How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Business News
- Details
- Written by: Editor
In general homeowners' insurance policies, excludes flood, mudslide, debris flow and other similar events.
However, Jones put insurers on notice that both the Insurance Code and case law have established the legal doctrine of "efficient proximate cause" which means if the facts show the Thomas Fire, a covered peril, was the efficient proximate cause of the subsequent mudflow, mudslides, debris flow, landslide, or other similar event, then damage caused by those events should be covered under the property owner's insurance policy.
"Californians have suffered greatly with all of the devastating losses from wildfires that struck the state in the last three months of 2017," said Commissioner Jones. "Preliminary indications are that the Thomas Fire burned vegetation which would otherwise have absorbed rainfall and held soils in place, which in turn resulted in the mudflows, mudslides, debris flows or landslides. If the evidence shows the Thomas Fire or another peril covered by a homeowner's insurance policy was the efficient proximate cause of mudflow damage, I expect insurance companies to step up and cover these financial losses."
Insurance Commissioner Jones is encouraging residents and business owners in Santa Barbara County affected by the mudslides, to file a claim with their insurance company.
If consumers have issues navigating the claims process, or they think their claim was wrongfully denied they should contact the Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 or online at www.insurance.ca.gov for assistance.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
The mixer will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Vista Del Lago Resort, 14103 Lakeshore Drive.
The cost is $15 per person. Bring your business card for an opportunity to have an ad on our chamber Web page.
The menu will include Chicken Adobo, lumpia, jasmine rice, beans, cornbread, salad, water and sodas.
RSVP here or call the chamber at 707-994-3600 for more information.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
This unit has been created to assist California produce farms in understanding the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The unit will be responsible for conducting on-farm inspections on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that will begin in 2019 to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule, which became effective Jan. 26, for produce farms designated as “large” – defined as those with $500,000 or more in annual sales. Smaller farms will be phased in over the next few years.
“It’s estimated some 20,000 California farms will fall under this new regulation,” explained California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “This will be a big job and we will all need to work cooperatively to achieve our vision of 100 percent compliance.”
CDFA’s plan is to first educate farmers about the Produce Safety Rule and then regulate farms by verifying their compliance with it by keeping required records on adherence to best practices and providing ongoing health and hygiene training for workers, among other provisions. CDFA is launching an educational program and is asking produce associations to join-in to help spread the word.
To administer the program, inspectors employed by CDFA are required to be credentialed by the FDA and have specialized training and education to conduct authorized routine inspections on behalf of the federal agency.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, will continue to serve in its role to ensure the safety of California’s food supply. If a CDFA Produce Safety Program inspector believes there is a significant and imminent threat to public health on a produce farm, he or she will inform CDPH of the situation for evaluation and potential regulatory action.
Under the Produce Safety Rule, every produce farm must have at least one employee on staff who has completed an FDA-recognized grower training course.
CDFA is offering training courses in both English and Spanish at several locations throughout the state. Produce farmers who do not yet have an employee who has completed the training should do so immediately.
“CDFA will also be offering a series of non-regulatory On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRR),” said Natalie Krout-Greenberg, Director of CDFA’s Inspection Services Division. “These are designed to give produce farmers a better understanding of what they can expect from a routine Produce Safety Program inspection. Information on how to schedule an OFRR will be available very soon.”
CDFA’s Produce Safety Program is developing an informational Website that will be accessible to all produce farmers and the public next month. The Web site will be located at www.cdfa.ca.gov/prducesafety/ .
- Details
- Written by: Editor
According to the notice from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, sampling of spiny lobster and analysis of samples by California Department of Public Health laboratories indicates that consumption of spiny lobster taken from this area no longer poses a significant threat for domoic acid exposure.
The commercial spiny lobster fishery is now open statewide and CDPH lifted the recreational fishery consumption warning for the area.
On Oct. 24, 2017, state health agencies determined that spiny lobster in waters around Anacapa Island, Ventura County and the east end of Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County had unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended closure of the commercial fishery in this area.