020 // Lockton Insurance Brokers LLC, the Pacific region of global insurance broker Lockton Cos., has named Teena Hostovich vice chair of Lockton Pacific and Greg Barnes president of Greater Los Angeles. Barnes and Hostovich are...
California Farm Worker Arraigned for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Sep 22 2020 // Eduardo Medina Ruelas, 46, of Sanger, Calif., was arraigned this week on multiple counts of felony insurance fraud after allegedly defrauding his employer and RISICO Claims Management Co. to collect $38,000 in...
California Wildfire Threatening More Than 1,000 Homes
Sep 22 2020 // A wildfire burning through brush and timber from the mountains to the desert northeast of Los Angeles threatened more than 1,000 homes on Tuesday as crews across the West battled dozens of other major blazes. The Bobcat...
California Burnin’ – a Warning Against One-Party Rule: Opinion
Sep 22 2020 // “California, folks, is America fast forward.” Thus said Governor Gavin Newsom, hoarsely, amid brown smoke at the North Complex Fire on Sept. 11. “What we’re experiencing right here is coming to a...
Burnham Benefits in California Names Martin Chief Growth Officer
Sep 22 2020 // Irvine, Calif.-based Burnham Benefits Insurance Services Inc. has named Chris Martin chief growth officer. Martin has 30 years of experience in the healthcare and insurance industry. He was previously chief business...
California Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Law Protecting Workers from Virus
Sep 21 2020 // California companies must warn their workers of any potential exposure to the coronavirus and must pay their employees workers compensation benefits if they get sick with the disease under two laws that Gov. Gavin Newsom...
Report Shows Steep Drop in California Workers’ Comp IMRs in 1st Half Year
Sep 18 2020 // The number of independent medical reviews used to resolve California workers’ compensation medical disputes fell sharply in the first half of 2020 as the pandemic took a toll on the state’s economy with...
Fire Weather May Improve for Pacific Northwest, No Such Luck for Tinderbox California
Sep 18 2020 // Rains may bring some reprieve to those suffering from massive blazes in the Pacific Northwest in the next few weeks, but forecasters don’t expect any help for wildfire-plagued California anytime soon. That’s...
Crew on Boat Where Fire Killed 34 in California Had No Emergency Training
Sep 18 2020 // Crew members on a dive boat say they were never instructed on emergency procedures before a predawn fire swept through the vessel as it was anchored off the Southern California coast, killing 34 people as they slept below...
Fitness Centers in California Suing State Over Virus Closures
Sep 17 2020 // California fitness centers have filed a lawsuit alleging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus unfairly target the industry and are demanding they be allowed to reopen. The...
Moody’s Says Property/Casualty Insurers Face Significant Losses from Western Wildfires
Sep 17 2020 // Dozens of wildfires raging in California, Oregon, Washington and other Western states have resulted in loss of life, damaged or destroyed about 9,657 homes and commercial structures and burned more than 5 million acres,...
At-Bay in California Names Felton Head of Partnerships
Sep 17 2020 // At-Bay has named Kristie Felton head of partnerships. Felton will spearhead At-Bay’s collaboration with digital distribution partners, including digital broker platforms, enterprise technology companies and...
California Commissioner Holding Hearing on Homeowners Rates in Wake of Wildfires
Sep 16 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said today that he will convene an investigatory hearing in October in advance of initiating a series of regulatory actions that will protect residents from the increasing...
Why Does California Keep Burning? These Scientists Are Studying Answers.
Sep 16 2020 // Residents of fire-ravaged Western states, and an entire world of observers looking on in horror, have asked themselves, “How can this be happening?” As fire last week taunted Paradise, California, destroyed in...
Alliant Names Willis’ Shapiro Senior Vice President in California
Sep 16 2020 // Alliant Insurance Services Inc. has named Larry Shapiro senior vice president in mergers and acquisitions. Shapiro will serve as the representations and warranties team leader and be based in San Francisco, Calif. He will...
Study Tracks Post-Reform Trends in California Workers’ Comp Medical Service
Sep 15 2020 // The average number of visits for evaluation and management and physical medicine services in the California workers’ compensation system has continued to edge down since the enactment of the sweeping reform law SB...
Bad Air From Western Wildfires Just Won’t Ease up
Sep 15 2020 // Relief from putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires across the West won’t come until later in the week or beyond, scientists and forecasters say, and the hazy and gunk-filled skies might stick around for...
California Ag Firm Owner, Daughter Arraigned in $2.5M Workers’ Comp Scheme
Sep 14 2020 // Felipe Saurez Barocio, 63, of Atwater, owner of Agriculture Services Inc., and his daughter, Angelita Barocio-Negrete, 33, of Merced, were arraigned today on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly...
