Free Republic

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has traveled extensively, including to overseas destinations, at taxpayer expense — and not always with a clear work purpose, according to an investigative report by KGO-7. The issue arose earlier this month when Lara turned up at a conference in Bermuda with industry executives, rather than at a state legislative hearing, as thousands of homeowners are still waiting for help after the Los Angeles fires. KGO, the San Francisco-area ABC News affiliate reported Monday: 7 On Your Side obtained and analyzed hundreds of public records that detail at least 46 cross-country and international trips all...

The nation's oldest ladder manufacturer, family-owned John S. Tilley Ladders Co. of Watervliet, N.Y., near Albany, has filed for bankruptcy protection and sold off most of its assets. Founded in 1855, the Tilley firm was profitable until a few years ago but could not handle the cost of liability insurance, which had risen from 6 percent of sales a decade ago to 29.4 percent by the end, even though the company wasn't sued often and had never lost an actual court judgment. Jury awards in product liability cases have jumped from "an average of $1.7 million in 1994 to $6...