Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
California Commissioner Orders Cancellation Moratorium for Wildfires
Aug 2 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara this week ordered insurers to preserve residential insurance coverage for the county of Mariposa following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration. Lara’s order...
2 Bodies Found Inside Vehicle in Path of Big California Wildfire
Aug 2 2022 // Authorities said two bodies were found inside a burned vehicle in the path of a raging Northern California wildfire that is one of several major blazes burning across the U.S. West amid hot, dry, gusty conditions. The...
Reports: GEICO Closing All Offices in California
Aug 1 2022 // GEICO is closing all of its offices in California, according to reports. The company shut down all of its 38 offices in the state and hundreds of GEICO workers are being laid off, the news website SFGate is...
California Seeing Largest Wildfire of 2022 at 80 Square Miles
Aug 1 2022 // A wildfire in Northern California was burning out of control on Monday amid exacerbating conditions that pose the dangers of thunderstorms, and hot, windy conditions. The McKinney Fire grew rapidly to more than 80 square...
California Insurance Commissioner: Mercury Steered ‘Good Drivers’ Toward Higher-Priced Policies
Aug 1 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a legal action on Monday against Mercury Insurance for reportedly violating consumer protection laws, including selling Mercury’s highest-priced policy to...
California Surplus Lines Association Lowering Stamping Fee
Aug 1 2022 // The Surplus Line Association of California board voted to drop the association’s stamping fee to 0.18%. Effective Jan. 1, 2023, the stamping fee will adjust downward from its current 0.25% level that took effect on...
California Insurance Commissioner Leaves Workers’ Comp Benchmark Rate
Aug 1 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted and issued a rate for workers’ compensation insurance pure premium that he said reflects California’s still-recovering economy. Lara’s action...
Pipeline Company to Pay Nearly $1M for California Oil Spill
Jul 29 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 on...
AM Best Removes Golden Bear in California from Under Review and Affirms Credit Ratings
Jul 28 2022 // AM Best removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” (Excellent) of Golden...
California City Paying $1.5M to Fired Police Chief After Verdict
Jul 28 2022 // The Oakland City Council approved a $1.5 million payout for a former police chief who won her whistleblower claim against the city after she alleged she was fired for calling out unethical behavior by the civilian...
Report: California Workers’ Comp Written Premium Down in 2021
Jul 27 2022 // Written premium for 2021 was 1.4% below that for 2020 and is the lowest since 2012, a new report shows. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California issued its quarterly report on written premium,...
California Commissioner Announces Action to Protect Residents from Non-Renewals
Jul 26 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Tuesday sent out a message to residents in Mariposa County who have been ordered to evacuate due to the Oak Fire that they may have homeowners or renters insurance to help...
Firefighters Slow Growth of Massive California Blaze Near Yosemite
Jul 26 2022 // Firefighters have significantly slowed the spread of a huge wildfire burning in a forest near Yosemite National Park that burned 55 homes and other buildings and forced thousands from their homes, officials said...