Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AIG’s CEO Sees Pandemic, Wars and Climate Change Among Biggest Risks
Oct 20 2023 // American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Peter Zaffino said the biggest challenge to the insurance sector over the last decade has been “unpredictable risks” including the pandemic, wars and...
Viewpoint: California’s Personal Auto Market: Steering Through Change
Oct 20 2023 // The withdrawal of major homeowners insurance companies in the California market made national headlines, but news just as concerning and impactful is California’s private passenger auto insurance market. Much like...
AM Best Withdraws Credit Ratings of Civil Service Employees Insurance Co. and CSE Safeguard Insurance Co. in California
Oct 19 2023 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B (Fair) from B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings to “bb” (Fair) from “bbb-” (Good) of Civil Service Employees Insurance Company...
Labor Commissioner Cites California Hotel $4.7M for Violating COVID-19 Right to Recall Law
Oct 19 2023 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Hyatt Regency Long Beach $4.79 million for reportedly failing to timely offer job positions to 25 employees laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic once the hotel...
PG&E’s Plan to Bury Power Lines and Prevent California Wildfires Faces Opposition over Rates
Oct 19 2023 // Pacific Gas & Electric – one of the nation’s largest utilities whose equipment has sparked some of California`s deadliest wildfires – wants to bury power lines in some of its most at-risk areas to prevent...
California Trucking Group Challenges State’s Zero-Emissions Rule
Oct 18 2023 // The California Trucking Association (CTA) has asked a federal judge to stop a state rule that would require truckers to switch to zero-emissions vehicles by 2042, calling it “a vast overreach” that threatens...
California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Group Raises $100M
Oct 18 2023 // California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Corp. raised $100 million in capital over the past decade from its members and through fiscal controls. CRMBC is a California self-insured group that provides workers’...
California Daycare Owners Arrested After 2 Children Drown in Backyard Pool
Oct 17 2023 // The mother-and-daughter owners of a California home day care were arrested after two children drowned in the backyard pool earlier this month, authorities said. The two 1-year-olds died Oct. 2 while at Happy Happy Daycare...
California Governor Signs Bill Restricting Sharing Data from Cameras Inside Cabin of Vehicles
Oct 16 2023 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that gives consumers greater control over data captured by in-cabin cameras in their vehicles. The legislation, Senate Bill 296, authored by Senator Bill Dodd (D – Napa) and...
11 Sent to Hospital After Ammonia Leak at Southern California Building
Oct 16 2023 // An ammonia leak at a Southern California business sent 11 people to the hospital, authorities said. The leak was reported shortly before 9:15 a.m. on Friday in a commercial building in Buena Park, the Orange County Fire...
Kids Suing Social Media Over Addiction Find a Win Amid Losses
Oct 16 2023 // Minors and parents suing Meta Inc.’s Facebook and other technology giants for the kids’ social media platform addictions won an important ruling advancing their collection of lawsuits in a California court. A...
AM Best Tweaks State Farm Outlook to Negative After Weather, Regulatory Issues
Oct 16 2023 // The AM Best financial rating firm has downgraded its outlook for multiple State Farm insurance companies due to weather losses and regulations that the rating firm said hinder the insurance giant’s ability to...
Business Moves
Oct 16 2023 // National James River Group Holdings, Amynta Group James River Group Holdings Ltd. said some of its subsidiaries have entered into an agreement to sell the renewal rights to their individual risk workers’ compensation...
People & Places
Oct 16 2023 // National The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”) installed Michigan’s Mike McBride, president of Mason-McBride in Troy, as the 2023-2024 chairman at the recent Big...
Homeowners Face Rising Insurance Rates as Climate Change Makes Wildfires, Storms More Common
Oct 16 2023 // A growing number of Americans are finding it difficult to afford insurance on their homes, a problem only expected to worsen because insurers and lawmakers have underestimated the impact of climate change, a new report...
Report Examines 10-Year California Workers Comp Payment Trends
Oct 16 2023 // Average paid losses on California workers’ compensation lost-time claims fell immediately after legislative reforms of SB 863 took effect a decade ago, but then gradually increased up until the pandemic hit,...
Court Orders Subway Franchise Owners in California to Pay Workers Nearly $1M
Oct 16 2023 // A federal court ordered the owners of 14 Subway locations north of San Francisco to pay employees nearly $1 million in damages and back pay, and also to sell or shut their businesses, with any sale proceeds going to the...
California Jury Delivers $135M Verdict in Molestation Case Involving Middle School Teacher
Oct 13 2023 // A jury has delivered a $135 million verdict in a molestation case involving a middle school teacher, determining that negligence by a Southern California school district allowed the abuse of two students during the...
People Moves: Racunas Joins Alliant in California as SVP
Oct 13 2023 // Mark Racunas has joined Alliant Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., as senior vice president, Alliant Specialty. Based in Los Angeles, Calif., Racunas has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance...
PG&E to Pay $45M for Second-Largest California Wildfire
Oct 12 2023 // PG&E Corp. will pay a $45 million penalty for its role in starting the second-largest wildfire in California history under a settlement proposal issued by state regulators. The California utility giant agreed to the...
