Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Workers’ Comp Bills Signed into Law
Oct 2 2020 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a handful of bills related to workers’ compensation, including bills dealing with COVID-19 and reporting the virus in the workplace. The Legislature recessed for the year on Aug....
California Nursery Worker Arraigned for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Oct 2 2020 // Fernando Torres Garcia, 46, self-surrendered and was arraigned at the Kern County Superior Court in California this week on nearly a dozen felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly misrepresenting an injury in order...
Judges Dismisses $18M in Liens Filed by California Medical Provider Convicted of Fraud
Oct 1 2020 // An administrative law judge in California has dismissed liens valued at $18 million filed by convicted medical provider Michael E. Barri, bringing to a close one of the earliest cases aimed at combatting fraud in...
California Governor Signs Four Bills Affecting Cannabis Industry
Oct 1 2020 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law four bills affecting the cannabis industry, and vetoed one. The cannabis-related bills Newsom signed are: Assembly Bill 1458: Raises the label variance threshold for edible...
Uber, Lyft Seeking to Kill California Law App-Based Drivers
Oct 1 2020 // Californians are being asked decide if Uber, Lyft and other app-based drivers should remain independent contractors or be eligible for the benefits that come with being company employees. The battle between the powerhouses...
New California Law Comes From Crash That Killed Kobe Bryant
Sep 30 2020 // Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved legislation prompted by the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight other people that makes it a crime for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at the...
Report: Nearly 2M Homes at Elevated Risk of Wildfire
Sep 30 2020 // Nearly 2 million homes, mostly in the Western U.S., with a rebuilding value of more than $638 billion are at an elevated risk of wildfire damage, a report out today shows. An annual wildfire report from data provider...
Online Platform Kin Insurance Expanding to California
Sep 29 2020 // Kin Insurance announced it will begin serving California with its online platform to enable homeowners to obtain insurance quotes, customize coverage and get insured online or over the phone. Kin originally launched in...
California Ban on Fracking by 2024 Criticized as Too Late
Sep 28 2020 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Wednesday to end issuing new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024, a delay criticized by many environmental groups but characterized as legally and politically realistic by...
Report: COVID-19 Accounts for 1-in-9 California Workers’ Comp Claims in 2020
Sep 28 2020 // The California workers’ compensation COVID-19 claim count continued to grow in August, albeit at a much slower rate than in July, with new data showing that as of Sept. 21, the state had recorded 5,130 COVID-19...
Florida Gov Lifts Virus Restrictions On All Businesses
Sep 28 2020 // Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in Florida on Friday, and banned local fines against people who refuse to wear masks as he seeks to reopen the state’s economy despite the...
Wildfire Forces Home, Hospital Evacuations in California’s Napa Valley Wine Area
Sep 28 2020 // A wind-driven wildfire erupted on Sunday in the heart of northern California’s Napa Valley wine country to spread across nearly 2,000 acres (809 hectares), forcing the evacuation of a hospital and hundreds of homes,...
Suit Filed in California Says Scooters Rented by Uber, Segway Don’t Have Turn Signals
Sep 25 2020 // A class action lawsuit has been filed against several scooter rental companies, including Uber and Segway, because the scooters don’t have turn signals and the makers don’t warn consumers about that danger. The...
Hauser Pleads Guilty in College Admission Plot
Sep 25 2020 // A California businessman with ties to an Ohio-based insurance agency who is said to have steered “Full House” star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, to the ringleader of the...
California Governor Planning to Ban Sale of New Gas Vehicles in 15 Years
Sep 25 2020 // California will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks in 15 years, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, establishing a timeline in the nation’s most populous state that could force U.S....
Western Wildfires Taint Vineyards With Taste Of Smoke
Sep 25 2020 // Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation’s most celebrated wine regions with an ashy flavor that could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage. Wineries in California, Oregon and...
A.J. Gallagher Alleges Alliant’s Poaching ‘Playbook’ Has Cost It Employees, Clients
Sep 25 2020 // California-based insurance broker Alliant is again being sued over an alleged poaching scam, this time by rival Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher claims Alliant, with assistance and capital from its private equity...
New York, California Could be Fastest Growing States for Renewables
Sep 24 2020 // U.S. environmental policies will drive long-term demand for renewable energy, Moody’s Investors Service said in a new report. The report depicts a “a credit positive for renewable energy developers” in...
As Wildfires Spread, Public Safety Tech Startups Lack Venture Capitalists’ Backing
Sep 24 2020 // Silicon Valley’s innovation engine has been slow to produce useful new tools to help firefighters like Dave Winnacker extinguish the deadly blazes that each year fill California’s skies with smoke. Winnacker, a...
The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers Adds Borchardt in California
Sep 24 2020 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has named Sean Borchardt a partner in the Woodland Hills, Calif., office. Borchardt has more than 15 years of experience. He previously has held positions at Gallagher, Relations...
