Latest California Headlines

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

California Consumer and Insurer Groups Square Off Over Homeowner Insurance Bill

Jun 9 2020 // A consumer group is warning that homeowners could pay billions more for their home insurance under what it calls an “insurance industry legislative attack on California’s effective rate...

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Australia’s CA Insurance Brokers

Jun 9 2020 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based broker, announced the acquisition of CA Insurance Brokers in Australia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2002 by Andrew Howard, CA...

Insurance Office of America Adds Waters as Producer in California

Jun 8 2020 // Insurance Office of America has named Zachary Waters to its architects and engineering team. Waters joins the Pleasanton, Calif. branch office as a commercial lines producer and risk management specialist. His focus at IOA...

Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Confirmed in California Desert Region

Jun 5 2020 // A magnitude 5.5 earthquake has jolted the region of California desert where a powerful quake last summer was followed by thousands of aftershocks, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The USGS says Wednesday’s quake...

Homes Burned, Evacuations Ordered in California Wildfire

Jun 5 2020 // A grass fire burning northeast of San Francisco destroyed or damaged about a dozen homes Wednesday and prompted evacuations of several streets, fire officials said. The fire erupted at around 3:30 p.m. near a wildlife...

The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers in California Adds DePiero

Jun 5 2020 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers in Woodland Hills, Calif., has named Heather DePiero the associate director of business development. DePiero will be responsible for identifying and cultivating new risk advisor talent...

Report Calls for Regulators to Tackle ‘Systemic Risk’ from Climate Change

Jun 4 2020 // Climate change is a systemic risk with wide-ranging potential physical impacts, according to a new report that also serves as a call-to-action for U.S financial regulators to do more to deal with a changing climate. An...

California Orders Unlicensed Van Rental Company to Stop Selling Insurance Products

Jun 4 2020 // The California Department of Insurance issued a cease and desist order against unlicensed van rental company, Airport Van Rental Inc. and its owners, Yazdan Irani, 57, of Encino, and his wife, Kimberly, 61, for operating a...

$5 Billion Lawsuit Accuses Google of Tracking Users’ Private Internet Activity

Jun 3 2020 // Google was sued on Tuesday in a proposed class action accusing the internet search company of illegally invading the privacy of millions of users by pervasively tracking their internet use through browsers set in...

Poms & Associates in California Names Schirtz Vice President

Jun 2 2020 // Poms & Associates has named Jennifer M. Schirtz vice president of insurance placement. Schirtz is responsible for managing relationships with insurance carriers. Schirtz joins Poms & Associates from HUB...

Former California Surplus Line Chair Grant Was a ‘Determined Leader’

Jun 2 2020 // Donald W. Grant served as the chair of the board of directors for the Surplus Line Association of California, was involved in the wholesale brokerage community and founded a managing general agency. Grant died on May...

California Lowers Workers’ Comp COVID Estimate; Expects Claims Drop in Downturn

Jun 1 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Monday released a study looking at the historic impact of economic downturns on workers’ comp claim frequency and the potential impact of...

Study: Sharp Drop in California Workers’ Comp Independent Medical Reviews

Jun 1 2020 // The number of Independent Medical Review determination letters, a process used to resolve California workers’ compensation medical disputes, fell sharply in prescription drug disputes by 11.3% from 2018 to 2019, with...

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Lowers Mid-Range Estimate of COVID Costs by $10B

Jun 1 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California published estimated costs of allowing state workers to receive benefits for COVID-19 claims without proving virus exposure at work, dropping a prior...

Business Moves

Jun 1 2020 // National Altamont Capital, Topa Insurance The deal for Altamont Capital Partners to acquire Topa Insurance Group has been called off. Last August, Altamont Capital Partners signed an agreement to acquire Calabasas,...

How COVID-19 Is Changing Insurance for Schools

Jun 1 2020 // Lilian A. Vanvieldt, senior vice president, educational entities practice leader, for Alliant, has spent more than three decades insuring schools across the country. Her book spans from small school districts to very large...

Farm Workers Getting Sick, Spreading Coronavirus As Peak Produce Season Begins

May 29 2020 // All of the roughly 200 employees on a produce farm in Tennessee tested positive for Covid-19 this month. In New Jersey, more than 50 workers had the virus at a farm in Gloucester County, adding to nearly 60 who fell ill in...

California Approves PG&E Bankruptcy Plan With Oversight, Safety Conditions

May 29 2020 // California regulators approved PG&E Corp.’s $58 billion reorganization plan, bringing the power giant another step closer to exiting the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history. The state’s Public...

California Lawmakers Move Toward Risk-Based Rates

May 28 2020 // As the Soviet Union ultimately learned the hard way, price controls are a guaranteed way to prolong shortages. It has taken a few years, but there are promising signs California lawmakers may finally be ready to learn the...

After Big Oil Loses Appeal, Climate Suits Appear Headed to California Courts

May 28 2020 // Big Oil lost a pair of court battles this week that could lead to trials in lawsuits by California cities and counties seeking damages for the impact of climate change. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected...