Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurers Had Crews Working in Heart of California Wildfires to Prevent Loss
Nov 15 2017 // “It was all hands on deck.” That apt description of the reaction to the deadly outbreak of wildfires that ravaged California in October was from Stephen Poux, global head of risk management and loss prevention...
Federal Investigators Say Fatigue, Poor Safety Cause of Deadly California Bus Crash
Nov 15 2017 // Federal safety investigators say a sleep-deprived driver and a bus company with a poor safety record were causes of an August 2016 crash in California’s Central Valley that killed four passengers and injured 20...
M4.7 Earthquake Shakes Northern California
Nov 15 2017 // A light earthquake has struck in Northern California and been felt by some people in the surrounding area, but there are no immediate reports of damages or injuries, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake with a...
Wineries Looking to Make Up Losses Following California Wildfires
Nov 15 2017 // A month after deadly wildfires swept through California’s famed wine country, hot-air balloons are floating again over Napa Valley vineyards splashed with fall colors. On the heels of the disaster, a new winery is...
California Workers’ Comp Division Suspends 12 Medical Providers for Fraud
Nov 15 2017 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation has suspended 12 more medical providers from participating in California’s workers’ comp system, bringing the total number of providers suspended this year...
Tesla Hit with Class-Action Suit over Racial Discrimination at California Plant
Nov 14 2017 // U.S. automaker Tesla Inc. was hit with a class-action lawsuit claiming its California production plant is a “hotbed for racist behavior.” The lawsuit filed in California state court in Oakland on Monday is at...
Study Will Test California Firefighters’ Toxin Exposure
Nov 14 2017 // Researchers are studying whether firefighters suffered any toxic exposure in last month’s deadly Northern California wildfires. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that researchers plan to take blood and urine...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Associated Insurance Services in California
Nov 14 2017 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Westlake Village, Calif.-based Associated Insurance Services Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Michael C. Creswell, Tim McClain, Megan B. Gaines and their associates will...
California Wildfires May Lead to $8B in Insured Losses: Aon Benfield
Nov 14 2017 // California’s historic wildfires may lead to as much as $8 billion in insured losses. That’s a record for insurers, according to the October 2017 Global Catastrophe Recap from Aon Benfield’s Impact...
Someone Else’s Wires May Have Started California Wildfires, PG&E Says
Nov 13 2017 // The deadliest of last month’s wildfires in California’s wine country may have been started by electrical equipment not owned or installed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the utility said in a court...
New Phase in California Wildfire Cleanup: Clearing Ruins
Nov 13 2017 // Rumbling bulldozers and front-loaders have started scraping up the ash, charred wood and crumbled bricks and concrete left from thousands of homes and buildings destroyed by blazes in California wine country, launching a...
Colgate-Palmolive Settles Asbestos Claim Linked to Its Talc
Nov 13 2017 // Colgate-Palmolive Co. agreed to settle a lawsuit claiming its talcum powder products caused a Pennsylvania woman to develop mesothelioma, a fatal lung disease tied to asbestos exposure. New York-based Colgate-Palmolive...
Damaging Southern California Fire Was Lit by Ember From Old Blaze
Nov 9 2017 // A destructive Southern California wildfire this fall was ignited by windblown embers from an oak that was still smoldering after an earlier fire that is believed to have started when a vehicle struck a highway flare,...
California Workers’ Comp Division Suspends 21 Medical Providers for Fraud
Nov 8 2017 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation has suspended 21 more medical providers from participating in California’s workers’ comp system, bringing the total number of providers suspended this year...
California’s New Pot Market Brings Sticker Shock
Nov 7 2017 // California’s legal marijuana marketplace is coming with a kaleidoscope of new taxes and fees that could influence where it’s grown, how pot cookies and other munchies are produced and the price tag on just...
Southern California Auto Shop Owner Sentenced to Prison in $180K Fraud Case
Nov 6 2017 // Hani Abujudeh, 55, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., the reputed leader of an auto insurance fraud scheme, was sentenced to six years in state prison. Abujudeh was sentenced for his involvement with a scheme in which he filed...
HUB Adds Shipp to Commercial Markets Team in Central California
Nov 6 2017 // HUB International of California has named Geoffrey Shipp a commercial markets producer, risk management advisor and senior sales management trainee. Shipp will affiliate with HUB’s Central Coast offices as well as...
Utility in California Expecting $200M in Costs for Power Restoration after Fires
Nov 6 2017 // A California utility expects costs to be as much as $200 million for restoring power after last month’s devastating wildfires. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. chief...
California Commissioner Adopts $1.94 Workers’ Comp Pure Premium
Nov 6 2017 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has adopted an advisory pure premium rate that lowers the benchmark to $1.94 per $100 of payroll for workers’ compensation insurance. The advisory rate is effective Jan....
People
Nov 6 2017 // Los Angeles, Calif.-based Worldwide Facilities has named Cameron Kelly its chief operating officer. Kelly will be responsible for managing the company’s production offices, compliance, and acquisition integration. He...
