Consumer Watchdog

Sacramento Bee – Allstate, State Farm seek limited rollout of new California home insurance policies

By Don Sweeney, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article317283644.html After freezing new home insurance policies in California in 2022 and 2023, Allstate and State Farm…

Law 360 – State Farm Plans Calif. Return For Fire-Hardened Homes

By Hope Patti, LAW360 More than three years after announcing it would no longer sell new homeowners insurance policies in California, State…

Daily Journal – 9th Circuit asks state Supreme Court to resolve major Prop. 103 insurance dispute

By Craig Anderson, DAILY JOURNAL The 9th Circuit asked California’s high court to decide whether USAA may charge enlisted servicemembers higher auto…

DeSmog – Carbon Capture Is Booming. So Is the Push to Shift Oversight to States

By Sarah Hofmann, DESMOG https://www.desmog.com/2026/09/11/carbon-capture-is-booming-so-is-the-push-to-shift-oversight-to-states/ In southern Alabama, a major underground carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, the Pine Hills Storage Hub, (opens…

Law360 – 9th Circ. Seeks Calif. Justices’ Input On USAA Rate Bias Row

By Hope Patti, LAW360 Law360 (September 10, 2026, 6:43 PM EDT) — The Ninth Circuit on Thursday sought the California Supreme Court’s…

Press Enterprise – Edison pushes for special legislative session on wildfire liability reform

By Tony Saavedra, PRESS ENTERPRISE https://www.pressenterprise.com/2026/09/09/edison-pushes-for-special-legislative-session-on-wildfire-liability-reform/ With the recent meltdown of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to reform wildfire liability, Rosemead-based Edison International…

Consumer Alert: Who’s Really Backing Big Oil in the Supreme Court Climate Deception Case?

CalMatters – What California’s insurance commissioner does — and how it affects your wallet

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2026/09/ca-insurance-commissioner-power/ In November, California voters will choose who oversees one of the biggest insurance markets in the world.…

Politico – The pickleball organizer who helped kill Newsom’s wildfire plan

By  CAMILLE VON KAENEL, POLITICO https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-currents/2026/09/04/the-pickleball-organizer-who-helped-kill-newsoms-wildfire-plan-01066151 With help from Alex Nieves and Marisa Guerra Echeverria WHAT’S AFTER FIRE: Joy Chen was organizing pickleball games in…

Los Angeles Times – George Joseph, pioneering Mercury General founder, dies at 104

By Laurence Sarmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-09-04/george-joseph-pioneering-mercury-general-founder-dies-at-104 George Joseph came of age during the Great Depression, a calamity that left with him…

Orange County Register – State wildfire reform deal dies at last-minute amid pushback from Edison, PG&E

By Tony Saavedra, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER https://www.ocregister.com/2026/09/01/wildfire-reform-proposal-dies-at-the-last-minute-amid-pushback-from-edison-pge-sempra After months of negotiations and a last-minute compromise, a once-vaunted wildfire liability plan was killed…

The Sacramento Bee – PG&E CEO: Company reducing work after lack of action by California Legislature

By Stephen Hobbs, THE SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article317102668.html Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the major California utility, announced Wednesday that it was deferring…

Politico – ‘The incredible missing man’

By By MELANIE MASON, DUSTIN GARDINER and BLAKE JONES, POLITICO https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/09/03/the-incredible-missing-man-01063174 Gavin Newsom had his successor in his mind when he pushed…

Los Angeles Times – Bill that would have allowed insurers to track driving habits dies in California Legislature

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-09-02/bill-that-would-have-allowed-insurers-to-track-driving-habits-dies-in-california-legislature A bill that would have allowed California insurers to track motorists driving habits in exchange for potentially lower rates has come to a dead end.…

The Mercury News – California Legislature withdraws a controversial wildfire liability bill. What now?

By Rob Nikolewski, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/09/02/california-legislature-withdraws-a-controversial-wildfire-liability-bill-what-now A hectic legislative session ended Tuesday with lawmakers in Sacramento withdrawing a last-minute and controversial wildfire…

Mercury News – PG&E to scale back spending following failure of wildfire liability bill

By George Avalos, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/09/02/pge-fire-electric-gas-oakland-california-bill-economy-home-build-jobs OAKLAND — PG&E said Wednesday it will defer $2 billion in planned spending next year, a move…

San Francisco Chronicle – PG&E says it will scale back planned work after California wildfire reforms fail

By Megan Fan Munce, Kathryn Palmer, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/pge-ceo-politics-bill-22414649.php Pacific Gas & Electric Co. will defer $2 billion in connections to new renewable-energy…

Los Angeles Times – California lawmakers kill wildfire bill after utility complaints

By Melody Petersen, Dakota Smith, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-09-01/state-lawmakers-kill-wildfire-bill-after-utility-complaints Legislation that would have helped wildfire victims receive compensation more quickly but that…