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Politico – The insurance race is on fire
By Camille Von Kaenel, POLITICO
With help from Noah Baustin and Alex Nieves
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2026/02/12/the-insurance-race-is-on-fire-00779666?template_id=OT5J0E7B7DD7&is_login_link=true
FIRE SALE: The race for California insurance commissioner has gone from sleeper to slugfest.
Years of record-breaking wildfires have sparked a wave of insurance rate hikes and cancellations, hitting...
New York Times – Three Hours of Free Power? Ideas to Lower Utility Bills.
By Ivan Penn and Rebecca F. Elliott, NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/business/energy-environment/energy-bills-costs-states-trump-power-plants.html
Energy experts said governors and legislatures had tools to keep electricity prices from rising further, and might even be able to lower them.
President Trump and Democratic and Republican governors...
Politico – Kern County knows the drill
By Noah Baustin, POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2026/02/04/kern-county-knows-the-drill-00766419?nname=california-climate&nid=00000189-315c-d8dd-a1ed-797dc9f10000&nrid=0000014f-890a-d780-a9ef-9d7a82c30000%3Fexperience_id%3DEXYF89KVT5UQ&template_id=OT5J0E7B7DD7&is_login_link=true
YOU GET A PERMIT: If you sign it, they will drill.
So seems to be the truism of SB 237, the oil-production jewel of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sprawling energy policy package last year. In the month since SB...
KVPR – Bakersfield obstetrician barred from practicing medicine until he passes competency exam
By Kerry Klein, KVPR
https://www.kvpr.org/local-news/2026-01-29/bakersfield-obstetrician-barred-from-practicing-medicine-until-he-passes-competency-exam
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A Kern County obstetrician has been ordered to temporarily stop practicing medicine for not upholding a condition of medical probation.
Dr. Hans Yu, an osteopathic physician with a practice in Bakersfield, has been treating...
Pasadena Star News – Fire survivors host Sen. Pérez in virtual town hall
By Anissa Rivera, PASADENA STAR NEWS
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2026/01/20/brief-eaton-fire-survivors-host-sen-perez-in-virtual-town-hall/
Eaton fire survivors can delve into two new bills with state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez designed to fix the transparency and enforcement failures advocates said are stalling recovery.
All are welcome to a virtual...
New York Times – Uber Faces Growing Pressure Over Sexual Assault Record
From the ballot box in California to the halls of Congress and Wall Street, several new initiatives would require more oversight of how the company protects its passengers.
By Emily Steel, NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/business/uber-scrutiny-sexual-assault.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GFA.yS9t.oZMjvq9pK4nY&smid=em-share
Uber faces mounting scrutiny across the...
Los Angeles Times – Uber — a target of car crash lawsuits — pushes for law to limit California lawyer fees
By Rebecca Ellis, LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-17/uber-personal-injury-lawsuits-california-law
The long-simmering fight between some of L.A.'s best-known billboard attorneys and Uber, one of their most frequent targets, is poised to spill out of the courtroom and onto the November ballot.
The ride-hailing giant...
Bakersfield.com – State medical board tells Bakersfield OB/GYN to stop practicing medicine
By Jon Cox, BAKERSFIELD.COM
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/state-medical-board-tells-bakersfield-ob-gyn-to-stop-practicing-medicine/article_2a71b96d-937a-4b54-8900-f76524206ff8.html
A Bakersfield obstetrician-gynecologist has been ordered to stop practicing medicine, at least temporarily, after he failed a competency exam following accusations of negligence.
The Osteopathic Medical Board of California revoked Dr. Hans Yu’s certification effective June...
Orange County Register – California insurance chief keeps ‘chin up’ ahead of FAIR Plan, policy reforms
Instead of heeding calls to resign, Ricardo Lara is working on FAIR Plan reform and holding insurers accountable in fire-prone zones.
By PAT MAIO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/01/16/california-insurance-chief-keeps-chin-up-ahead-of-fair-plan-policy-reforms/
A few weeks after California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara rattled consumer groups with a proposed...
Los Angeles Times – Wildfire victims decry state law protecting utilities from cost of disasters they cause
By Melody Petersen, LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-01-16/wildfire-victims-decry-state-law-protecting-utilities-from-cost-of-disasters-they-cause
A year after the Eaton fire, survivors and the state’s electric utilities are clashing over whether state law should continue to protect the companies from the cost of disastrous wildfires they ignite.
Southern California Edison...
Los Angeles Times Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist Michael Hiltzik: Uber is trying to snow voters with a supposedly pro-consumer ballot initiative. Don’t buy it
By Michael Hiltzik, LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-01-16/uber-tries-to-snow-voters-with-supposedly-pro-consumer-ballot-initiative
Uber loves to define itself as a most public-spirited company.
“We’re reimagining how the world moves ... to help make transportation more affordable, sustainable, and accessible for all,” as the ride-sharing giant declares on its website.
In...
The Press Democrats – How corporate leaders and donors shaped Newsom’s biggest policy pivots
By Ethan Varian, THE PRESS DEMOCRATS
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/01/14/newsom-scheduling-calendar-2025/
On June 23, Gov. Gavin Newsom had a scheduled call with Mark Lashier, the chief executive of Phillips 66 months after the oil giant announced it would shut down a major Los Angeles...
KNX-AM (Radio): The California Fair Plan Is Taking On More Home Insurance Policies
By Staff Reporters, KNX-AM – Los Angeles, CA:
Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
KCBS-AM (Radio): On Average Rate Payers Will See A Nearly 7% Increase In Home Insurance Premiums
By Staff Reporters, KCBS-AM – Los Angeles, CA:
Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
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