Latest California Headlines

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

Berkshire Unit Sued Over California’s Largest Wildfire of Season

Aug 22 2022 // A Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unit was sued for allegedly causing California’s largest wildfire of the year, which killed four people and destroyed almost 200 structures near the Oregon border. The complaint against...

$18M Settlement in Lawsuit over Boy’s Death at California School

Aug 19 2022 // The parents of an 8-year-old boy with Down syndrome who died after falling while strapped to a chair in class five years ago have reached an $18 million settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against a Southern...

PCF Acquires John E. Peakes Insurance Agency in California

Aug 19 2022 // PCF Insurance Services acquired John E. Peakes Insurance Agency Inc. in Ventura, California. John E. Peakes is a family-owned, personal lines agency. They offer personal, business, gym, fitness studios, restaurants, and...

Former California Insurance Agent Arrested for Theft, Operating Fraudulent Agency

Aug 19 2022 // Francis Okyere, 70, a previously licensed insurance agent in Westlake Village, California, was arrested in relation to a scheme that involved him allegedly stealing multiple victims’ identities and using them to open...

California Announces $1.9M Settlement with Health Insurer

Aug 18 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a major settlement with National Health Insurance Co. The California Department of Insurance alleged that the company continuously violated California law since 2015...

People Moves: California Commissioner Names COIN Appointees; Alliant Adds Kaufman

Aug 18 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently announced reappointments to the California Organized Investment Network Advisory Board and the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan Advisory Committee. They...

California Insurance Commissioner Orders Moratorium on Cancellations, Non-Renewals Following Wildfires

Aug 15 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has ordered insurers to preserve residential insurance coverage for 8,500 affected homes following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration as wildfires in Siskiyou...

Alleged Head of California Auto Insurance Fraud Crew Arraigned on 39 Felony Counts

Aug 15 2022 // Branden Heywood, 30, of Chino, California was arraigned on 39 felony counts of insurance fraud after an investigation found he allegedly acted as the leader of a “paper collision” ring to collect more than...

Pipeline Company to Pay Nearly $1M for California Oil Spill

Aug 15 2022 // The owner of an underwater oil pipeline that spilled some 25,000 gallons of crude into the ocean off Southern California last year will pay nearly $1 million in cleanup costs. The Orange County Board of Supervisors agreed...

California Insurance Commissioner: Mercury Steered ‘Good Drivers’ Toward Higher-Priced

Aug 15 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a legal action in early August against Mercury Insurance for reportedly violating consumer protection laws, including selling Mercury’s highest-priced policy...

California’s Largest Wildfire Now 60% Contained

Aug 10 2022 // California’s largest wildfire so far this year has so far burned more than 60,000 acres, but it is now 60% contained. The McKinney Fire broke out on July 29 in an unpopulated area in Klamath National Forest. The fire...

Climate Migration: California Wildfire Pushes Family to Vermont ‘Climate Haven’

Aug 9 2022 // PROCTOR, Vt. (AP) — Weeks after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Holden family just wanted a new home. The family of seven couldn’t find anything nearby to...

Fire Victims Seek $85M for Damages in Fire that Covered California and Nevada

Aug 8 2022 // People who lost their homes and property in last summer’s Tamarack Fire in northern Nevada and California have filed a claim against the U.S. Forest Service seeking more than $85 million. The filing by attorney Bill...

Bus in California Went off Highway, Injuring 24

Aug 5 2022 // A bus traveling from Los Angeles to Fresno crashed after it went off a highway, broke through a chain link fence and came to a rest on its side in a parking lot, injuring 24 people, authorities said. The driver of the...

Surveillance, Posts Lead to Arrest of California Mechanic for Workers’ Comp Fraud

Aug 5 2022 // Richard James McGee, 47, of San Bernardino, California, was arraigned today on two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud after a California Department of Insurance investigation found he allegedly...

California’s Largest Wildfire Got Very Little Help from Rainfall

Aug 4 2022 // California’s largest wildfire so far this year has so far charred nearly 90 square miles, getting only a little help from rainfall in the area this week. The wildfire, which is now listed as 10% contained, broke out...

EIS Acquires California-based Enterprise Business Solutions from Lemonade

Aug 4 2022 // EIS, a system and digital insurance platform provider, has acquired San Francisco, California-based Metromile’s Enterprise Business Solutions, a SaaS-based claims automation and fraud detection system from...

Rent-A-Center Settles California Lawsuit Alleging Overpricing

Aug 4 2022 // Rent-A-Center, one of the nation’s largest rent-to-own companies, will pay $15.5 million to settle California’s allegations that it misled and overcharged tens of thousands of customers, Attorney General Rob...

McKinney Fire in California Growing, Still out of Control

Aug 3 2022 // The McKinney Fire in Northern California was still out of control on Wednesday despite cloudy, cooler conditions on Tuesday night. The fire has burned nearly 90 square miles since it started on Friday in an unpopulated...

Settlement Blocks New Federal Fracking Leases in California

Aug 3 2022 // Leasing for new oil and gas drilling on federal land in central California is temporarily blocked under a settlement announced this week between the state and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The deal, which still needs...