Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Investigative Unit to Target California’s Serial Labor Law Violators
Mar 19 2012 // California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su’s aim is to send a message to the state’s underground economy. The message is that the principals of companies with shady employment practices, such as those who try to...
Auto Insurance Discount Initiative May be Gaining Bipartisan Endorsement
Mar 16 2012 // The backers of an automobile insurance persistency initiative are making steps to gain bi-partisan support for their proposition, which is slated for California’s Nov. 6 ballot and a possible showdown with what would...
California Workers’ Comp Premium Grows But Claim Severity Continues to Rise
Mar 15 2012 // An annual report from the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California shows that for the second consecutive year statewide workers’ compensation premiums levels rose in 2011, but that...
Vicarious Liability Ruling May Impact Education Insureds in California
Mar 14 2012 // The California Supreme Court ruled that a public school district may be vicariously liable for the negligent hiring, retention and supervision of a guidance counselor who allegedly sexually abused a student. And that...
Northern California Strongwood’s Humes Retires
Mar 14 2012 // Brent Humes has retired from his position as executive vice president of Monterey, Calif.-based Strongwood Insurance Holdings Corp. Humes served with Strongwood for 10 years. Prior to joining Strongwood, Humes spent more...
Suit: NASA Specialist in Southern California Axed Over Intelligent Design
Mar 14 2012 // A former computer specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is going to court over allegations that he was wrongfully terminated because of his belief in intelligent design. Opening statements in the lawsuit by...
Chief: California Wildfires May Signal Busy Season
Mar 14 2012 // Forest fire authorities say a series of a dozen small wildfires over the past two months may herald an active fire season this summer on the California coast. Anthony Escobar, Los Padres National Forest fire chief, said...
Confie Seguros Acquires Power Auto in California
Mar 13 2012 // New York, N.Y.-based Confie Seguros, a national provider of personal lines insurance focused on Hispanic consumers, acquired Power Auto Insurance, a privately-owned Cerritos, Calif.-based firm specializing in auto...
Report: Increasing Workers’ Comp Losses For California Public Self-Insureds
Mar 12 2012 // A analysis of more than 10 years’ worth of data shows for the fifth consecutive year increases in the average loss per claim, led by escalating medical losses, pushed up total workers’ compensation costs for...
Poms Names Flannery VP of Property/Casualty in Southern California
Mar 12 2012 // Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Poms & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc. named Martin V. Flannery vice president in the property/casualty group in its Woodland Hills office. Prior to joining Poms & Associates,...
Arrowhead Names McIntosh AVP of Workers Compensation in Northern California
Mar 9 2012 // San Diego, Calif.-based Arrowhead Wholesale Insurance Services named Tony McIntosh assistant vice president of its worker’s compensation practice in Northern California. McIntosh, who will be headquartered in Bencia,...
Farmers Names Pratt Head of Distribution for California
Mar 9 2012 // Larry Pratt, Farmers Insurance vice president of sales, was appointed as head of distribution for California for Los Angeles-based Farmers. Pratt started with Farmers in June 1990 in Vancouver, Wash. Prior to being...
Medical Malpractice Rates Lowered For Three Companies in California
Mar 8 2012 // Rates have been lower for medical malpractice insurance offered by NORCAL Mutual Insurance, The Dentists Insurance Company, and the Medical Insurance Exchange of California’s Physicians and Surgeons program, saving...
$362K Settlement Approved For Ex-Assistant Sheriff In Southern California
Mar 8 2012 // Orange County supervisors have approved a proposed $362,000 settlement for an improperly fired ex-assistant sheriff. City News Service says supervisors approved the deal with George Jaramillo on Tuesday. A California...
Lawyer Claims Highest Known Workers’ Comp Settlement in California History
Mar 7 2012 // Attorney Christopher Asvar believes he has secured the highest known workers’ compensation insurance settlement in California history, totaling $8.9 million on behalf of a Antonio Enriquez, who suffered a traumatic...
Study: California Cell Phone Restrictions Reduce Deaths
Mar 6 2012 // A study from the University of California, Berkeley says a nearly 4-year-old ban on drivers using hand-held cellphones is saving lives. The study finds that overall traffic deaths dropped 22 percent in that time while...
California Department of Insurance Takes Action Over Claims Handling
Mar 6 2012 // The California Department of Insurance has served an order to show cause, a statement of charges and a notice of penalty against the New Hampshire Insurance Co. and its authorized agent for claims processing, York Risk...
Brown Named VP of Claims Management for PowerGuard in Southern California
Mar 5 2012 // PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services named Hilton Brown as vice president of claims management. Brown has 22 years of experience, and specializes in claims management and client advocacy. Brown will oversee claims...
Yates Taps Louie for Northern California Office
Mar 5 2012 // Dotson Louie has joined Tustin, Calif -based managing general agent Yates in its Walnut Creek, Calif. office. Louie spent the past 11 years at a national wholesale MGA. Louie, who has a broad background in commercial...
Sharing Economy Calls For Insurance Innovation
Mar 5 2012 // How Insurance Helped Getaround Get Going Can technology positively impact a billion people in just 10 years? Possibly, if insurance is available. Consider taking a low-use personal automobile — which might sit idle most...
