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California's insurance exodus and the price of catastrophe modeling

Essential California Insurers withdrew business from California, citing the expense risk of insuring homes in the wildfire-prone state, sparking a crisis. Here's the plan to lure them back.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  March 29, 2024   View in browser A San Bruno firefighter puts out hotspots in a home destroyed by the 2020 Glass fire, which burned over 11,000 acres in Sonoma and Napa counties. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) By Anthony De Leon Good morning. It's Friday, March 29 . Here's what you need to know to start your day. California intends to attract insurers back with flexible policies It is shaping up to be a wet Easter weekend

Californians say Feinstein is not fit for office

More than 40% of voters say Feinstein should resign, just 27% say she should finish out her term. Two Democrats and a Republican are in a tight race to replace her.
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Los Angeles Times
Today's Headlines
Click to view images Sen. Dianne Feinstein leaves the Capitol on May 17. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

By Elvia Limón, Kevinisha Walker

Hello, it's Thursday, May 25, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:

TOP STORIES

A majority of Californians say Feinstein is no longer fit for office

A substantial majority of Californians feel that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is no longer fit for the job due to her recent declining health, and more voters believe she should resign than support her staying in office, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Feinstein, 89, returned to Washington in early May after months away recovering from shingles. Her absence caused heartache among fellow Democrats who hold a slim majority in the Senate, making tasks such as confirming judges harder.

More politics

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis formally launches his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, becoming the most formidable challenge so far to former President Trump.
  • For months, the White House insisted that Biden would not negotiate with Republicans to avoid a default. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his party have forced the president to the table.

Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times' state politics reporting and the latest action in Sacramento.

Tina Turner, a resilient star who sang 'What's Love Got to Do With It,' dies

Tina Turner, the powerhouse singer who helped pioneer a high-octane brand of R&B as half of the incendiary Ike & Tina Turner duo and belted out soul-rock gems such as "Proud Mary," "River Deep, Mountain High" and "What's Love Got to Do With It," has died at 83.

Turner's death was announced in a statement from her manager, Bernard Doherty, who said she died Wednesday after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland. Turner became a Swiss citizen a decade ago.

More coverage

They're in their 60s and they're parents yet again

Like more than 2 million grandparents across the country who are raising their grandchildren, Teodulo Diarte and his wife, Olga Perez, have forgone retirement to become parents once more. With the girls' various health issues, it is a 24-hour job.

They are the rare grandparents — and the rare adoptive parents — to take in not one, not two, but five siblings, doing something of utmost importance the foster care system can't always achieve: keeping a sprawling family together.

How one woman fought bigotry and helped Asian Americans

It seems Helen Zia has always been fighting. And the reasons to fight never cease.

Though hardly a household name to the general public, the 70-year-old activist and author is a trailblazer — to some, a legend — among those who care about Asian American issues and civil rights. Even now, the invitations for her to speak and teach come pouring in to her Oakland home.

Known for her hard-hitting talk and fierce intelligence as well as her warmth, Zia speaks with such energy and conviction that she leaves her audiences inspired and often in awe.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Ruth López sits on the edge of her bed, resting her head in her arms
Ruth López's brother Juan López, 39, was shot to death last month as he painted over gang graffiti on the wall of a business. Ruth is sitting on his bed in her living room near a small memorial table with his photo and flowers on Monday in Reseda. Ruth says her brother was humble, quiet, hard-working, a good father and a good friend. Read more: "He painted over graffiti to pay for his daughter's birthday cake. It cost him his life" (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

Population losses hit Northern California cities much harder than Southern California cities. The state's major cities lost people between 2020 and 2022, especially in Northern California. But exurban boomtowns, including some Southern California areas, saw gains.

Widespread flaws were found in the Cal State system's handling of sexual misconduct cases. A report found flaws in the Cal State system's data of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct cases and cited widespread distrust by students and employees.

Protest and a thrown brick disrupt San Francisco mayor's hearing on drug crisis response. The event at United Nations Plaza was meant to highlight Mayor London Breed's plans to curb drug sales and overdoses on San Francisco's streets.

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NATION-WORLD

Two Christian college students used pronouns in their email signatures. Then they were fired. Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot thought the pronouns in their work email signatures would be a helpful identifier that could foster conversation and promote inclusivity, particularly at the small Christian university in New York where they worked. But their good intentions ultimately cost them their jobs.

