Levi Sumagaysay

Latest news

CalMatters •

California’s ‘groundbreaking’ fast food council lacks a leader, hasn’t met in over a year

California’s first-in-the-nation fast food council — created to give workers a voice on wages, safety and working conditions — has not met in over a year and has no chairperson.

Now the workers the council was built to protect, organized by the Service Employees International Union, are taking their concerns directly to the state, demanding that Gov. Gavin Newsom appoint a chairperson so the council can do its work, as required by law. 

Luna Mondragon, who works at a Carl’s Jr. in Milpitas, to...
CalMatters •

Insurance commissioner candidates float bigger California role

A few of the candidates vying to be California’s next insurance commissioner want to address  the insurance crisis by having the state take a bigger financial role.

Some of the problems they’re trying to solve include: 

Their proposals run the gamut: Create a public insurer and do away with private insurers altogether. Implement a state-run natural disaster insurance system that would complement the private market. Provide a state backstop for insurance for insurance companies, also known as r...
CalMatters •

California schools, agencies face higher fuel prices from Iran war

As California drivers are paying the highest gas prices in the nation, local and state agencies face increased fuel costs because of the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran that began at the end of February. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to higher energy costs as just one of the many effects of Trump administration policies straining the state, despite the stronger-than-expected financial outlook in the revised budget he unveiled Thursday.  

“(The war’s) impact across this country is self-evident,” the...
CalMatters •

California: State Farm violated law in handling of L.A. fire insurance claims

State Farm could face millions of dollars in penalties and a possible temporary suspension of its license in California as a result of hundreds of alleged law violations related to its handling of claims from the Los Angeles County fires last year. 

California’s largest individual property insurance provider “showed a troubling pattern of claims handling practices” after the fires, the state’s Insurance Department said Monday. The department is seeking a hearing into the matter, which comes aft...
CalMatters •

How tariffs and war are hurting California small businesses

Small businesses already navigating the costs and chaos of tariffs must now also contend  with the effects of the war in Iran.

“It just feels like things keep getting piled on top,” said Nichole MacDonald, owner of a San Diego business that sells women’s bags. “Not just for businesses, but for consumers. And what is a business without consumers?”

Since her customers are feeling financial pain just like her, they’re spending less money on discretionary items, she said. If they are still buying,...
CalMatters •

¿Quién quiere ser el comisionado de seguros de California? La guía de candidatos

We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide.


Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential.


But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you. Please give what you can today.

We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide.

Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential.

But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you. Please give what you can today.
CalMatters •

Here's five candidates vying to be California's next insurance commissioner

Picking the next insurance commissioner could be one of the most important decisions Californians make for their wallets this election year.

They may have seen a big increase in their insurance premiums in the past couple of years. They might know someone whose homeowners policy got canceled. Or perhaps they’re trying to rebuild after last year’s deadly Los Angeles County fires.

If you’re not sure what the insurance commissioner does, here’s a rundown: 

Whoever is elected to succeed Commissio...
CalMatters •

California Uber drivers sue over ‘deactivations’ in new challenge to rideshare law

Uber has failed to create an appeals system to give drivers due process when they’re kicked off the app, violating the California law it carved out that declared app-based drivers independent contractors, a lawsuit filed Monday alleges.

In 2020, voters approved Proposition 22, a ballot initiative that exempted Uber and other app platforms from labor law and allowed them to keep classifying their workers as contractors instead of employees. The measure included a promise that drivers would have...
CalMatters •

Big change for California small businesses: No more SBA loans for non-citizens

Green-card holders no longer qualify for loans from the Small Business Administration, eliminating a longtime source of financing for immigrants that advocates say will discourage job creation and harm the economy. 

The SBA limited access to its loans to U.S. citizens and nationals only starting in March, and expanded that policy to SBA-backed loans beginning in April. On top of that, any business that’s even partly owned by a permanent legal resident with a green card is no longer eligible for...
CalMatters •

Gran cambio para las pequeñas empresas de California: Se acabaron los préstamos de la SBA para personas que no son ciudadanas

We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide.


Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential.


But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you.

We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide.

Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential.

