Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Scientists: Western Migration Has Put 143M Americans in Quake-Prone Areas
Apr 24 2015 // More than 143 million people in the mainland states now live on shaky ground, earthquake scientists say. That’s because more people have moved into the quake-prone West Coast and some quake zones were recently...
California’s Armitage Given Big “I” Highest Honor
Apr 24 2015 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers has given Jim Armitage the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor IIABA bestows on one of its members, during the annual Big “I” legislative...
Earth Day, Climate Change and Drought
Apr 23 2015 // As much of the U.S. and the rest of the planet celebrated Earth Day, California politicos and leaders squabbled over how best to deal with the ongoing drought – which may or may not be caused by climate change, depending...
Workers’ Comp Study: California Reforms Lowered Medical Payments Per Claim
Apr 23 2015 // A study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute indicates some benefits were had from California’s workers’ compensation reform bill. This WCRI 15th edition of the CompScope’ Benchmarks study...
California Department of Insurance Approves CEA Rate Reduction
Apr 23 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones approved a statewide rate reduction of 10 percent for earthquake insurance policies issued by the California Earthquake Authority. The reduction is effective Jan. 1, 2016. Jones...
Report Shows Occupational Fatalities in California Rose in 2013
Apr 23 2015 // The number of Californians who died on the job rose slightly in 2013, according to a Department of Industrial Relations report. The uptick apparently corresponds to California’s higher employment rates and its...
Nonprofits Insurance in California Names Gibson Vice President of Claims
Apr 22 2015 // The Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group in California has named Dave Gibson vice president of claims. Gibson has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance claims industry, and has held management positions for most...
Compwest Names Pedroza Business Development Consultant in California
Apr 22 2015 // CompWest Insurance Co. has hired Edward Pedroza as a business development consultant in its Northern Los Angeles/Inland Empire territory. Pedroza will be responsible for account underwriting, agency relationships and...
Despite California Drought, Bay Area Researchers Fear Flooding
Apr 21 2015 // Though many researchers in California are focused on the lack of rain, a group in the Bay Area found that if the skies do open up flooding will be a problem. The San Mateo County Times reported that the nonprofit Bay Area...
Earthquake Fault Puts California at Risk For Tsunami
Apr 21 2015 // Scientists say the earthquake fault that runs through the coastal city of Ventura, Calif. can produce strong shaking and dangerous tsunamis, prompting state officials to study whether to revise hazard maps. The Los Angeles...
Judge in California Rules Uber Must Face Suit Claiming Bias Against Blind Riders
Apr 21 2015 // Uber Technologies Inc. must defend against a lawsuit accusing the popular ride-sharing service of discriminating against blind people by refusing to transport guide dogs, a federal judge ruled. In a decision late Friday...
How to Manage Risk of Valuable Properties Concentrated in Coastal Areas
Apr 21 2015 // U.S insured property values as of 2014 exceed $90 trillion, but the bulk of that is increasingly concentrated in vulnerable coastal areas. With that in mind, new risk metrics could better help monitor exposures, Karen...
California Workers’ Comp Premium Up 11% in 2014; Combined Ratio Still Exceeds 100
Apr 20 2015 // California written premium for calendar year 2014 was roughly $16.5 billion, 11 percent above the total in 2013 and 88 percent above the written premium reported for 2009, according to a report from the California...
Judge Rejects Effort to Undo California Wildfire Settlement
Apr 20 2015 // A judge has rejected a California timber company’s attempt to undo a $47 million legal settlement for a massive 2007 wildfire. Sierra Pacific Industries had accused federal prosecutors of engaging in misconduct. But...
Man Who Hacked Farmers Insurance, Government Sentenced in California
Apr 20 2015 // A hacker who helped break into the computer systems of DirecTV, Farmers Insurance and the Los Angeles Department of Public Works is going to federal prison. Mario Chuisano was given a three-year sentence last week and...
Officials Say Cooking Fire Started California Blaze That Threatened 300 Homes
Apr 20 2015 // Firefighters are making progress on a fire that had threatened hundreds of homes near a Southern California dam. Officials said an unattended cooking fire sparked the blaze on Saturday, triggering the nighttime evacuation...
California Regulator: Utility Too Big to be Safe
Apr 20 2015 // Repeated natural-gas accidents – including a 2010 pipeline explosion that killed eight people – suggest that California’s largest power utility could be too big to operate safely, the state’s top utility...
Nearly 500K License Applications in California Under AB60
Apr 20 2015 // California received nearly a half-million applications for driver’s licenses from immigrants in the country illegally in the three months since a new law took effect. Department of Motor Vehicles Director Jean...
Former California Agent Charged with Scamming Elderly Church Members
Apr 20 2015 // Constance Gail Fortune, 61, was arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court in California in April and charged with three felony counts of grand theft and one felony count of financial elder abuse for allegedly scamming...
California Agent Nabbed on Bogus Bond, $100K Premium Theft Charges
Apr 20 2015 // Licensed insurance agent Lars Hedegaard, 63, of Danville, Calif. was arrested on two felony counts of grand theft in April. Hedegaard was doing business as Westport & Associates Insurance Services Inc. when he...
