Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senate Hopeful Pushes Insurance Revamp During California ‘Gouging’
Jul 10 2024 // US Representative Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who’s running for the Senate, is vowing to take another shot at reining in soaring home insurance rates that he says are “gouging” his constituents. To...
California Company Recalling 1M Power Adapters Sold with Baby Sound Machines Due to Shock Hazard
Jul 10 2024 // Due to a shock hazard, a California company is recalling nearly 1 million power adapters sold with sound machines marketed to help infants and young children sleep. The plastic surrounding the AC power adapter that was...
Southern California Wildfire Has Now Burned Nearly 27,000 Acres
Jul 9 2024 // A Southern California wildfire that grew to be the biggest of the year is now at nearly 27,000 acres. The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County erupted on Friday northeast of Los Olivos. An evacuation order was issued for an...
Report: Fewer Claims but Higher Losses for California Workers’ Comp Private Self-Insureds
Jul 9 2024 // Private self-insured claim volume in the California workers’ compensation system fell 9.5% in 2023, the biggest year-to-year decline in private self-insured claim frequency in more than 15 years. However,...
California Earthquake Authority Selling Debt to Avoid Paying More for Coverage
Jul 9 2024 // A state-managed earthquake insurer for homeowners in California is opting to borrow from the public debt market in lieu of paying for additional coverage that would shield it against risks. The California Earthquake...
Growing Fire in Southern California Prompts Evacuations
Jul 8 2024 // A wildfire that erupted in Southern California has burned more than 20,000 acres, prompting an evacuation order and threatening ranches, including Michael Jackson’s former Neverland Ranch. The Lake Fire erupted on...
California Lawmakers to Ask Voters for Permission Borrow $20B for Climate, Schools
Jul 8 2024 // Mired in a stream of multi-billion dollar budget deficits, the California Legislature has turned to voters for help. Lawmakers voted to place a pair of $10 billion bonds on the November ballot. If approved, the money would...
California Warehouse, Logistics Companies Fined Nearly $840K After Worker Pay Probe
Jul 5 2024 // Three recent U.S. Department of Labor investigations in San Diego, California recovered nearly $840,000 for 32 employees, some of whom one employer reportedly paid less than $3 per hour. The department’s Wage and...
California Commissioner’s Analysis Shows $7.7B in Losses From Extreme Heat Events
Jul 5 2024 // 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...
State Farm Seeking Large Rate Increases in Wildfire-Prone California
Jul 3 2024 // State Farm has applied for large rate increases in California, a year after the carrier got rate approvals of 7% and 20%—adding fuel to a burning homeowners crisis in a state that’s seen an increasing number of...
Containment on Large California Fire Increased, but Temps Are Expected to Soar
Jul 2 2024 // Firefighters increased containment on the biggest wildfire currently burning in California, but triple-digit temperatures are expected to bake the state and increase wildfire risk. The Basin Fire in Fresno County has...
PG&E Cut Power to 2,000 as Extreme Heat Bakes California
Jul 2 2024 // PG&E Corp. cut power to about 2,000 homes and businesses in Northern California as triple-digit temperatures, strong winds and low humidity heightened the risk of wildfires. The utility said it preemptively shut power...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Cornerstone in California
Jul 2 2024 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Rancho Cucamonga, California-based Cornerstone Commercial & Personal Insurance Services Inc. Phil Hakopian, Allison Hakopian and their team will remain in their current location...
Report Keys on Impacts of Economic Changes on California Workers’ Comp
Jul 2 2024 // Projected changes to California workers’ comp claims frequency and severity due to industry mix of employment are negligible through 2026, while employment in most industries fully recovered from the initial pandemic...
California Wildfire Outlook: ‘A Challenging Season for Firefighters’
Jul 1 2024 // While the official start to California’s wildfire season is still a ways off, the best forecast of what’s ahead may be to look back on the year so far, and so far it’s been far busier for firefighters...
Are Employers Prepared for California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Law?
Jul 1 2024 // California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Senate Bill 553, which is now in effect (July 1), requires businesses with exposure in the state to implement robust workplace violence prevention plans. SB 553, which...
Report: Combined California Workers’ Comp Losses and Expenses Down in 2023
Jul 1 2024 // Total insurer combined losses and expenses incurred in 2023 were down, a new report shows. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released its report on workers’ compensation losses and...
D.A. in California Sues Farmers, Other Home Insurers Alleging Scheme to Underinsure
Jul 1 2024 // Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s Consumer Justice Bureau has sued multiple home insurance carriers in California, including Farmers Insurance Exchange, alleging they’re operating a scheme that...
California Workers’ Comp Med-Legal Costs up Sharply Under New Fee Schedule
Jun 28 2024 // Payments for medical-legal evaluations and reports used to resolve medical disputes in California worker injury claims rose more than expected since a new Med-Legal Fee Schedule (MLFS) took effect in 2021, according to a...
People Moves: California Earthquake Authority Governing Board Appoints New CEO
Jun 28 2024 // Tom Welsh The Governing Board of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) named Tom Welsh CEO. Welsh was the chief legal and compliance officer. He has served as the interim CEO since January. He joined the CEA in 2019 as...