But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you.
CalMatters •

Feds ramp up scrutiny in yearslong dispute over California airport money

Hundreds of millions of dollars could be at stake if California cannot solve a yearslong dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The federal agency questions whether California is spending money gleaned from taxing jet fuel according to federal rules, which aim to ensure states are maintaining airport infrastructure. It gave the state’s Finance Department until the end of March to produce detailed records on how it is spending those taxes, or it “reserves the right to take appropriat...
CalMatters •

Some State Farm customers could see refunds while homeowner rate hikes stay put

The Los Angeles County fires last year drove up insurance costs for many Californians. Now, a proposed settlement means some State Farm policyholders whose premiums rose won’t see additional increases, and others should even get refunds.

State Farm, the largest insurer in the state with about 20% market share, received approval for unprecedented emergency insurance rate increases in California last May. The company told the state that the billions of dollars it expected to pay out after the dea...
CalMatters •

Regulating California’s broken insurance market is a brutal job. Who wants to do it?

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.”

That’s according to someone who has held the job twice: John Garamendi, who was the state’s first elected insurance commissioner in the 1990s and served again in the early 2000s. Garamendi, now a U.S. congressman, said the commissioner job is “complex, hard, detailed work.”

“There is no other task in any office in the state of California, except the governor, that has such significant power and t...
CalMatters •

California, 23 other states sue Trump over new tariffs

California and 23 other mostly Democratic states on Thursday sued the Trump administration over its new justification for the president’s wide-ranging tariffs.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta is co-leading the lawsuit with the attorneys general of Oregon, Arizona and New York. They say President Donald Trump’s use of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — which he invoked after the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 20 ruled that his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was unconstit...
CalMatters •

Uber ballot initiative sparks showdown with lawyers, doctors

In November, California voters may have to referee a multimillion-dollar battle among  Uber, attorneys and doctors. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for anybody who uses the state’s roads and highways.

Uber last fall filed a proposed ballot measure that would cap personal injury lawyers’ contingency fees and limit medical damages for all vehicle crashes in California, even those not involving an Uber. The company paints its effort as a way to rein in attorneys who take advantage...
CalMatters •

U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs. Here's how they've affected California

In a major blow against President Donald Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that he does not have the authority to impose the wide-ranging tariffs that have caused economic uncertainty in the state, nation and beyond. 

Trump cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 as he set tariffs on goods from most countries around the world soon after he took office early last year. In a 6-3 decision, the court said only Congress has the broad power to impose taxes on Americans...
CalMatters •

Fires burn swiftly, but insurance battles linger: New bills propose consumer-friendly regulations

Jen Egan is still dealing with the aftermath of the Palisades Fire that damaged the home of her 83-year-old father, Paul, last January. 

That has meant more than a year of going back and forth with State Farm, which has assigned three different claims adjusters to their case. Egan also hired a public adjuster to help her navigate the process, who she says has been a “saving grace.” 

Egan and her father have received some payouts and are preparing to make repairs to the home. But this week, the...
CalMatters •

How we tested and evaluated AI-generated dance videos

Artificial intelligence models can produce lifelike video footage with a simple text prompt. But these tools still struggle with generating realistic videos of complex natural movements, like human dance. 

When CalMatters and The Markup asked dancers and choreographers about whether AI could disrupt their industry, most concluded that human dancers could not be replaced.

For the most part, we found that they were right. We tested nine different cultural, modern and popular dance styles using f...
CalMatters •

How Altadena businesses are trying to recover from the Eaton Fire

A year after the Eaton Fire, some small business owners in Altadena are striving to rebuild, in some cases while also grappling with being displaced from homes that burned down or were severely damaged. 

For others, such as Steve’s Pets Store owner Carrie Meyers, it’s just too much.

“People want me back,” Meyers said. “But I don’t know if we can survive up there. No one lives there … mentally I’m not there.”

Meyers said she had just received a delivery before the fire last January, so about 6...
CalMatters •

A un año de los incendios en Los Ángeles, sobrevivientes siguen esperando por las aseguradoras y sin poder regresar a casa

We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide.


Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential.


But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you.

We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide.

Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential.

But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you.
CalMatters •

Many L.A. fire survivors face insurance delays and can’t return home a year later

A year after the deadly Los Angeles County fires, California’s property insurance market remains problematic; survivors are suing insurers over delayed or denied claims; and most of the state’s policyholders are likely to see their premiums rise.

Seven in 10 L.A. fire survivors have yet to return home, some in part because of insurance claim delays, according to a new survey released this week by Department of Angels, a nonprofit group that was formed after the fires.

The survey also found tha...
CalMatters •

California tax revenue getting a boost from AI boom — but for how long?

As California becomes more dependent on tax revenue from the tech industry, its stake in the health of the artificial intelligence industry has grown.

The state is seeing financial benefits from the AI boom, a new analysis by the Legislative Analyst’s Office shows. But the boom raises questions: Will it continue to be accompanied by a decline in tech and other jobs? Is it a bubble? 

Tax revenue from stock-option withholding paid by some of the state’s biggest tech companies made up about 10% o...
CalMatters •

A new California law gives the state more power over workplaces. Trump is suing to block it

California under a law taking effect today seeks to uphold the labor and unionization rights of private-sector employees, as the federal agency that has held that power for decades is in limbo. 

But the new law’s future is unclear because the Trump administration is challenging it. 

The law, which grants more powers to the California Public Employment Relations Board, is a response to the National Labor Relations Board lacking a quorum.

President Donald Trump fired the NLRB’s chairperson, Gwy...
Load More
CalMatters •

'No tax on tips' might not be a windfall for workers, experts say

No tax on tips, a campaign promise by President Donald Trump, is now part of the U.S. tax code, but experts across the political spectrum see limited benefits for California workers.

The Treasury Department and the IRS late last month released details of their proposed regulations around the new tax deduction, which Republicans included in their spending bill. 

Under the provision, taxpayers who make less than $150,000 a year, or $300,000 if filing jointly, could deduct up to $25,000 in tips f...
CalMatters •

H-1B visa fees, tariffs, a stake in Intel? How Silicon Valley has fared under Trump

In exchange for its embrace of Trump 2.0, Silicon Valley has received a grab bag of policies that some experts worry could hurt the U.S. tech industry in the long run. 

On the one hand, corporate tax rates will stay low and the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence sectors can count on less stringent regulations. On the other hand, tech companies are facing higher costs because of tariffs on many goods, the threat of 100% tariffs on semiconductors and new H-1B visa fees. 

The tech industr...
CalMatters •

Ricardo Lara proposes insurance rule that critics call ‘revenge’

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is proposing more new insurance rules that critics are calling “vindictive,” and which they say will only make it easier for insurers to raise rates.

Home insurance costs in California are certain to rise in the near future because of Lara’s recent changes to the state’s insurance rules. Those changes are meant to encourage insurance companies to keep writing new policies and discourage them from canceling policies, especially in areas of high wild...
CalMatters •

California's insurer of last resort would face more scrutiny under bill heading to Newsom's desk

In the closing days of the legislative year, California lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill that is meant to toughen scrutiny of the state’s embattled fire insurer of last result by insisting that two of their leaders join its governing committee.

Assembly Bill 234 would put the state’s two top lawmakers — currently Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas — on the governing committee of the FAIR Plan, the insurer that’s mandated by law to sell policies to hom...
CalMatters •

California Uber and Lyft drivers closer to being able to unionize after crucial vote

California ride-hailing drivers just won a crucial round in their pursuit of the right to unionize, but the political drama around the process and among the state’s drivers groups raises plenty of questions about what comes next.

Lawmakers sent Assembly Bill 1340 to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, but it’s merely a formality. The governor had already expressed support for the legislation in a deal he announced with Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas at the end...
CalMatters •

America's economy runs on data. What Trump’s firing of a top data chief means for California

Unemployment numbers and the consumer price index come out every month like clockwork, giving individuals, businesses and local and state government agencies across the nation critical information.  

Economists and others fear wide-ranging ramifications for California if the reliability of that information is uncertain, calling the data fundamental for making an array of policy and funding decisions.

