Latest California Headlines

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

Southern Calif. Braces for Another Storm; Mudslides Feared

Jan 28 2008 // Winter storms continued to soak Southern California and meteorologists warned that wetter weather was on its way. Up to 2 inches of rain fell overnight in valley and coastal areas and about double that in the mountains,...

Calif. High Court Rules Employers Can Fire Workers Using Medical Marijuana

Jan 28 2008 // Employers can fire workers found to have used medical marijuana even if it was legally prescribed, the California Supreme Court ruled last Thursday, dealing the state another setback in its standoff with U.S. law...

California AG Approves Uninsured Motorist Ballot Initiative

Jan 27 2008 // Commissioner Poizner says measure needed to protect public safety, insurance costs A proposed measure that would require California state and local law enforcement officers to remove the license plates of any vehicle...

It Figures

Jan 27 2008 // $62,000 Los Angeles-based Farmers Group Inc. announced it gave $62,000 to the La Jolla Band of Mission Indians to help rebuild after the Southern California fires of 2007. Farmers Executive Vice President of Field...

Calif. Agents Brace for Rising Workers’ Comp Rates

Jan 27 2008 // In the largest survey of its kind, fewer than half of California’s 10,000 business insurance agents see California’s business economy improving, either for themselves or for their clients, in 2008. The study...

Southern California Wildfire Losses Could Top $2 Billion

Jan 27 2008 // The California Department of Insurance announced that 37,117 claims have been filed since the wildfires broke out in Southern California in October 2007, and 1,531 of those claims are known to be total losses. Insurers...

People

Jan 27 2008 // Zurich named Kevin Dunham senior vice president and global relationship leader for the western region of its Global Corporate in North America Business unit. Dunham is based in Glendale, Calif., and will manage accounts...

Declarations

Jan 27 2008 // Startling Results “We wanted to know what these insurance agents see for 2008, and the results were more than a little startling.” —Joe Wheeler, vice president of Self Insured Solutions (SIS), commenting on a...

Business Moves

Jan 27 2008 // Beecher Carlson, Alliance Insurance Atlanta-based Beecher Carlson insurance brokerage has acquired Phoenix-based Alliance Insurance Group. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. According to Beecher...

Engineers Warn Flooding is ‘Next Big Disaster’ for California

Jan 27 2008 // While flooding in California’s Central Valley is “the next big disaster waiting to happen,” water-related infrastructure issues confront almost every community across the country, according to engineers...

Calif.-based MOC Insurance, Farallon Assoc. Announce Merger

Jan 25 2008 // Van Maroevich, president and CEO of MOC Insurance Services/Maroevich, O’Shea & Coghlan, and Peter Brown and Harry Humphrey of Farallon Associates Insurance Brokers, both based in San Francisco, announced the...

Calif. Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Some Risky Mortgages

Jan 24 2008 // A California legislator on Wednesday introduced a lending-regulation bill that seeks to mandate the obvious — that people who want to buy a home can actually afford the mortgage, property taxes and insurance. The...

Ludt Joins Lawson-Hawks Team

Jan 23 2008 // John Miller, chief executive officer of Lawson-Hawks Insurance Associates announced the recent addition of Michael Ludt of Irvine, Calif., as a broker for the Healthcare/Medical Malpractice Division for the Mountain...

U.S. Releases New Disaster Response and Recovery Plan

Jan 23 2008 // The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a comprehensive plan for what the country must do to have a more effective and unified response and recovery in disaster situations. DHS said that the new plan, called...

California AG Approves Uninsured Motorist Ballot Initiative

Jan 22 2008 // A proposed measure that would require California state and local law enforcement officers to remove the license plates of any vehicle lacking proof of insurance and current valid registration is one step closer to reaching...

Brass, Cuneo and Lowe Appointed to California WC Appeals Board

Jan 18 2008 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointments of Frank Brass, James Cuneo and Deidra Lowe to the state’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB). All appointments are subject to...

California Agents Brace for Rising WC Rates, Sluggish Economy

Jan 18 2008 // In the largest survey of its kind, fewer than half of California’s 10,000 business insurance agents see California’s business economy improving – either for themselves or for their clients – in...

Flooding is ‘Next Big Disaster’ in Store for Calif., Say Engineers

Jan 18 2008 // While flooding in California’s Central Valley is “the next big disaster waiting to happen,” water-related infrastructure issues confront almost every community across the country, according to engineers...

Networked Insurance Agents Opens New Territory in So. Calif.

Jan 17 2008 // Networked Insurance Agents, a national provider of markets, programs, and placement services to insurance agents, has appointed Cindy DeKay as territorial sales vice president for Metro Los Angeles. DeKay comes to...

Calif. Title Insurers to Pay $3.5M for Alleged Unfair Rating Practices

Jan 17 2008 // Commissioner Poizner Announces $3.5 Million Settlement with LandAmerica Corporation, $2 Million Refunded to Customers Commonwealth Land Title, Lawyers Title, and Transnation Title agree to Cease and Desist from unfair...