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- Written by: Department of Insurance
The investigation illustrates that many affinity groups disproportionately and adversely affect drivers residing in ZIP codes with lower per capita incomes, lower levels of educational attainment, and larger communities of color.
Some insurers offer lower automobile premium pricing to certain “affinity groups” including white-collar occupations and highly skilled workers.
Department data shows that one-quarter of Californians receive an affinity group premium reduction ranging from 1.5 percent to 25.9 percent depending on the insurer and group.
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called the new data “disturbing” after the first affinity group fact-finding hearing in the Department’s history last week in Los Angeles.
“This disturbing data confirms what we have heard for years, that auto group discounts do not apply equally across California,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “We are evaluating whether insurer affinity group discounts violate state laws, and I am prepared to act to ensure all Californians have access to affordable auto insurance regardless of their income, education, or ethnicity.”
Among the findings released by the Department of Insurance:
– Customers in surveyed affinity groups tend to be in higher income ZIP codes. Only 26 percent of Californians in the lowest-earning areas ($22,516 per capita and below) receive group discounts, compared to 55 percent in the highest-earning areas ($49,070 per capita and above).
– Those in affinity groups that were surveyed are more likely to reside in ZIP codes with a higher average educational attainment. Only 28 percent of those living in areas with the lowest number of college degrees receive discounts, compared to 56 percent for those where half or more have college degrees.
– Those in affinity groups are more likely to reside in ZIP codes with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population. 47% of persons living in ZIP codes with a large non-Hispanic white population (62 percent or greater) receive an affinity group discount. Only 29 percent of those in heavily minority areas (greater than 83 percent) receive discounts.
– Three-quarters of those in underserved communities were not in an affinity group, compared to 57 percent for the rest of the state.
The Department of Insurance is responsible for the review and approval of automobile insurance premiums in the state to ensure they are fair and based on objective factors.
The 1988 voter-enacted Proposition 103 established the mandatory factors to be a driver’s driving safety record, miles driven, and years of driving experience, followed by optional factors that the commissioner may permit for use in automobile insurance rating.
In January, the Department of Insurance prohibited the use of gender in private passenger automobile rate-setting in order to remove factors that are beyond a driver’s control.
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- Written by: Pacific Fishery Management Council
The cowcod (Sebastes levis) stock south of 40°10’ N. latitude has been managed under a strict rebuilding plan that has severely constrained West Coast fisheries in California for two decades.
Rebuilding cowcod was achieved through large area closures, non-retention rules, and very low allowance for incidental bycatch.
“This is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Council Chair Phil Anderson. “The council’s perseverance, adherence to scientific advice, and partnering with the commercial and recreational stakeholders resulted in the rebuilding of this important groundfish species. “
Cowcod, prized by both California recreational and commercial fishermen, were declared overfished and placed under rebuilding measures in 2000. They are a long‐lived, slow‐growing species, prone to protracted rebuilding progress.
Under the original rebuilding plan, the stock was expected to rebuild by 2090. Improved science
and understanding of this stock’s population dynamics allowed the council's management measures to rebuild much quicker than originally anticipated.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council, National Marine Fisheries Service and fishing industry stakeholders have collaborated successfully to rebuild overfished West Coast groundfish stocks.
Cowcod is the ninth West Coast groundfish stock to rebuild through stringent management measures, leaving yelloweye rockfish as the only federally-managed groundfish stock managed under a rebuilding plan.
The cowcod assessment was developed by scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center and was reviewed by a stock assessment review panel, which includes independent scientists, and endorsed by the council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee.
New harvest specifications and regulations informed by this assessment are expected to be put in place beginning in 2021.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 for the purpose of managing fisheries 3‐200 nautical miles offshore of the U.S. coastline.
The Pacific Council recommends management measures for fisheries off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Under the executive order, the Newsom administration issued a request for innovative ideas to modernize the way the state contracts for acquisition and development of technology systems, with the goal of getting cutting-edge firefighting technology in the hands of emergency responders by next fire season.
“This new procurement process leverages one of the things California does best, which is embracing innovation and technology to address some of the most unprecedented challenges California is facing,” said Gov. Newsom. “The use of innovative and groundbreaking technology to bolster response to wildfires will help our firefighters and first responders tremendously, and if we can predict the patterns of a fire, we will be able to save lives and property."
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, along with the California Department of Technology and the Department of General Services collaborated with experts and government leaders to develop a problem statement to address wildfire management, focusing on detection, prediction and notification.
Out of 131 proposals, two innovators were selected to conduct what is known as a “proof of concept,” which is a working model that will be initially tested on a small scale in the field. Ten additional applicants were invited to become part of an innovator pool for future consideration.
The first two contracts were awarded to Technosylva Inc. and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.
Technosylva will receive $383,000 to develop a prototype that predicts the path of a wildfire in real-time using an advanced cloud-based modeling subscription service and considers the vegetation, current and predicted weather, and topography.
It is the goal that this proof of concept will help decision makers determine the probable path of fire spread to allow for early notifications to emergency decision makers for purposes of emergency notifications, evacuations, and public updates.
In addition, decision makers can consider potential fire spread to order and place additional emergency response resources.
This project will encompass four primary locations, including Monterey, Butte, San Luis Obispo and Napa counties. Oversight locations will be based in Redding and Riverside.
Northrop Grumman’s contract for $1.6 million will entail the creation of an early wildfire ignition detection system based on remote sensors in the sky that interfaces directly with local computer aided dispatch systems, so appropriate resources can be dispatched in real-time.
The goal of the proof of concept is to obtain new wildfire detections as quickly, if not quicker, than a 9-1-1 caller reporting a new emergency.
This project also covers the same four primary locations of Monterey, Butte, San Luis Obispo and Napa counties, and will have the potential to expand to a total of 23 locations statewide.
Both contracts run through Dec. 31, 2019. At that time, Cal Fire will determine if the projects will be amplified statewide.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
California received $22.9 million out of approximately $72.4 million awarded nationwide.
The SCBGP provides grants to state departments of agriculture to fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA, will fund 69 projects, awarding grants ranging from $50,000 to $450,000 to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, government entities, and colleges and universities.
Selected through a competitive process, these projects focus on increasing sales of specialty crops by leveraging the California Grown identity; increasing consumption by expanding the specialty crop consumer market, improving availability, and providing nutritional education for consumers; training growers to equip them for current and future challenges; and conducting research on conservation and environmental outcomes, pest control and disease, and organic and sustainable production practices.
CDFA solicited fixed amount awards to fund projects that address priorities in two areas: 1) the priority to assist California’s specialty crop growers, farmers, producers, and manufacturers in adopting the requirements of and meeting the standards for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act; and 2) the priority to address workforce concerns throughout the specialty crop supply chain, including conforming to labor regulations, securing skilled and unskilled workers, improving labor use efficiency through new technologies, and training the existing workforce in the use of technology.
In keeping with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s vision of a “California for All,” CDFA introduced a Limited Request for Proposals program for nonprofit organizations and tribal governments with knowledge and experience in either supporting socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers, or improving access and nutrition education in underserved communities.
CDFA continued its partnership with the Center for Produce Safety in the evaluation and recommendation of food safety related projects. These projects represent an ongoing effort to address food safety practices and minimize outbreaks of foodborne illness with proactive research.
The 2019 SCBGP project abstracts are available online at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Specialty_Crop_Competitiveness_Grants/.