Latest California Headlines

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

Northern California Wildfire Rages; More Deaths, Evacuations Reported

Jul 30 2018 // Thousands of dazed evacuees struggled to keep their emotions in check while trying to take care of themselves and their pets as a deadly wildfire in Northern California raged into its fourth day.Anna Noland, 49, was...

Northern California Wildfire Kills One; Hundreds Evacuate

Jul 27 2018 // At least one person died in a wildfire that swept through Northern California, destroying buildings and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate late Thursday.The blaze, which killed a bulldozer operator working on fire...

Fires, Floods & Heatwaves on 3 Continents: Blame the Jet Stream, a Warming World

Jul 27 2018 // Sweltering? Swimming? Choking on wildfire smoke? Blame it on the jet stream and a warming world.Kinked, buckled, stuck or stalled, it doesn’t matter how you describe it, the jet stream — the ribbon of wind that...

Five Key Takeaways from California’s Watershed Privacy Law

Jul 27 2018 // California recently enacted a sweeping new privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which is likely to have broad implications for organizations providing services to, or collecting data from, California...

California Workers’ Comp Changes Helping System, Division Chief Says

Jul 27 2018 // California’s workers’ compensation system has undergone numerous changes since the implementation of the sweeping reforms that started in 2013 with Senate Bill 863.In the last few years medical provider fraud...

PG&E to California Governor on Fire Liability Plan: It’s Not Enough

Jul 26 2018 // California Governor Jerry Brown issued a plan this week to help the state’s embattled utilities facing liabilities from wildfires. For PG&E Corp., it’s not good enough.“It’s insufficient,”...

9 California Restaurants Cited for Failing to Provide Workers’ Comp

Jul 26 2018 // A joint enforcement strike force issued more than $200,000 in administrative fines to nine Contra Costa County, Calif. restaurants for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance.Investigators from the Contra...

California Governor Taking PG&E Closer to Fire Law Changes

Jul 25 2018 // California utility giants PG&E Corp. and Edison International are one step closer to changing a state law that has exposed them to billions of dollars in wildfire liabilities.Late Tuesday, California Gov. Jerry Brown...

California Wildfire Continues to Grow Near Yosemite

Jul 24 2018 // California firefighters worked in worsening heat Monday to contain a forest fire outside Yosemite National Park.The Ferguson Fire had scorched nearly 53 square miles of timber and brush in the Sierra Nevada west of...

What’s New in Today’s Construction Insurance Market

Jul 23 2018 // Brokers who specialize in the construction industry love their clients and are very committed to keeping up with their needs. Ask them, “So what’s new?” and the conversations inevitably veer off in...

Texas Stamping Office: National E&S Insurance Premium Up 9.4% at Mid-Year

Jul 23 2018 // Excess and surplus lines (E&S) insurance premium recorded by the 15 managing service offices in the United States increased 9.4 percent as of the 2018 mid-year point, the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX)...

Warren G. Bender Co. in California Names Wood Personal Lines Manager

Jul 23 2018 // Warren G. Bender Co. in Northern California has named Jeffrey Wood manager of its personal lines department. He has 21 years of experience in personal insurance. He was previously an agent with Albano, Dale, Dunn &...

Study Examines California Worker’s Comp Prescription Drug Outcomes Under New Formulary

Jul 20 2018 // A new analysis offers a preliminary look at Utilization Review and Independent Medical Review outcomes involving pharmaceutical requests for California injured workers since the state implemented a workers’...

Lyft Will Beef Up Background Checks Following California Driver Arrest

Jul 20 2018 // Ridesharing company Lyft said Wednesday that it’s beefing up its background checks after a driver arrested for rape was found to be in the United States illegally.The company’s “enhanced detection...

California Suspect in Serial Rapes Was a Lyft Driver

Jul 19 2018 // Ridesharing company Lyft said this week that it’s investigating how a former driver now charged in a series of rapes passed a background check even though federal immigration officials say the suspect was living in...

WSS California Operation Adds Bertram, McLeod

Jul 18 2018 // WSS, part of XPT, a new specialty insurance distribution company, has named Lynn Bertram senior broker/underwriter in the commercial lines department, while Stefanie McLeod will serve as vice president and senior...

Paragon Opens New Office in California, Adds Etzler as Director of Workers’ Comp

Jul 18 2018 // Paragon Insurance Holdings LLC is expanding in San Diego, Calif. with the opening of a new office in downtown and the hiring of Robert Etzler. He will serve as senior vice president and director of workers’...

Mueller Industries Settles Disability Discrimination Suit in California for $1M

Jul 17 2018 // The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has settled a disability discrimination lawsuit in California against a global metal goods manufacturer Mueller Industries Inc. for $1 million and other injunctive...

The Dentists Insurance Co. in California Names Spinelli CEO

Jul 17 2018 // The boards of directors for the Sacramento, Calif.-based Dentists Insurance Co., Northwest Dentists Insurance Co. and Dentists Benefits Insurance Co. have named Bob Spinelli president and CEO.In addition to leading all...

Workers’ Comp ‘Disruptor’ Launching in California for Injured Farm Employees

Jul 16 2018 // An insurtech startup says it will disrupt California’s workers’ compensation system with “technology-enabled triage and care coordination” for California Farm Management.ChronWell, a mobile platform...