Latest California Headlines

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

California Consumer Sues Anthem Over Data Breach

Feb 6 2015 // Anthem Inc. faces what may be the first of many consumer lawsuits a day after disclosing that hackers obtained data on tens of millions of current and former customers and employees. A California woman on Thursday accused...

Lawsuit: Acupuncture Treatment Punctured California Woman’s Lung

Feb 5 2015 // A San Diego, Calif. woman is suing a chiropractor she claims collapsed her lung during an unlicensed acupuncture treatment. Jamie Del Fierro says she was injured about a year ago during a treatment for tension headaches at...

Palomar Specialty in California Raises $17.5M in Surplus Capital

Feb 5 2015 // Palomar Specialty Insurance Co. announced that it has successfully completed a $17.5 million surplus note issuance in a private placement to RenaissanceRe Ventures Ltd. and funds under management by a premier asset...

Heading a National Ridesharing Outline a Political Gain for Jones?

Feb 4 2015 // A committee of regulators led by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is working on standards on ridesharing that departments of insurance in states across the U.S. can look to as an example. Whether the National...

Berkshire Hathaway Names Gupta Head of Cat Engineering in California

Feb 4 2015 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has named Akshay Gupta senior vice president and head of catastrophe engineering and analytics. Gupta is based in the San Francisco Bay area. Gupta has more than 20 years of...

Protector Holdings Acquires Peartree Insurance in California

Feb 4 2015 // Protector Holdings has acquired Brea, Calif.-based Peartree Insurance Services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Peartree specializes in providing insurance services to Hispanic consumers. Protector Holdings in 2013...

California State Fund Files April 1 Rating Plan

Feb 3 2015 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund has filed for a 9 percent increase in collectible premium that will apply to new and renewal workers’ compensation policies effective on or after April 1. Although...

Former California Agent Pleads Guilty in $6M Fraud Case

Feb 3 2015 // An Upland, Calif. man has pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud and tax charges in relation to a loan scam that reportedly netted him more than $5.9 million. Derek Richard Brewart, 53, a former licensed insurance agent and...

Networked Names Hayes Vice President in Southern California

Jan 30 2015 // Grass Valley, Calif.-based Networked Insurance Agents has named Phyllis Hayes sales vice president. Hayes will be the key point of contact for independent agency members in the Los Angeles County, Ventura County, San...

Pelissier Named Partner at Woodruff-Sawyer in California

Jan 30 2015 // Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has named Jared Pelissier a partner and senior vice president in the Southern California office. Pelissier specializes in management liability and cyber liability risks for companies of all sizes...

California Judge Questions Lyft’s Refusal to Pay Drivers as Employees

Jan 30 2015 // Lyft Inc.’s practice of treating drivers as independent contractors was questioned by a federal judge who said that under California law they may be considered employees who would qualify for minimum wage and other...

5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Northern California Coast

Jan 30 2015 // A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of Northern California on Jan. 28. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake shook at 1:08 p.m. about 40 miles southwest of Eureka. Lt....

ISU Cormarc Tasman in California Formed with Merger

Jan 29 2015 // ISU Cormarc Tasman Insurance Agency was recently formed by combining ISU Cormarc Insurance Services headquartered in Murrieta, Calif. with ISU Insurance Services Tasman in Ladera Ranch. The headquarters for the new agency...

Organized Family Insurance Ring Busted in Southern California

Jan 29 2015 // Detectives from the California Department of Insurance’s insurance fraud enforcement division arrested 15 Los Angeles area residents Thursday morning for allegedly staging auto collisions and filing more than...

Super Bowl Spells 77% Rise in Alcohol-Related Vehicle Crashes in California

Jan 28 2015 // Super Bowl Sunday is among the most dangerous days to venture onto California roads as gatherings for the game at parties or restaurants prompt drivers to consume alcohol. More drinking-related crashes happen in California...

Metromile Insurance Option for Uber Drivers Approved by California Commissioner

Jan 28 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has approved a filing that will enable Uber drivers purchasing coverage through Metromile to add a new coverage endorsement to their personal auto policy. That endorsement will...

California Opens Fast Lane to Approve TNC Insurance Products

Jan 28 2015 // The California Department of Insurance has approved the state’s first private passenger auto policy endorsement specifically crafted to cover drivers for transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft. Coming...

Chevron: Report Wrong About California Refinery’s Safety Culture

Jan 27 2015 // Chevron says it agrees with several findings in a federal report about a 2012 fire at one of its refineries in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. But it adds the report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board...

California Commission Fines PG&E $530K For Safety Violations

Jan 27 2015 // The California Public Utilities Commission has fined Pacific Gas & Electric $530,000 for safety violations it says it found during audits that began in 2012. The commission says in a Friday statement that the fines...

California Suit Against Boy Scouts Could Reveal Sex Abuse Claims

Jan 27 2015 // A sex abuse case claiming negligence against the Boy Scouts is getting underway in California and will include the use of previously undisclosed information from “perversion” files kept by the organization. The...