President Donald Trump recently fired Erika McEntarfer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics commiss...
CalMatters •

Long-shot ballot initiative could have huge effect on California insurance

A proposed ballot initiative would drastically change the way property insurance is regulated in California by repealing a law voters passed almost four decades ago. 

Proposition 103 has regulated home, auto and other types of property and casualty insurance in the state since 1988. It requires insurance companies to seek approval from an elected insurance commissioner to raise their premiums, and allows members of the public to object to rate increases.

The initiative — which experts are call...
CalMatters •

California wine industry torn on Trump tariffs

Tariffs on European wine could be good or bad for California wine producers, depending on whom you ask. 

Some American winemakers, restaurateurs and others are urging President Donald Trump to exclude wine from tariffs on goods from Europe, saying European wines are important to the health of domestic wines.

But not all California wine producers are on board. They argue that European winemakers are already subsidized, so American companies having to bear tariffs on just about everything else...
CalMatters •

CalMatters panel: AI's effects on workers

AI and automation have affected low-wage jobs in ways big and small. Some workers have seen technology control every aspect of their work. Some are sharing warehouse floors with robots. Others have seen AI actually kill their jobs. We discuss the pros and cons — and the gray areas — of AI and automation in the workplace, and possible solutions for the displacement of workers.

Timestamps
00:00:00 Welcome and Introductions by Don Howard
00:06:50 Panel 1| Effects on low-wage and tiered workforces

Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/2nS7N9c
Subscribe to our newsletters: http://bit.ly/33qOYJk
Support our newsroom: http://bit.ly/33zhYhU
CalMatters •

What unionization could mean for California Uber and Lyft drivers — and riders

Uber and Lyft drivers in California have been fighting for years for higher wages and better working conditions — in the streets, before state lawmakers, in court and at the ballot. 

Now, a bill making its way through the state Legislature would allow ride-hailing drivers to unionize. 

If Assembly Bill 1340 passes, California would become the second state to give ride-hailing drivers the right to collectively bargain. Massachusetts was the first to do so after voters there approved a ballot me...
CalMatters •

Thousands of Californians lost work after LA immigration raids — including citizens

California saw a 3.1% drop in private-sector employment the week immediately after the Trump administration stepped up its immigration raids in the state, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census data. 

UC Merced researchers said the steep drop is second only to the unemployment surge the state experienced during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and greater than the immediate decline during the Great Recession in 2007 and 2008.

This appears to be the first analysis of the data...
CalMatters •

Los Angeles fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds

Amelia McDonald couldn’t believe her ears. She had been navigating what she calls “a horrible experience” trying to get her claims paid by State Farm after the Eaton Fire burned down her Altadena home and ranch in January. She, along with her father, daughter and the goats that survived the fire, have been displaced since then.

Now a $876,354.07 check the insurer wrote her wouldn’t clear. 

McDonald called the check-hold department of her bank, Chase, Tuesday, asking why the funds from the chec...
CalMatters •

Congress is fighting over this tax deduction. Here’s how it affects Californians

A provision in the Republicans’ tax and spending bill will help determine a limit on what high-income Californians can deduct on their taxes, but Congress disagrees on how much. 

After the passage of the 2017 tax bill during President Donald Trump’s first term, California taxpayers who itemize deductions saw their ability to deduct their full state and local income taxes and property taxes go away — to help the federal government pay for corporate tax cuts. The new cap that was established, $10...
CalMatters •

From San Diego to the Bay Area, California restaurants are on edge over immigration raids

Brandon Mejia usually spends his weekends conducting a symphony of vendors serving pupusas, huaraches and an array of tacos at his two weekly 909Tacolandia pop-up events.

Half food festival, half swap meet, the events draw 100-plus vendors a week in Pomona and San Bernardino. They offer a way to “legalize” street food — vendors get a reliable location, cities collect taxes and enforce health codes — while patrons enjoy delicacies from all over Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicara...
CalMatters •

California investigates State Farm over claims from Los Angeles fires

California’s Insurance Department has launched a formal investigation into State Farm over its handling of claims from the Los Angeles County fires. 

