Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Official Figure on Insured Losses for 2018 California Wildfires Reaches $9B
Dec 12 2018 // The official tally for insured losses from this year’s major California wildfires is $9.05 billion – for now. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Wednesday released official figures for losses from the...
AM Best Downgrades Ratings of Mercury in California, Wildfires a Factor
Dec 12 2018 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a+” from “aa-” for the members of Los...
PG&E Gives Details on Tower Damage at Heart of California Fire Probe
Dec 12 2018 // PG&E Corp. revealed that on the day California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire started, its workers saw damage and a fire near one of its transmission towers, which are the focus of investigations and a...
Firms to Pay $9M to Settle Suit Over Damages in 2012 California Wildfire
Dec 12 2018 // Officials say a construction company and a logging firm have collectively agreed to pay $9 million for damages resulting from a 2012 wildfire that burned more than 1,600 acres of national forest land in Northern...
Utilities to Cover Power Lines, Expand Weather Monitoring in High Risk Areas
Dec 12 2018 // California utilities plan to insulate power lines, increase inspections and build new weather stations in areas at high risk for wildfires in an effort to combat increasingly destructive blazes. Southern California Edison...
PG&E Sued for Ad Spending Instead of on Preventing Events Like the California Wildfire
Dec 11 2018 // PG&E Corp. was accused of putting its “reputation above public safety” in a lawsuit alleging that the power company spends too much on advertising and not enough on preventing devastating Northern...
Online Sleuthing Skills Help in Wake of California Wildfire
Dec 11 2018 // They have become known as the Angels of Paradise. But there is nothing ethereal about them. They are online sleuths who know how to find people, and they have been putting their skills to use in the aftermath of...
Probe into Student Death Finds California School Violated Rules
Dec 10 2018 // An investigation into a 13-year-old student’s death at a Northern California private school has found the school violated state rules when its staff put him in a face-down restraint position for nearly an hour. State...
Chiropractor in California Pleads Guilty in $150M Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme
Dec 10 2018 // A Los Angeles, Calif. chiropractor has pleaded guilty to taking part in a $150 million workers’ compensation fraud scheme. Paul Turley of Granada Hills pleaded last week to conspiracy to commit insurance fraud,...
Report: Return on Net Worth for California Workers’ Comp Insurers Rose
Dec 7 2018 // A new report shows the average return on net worth for California workers ‘ compensation insurers rose to 9.9 percent in 2017, the fourth consecutive increase. The report comes from the National Association of...
Target Paying $7.4M to Settle California Waste Lawsuit
Dec 7 2018 // The Target store chain has agreed to pay $7.4 million to settle California allegations that it improperly dumped hazardous waste into landfills, ranging from batteries to drugs and syringes. Minnesota-based Target...
Deadly California ‘Firenado’ Explained in New Study
Dec 7 2018 // A rare fire tornado that raged during this summer’s deadly Carr Fire in Northern California was created by a combination of scorching weather, erratic winds and an ice-topped cloud that towered miles into the...
Aon Cites Need for Mitigation as Insured Wildfire Losses Top $10B for Second Year
Dec 7 2018 // Total aggregated economic losses for the wildfires that have burned across Northern and Southern California throughout the month are expected to minimally exceed $10 billion, while insurance claims payouts for wildfires...
Emails Released in U.K. Probe Show How Facebook Wielded Users’ Data
Dec 7 2018 // Facebook Inc. wielded user data like a bargaining chip, providing access when that sharing might encourage people to spend more time on the social network — and imposing strict limits on partners in cases where it...
Romaine Lettuce Outbreak Highlights Safety Measures in Produce Industry
Dec 7 2018 // After repeated food poisoning outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce, the produce industry is confronting the failure of its own safety measures in preventing contaminations. The E. coli outbreak announced just before...
Modeler: Insured Losses from Camp Wildfire in California at $6B to $9B
Dec 6 2018 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that industry insured losses from the Camp Fire in Northern California will be between $6 billion and $9 billion, and taken together with the Woolsey fire in Southern...
California Attorney General Brought into PG&E Wildfire Probe
Dec 6 2018 // California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was asked by a federal judge to weigh in on whether reckless operation of power lines by PG&E Corp. in connection with deadly Northern California wildfires would constitute a...
Farmers Expects $2.1B in Claims from California Wildfires
Dec 5 2018 // Farmers Insurance expects $2.1 billion in claims from the California wildfires in November. The Los Angeles, Calif.-based carrier said it has so far received more than 9,000 claims combined for the Camp Fire in Northern...
Woodruff Sawyer Names Margolin Northern California Employee Benefits Practice Leader
Dec 5 2018 // Woodruff Sawyer has named Joelle Margolin the Northern California employee benefits practice leader. Margolin has nearly 20 years of experience, and is a former employment lawyer and long-term HR professional. She was...
California School District to Settle Child Molest Lawsuit for $6.2M
Dec 5 2018 // Attorneys say a Southern California school district has agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle a lawsuit over a worker who allegedly molested three elementary school students. The Riverside Press-Enterprise says the...
