Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Traffic Safety Investigators Probing California Bus Crash That Killed 4
Aug 5 2016 // Federal safety investigators converged this week in central California to investigate a highway wreck that nearly sliced a bus in half, killed four people and injured 23. “At this point we don’t know what...
Series of Small Quakes Hit Rural Northern California Area
Aug 5 2016 // A series of small earthquakes rattled a rural area of Northern California overnight. The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-4.7 quake struck at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday about 20 miles east of Janesville in Lassen...
Estimated Cost of Southern California Gas Leak Reaches $717M
Aug 5 2016 // Southern California Gas Co. reported that costs related to the massive leak of natural gas from its Aliso Canyon storage facility near Los Angeles have risen to $717 million. The new estimate is contained in...
Jury in California Awards $2.2M to Family of Man Killed by LAPD Officer
Aug 4 2016 // A jury has awarded $2.2 million to the family of a man who was shot and killed by a Los Angeles police officer in a shooting that the police chief deemed justified and the district attorney declined to prosecute. Christian...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Blue Horizon in California
Aug 4 2016 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Blue Horizon Insurance Services in San Diego, Calif. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ronald Zappelliand his team will continue to operate in San Diego under the direction of...
PPIB in California Names Etter Vice President of Underwriting
Aug 3 2016 // Professional Program Insurance Brokerage of Novato Calif. has named Susan Etter vice president of underwriting. Etter has been with PPIB for six years managing the underwriting and sales staff. Etter will continue to...
14 States Process $12.7B in Surplus Lines Premium in First Half 2016
Aug 3 2016 // Data from the 14 U.S. surplus lines service/stamping offices show they have processed almost $12.7 billion in insurance premium filings in the first half of 2016, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas...
California Watchdog Group Wants State Farm to Reduce Rates by 40%
Aug 3 2016 // Consumer Watchdog filed a petition in California challenging State Farm’s proposed rates for its homeowners insurance and wants the insurers to cut its rates by as much as 40 percent. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based...
Alliant Names Fyfe Vice President in Alliant Americas Division in California
Aug 3 2016 // Alliant Insurance Services Inc. has named Doug Fyfe first vice president in its Alliant Americas division. Fyfe will work in the Thousand Oaks, Calif. Fyfe was regional vice president within the insurance division of a...
‘Star Trek’ Actor’s Family Sues Fiat Chrysler in California over Rollaway Death
Aug 3 2016 // The parents of the late “Star Trek” movie actor Anton Yelchin sued Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV for negligence and product liability on Tuesday over the rollaway crash of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that killed their...
Investigation Faults Tesoro in Worker Injuries at California Refinery
Aug 3 2016 // The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said on Tuesday workers were injured in incidents between 2010 and 2014 at Tesoro Corp.’s San Francisco Bay-area refinery in Martinez, California because of a weak safety culture the...
Wildfires Threaten Homes in Central California
Aug 2 2016 // Crews contended with blistering temperatures Monday as they tried to beat back a wildfire that burned rural homes and forced hundreds of evacuations in California’s Central Valley, while cooler weather gave...
EPIC Sells Northern California Office to InterWest
Aug 2 2016 // EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has sold its Petaluma, Calif. branch office and its book of business to Sacramento-based InterWest Insurance Services. The deal closed on July 31. Terms were not disclosed. EPIC is...
Tourism Decline in California’s Scenic Big Sur Sparked by Wildfire
Aug 1 2016 // Lodge managers and cafe owners along California’s dramatic Big Sur coast were looking at a summer of jittery guests and cancelled bookings after fire officials warned that crews will likely be battling a wildfire...
Airbnb Sues Southern California City over Short-term Rental Law
Aug 1 2016 // Airbnb is suing the city of Anaheim over a law that regulates short-term rentals. The Orange County Register reported the suit argues the city violates free-speech rights and federal law by holding Airbnb responsible when...
Starnes Succeeds Basso as CEO at Worldwide Broker Network in California
Aug 1 2016 // San Mateo, Calif.-based Worldwide Broker Network’s board of directors has elected Francie Starnes as CEO. Starnes succeeds Bruce Basso, who becomes chairman emeritus. Starnes was named WBN president and chief...
Uber Insists If Arbitration Pact Is Nixed, $100M Driver Settlement Is Dead
Aug 1 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc.’s message to the judge who must approve its $100 million settlement with drivers is clear: take it or leave it. In an escalating game of courtroom brinkmanship, Uber has hit what may be an...
Judge Denies Uber Bid to Enforce Arbitration in Consumer Suit
Aug 1 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. can’t require a Connecticut customer accusing the company of price-fixing to resolve the fight in arbitration, a federal judge ruled in one of several cases challenging the ride-hailing...
Relatives of Rivera Entourage Get $70M Judgment in California
Jul 29 2016 // The families of four members of Jenni Rivera’s entourage who were killed along with the Mexican-American superstar in a 2012 plane crash are entitled to $70 million, a judge has ruled. Los Angeles Superior Court...
Relatives of Rivera Entourage Get $70M Judgment in California
Jul 29 2016 // The families of four members of Jenni Rivera’s entourage who were killed along with the Mexican-American superstar in a 2012 plane crash are entitled to $70 million, a judge has ruled. Los Angeles Superior Court...
