You expect your car insurance rates to increase after you buy a new vehicle, cause a crash or add a young driver to your policy. But some insurers jack up prices based on seemingly unrelated data — like your magazine subscriptions or what groceries you buy. Even if you have...
California Threatened With Funds Loss Over Abortion Coverage
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday threatened California with a potential loss of federal health care funds over the state's requirement that insurance plans cover abortions. The announcement, timed to coincide with the anti-abortion March for Life in the nation's capital, came hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled...
Wildfires Cause Turmoil in CA Property Insurance Market
NEW YORK — Kent Michitsch seemed to be running out of traditional options to insure the home he’s lived in for more than 30 years northeast of San Diego as California’s massive property insurance market reels from three consecutive years of destructive wildfires. Michitsch, 57, has received three non-renewal notices...
Californians Aren’t Getting the Mental Health Care They’re Legally Guaranteed. Why Not?
State Sen. Jim Beall is angry. Four times now, he has introduced legislation to better enforce state and federal “parity” laws, which require equal treatment of mental and physical health problems. Four times, that legislation has failed. As he enters his final year in the Legislature, the San Jose Democrat...
Las Vegas to California Traffic Backup Tops 20 Miles
LAS VEGAS — Holiday travelers returning to California from the Las Vegas area caused a severe backup lasting for more than 20 miles. The westbound lanes of Interstate 15 moved at a trickle Sunday as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend wrapped up. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada says the...
California Insurers Drop Policies in High-Fire Risk Areas
SACRAMENTO — New California data shows insurance companies declined to renew nearly 350,000 home insurance policies in areas at high risk for wildfire since the state began collecting data in 2015. The data released this week did not say how many people who lost their insurance were able to purchase...
How to Help Small Business Owners Afford Health Care
Alma Beltran owns a successful small business, but that doesn’t mean she can afford health care for herself and her family. In fact, the Chula Vista entrepreneur, who is president of Graphic Image Label Inc., is facing a hard choice between the health of her loved ones and the health...
California Signs Deal With 4 Automakers to Raise Gas Mileage
DETROIT — Four major automakers have reached a deal with California to increase gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions standards, bypassing the Trump administration's plan to freeze standards at 2021 levels. Ford, BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen are parties to the deal with the California Air Resources Board, which had been...
In Newsom’s ‘California for All’ Budget, Undocumented Immigrants Aren't Included
The California Legislature has passed the state budget that included funding to expand MediCal eligibility to undocumented residents under the age of 26. The expansion is projected to aid 90,000 young adults who are living at the brink of poverty, earning less than $16,395 per year in the state. Though a step in the...
Insurance Claims from Deadly California Wildfires Top $12B
SACRAMENTO — Insurance claims have topped $12 billion for the November wildfires in California, making them the most expensive in state history. The figure released Wednesday by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara covers the fire that largely destroyed the town of Paradise and two Southern California blazes. It's up about $600...