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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 26 November 2019

SACRAMENTO – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued an emergency notice to all property and casualty insurance companies doing business in California, requesting they expedite claims handling for California wildfire survivors in order to help them begin the recovery and rebuilding process more quickly.

Survivors of the recent fires in Northern and Southern California face the long and painful task of recovery, which often includes trying to inventory lost possessions and reconstruct destroyed or missing documents.

“I have met with many wildfire survivors since taking office, and they need immediate help to start the rebuilding process, not red tape and unnecessary paperwork that adds to their problems,” said Commissioner Lara. “These expedited claims handling procedures will give policyholders the help they need, and I urge insurers to do the right thing for these survivors.”

Commissioner Lara is asking insurance companies to provide greater flexibility to survivors affected by wildfires across the state with some deadlines and documentation typically required to pay claims, including:

– Minimum four-month advance payment of loss of use, fair rental value or additional living expenses;
– Minimum 60-day billing grace period to allow for lost or destroyed renewal notices;
– Advance payment of at least 25 percent of policy limits for personal property – without the completion of an inventory;
– Accepting any inventory form that contains substantially the same information as a company-specific form;
– Accepting an inventory that includes groupings of personal property, such as clothing, shoes, books, or food items rather than listing individual item;
– Expediting payment of vehicle damage claims covered under comprehensive loss coverage
Cooperating with consolidated debris removal efforts coordinated through city, county, and state agencies, unless the insurer can provide more rapid debris removal outside of this effort.

The Department of Insurance has issued similar notices after other devastating fires, including the Camp, Woolsey and Hill fires in 2018.

Virtually all insurers heeded the commissioner’s call during previous fires when similar notices were sent out. This notice is also in recognition of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s declared states of emergencies related to the wildfires.

This notice builds on the department’s recent actions to help California consumers facing wildfire risk.

Earlier this month, Commissioner Lara ordered the FAIR Plan — California’s insurer of last resort — to help homeowners find adequate coverage by offering a comprehensive policy in addition to its current dwelling fire-only coverage by June 1, 2020, and taking other steps to modernize its options.

Commissioner Lara has met with more than 2,000 Californians at community roundtables in nine counties across the state to discuss wildfire insurance issues, and he mobilized the department’s staff to help consumers at local assistance centers following the recent fires this year in Sonoma, Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.

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Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Published: 23 November 2019

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham has issued a declaration delaying the Nov. 22, 2019, start date for the California Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line.

Under the authority of Section 8276.1(c)(1) of the Fish and Game Code, the Director may restrict take of commercial Dungeness crab after making a preliminary determination that there is a significant risk of marine life entanglement due to fishing gear.

The opening of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in this area will be delayed until Dec. 15, 2019. Pursuant to Fish and Game Code, section 8283, traps may be set and baited 18 hours in advance of the opening date.

A pre-soak period can commence at 6 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2019.

Before taking this action, the director considered all recommendations and information provided within the public notice period that ended at 4:45 p.m. on Nov. 22.

No vessel may take, possess or land crab in an area closed for a significant entanglement risk. Fishing gear may not be deployed in any area closed to fishing.

CDFW would like to acknowledge the commitment by the commercial fishing fleet and various stakeholders to help inform management of this important commercial fishery.

CDFW understands the crab fishery's value to coastal communities and is committed to ensuring a robust fishery while taking appropriate steps to minimize marine life entanglements to the extent practicable.

CDFW is committed to continuing to evaluate information as it is available in real-time to ensure that restrictions on the fishery are lifted as expeditiously as possible.

CDFW will convene a meeting of the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group in early December to evaluate risk factors and determine if the fishery can be opened prior to Dec. 15.

Throughout the course of the crab season, CDFW will engage regularly with the Working Group to review scientific information and advise efforts to minimize the risk of whale and sea turtle entanglements while maximizing fishing opportunity.

Based on that process, CDFW may take additional management actions in response to future risk assessments.

For more information related to the risk assessment process or this delay, please visit CDFW's Whale Safe Fisheries webpage.

For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 21 November 2019

Committee approval of an agricultural immigration bill marks an important step for California farmers, their employees and their families, the California Farm Bureau Federation said.

CFBF President Jamie Johansson welcomed Wednesday’s action by the House Judiciary Committee on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019.

The committee approved the bill by voice vote, ahead of an expected final vote on Thursday to send it to the full U.S. House of Representatives.

“We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles to get here, and there’s still a long way to go, but we’re encouraged by the prospects for reform and improvement of immigration laws that would benefit agricultural employees and their families,” said Johansson, who attended the committee hearing in Washington, D.C.

Introduced by Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019 would improve agricultural visa programs and accommodate immigrant agricultural employees already in the United States, while enhancing border security.

“This bipartisan bill will benefit everyone involved in agriculture. That’s why more than 300 agricultural groups and companies from across the country signed a letter this week urging congressional leaders to move the bill through the House,” Johansson said.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would improve the existing H-2A agricultural visa program and would allow immigrant agricultural employees already in the United States to earn legal status through continued agricultural employment.

“As Thanksgiving nears, there’s no more meaningful way to recognize the contribution agricultural employees make to our food supply and rural communities than to deal fairly with immigrant employees and their immediate families,” Johansson said. “We urge Speaker Pelosi to bring the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to a vote as soon as possible.”

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 34,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of nearly 5.6 million Farm Bureau members.