Latest California Headlines

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

Judge Recommends Approving 17% State Farm Rate Hike in California

May 13 2025 // It looks like California’s largest homeowners insurer is getting a large rate increase following billions of dollars in losses from the Los Angeles wildfires and pullback on writing new policies in the...

Family of Helicopter Pilot Killed in California Wildfire Reaches $15M Settlement

May 13 2025 // The family of a helicopter pilot who died when his helicopter crashed while fighting a wildfire in Southern California reached a $15 million settlement with the company that maintained the aircraft, their attorneys...

Tesla Driver Charged in California Attacks Arrested Again for Road Rage in Hawaii

May 12 2025 // A Tesla driver charged with attacking motorists’ vehicles with a pipe in the Los Angeles area has been arrested again for allegedly assaulting two women during a road rage incident in Honolulu.The recent arrest comes...

People Moves: Rothwell Joins Cowbell in California as Controller

May 12 2025 // Vivien RothwellVivien Rothwell joined Cowbell as controller. Rothwell has more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance and accounting, working across the real estate, insurance, and FinTech sectors.Rothwell began...

California Labor Commissioner Fines Care Facility $40,000 in Retaliation Case

May 8 2025 // A mental healthcare facility was ordered to pay $40,460 after the California Labor Commissioner’s Office found the company unlawfully terminated a care facility worker for reporting workplace violations.The LCO cited...

California Electrical Firm Pays $1.4M for Fair Labor Violations

May 7 2025 // A San Jose, California-based electrical engineering and construction company paid $1.4 million for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. The U.S. Department of Labor found Cupertino Electric Inc. failed to pay proper...

California Labor Commissioner Cites University and Contractors

May 7 2025 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Pepperdine University and four janitorial contractors after an investigation reportedly found violations of state janitorial registration laws.The labor commissioner...

Driver of Tour Van Involved in Deadly Idaho Crash Was Licensed in California

May 5 2025 // Idaho State Police said the driver of the tour van involved in a deadly collision with a pickup truck was licensed in California and the company that organized the trip was Ctour Holiday LLC, a large tour operator that...

Travelers Income Drops 65% on Catastrophe Losses, Primarily California Wildfires

May 5 2025 // The Travelers Cos. said first-quarter 2025 fell 65% on an underwriting loss of $305 million.Travelers posted first-quarter net income of about $395 million compared to about $1.1 billion during Q1 2024. The underwriting...

California Sets Aside $170M to Thin Vegetation, Forests to Help Prevent Wildfires

May 5 2025 // Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation on Monday that will provide more than $170 million in state funding to help prevent wildfires while signing an order aimed at speeding up the work by easing environmental...

California Attorney General Suing Cleaning Company Over ‘No-Poach’ Deals

May 2 2025 // California’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against a national sanitation company for allegedly using “no-poach” agreements.California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit this week...

California’s Ban on Gasoline Cars Is Overturned by US House Vote

May 1 2025 // Republicans moved a step closer Thursday to repealing a federal waiver allowing California to ban gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a policy that had drawn opposition from automakers, fuel producers and President Donald Trump...

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Submits Higher 2025 Pure Premium Rate Filing

May 1 2025 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California submitted a September 1, 2025 pure premium rate filing, proposing advisory pure premium rates on average 11.2% above the average approved September 1,...

Bill to Address California Wildfire And Insurance Crises Moving Through Legislature

Apr 30 2025 // A California Assembly committee advanced a bill designed to deal with the state’s wildfire and insurance crises.The California Safe Homes Act, Assembly Bill 888, passed out of the Assembly Insurance Committee on a...

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

Apr 29 2025 // California regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy duty trucks on public roads.The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced proposed regulations last week to allow the...

California Wildfire Losses Cause 16% Fall in The Hartford’s Q1 Net Income

Apr 25 2025 // Net income at The Hartford decreased 16% to $630 million in the first quarter 2025, driven by losses from the California wildfires.Property/casualty catastrophe losses for Q1 2025 were $467 million pretax—$325 million,...

Medical Evaluator Demand Grows in California Workers’ Comp System

Apr 25 2025 // The number of qualified medical evaluators in California’s workers’ compensation system has increased since 2019, but the demand for their services has overtaken this growth, a new analysis shows.Between 2019...

People Moves: SCM Names Valenzuela VP and Bond Manager; Breiter Joins Alliant in California

Apr 24 2025 // Valenzuela Joins SCM as Vice President and Bond ManagerAdriana Valenzuela SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services named Adriana Valenzuela vice president and bond manager.Before joining SCM, Valenzuela managed the surety...

Viewpoint: What Tariffs, Steel Prices Mean for E&S Construction Insurance in California

Apr 24 2025 // Steel prices have been anything but steady in recent years. With renewed discussions around tariffs and trade restrictions, another wave of volatility may be on the horizon.While much attention is paid to how rising...

A California New Car Group Sues Volkswagen and Affiliate for Violating Franchise Laws

Apr 24 2025 // The California New Car Dealers Association filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen and its affiliate, Scout Motors, for allegedly violating California’s franchise laws.The CNCDA lawsuit, filed in in San Diego County...