Latest California Headlines

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

California Woman Hit by Police Truck to Get $260,000

Aug 26 2019 // The Santa Rosa City Council has agreed to pay a settlement to a California woman hit by a police truck. The Press Democrat reported that 29-year-old Laure Friedell filed a lawsuit in March 2018 after her right foot and...

Former University Southern California Gynecologist in Sex Assault Case Released On Bail

Aug 26 2019 // A former University of Southern California gynecologist charged with sexually abusing patents has posted bail and been released from jail. The Los Angeles Times reports Dr. George Tyndall was freed Friday evening on...

California Utility Wants Help Paying Wildfire Victims

Aug 23 2019 // A troubled California utility company is asking the state Legislature to let it borrow money without paying taxes so it can compensate victims of a devastating wildfire caused by its equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric...

For Many U.S. Communities, There’s No Easy Path to Safety From Disasters

Aug 23 2019 // As the country enters peak season for major natural disasters, new research indicates which states and communities are the riskiest for those needing to evacuate whether from wildfires or hurricanes. StreetLight Data Inc.,...

Retreat as an Answer to Climate Change?

Aug 22 2019 // Think retreat is never an option? Think again. “Faced with global warming, rising sea levels, and the climate-related extremes they intensify, the question is no longer whether some communities will retreat—moving...

California State Fund Declares $105M Dividend for Workers’ Comp Policyholders

Aug 22 2019 // The board of California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced plans to distribute a $105 million dividend to qualifying policyholders with policies that took effect between Jan. 1 and Aug. 19. This dividend...

Do Cannabis or Alcohol Taxes Have Higher Upside for Society?

Aug 22 2019 // Which helps society more? Alcohol or cannabis. That sounds like a funny question, but it may be an important one with more local governments embracing the opportunity to bring in tax revenue from cannabis sales. A new...

Guy Carpenter Tapped for California Wildfire Fund Reinsurance Program

Aug 22 2019 // Guy Carpenter & Company LLC has been named the sole reinsurance intermediary for the newly formed California Wildfire Fund, which is currently being administered by the California Earthquake Authority. Guy Carpenter...

Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says

Aug 21 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance. The data released this week from the CDI...

The Lowdown: Employer Risk in California and Beyond

Aug 21 2019 // Newly released this week on Research & Trends, “Risky Business – Employment Practice Litigation on the Rise” offers insights into the many predicaments your business prospects and clients could find...

Top 15 Earthquake Insurance Companies

Aug 21 2019 // Earthquake coverage is available mostly from private insurance companies. In California homeowners can also get coverage from the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), a privately funded, publicly managed organization....

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Submits Lower 2020 Pure Premium Rate Filing

Aug 20 2019 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Tuesday submitted its Jan. 1, 2020, pure premium rate filing to the California Department of Insurance, proposing advisory pure premium rates that...

PG&E Will Face Jury Over Billions in Damages from Massive California Wildfire

Aug 20 2019 // Victims of the second-most destructive fire in California history will get a chance to try and persuade a jury that PG&E Corp. should pay them as much as $18 billion in damages. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali on...

Blank Rome Adds Calkins, Rylaarsdam and Edri in California

Aug 20 2019 // Blank Rome LLP has added Mary Craig Calkins, a partner, Daniel H. Rylaarsdam, of counsel, and Sarah L. Edri as an associate along with additional professional staff to the firm’s insurance recovery group. Calkins,...

IICF Awards $50K Grant to California Fire Foundation for Victims

Aug 19 2019 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s Western Division presented a $50,000 grant to the California Fire Foundation’s Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency program on Aug. 16. The grant is to support...

Abry Partners Agrees to Acquire Portfolio in California from Capital Z

Aug 19 2019 // Abry Partners has agreed to acquire Lake Forest, Calif.-based Portfolio Holding Inc. from Capital Z Partners LP. The deal is subject to normal and customary closing conditions. Terms were not disclosed. All of...

PG&E Shares Dive on Risk of up to $18B in Wildfire Lawsuit Costs

Aug 19 2019 // PG&E Corp. shares plunged Monday after a judge ruled that a jury can determine whether it should pay as much as $18 billion in damages to wildfire victims. The California utility giant fell as much 28%, to $10.22, at...

Court Says PG&E Has Sole Right to Submit Bankruptcy Plan

Aug 19 2019 // A federal judge has allowed PG&E Corp. to retain the sole rights to propose a plan to exit bankruptcy, as he rejected efforts by investors to put forward competing plans, according to court documents. Judge Dennis...

Edison International to Face Trial Over Woolsey Wildfire Claim in April

Aug 19 2019 // The first trial to determine if Edison International’s Southern California utility is liable for damages from the Woolsey wildfire that tore through Malibu last year will begin on April 27, a judge said. California...

Report: Re/Insurers Are Reconsidering Risk Appetite for California Wildfires

Aug 19 2019 // S&P Global Ratings says 2020 reinsurance pricing in the aftermath of California wildfires will likely rise as re/insurers are finding 2017-2018 losses from wildfires in that state to be higher than expected. The...