Business News
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- Written by: California Department of Insurance
The action furthers Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s Nov. 14 order, which revoked portions of the FAIR Plan’s current plan of operation and ordered the “insurer of last resort” to make changes to its plan to better serve and protect California homeowners.
The FAIR Plan is required under Insurance Code section 10095(f) to submit a plan of operation within 30 days of the Nov. 14 order. The FAIR Plan failed to do that and decided to sue the Department instead.
Commissioner Lara is taking this action to help homeowners find adequate coverage to protect their homes by ordering the FAIR Plan to offer a comprehensive policy, known as HO-3 coverage, in addition to its current dwelling fire-only coverage by June 1, 2020, with traditional homeowner features, such as coverage for water damage and personal liability.
The revised plan also requires the FAIR Plan to expand its coverage limits from $1.5 million to $3 million and to offer consumers a monthly payment plan and the ability to pay by credit card or electronic funds transfer all without fees.
These actions are also following up on requests made by countless wildfire survivors who are finding themselves without comprehensive insurance coverage from the admitted insurance marketplace and who, instead, have to rely on the FAIR Plan for their only homeowners coverage.
“My department issued this revised plan of operation to show we are moving forward as required by law to protect homeowners throughout the state,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “The FAIR Plan has become the only permanent option for many homeowners abandoned by the private insurance market. This plan will provide homeowners with the option of basic coverage they deserve in order to feel safe and protect our local economies from the state’s growing insurance availability crisis.”
The new plan of operation requires the FAIR Plan to file a rate application for the HO-3 coverage option only for review and approval by the Department.
The FAIR Plan may also file any rate or rule application necessary to implement the increased $3 million maximum limits of liability.
HO-3 coverage will save consumers from having to purchase a second companion policy to cover other hazards such as liability, water damage, and theft.
While the FAIR Plan is intended as a temporary solution until consumers can find insurance on the standard market, it is important that its product mirrors traditional coverage as much as possible.
Many of the affected California homeowners have already been inconvenienced by planned power outages by utilities, mandatory evacuations, and repeated wildfire threats year after year.
Requiring these same homeowners to have to piece together multiple policies to achieve full coverage is needlessly burdensome and costly.
"As a 30-year resident with no insurance claims, the notice of non-renewal from my insurance company felt like a betrayal, especially after the rate increases over the past five years," said Brenda Meyer, Realtor/broker and board director of the East Valley Association of Realtors, located in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. "My only option was the California FAIR Plan and I knew I needed more coverage than it currently provided. The FAIR Plan modifications that many of us have asked for will be helpful to our clients so they can make informed decisions, and the added payment convenience is a necessity for many struggling owners."
This change is in addition to other changes that Commissioner Lara convinced the FAIR Plan to undertake earlier this year, including providing more transparency in their meetings and allowing the Department of Insurance to participate in those meetings as well as mandating the FAIR Plan obtain Department approval prior to disbursing any operating profits back to participating insurers.
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- Written by: Napa County District Attorney's Office
Fashion Nova is a retailer that operates in the “fast fashion” industry. “Fast fashion” refers to clothing that moves rapidly from popular culture to mass production and retail sale. The majority of Fashion Nova’s sales take place on its website.
The civil action alleges that Fashion Nova violated consumers’ rights by repeatedly failing to fulfill and ship orders within the legally mandated time frame.
The complaint alleges that Fashion Nova repeatedly violated a California law that requires it to ship items to California consumers within 30 days of their orders, and failed to provide adequate delay notices.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that Fashion Nova committed other violations of the law, such as failing to adequately disclose its return policy on the website.
“Online shoppers should feel confident that the retailers with whom they do business will deliver what they promise when they promise, within the bounds of California law,” Deputy District Attorney Katy Yount said. “This consumer protection action not only ensures that, but also protects retailers who expend time and money to play by the rules.”
The judgment includes an injunction to prevent further violations of law and requires Fashion Nova to pay approximately $250,000 in direct restitution to consumers.
Without admitting liability, Fashion Nova was further ordered to pay $1.5 million in costs, penalties and other remedial payments.
The company cooperated in the investigation and agreed to make changes to its business practices.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Delays due to quality only affect the Dungeness crab fishery in this area (Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9). Dungeness crab quality test results from Dec. 17, 2019 met the minimum guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee.
Director Charlton H. Bonham had announced a delay to Dec. 31 based on the last round of tests conducted on Dec. 3, 2019, but with these new results no additional delay is warranted.
Tri-State managers met this morning to determine that their respective Dungeness crab fisheries would open coastwide within the Tri-State region on Dec. 31, 2019.
No vessel may take or land crab in an area closed for a meat quality delay (i.e., Fish and Game districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 through Dec. 30).
In addition, any vessel that takes, possesses onboard or lands crab from ocean waters outside of a delayed area is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in any delayed area for 30 days following the opening of those areas.
Permitted vessels that have already participated in the Dec. 15 opener south of the Sonoma-Mendocino county line would not be able to set gear in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties until 12:01 am Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.
This applies to any delayed areas in Oregon and Washington as well. For more information, please see CDFW's Frequently Asked Questions regarding the 2019-2020 Dungeness crab commercial season.
To help minimize the risk of whale and sea turtle entanglement in trap gear, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends implementation of Best Fishing Practicesdeveloped by the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group.
This includes following guidance on surface-gear set-up, reducing excess line, using neutralbuoyancy line and minimizing knots and lead.
For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Whale-Safe-Fisheries and www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.
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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
"The BIFS grants program has helped establish some long-lasting, valuable Integrated Pest Management agricultural systems,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “BIFS practices have been found to reduce pesticide use, including chlorpyrifos and other organophosphate insecticides; improve soil fertility; decrease erosion and nitrogen leaching; and increase populations of beneficial insects, fishes, birds and game – all of which are very important in creating sustainable, climate-smart agricultural operations.”
The new BIFS project, which will last for four years, received strong support from the winegrape industry.
A review committee composed of scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of California, California State University, state government, and a private pest control advisor reviewed and scored a number of proposals and made the award recommendation to CDFA.
Grant project leader Dr. Kent Daane of UC Berkeley and collaborators will receive $1 million in funding for “Refinement and Implementation of an Areawide Program for Vineyard Pathogens and their Insect Vectors.”
This project will establish two demonstration blocks of at least 1,000-acres each where pheromone disruption tools will be used to control vine mealybug, the insect responsible for vectoring grape leafroll disease, or GLD.
Vines infected with GLD will also be systematically removed to prevent the spread of this economically devastating disease. The project work will be done in the Lodi and Central Coast winegrape regions.
The goal of the BIFS grant program is to demonstrate and refine integrated pest management (IPM) programs designed to reduce chemical insecticide inputs, especially non-selective, biologically disruptive insecticides with higher risk to human health and the environment.
Projects foster farmer-to-farmer information exchanges and on-farm demonstrations of IPM practices while allowing growers to maintain yields and quality. Outreach efforts bring together scientists, farmers and consultants in a collaborative, co-learning environment that enables farmers to learn and adapt farming practices to local conditions.
Detailed information on this program, including the application process and application requirements, is available at: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/opca/bifs.html .
Gov. Newsom proposed funding for this grant program and the Legislature approved it in the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis’s budget to help California’s farmers transition away from the insecticide chlorpyrifos.
The Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis provides consultation to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation on pesticide regulatory matters, and consultative activities focus on potential pesticide regulatory impacts and pest management alternatives that may mitigate or prevent such impacts on production agriculture.
The office’s staff are also involved in other projects relating to pesticide use and alternatives.
Information on the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis is available at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/opca/.
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