Industry News
Your Plumbing or HVAC Website May Be Sending the Wrong Message to Your Insurance Carrier
Author, Matt Gorham, Account executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Most plumbing and HVAC contractors view their website as a sales tool. However, insurance carriers increasingly view it as an underwriting tool. The same website designed to attract customers is at the same time influencing how an underwriter evaluates your business, impacting carrier appetite, available coverage, and, ultimately, the cost of your insurance program.
Update on California Workers’ Compensation Reform Efforts: APCIA Launches Public Awareness Campaign
As part of Rancho Mesa’s ongoing efforts to support meaningful reform around cumulative trauma claims, I want to share an important update on recent developments within the California workers’ compensation system.
A Strategic Approach for Insuring HVAC and Plumbing Contractors in California Requires an Industry Specialist
Author, Matt Gorham, Account executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The insurance landscape that California plumbers and HVAC contactors currently face looks noticeably different than that of recent years. A prolonged period of sharp economic and social inflation has driven up claim costs for carriers, forcing many to exit or reevaluate their positions in the market. As carrier appetite shifts and capacity is constrained, contractors are largely experiencing frustration arising from limited carrier options, reduced coverage, and rapidly rising insurance premiums.
Building Protection Through Strong Subcontract Agreements
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As insurance requirements become increasingly stringent across California’s construction industry, specialty contractors are facing more scrutiny from both general contractors and insurance carriers. It has become standard practice for prime contractors, and sometimes project owners, to require specialty contractors to sign detailed subcontractor agreements outlining scope, pricing, claims procedures, termination rights, indemnification, and strict insurance requirements.
A Letter from RMI President to California Clients: Take Action On CT Claims Legislation
Rancho Mesa would like to provide you with an update on our efforts related to the growing cumulative trauma issue impacting the California workers’ compensation marketplace. As many of you have experienced firsthand, cumulative trauma claims continue to rise and are having a significant, negative effect on premiums and experience modification rates (EMRs) across all industries.
2026 Legal Updates Reshaping California’s Private Construction Sector
Author, Josh Hill, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
California’s private construction industry has entered 2026 with two major legal changes that will significantly impact how contractors and subcontractors manage cash flow, negotiate contracts, and process change order work. Beginning January 1, 2026, California Senate Bill 61 Private works of improvement: retention payments (SB 61) and Senate Bill 440 Private Works Change Order Fair Payment Act (SB 440) took effect, reshaping longstanding practices around retention and change order payments. These laws apply only to new private works contracts signed on or after that date, leaving existing agreements untouched.
Navigating California’s Hardening Marketplace
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
California’s insurance market has shifted dramatically in recent years, creating challenges for both carriers and insureds. While premium increases are often the most visible sign of a hard market, the underlying issues are far more complex.
New AI Regulations for California Employers
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On October 1, 2025 California employers with five or more employees will be required to follow new Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulations. The amended regulations address the use of automated-decision systems (ADSs) in employee or prospective-hire evaluations, applying existing antidiscrimination laws to new AI technologies.
California’s Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard Approved: What You Need to Know
Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Recently, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board approved new requirements for California businesses, heat illness prevention for indoor work spaces. The new Section 3396 addition to the California Labor Code will go into effect as early as August 1, 2024.
Updates to California Healthcare Minimum Wage Policies for 2024
Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
This year has seen several changes to minimum wage in the State of California. On January 1, 2024, the California general minimum wage increased to $16 per hour, regardless of tips. However, as of July, several individual industries across the State, including healthcare, saw minimum wage increases.
California Expands Regulations for Employee Criminal History
Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Recently, California updated regulations regarding how employers can use criminal history to make employment decisions.
The Road to Recovery: Commissioner Lara's Plan to Rescue Property Insurance in California
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently declared property insurance a State of Emergency in CA based on a mass exodus of property insurance companies. This has allowed CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to strike a deal with insurance companies to encourage new coverage in the State. The changes are slated to go into effect by the end of 2024. However, the hope is that insurers will begin to write homeowner’s policies sooner.
AB 685 Creates New Notice and Reporting Requirements
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President of the Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services Inc.
On September 17th, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1159 (SB 1159) and Assembly Bill 685 (AB 685), both COVID-19 related bills. Both pieces of legislation will impact how employers respond to incidents of COVID-19 infections. This article will help business owners understand AB 685’s heightened occupational health and safety rules. Employers also need to understand how AB 685 grants California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) greater enforcement powers.
CA Governor Issues Executive Order Making Workers’ Compensation Benefits More Readily Available to Essential Workers
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On Wednesday, May 6 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order making workers’ compensation benefits more readily available to essential workers.