Industry News
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.
Underbillings and How They are Viewed by the Surety
Surety Group Leader Andy Roberts sat down with Marc Henry, Region Vice President for Sompo International and Damian Pintor, underwriter in the Western Region for Sompo International. They shared valuable insight about underbillings in the construction industry and discussed how surety companies handle them.
Managing and Preventing Workplace Violence Involving Non‑Employees
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
When employers seek to address workplace violence, trainings are often centered around preventing violent acts from occurring in an office environment. But, serious occurrences of workplace violence can also happen outside of an office setting.
Discussing The Hidden Levers Behind Lower Insurance Premiums with Drew Garcia and Bill Arman
During a recent interview at NALP’s ELEVATE Conference, RMI Landscape Vice President Drew Garcia joined Bill Arman from The Harvest Group to discuss how landscape companies can take greater control of their insurance outcomes. The conversation dives into practical ways businesses can reduce risk, tighten operations, and make everyday decisions that lead to stronger coverage and more favorable premiums. Fewer incidents in the field, better processes, and a proactive mindset can make a measurable difference.
Understanding Payment Fraud: Common Risks and Tools to Protect Your Business
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Payment fraud is a threat to businesses of all sizes and can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line.
Essential Steps Non-Profit Leaders Should Take in the Pre-Renewal Process
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Non-profit organizations and their leadership often rely heavily on their insurance agent’s experience and insight, gained from working with similar organizations, when considering insurance buying options and risk management throughout the year.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and a good reminder to reevaluate your company’s driver safety policies and enforcement.
Fleet Maintenance: An Overlooked Pillar of Jobsite Safety for Electrical Contractors
Author, Kyle Dunlap, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Fleet maintenance is essential for electrical contractors that rely on service trucks, vans, and heavy-duty vehicles to transport employees, tools, and materials safely to job sites on a daily basis. When contractors prioritize clean, safe, and well-maintained vehicles on highways, back roads, and active construction zones, they protect their workforce, prevent costly mishaps, maximize fuel consumption and reduce insurance challenges at renewal.
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.
New RM365 HRAdvantage™ Law Comparison Tool
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
A new tool has been added to Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage™ portal for businesses that operate in multiple states. The new Law Comparison Tool simplifies multi-state compliance, allowing users to compare employment laws across multiple U.S. states and identify legal differences.
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.
National Ladder Safety Month 2026
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
March is National Ladder Safety Month, and 2026 marks a decade of the American Ladder Institute’s (ALI) efforts to increase awareness and education in the workplace.
Protecting Your Bottom Line: The Critical Role of Excess/Umbrella Liability Coverage for Contractors
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Partner, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The construction industry operates in one of the highest‑risk environments. Contractors work with heavy machinery, multiple layers of subcontractors, hazardous jobsites, strict contractual obligations, and constant exposure to the public. These conditions create significant exposure to large liability claims. And, although general liability, auto liability, and employers’ liability insurance make up the foundation of a contractor’s risk management program, these primary policies often do not provide enough protection when a major incident occurs.
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2024
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released the collected data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary for 2024.
General Liability Classification for Tree Care Contractors: Ground Work Is Still Tree Work
Author, Rory Anderson, Partner, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Many tree care contractors are familiar with the ability to split workers’ compensation payroll between tree care and landscape codes when specific conditions are met. This has led some contractors to believe the same approach applies to general liability, particularly when trimming small shrubs, fruit trees, or clearing small trees and brush from the ground. While this assumption is understandable, workers’ compensation and general liability are governed by different classification systems. Applying workers’ compensation logic to general liability classification is one of the most common reasons tree care contractors experience unexpected additional premium at audit.
Navigating California Labor Laws: Key Compliance Challenges for Contractors
Jason Fischbein of Fisher Phillips sits down with Matt Gorham to discuss some of the primary labor and employment law issues currently impacting contractors, especially those within the HVAC and Plumbing industries.
FMLA Made Easier: Tools and Resources for Employers Navigating Leave Laws
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows qualifying employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year, while maintaining job protection and healthcare benefits.
Understanding the PLA Grievance Process
Rancho Mesa’s Surety Relationship Executive Anne Wright sits down with Adrianna Lopez, Director of Labor Relations for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) to discuss the grievance process for project labor agreements.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Releases 2023-2024 Occupational Injury/Illness Data
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the collected data of employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses for 2023-2024.
SafetyOne Year-End Report: Updates and Innovation in Risk Management for 2025
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rancho Mesa is always working to make prioritizing safety as easy as possible for our clients. Using our SafetyOne™ platform is one of the ways our clients can streamline safety training, reporting, and documentation. In 2025, we worked closely with developers to improve cross-platform features on both the SafetyOne website and mobile app, to help our users save time and generate better results.