Latest California Headlines

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

How A Dry Spell Allowed Winds to Lash California With Flames

Dec 8 2017 // The hot, dry Santa Ana winds whipping up the unseasonably fierce wildfires ravaging Southern California have come at the worst time, at the end of a long dry spell. The combination of savage Santa Anas and tinder-dry...

A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for California Mutual Insurance Co.

Dec 7 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of California Mutual Insurance Co. The...

Gender Pay Class Action in California Against Google Dismissed

Dec 7 2017 // Google Inc. won dismissal of a California class-action lawsuit alleging the company systematically paid male employees more than females. The class proposed by the plaintiffs, covering “all women employed by Google...

Los Angeles Wildfires Close Roads, Threaten Crops, Force Evacuations

Dec 7 2017 // Wildfires raging across Southern California have shut a major commuter artery in Los Angeles, suspended filming, wiped out more than $3 billion of market value for regional utility Edison International and are threatening...

California Department of Workers’ Comp OKs Carve-out Agreement with L.A.

Dec 6 2017 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation has approved a labor-management carve-out agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. The agreement covers an estimated...

Cavignac & Associates in California Names Martin Account Administrator

Dec 6 2017 // San Diego, Calif.-based Cavignac & Associates has named Zoixza Martin an account administrator within its commercial department. Martin will provide support and assistance to the department’s team members and...

California Wildfire Claims Now Top $9.4B, Department of Insurance Says

Dec 6 2017 // California Commissioner Dave Jones announced on Wednesday that total of insured losses from the wildfires in California in October now top $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims. The latest figure is near the...

Southern California Fires Prompt Evacuations of Thousands from Homes

Dec 6 2017 // Ferocious Santa Ana winds raking Southern California whipped explosive wildfires Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of homes. The biggest blaze broke out Monday in Ventura County and grew wildly to more...

RenaissanceRe: $90M Estimated Net Negative Impact from California Wildfires

Dec 6 2017 // RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. said it estimates that losses from the October 2017 California Wildfires will have a net negative impact of $90 million on its fourth quarter 2017 results of operations. The October 2017...

Wells Fargo Facing Insurance License Discipline in California

Dec 6 2017 // Wells Fargo was served with an accusation by the California Department of Insurance seeking to suspend or revoke its licenses for alleged improper insurance sales practices related to the company’s online insurance...

Another California Utility Loses Billions in Value as Wildfire Rages

Dec 6 2017 // Once again, thousands are fleeing a wildfire in California. And, once again, the worry on Wall Street is that a major electric utility might end up on the hook for the damages. Shares of Edison International plunged the...

California Division of Workers’ Comp Suspends 21 Medical Providers for Fraud

Dec 5 2017 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation has suspended 21 more medical providers from participating in the state’s workers’ compensation system, bringing the total number of providers suspended...

California Brothers Nabbed in Staged Auto Accident Ring Involving 20 Others

Dec 5 2017 // A two-year investigation has netted 22 suspects in an auto fraud ring in California that cost insurers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Brothers Angel Topete, 36, and Joshua Topete, 34, both of San Martin, Calif., were...

WSS Names Azer Senior Broker in California

Dec 5 2017 // Western Security Surplus has named Sherif Azer a senior broker in its Los Angeles, Calif. office. Azer’s focus will be commercial lines, property and liability with the placement of excess and surplus brokerage, and...

MAPFRE USA to Exit 5, Focus on 11 States; Sell New York and Life Units in Reorganization

Dec 5 2017 // Insurer MAPFRE USA, which now writes in 19 states, is narrowing its focus by concentrating on 11 key states, exiting five states including selling its New York subsidiary, and selling its life insurance unit. MAPFRE USA...

California Seeking $4.4B in Federal Aid for Wildfires

Dec 4 2017 // California’s 53 U.S. House members are requesting $4.4 billion in federal aid to help the state recover from its deadliest wildfires ever. That’s down sharply from the $7.4 billion originally sought by Gov....

Founders Professional Opens New California Office, Taps DeCew and Steen

Dec 4 2017 // Founders Professional has hired Matt DeCew and Jeff Steen and is launching a new San Diego, Calif. office. This is the firm’s fifth location. DeCew and Steen will work with retail insurance agencies throughout the...

California Lawmakers May Limit Liability of Autonomous Carmakers

Dec 4 2017 // California regulators are embracing a General Motors recommendation that would help makers of self-driving cars avoid paying for accidents and other trouble, raising concerns that the proposal will put an unfair burden on...

Federal Investigators Say Fatigue, Poor Safety Cause of Deadly California Bus Crash

Dec 4 2017 // Federal safety investigators say a sleep-deprived driver and a bus company with a poor safety record were causes of an August 2016 crash in California’s Central Valley that killed four passengers and injured 20...

People

Dec 4 2017 // Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has named Brendan Williams its Southern California practice leader. Williams will be assuming leadership of the Southern California region in early 2018 upon the retirement of Ron Packouz, founder...