The investigation, expected to take months, will allow for a more comprehensive regulatory review, the department said in a press release today. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in the release that the review will help determine whether State Farm has complied with the state’s consumer-protection and claims-handling laws.

“No one should b...
CalMatters •

Could California really withhold tax money from the U.S. if Trump cuts federal funds?

Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested last week that California may withhold taxes it pays to the United States if President Donald Trump slashes federal funding to the state.

It could be another front in the escalating battle between the Trump administration and the Golden State, which are at the moment wrestling over the president summoning the military to handle protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. But how it would all work — on both sides — is anyone’s guess.

CalMatters asked several t...
CalMatters •

‘An endless game of whack-a-mole’: California tariffs lawsuit thrown out, but it’s not over

A judge threw out California’s lawsuit against President Trump’s tariffs this week, but the case will keep going because the state itself asked for the dismissal. 

State Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said he will immediately appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

The Trump administration had requested that the California lawsuit, filed in April, be transferred to the U.S. Court of International Trade. The federal court judge in San Francisco rejected the transf...
CalMatters •

Trump trade war has already had huge effect on California ports

California’s port traffic is beginning to look worse now, under the effects of President Donald Trump’s fickle tariff policy, than it did at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The vessel calls, or cancellations, that we’re seeing today (are) starting to exceed the number that we saw in COVID-19,” Mario Cordero, chief executive of the Port of Long Beach, said in an interview with CalMatters in early May.

At Port of Los Angeles, Executive Director Gene Seroka said during a media briefing las...
CalMatters •

How State Farm's emergency rate hike approval in California will affect you

State Farm can raise homeowner and other rates starting next month, becoming the first insurance company to win approval to do so on an emergency interim basis in California. 

The state’s largest insurer made the unprecedented request for emergency rate hikes earlier this year, after it said it was in financial distress and expected more than $7 billion in claims because of the Los Angeles County fires in January. 

The state Insurance Department staff recommended approval of the company’s requ...
CalMatters •

L.A. fire survivors accuse State Farm of delaying claims. Should it get OK for a rate hike?

Rossana Valverde’s Pasadena home of 35 years is still standing after Los Angeles County’s devastating January fires — but more than 100 days later, she and her husband still can’t move back in.

That’s because they’re waiting for their insurer, State Farm, to approve and process their claims. 

“We were lucky our house made it through,” Valverde said. “At first we thought unscathed. But it definitely still smells like smoke. The windowsills have a thick layer of black ash and soot.”

After getti...
CalMatters •

How Trump tariffs could upend California farms, wine businesses and ports

President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs are putting many California businesses, jobs and the state budget at risk. They’re affecting not only long-term relationships with trading partners, but an intricate web of ecosystems and supply chains. 

The California business owners and groups grappling with the tariffs — wine shop owners, winery founders, farmers — say the precise effects on their industries are unclear so far. They hope there will be an upside. 

But for those who have a...
CalMatters •

State Farm moves one step closer to emergency California rate hike

State Farm could soon win final approval to raise premiums for California homeowners and others on an interim basis, a move meant to help prop up the finances of the state’s biggest provider of property insurance, after a public hearing this week.

In early February, State Farm asked California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to approve emergency interim rate increases, saying the Los Angeles Country fires had worsened its financial situation as it awaited the Insurance Department’s decision...
CalMatters •

Canadians pull back on travel to California because of Trump: 'I will miss the desert'

California tourism could lose billions of dollars because of President Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs, immigration and gender identity, as well as his talk of annexing Canada. 

Visit California, a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism in the Golden State, recently revised its overall visitor spending forecast for this year from $166 billion to $160 billion, saying international travel into California is already beginning to slow. Canada, the second-largest source of international tou...
CalMatters •

State Farm can hike rates on California homeowners — if it pauses cancellations and proves need

Lea esta historia en Español

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said today he will grant State Farm’s request to raise home insurance premiums by 22% on average if the company agrees to certain conditions — and wins approval at a public rate hearing next month. 

Lara’s conditions are that State Farm, the state’s biggest provider of homeowners insurance, commit to pause canceling and not renewing policies through the end of this year. He also is asking that its parent company, State...
Load More