Latest California Headlines

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

Ascension Names Merrill Senior Vice President in California

Dec 6 2013 // Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Ascension Insurance Inc. named Greg Merrill senior vice president of operations for the Fresno office of the Pan American and Walter L. Clark organizations. Pan American and Walter L. Clark are...

California Woman Ticketed For Driving With Google Glasses

Dec 5 2013 // A California woman has pleaded not guilty to what is believed to be the first traffic citation alleging a motorist was using Google’s computer-in-an-eyeglass. The device known as Google Glass, not yet widely...

Elliott Tapped as Fireman’s Fund CIO in California

Dec 4 2013 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. named John Elliott as chief information officer. Elliott will be responsible for developing and implementing the technology strategy to achieve the company’s...

AmWINS to Acquire Bliss & Glennon in California from Fortegra

Dec 3 2013 // AmWINS Group Inc. has reached a definitive agreement with Fortegra Financial Corp. to acquire Bliss & Glennon, an excess and surplus lines wholesale insurance broker and managing general agency in California, and...

Obamacare and Agency Value

Dec 2 2013 // Where is the Affordable Care Act headed? Are we prepared? Who will be covered and who won’t? Are we robbing from Peter to pay Paul? The list of questions is endless. The answers are few and far between. In a speech...

Report Shows Nearly 5 Million Homes Endangered by Wildfires

Dec 2 2013 // More than 4.5 million U.S. households are at high or extreme risk from wildfire, according to new analysis by Verisk Insurance Solutions – Underwriting, a unit of Verisk Analytics. The analysis identified the number...

Lawsuit: California Student Recruited to Help in Drug Bust

Dec 2 2013 // The mother of a California middle school student has sued the school district, claiming her 14-year-old son was used as bait during an on-campus drug sting. The suit was filed against the Temecula Valley Unified High...

People – West

Dec 2 2013 // The business law section of the California State Bar named Armand Feliciano as chair of the California State Bar Insurance Committee for 2013-2014. Feliciano is vice president of state affairs for the Association of...

Black Southern California Firefighter Awarded $1.1M In Bias Suit

Nov 27 2013 // Six years after losing in his first trial, a black Los Angeles firefighter was awarded $1.1 million Monday by a jury that found he suffered discrimination during his nearly three-decade career. After 16 days of...

California Insurers Group: Jones Was Correct on WC Pure Premium

Nov 26 2013 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones was correct to recognize the increasing costs in the state’s workers compensation system when he made his pure premium advisory rate recommendation on Friday, says the...

Bear Bryant’s Son’s Reinsurance Fortune Helps Power Alabama Football

Nov 26 2013 // The University of Alabama opened a new football-training center last February. Any professional team would be happy to have it. The amenities include a $9 million weight room, a hydrotherapy pool with a Club Med–style...

California Commissioner Favors Lower WC Premium Than Board

Nov 25 2013 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones adopted an advisory average pure premium rate of $2.70 per $100 of employer payroll for workers’ compensation rates effective Jan. 1, 2014, which is lower than that...

Just 10 Percent of California Car Chargers Delivered

Nov 22 2013 // A New Jersey energy company required by an unusual legal settlement to build an extensive network of electric car chargers throughout California has delivered just 10 percent of what it promised in the first year. The...

Three Leavitt Group Agencies in Southern California Merge

Nov 21 2013 // The Leavitt Group announced a merger of three of their Southern California agencies. The merger will include the Covina office of Valley Insurance Service, employee benefits agency Leavitt Benefits Insurance Services of...

California Lesbian Teacher Files Discrimination Suit

Nov 21 2013 // A lesbian teacher in California has filed a lawsuit against Hesperia Unified School District that alleges unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation because of her sexual orientation. Lambda Legal filed the...

Lawsuit: California Student Recruited To Help In Drug Bust

Nov 21 2013 // The mother of a California middle school student has sued the school district, claiming her 14-year-old son was used as bait during an on-campus drug sting. The Riverside Press Enterprise reported Wednesday the suit was...

ACIC’s Feliciano to Chair California State Bar Insurance Committee

Nov 21 2013 // The business law section of the California State Bar named Armand Feliciano as chair of the Insurance Committee for 2013-2014. Feliciano is vice president of state affairs for the Association of California Insurance...

Heffernan Names Catanese Assistant Vice President in Southern California

Nov 19 2013 // Heffernan Insurance Brokers named Zach Catanese assistant vice president in its Orange County, Calif. office. Catanese will focus on new business development for all commercial lines. He has a background as a marketing...

Northern California Man Sent To Prison After 8th DUI

Nov 19 2013 // A Northern California man has been sentenced to five years in prison following his eighth conviction for driving under the influence. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported 34-year-old Barton Riley Shafer will also be...

SCM Names Paganas Vice President in Southern California

Nov 18 2013 // SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services LLC named John Paganas a vice president in its Irvine, Calif. office. Prior to joining SCM, Paganas was a business development associate at National Insurance Brokerage of New York...