Latest California Headlines

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

AIA Welcomes Hoch As Director of California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation

Apr 27 2004 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) welcomed the April 26 appointment of Andrea Hoch as director of the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC). Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) announced his...

Sturm Named COO for Tanner Insurance Brokers

Apr 23 2004 // Kenneth Sturm, a 28-year veteran of the insurance industry, has joined Pleasanton-based Tanner Insurance Brokers as chief operating officer. Tanner, one of the largest independent insurance organizations in California, was...

Bay Area Man Arrested on East Coast in $4 Million Insurance Fraud Scam

Apr 23 2004 // Richard W. Peterson, 63, of San Francisco, a former insurance broker/agent, was arrested April 19th at Miami International Airport on federal fraud charges for allegedly selling approximately $4 million of fake insurance...

Unlicensed Contractors Targeted to Protect California Wildfire Victims

Apr 21 2004 // Fifteen people have been charged with felony unlicensed contracting after an undercover operation to prevent fraud against victims of Southern California wildfires, officials said April 19. “We are sending a message...

Intracorp Says It Can Help Reduce Workers’ Comp Costs in California

Apr 20 2004 // Philadelphia-based Intracorp says that it can help slow down skyrocketing workers’ compensation costs through a new suite of managed care tools designed specifically for California companies. “With medical...

CWCI Details Calif. Workers’ Comp Reform Overhaul

Apr 20 2004 // Governor Schwarzenegger fulfilled one of his most ambitious campaign promises April 19 signing Senate Bill 899 (Poochigian), a comprehensive workers’ compensation bill that addresses many of the major cost drivers...

Garamendi, CDI File Lawsuit Against State Compensation Insurance Fund

Apr 19 2004 // Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and the California Department of Insurance (CDI) filed a suit against State Compensation Insurance Fund (State Fund), California’s workers’ comp insurer of last resort, in...

CIWA ENDORSES CIVIL JUSTICE ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA’S BALLOT INITIATIVE:

Apr 19 2004 // The California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA), an industry group of wholesale insurance brokerage operations, has endorsed the Civil Justice Association of California’s Ballot Initiative to Reform...

Workers’ Compensation – Small- to Mid-Size Employer

Apr 19 2004 // Nuts & Bolts: Insurex Inc. and Frontier General announce the release of a new workers’ compensation product in California with ACE Casualty Risk, a division of ACE USA. The new product launched is called ACE...

Arrowhead’s Co-CEOs Ruyak, Walker Discuss Dual Leadership Structure

Apr 19 2004 // In just 20 years, Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc. has grown from a small general agency specializing in nonstandard automobile business in California, to one of the nation’s largest privately held general...

Court Decision Threatens Stability in California’s Insurance Market

Apr 19 2004 // If after 16 years of off-and-on court cases, attempting to interpret the ambiguous and contradictory language of Proposition 103 isn’t enough, this month, another interpretation came down from the Second District...

Calif. “Insider” Conspirators Arrested

Apr 19 2004 // Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced the arrests of nine suspects by the California Urban Auto Fraud Task Force for embezzlement, conspiracy and tax evasion in connection with an “insider” insurance...

People and Places

Apr 19 2004 // Michael Mattoch Michael Mattoch and Peter Conlin were hired by the lobbying firm of Sacramento, Calif.-based Norwood & Associates. Mattoch will become a partner in the firm, which will change its name to Norwood...

Calif. AGO’s Report Shows Jump in Auto Theft

Apr 16 2004 // While violent crimes showed a decrease, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced that preliminary statistics show property crimes rose 2.8 percent in the state’s most populous cities and counties in...

Calif. Commissioner Calls for Workers’ Comp Reform Savings to be Passed Through to Employers

Apr 16 2004 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi released the following statement in regards to the recent agreement by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature for a workers’ compensation reform...

AIA Says No to Calif. Rate Regulation

Apr 16 2004 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) on Thursday issued a statement in response to the introduction of ABX4 16. This measure would reportedly impose a new rate regulation scheme on workers’ compensation carriers...

Calif. Legislature Passes Workers’ Comp Bill

Apr 16 2004 // The California state Assembly overwhelmingly passed a workers’ compensation reform measure to repair the state’s troubled workers’ comp system by a 77-03 vote, while the State Senate passed the measure by...

Lawmakers See Possible Vote April 16 on Workers’ Compensation Plan

Apr 15 2004 // Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blamed attorneys for the “two or three sticking points” that loom over negotiations on a workers’ compensation insurance reform bill. “Every time we get language, the...

ACIC Comments on Calif. Workers’ Compensation Reform Package

Apr 15 2004 // The following is a statement issued by Sam Sorich, president of the Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC). “The Association of California Insurance Companies commends the Legislature and Governor...

RIMS Survey Says Workers’ Comp Affecting Calif. Businesses

Apr 14 2004 // The Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) received 261 responses from corporate risk managers regarding the workers’ compensation system in California supporting a conclusion that California may be losing jobs...