Declarations

California Insurance Options

“Our first priority is helping consumers to understand their options for finding insurance with another company or the California FAIR Plan.”

— A California Department of Insurance (CDI) spokesperson said following State Farm’s late-May announcement that it was no longer writing new personal or business property/casualty policies in California. The insurer cited increased risks from wildfires and inflation among its reasons for ceasing to write those types of policies in the state.

China Cyber Threats

“The U.S. intelligence community assesses that China almost certainly is capable of launching cyberattacks that could disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States, including against oil and gas pipelines and rail systems. … It’s vital for government and network defenders in the public to stay vigilant.”

— U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press briefing after the department warned that a Chinese cyber-espionage campaign had been aimed at military and government targets in the United States.

‘A Deep Concern’

“There’s a lot of weight there, a lot of people there. … The average elevation in the southern part of the island is only 1 or 2 meters (3.2 or 6.5 feet) above sea level — it is very close to the waterline, and so it is a deep concern.”

— U.S. Geological Survey Lead Researcher Tom Parsons said new research shows New York City is slowly sinking under the weight of its skyscrapers, homes, asphalt and humanity itself. USGS research shows the city’s landmass is sinking at an average rate of 1 to 2 millimeters per year.

Teen Labor

“The consequences are potentially disastrous. … You can’t balance a perceived labor shortage on the backs of teen workers.”

— Said Reid Maki, director of the Child Labor Coalition, which advocates against exploitative labor policies, about legislation in several states that would allow children as young as 14 to work in more hazardous occupations, longer hours on school nights and in expanded roles including serving alcohol in bars and restaurants. Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa are actively considering relaxing child labor laws to address worker shortages, which are driving up wages and contributing to inflation.

Marathon Refinery Deaths

“We will be suing Marathon and the other entities for gross negligence over Higgins’ death. … Marathon put its profits over worker safety.”

— Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said regarding suits filed against Marathon Petroleum MPC.N. in relation to worker deaths and injuries at the company’s refineries in Texas. Scott Higgins, a 55-year-old machinist, was killed and two contract employees, including Eduardo Olivo, were injured in a fire at Marathon’s giant Galveston Bay Refinery in May. Higgins was the second worker to die at the Marathon refinery this year. A contractor was electrocuted on Feb. 28.

‘A Lot of Us’

“There’s a lot of us like me that are displaced. Nowhere to go. … There’s a lot of homeless out here, a lot of people living in tents, a lot of people struggling.”

— Chef Michael Cellura, 58, of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, said of the many now homeless survivors of Hurricane Ian, the Category 5 hurricane that blasted the barrier island last September. At that time, Cellura had a restaurant job and a fancy new camper home on Fort Myers Beach. He now lives in his older Infiniti sedan with a 15-year-old long-haired chihuahua named Ginger. Like many others, he’s struggled to navigate insurance payouts, understand federal and state assistance bureaucracy and simply find a place to shower.

Topics California