Florida sued for restricting Chinese citizens and other foreigners from buying property. The new law applies to properties within 10 miles of military installations and other "critical infrastructure" and also affects citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea. But Chinese citizens and those selling property to them face the harshest penalties.

Colorado River deal offers a reprieve, but the long-term water crisis remains. Experts say much larger reductions will be needed in the coming years to close the gap between water supply and demand, and to adapt to diminishing flows due to climate change.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Amanda Gorman on her inauguration poem being banned from Miami school: 'I am gutted.' "So they ban my book from young readers, confuse me with Oprah, fail to specify what parts of my poetry they object to, refuse to read any reviews, and offer no alternatives," Gorman wrote on Instagram. "We must fight back."

'"Vanderpump Rules" is the Thunderdome': Inside the year's biggest reality TV scandal. It didn't matter whether you were a viewer of "Vanderpump Rules" or not — news of the Sandoval-Leviss affair rippled across social media platforms and demanded your attention.

What does it mean to be a successful working actor? Probably not what you think. We don't often get to read stories about the hundreds of thousands of actors who are not household names. So here are eight actors, in various stages of their career, whose stories and definitions of success might change how you think about what it means to be a successful, working actor.

Adult admission to La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum rising to $18. A day at the museum is getting more expensive. The last time the museum's admission was raised was in 2017, when the price for adults was $12. By the time the new fees go into effect, adult admission will have risen 50% in six years.

BUSINESS

Column: What it looks like when jobs disappear in the shadow of AI. There's no jobs apocalypse coming; there's just a series of managers making the calls they think will best benefit their bottom line, and serve their boards. Just like they're supposed to — AI or no.

Max vows to change back credits as writers and directors blast the streamer. In its new format, Max, which replaces streaming platform HBO Max, no longer specifies directing or writing credits. It instead lists them in a generic section for "creators" that appears to lump in a group of writers, directors and producers in no specific order.

Target removes some LGBTQ+ items after threats to workers ahead of Pride month. Target declined to say which items it was removing, but among the ones that garnered the most attention were "tuck friendly" women's swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts.

SPORTS

Column: Don't worry, Lakers fans. LeBron James won't retire this offseason. Here's why. "The impulse that inspired his comeback — that inspired him to become one of the two best players in NBA history — doesn't permanently disappear because of a sweep in the conference finals," Dylan Hernández writes.

What can Rams gain with nearly 40 first-year players on the roster? "I've got 6-year-old daughters, and I think to myself, 'Some of these guys were 6 when I started playing in the NFL,' " quarterback Matthew Stafford said, chuckling, after an organized-team-activity workout Tuesday. "So, it's kind of hard to sit there and think about that."

Column: Golfer Jaden Soong is 13 and has a shot at qualifying for the U.S. Open. He'll be the only 13-year-old trying to qualify for the U.S. Open golf tournament in a 36-hole competition at Hillcrest Country Club.

OPINION

Column: A Black guard shot a Black man for shoplifting. Blame San Francisco's legacy of racism. "For all of San Francisco's liberal legacy, for all of the political success of leaders including Willie Brown and Mayor London Breed, [Rev. Amos Brown] told me, it has long been one of the hardest places in California for Black people to thrive — a reality the city has confronted in recent years, but which persists," writes Anita Chabria.

Column: State lawmakers are handcuffing voters and ignoring election results. "Increasingly, state lawmakers are ignoring election returns and looking to override popular sentiment to impose their own will instead," Mark Z. Barabak writes. "It's a frightening move and a further blow to our already tottering system of democracy."

ONLY IN L.A.

A hand opens an urn.
(Ross May / Los Angeles Times)

Have you ever wondered where you can legally scatter someone's ashes in Los Angeles?

The Times' Jessica Roy looked into it and learned that, yes, there are places in L.A. County where it's legal to scatter ashes. But Los Angeles has created a bureaucracy around it so impenetrable that it all but ensures no one will follow the laws.

But it seems like there are no consequences for that, because she couldn't find any evidence that those laws are being enforced.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A woman in glasses and a suit jacket flashes a huge smile
The final episode of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' aired 12 years ago. (Associated Press)

On May 25, 2011, the last episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired. The long-running TV program helped make Winfrey one of the richest and most influential women in the world.

Before she signed off for good, The Times looked back at 25 great "Oprah" moments. Remember when she wheeled a wagon loaded with animal fat to represent the 67 pounds she had lost on a liquid protein diet?

We appreciate that you took the time to read Today's Headlines! Comments or ideas? Feel free to drop us a note at headlines@latimes.com.

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