Business
Fire survivors to get up to $350,000 for personal property without itemized list under new state law
After the January fires that destroyed thousands of residences, victims who lost their clothing, furniture and other possessions faced a daunting task: creating a list of itemized losses to submit to their insurers — typically without records to rely on.
While existing law paid policyholders who suffered total losses as much as $250,000 up front using a formula based on 30% of their dwelling coverage, getting additional money could be overwhelming for victims already dealing with one of the most catastrophic events anyone can suffer.
Now, under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, fire victims whose residences burned down can get 60% of their personal property coverage up to $350,000 without first submitting what is euphemistically called “The List. “ The law also extends the time for filing itemized claims to at least 100 days, up from just two months.
“While it’s been nine months since these firestorms struck Los Angeles, the destruction and devastation left behind is still fresh for thousands of survivors and remains a constant reminder that we have more to do to support our fellow Californians,” Newsom said in a statement, which accompanied his signature on a bipartisan package of fire-related legislation that included the itemization bill.
The legislation, Senate Bill 495, was backed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and authored by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Pacific Palisades), whose district includes the Palisades fire zone. It originally called for policyholders suffering total losses to get 100% of their personal property coverage limits up front, but it was opposed by the insurance industry and amended.
The new legislation, like the prior law, only applies in situations where a state of emergency has been declared, which typically occurs after a catastrophic fire. It goes into effect in January.
“The recent L.A. fires exposed difficult inefficiencies in our insurance system that unnecessarily delay the urgently needed financial support survivors are justly due,” Allen said in a statement.
Newsom also signed Senate Bill 429 funding the nation’s first public wildfire catastrophe model, which will be a benchmark for proprietary computer models insurance companies are now using to simulate the damage and potential losses from wildfires and other big disasters.
Under Proposition 103, which regulates the state’s home insurance market, insurers have had to set their premium rates based on historic fire losses. However, there is a growing consensus that climate change has heightened wildfire risks, as evidenced by a growing number of catastrophic blazes California has suffered over the last decade.
Last year, Lara enacted regulations that allow for the private computer models to be used in rate setting, but required that steps be taken to develop a public model since the programs insurers use employ propriety algorithms and data that limit knowledge of how they work.
In May, a task force led by Cal Poly Humboldt recommended that the state fund a research and educational center that would start work on the model and develop a multi-year plan to implement it. SB 429, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), creates an insurance department fund to carry it out.
Wary of the proprietary nature of insurer models, which are being used nationwide to simulate various disasters, consumer groups had called for a California public model. Only Florida has developed one, and that is for hurricanes.
“By grounding these models in publicly available data and subjecting them to public scrutiny, policymakers can better protect consumers and promote equitable outcomes in the insurance industry,” said Mekedas Belayneh, a climate policy advocate with Public Citizen, a Washington-based advocacy group.
“Climate change is already reshaping where and how people live. The question is whether the tools used to manage that risk will serve the public interest or the narrow interests of insurance companies. California’s experiment with a public catastrophe model may be the first real test,” she added.
Business
Sony, CBS settle ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ dispute
Sony Pictures Television and CBS have struck a compromise in their hard-fought legal battle over distribution rights to the popular “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” syndicated game shows.
“We have reached an amicable resolution,” Sony and CBS said Friday in a joint statement. “We look forward to working together to continue bringing these beloved shows to audiences and stations around the world.”
Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the deal, CBS will continue to distribute the shows in the U.S. for an additional 2 ½ years — through the 2027-2028 television season. After that, Sony will control the domestic distribution rights.
Sony owns both shows and produces them on its Culver City lot.
The shows have retained their popularity and solid ratings even in the streaming age, as traditional TV has declined. They remain among the most-watched programs on television.
The dispute began more than a year ago, when Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed CBS had entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that budget cuts within CBS, which is owned by Paramount, had hobbled the network’s efforts to support the two shows.
Earlier this year, Sony attempted to cut CBS out of the picture, escalating the dispute.
CBS has long maintained that it had the legal rights to distribute the shows to television stations around the country. The broadcaster previously alleged that Sony’s claims were “rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.”
For years, CBS has raked in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The network took over the distribution of the programs when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999.
King World struck deals with the show’s original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” Sony later acquired Griffin’s company, but those early agreements remained in effect.
As part of this week’s resolution, CBS will manage all advertising sales through the 2029-2030 television season.
However, Sony will take over all marketing, promotions and affiliate relations for the shows after the current television season, which ends in mid-2026. Sony will also handle the lucrative brand integration campaigns.
In another element that was important to Sony, the studio will claim international distribution rights beginning this December.
Business
Video: How the Government Shutdown Is Affecting Air Travel
new video loaded: How the Government Shutdown Is Affecting Air Travel
By Niraj Chokshi, Karen Hanley, Leila Medina and James Surdam
November 8, 2025
Business
Presents to arrive in time for the holidays, but may be more expensive
Consumers don’t have to worry about products arriving in time for the holidays, though they may be facing higher prices, say officials at one of America’s largest ports.
Imports at the Port of Long Beach are flowing smoothly through its facilities despite the government shutdown and tariff uncertainties, port executives said. Still, they acknowledge that the volume and prices of products in the millions of containers coming through the port suggest that imports are becoming more costly and consumers are more cautious.
Until now, retailers, manufacturers and other intermediaries have absorbed much of the cost of tariffs, but that is changing as it becomes more apparent which tariffs are here to stay, Mario Cordero, chief executive of the Port of Long Beach, said Friday during a virtual news conference.
“Consumers will likely see price escalation in the coming months as shippers continue to pass along the cost of tariffs on goods, and a higher percentage of these costs will be passed on to the consumer,” he said.
Cordero, who drinks Starbucks coffee, said he’s seen the price of a cup of coffee increase by 15% and that more consumers are going to discount stores to find deals. However, potential price hikes could be offset if the United States and China strike further trade agreements.
The Port of Long Beach, a gateway for trade between the United States and Asia-Pacific, released new data that offers a glimpse into how President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs are affecting goods imported from key trade partners, such as China.
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court also started to hear arguments as the justices examine the legality of Trump’s tariffs.
Over the past year, the port saw a drop in the movement of containers filled with certain goods such as winter apparel, kitchen appliances and toys that people typically buy as gifts, a sign that consumers are likely wary about spending.
Still, the impact of tariffs on cargo volume hasn’t been as bad as some experts predicted. Cordero said some experts had projected that the port could see as much as a 35% drop in cargo volume.
“Clearly today, it’s fair to say that the worst scenarios some predicted did not occur,” Cordero said. “The challenges were many, and there’s no doubt that many companies and their workers suffered, but cargo volume is turning out to be just as high this year as it was last year.”
In fiscal year 2025, which runs from October 2024 to September 2025, the port surpassed 10 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the first time, up 11% from the same period last year. TEU is a measurement used to describe cargo capacity for container ships and terminals.
While the port saw a decline in the amount of TEUs moved in October compared with the same period in 2024, Cordero said he thinks the port will end 2025 in “positive territory.”
In October, there were 839,671 TEUs moved. That’s because retailers and shippers started shipping goods earlier than normal to avoid fees and to stock up their warehouses because of tariffs.
The Port of Long Beach is an economic engine for California. Officials say it helps create 691,000 jobs in Southern California. More than 2.7 million U.S jobs are connected to the Port of Long Beach, they say.
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