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So. California to permit alcohol tastings in stores

The Corona City Council voted 3-2 on December 12, 2011 to allow free instructional alcohol tastings in the retail businesses. Sam’s Club and Albertsons asked the city to allow alcohol tastings in their stores. The Riverside Press-Enterprise says there must be tasting areas that prohibit underage drinking. And there are other restrictions: No more than three tastings per person per day of one-fourth of an ounce of alcohol, one ounce of wine and eight ounces of beer. The state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will issue instructional tasting licenses and a city planning official and police will review store applications.… Read More »So. California to permit alcohol tastings in stores

New Hybrid Pension Plan in California

New California state and local government employees would be covered under a hybrid pension program under a proposal announced by Gov.Brown. The proposal would create a pension plan with elements of defined benefit and defined contribution plans and would also raise to 67 the retirement age for new government employees. The normal retirement age for state and local government employees is 60, though some can retire as early as 55 with full benefits. Mr. Brown said in a speech at the statehouse in Sacramento that the plan would save the state about $0.900 billion a year and that similar savings… Read More »New Hybrid Pension Plan in California

Workers Compensation Statute of Limitations Explained

A workers compensation statute of limitations is a regulation in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated. For example, such legal proceedings may involve claim subrogation or premium collection. California’s statute of limitations for collecting unpaid insurance premiums begins once an insurer has sent its final audit bill to the policyholder, and continues for 3 years. In a unanimous opinion, the court said the California State Compensation Insurance Fund could collect on $1 million in workers compensation premiums owed by building contractor, even though… Read More »Workers Compensation Statute of Limitations Explained

Employment Decisions Based on Credit Prohibited in CA

California has become the seventh state to prohibit credit checks in making employment decisions with legislation governor signed into law. With the signing of A.B. 22, California joins Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon and Washington state in barring credit checks of prospective employees, according to the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures. To date, 58 bills in 28 states and the District of Columbia were introduced or pending in the 2011 legislative session, according to NCSL. Certain jobs exempt Under California’s law, which is effective Jan. 1, 2012, employers can use consumer credit reports for employment purposes only for the… Read More »Employment Decisions Based on Credit Prohibited in CA

California Pregnancy Disability Coverage

A new California law will require employers to extend health insurance coverage for up to 16 weeks to employees classified as disabled due to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. The measure, S.B. 299, which governor signed into law last week with the effective date of 01/01/2012, states that employers continue health care coverage for up to 16 weeks to disabled pregnant employees on the same basis as prior to the employee taking disability leave. In certain ways, the California law mirrors the 1993 U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act, but there are several key differences. The federal law mandates… Read More »California Pregnancy Disability Coverage

Wrongful Termination of Desperate Housewife

Desperate Housewives is about to enter its 8th season. While we wait for the last broadcast of this show, interesting development has caught our attention. Each season we, appreciative audience, witness storms of passion, violent behavior, cheating spouses and multiple murders within Visteria Lane neighborhood. Ever wonder what happens to the characters killed in the show? Edie Britt, embodied by actress Nicollette Sheridan was killed at the end of season 5, yet she is about to rise from dead. According to Insurance Journal “actress says she was wrongfully fired for complaining that “Housewives” creator and executive producer Marc Cherry struck her during a… Read More »Wrongful Termination of Desperate Housewife

Subrogation Limits in Workers Comp. Cases

A ruling handed down by California’s Supreme Court represents a loss for workers compensation payers’ ability to pursue subrogation claims against certain third parties responsible for an employee’s injuries. Ruling in Seabright Insurance Co. vs. US Airways Inc., the court said Monday that an insurer cannot sue a third-party company when the hiring company fails to follow safety regulations and an injury results. The case involved an employee of Lloyd W. Aubry Co., which US Airways hired to maintain a luggage conveyor at San Francisco International Airport. The conveyor lacked safety guards required under California occupational safety regulations, the court… Read More »Subrogation Limits in Workers Comp. Cases

Finally, California Workers Comp. Rate Decrease

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Thursday said it will call for a pure premium rate decrease of 1.8% under a new loss cost calculation method. If adopted by California’s Department of Insurance, the suggested rate decrease would take effect Jan. 1, 2010. The new rates the WCIRB is proposing for about 500 industry classifications are projected to average $2.33 per $100 of payroll. That is 1.8% less than the corresponding average of insurer-filed pure premium rates as of July 1, 2011, it said. But although the WCIRB is recommending a pure premium rate reduction, it also… Read More »Finally, California Workers Comp. Rate Decrease

$500K+ for Fake Death

A Southern California man and his wife were arrested Monday on suspicion of faking the man’s death, so their family could get life insurance and other death benefits. The couple somehow managed to produce Mexican authentic death certificate that declared the man had died. Since 2004, the wife and her four children have received more than $500,000 in Social Security and union benefits, as well as some undetermined-yet amount from life insurance payments.

Flood Insurance in California

With aging storm drains and no money in the coffers to fix them, flooding homes and businesses will become reality. Especially with 3 times the normal snowpack in the Sierras, parts of California will be affected even before next year’s rainy season. There are clients out there who have experienced downpours, flooding and mudslides wondering why they didn’t have more insurance to fix their mess. Paperless Insurance offers protection against these calamities.  But, remember, it is too late when a flood is imminent as there is a 30-Day waiting period before coverage is in effect. Even though it doesn’t normally rain much in California,… Read More »Flood Insurance in California