FTCR News Story

The politics of the health care vote

Anthony York — 2007-12-20 13:43:17 PST

Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights called the $25 million "slush-fund money to do the work the union should be doing themselves." Flanagan said these amendments were "stuck in at the last moment and hidden in the fine print of the bill."

N��ez sweetens deal for unions

Michael Rothfeld & Jordan Rau, Times Staff Writers — 2007-12-20 12:03:30 PST

"We were waiting for the payoff to show up," said Jerry Flanagan, healthcare policy director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit that believes the N��ez plan will be too expensive for some consumers. "It's really remarkable, in terms of the express aiming of this money toward two particular unions."

Delay in healthcare vote urged;

Jordan Rau, Times Staff Writer — 2007-12-16 12:32:00 PST

Labor and legislators haven't had time to vet the Nunez-backed plan, a union group says.; Jerry Flanagan, the healthcare advocate with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit organization, said SEIU's organizing drive also stood to gain from the bill. He said one provision would allow retail clinics such as ones that Wal-Mart wants to establish to be staffed with medical assistants without a physician present.

Poizner: Blue Shield canceled policies;

Gilbert Chan - Sac Bee — 2007-12-14 13:19:42 PST

State insurance chief plans to pursue a $12.6 million fine for dropping patients.; Consumer advocates accused Blue Shield of downplaying the issue and called for tougher regulations on health insurers. "All big insurers are making money for themselves by denying people coverage," said Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "Blue Shield refuses to acknowledge that they have done anything wrong."

Stanford, Berkeley, UCSF, Buck get nod for stem cell facility grants

Ron Leuty — 2007-12-14 12:37:00 PST

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, based in Santa Monica, said release of the news makes a mockery of CIRM's claims of openness and transparency. "We don't know what the universities asked for," said John Simpson, the foundation's stem cell project director. "We only know what the scientific reviewers in their closed, clubby, secret meeting decided to recommend." Simpson also said the applicants should have been identified from the beginning of the process.

Watchdog wants spending on travel, meals, gifts justified

STEVE LAWRENCE, Associated Press Writer — 2007-12-14 09:57:40 PST

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a consumer and political reform group based in Santa Monica, praised the commission for considering tougher disclosure rules but said the requirements should go beyond what the commission was proposing to include details about activities on a trip and a list of participants.

Health Insurance Issue Sparks Fight Among Democrats, Bogs Down Schwarzenegger

JOSH GERSTEIN, Staff Reporter — 2007-12-13 09:58:00 PST

The issue of requiring individuals to purchase health insurance is triggering an escalating fight between the top contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination even as the same question is bogging down Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to make sure all Californians are insured. "It's all connected and the connection here is a push for an individual mandate," a critic of Mr. Schwarzenegger's proposal, Carmen Balber of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said. "If you're not limiting what private insurers can charge, then that is, in the end, an unlimited burden on individuals," Ms. Balber said.

Institutions Revealed in California Grant-Conflict Flap

David Jensen — 2007-12-13 09:25:00 PST

Critics of CIRM, including John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the Foundation of Taxpayer and Consumer Rights of Santa Monica, California, have called for the resignation of both Klein and Reed. Reed has temporarily recused himself from CIRM activities during the state investigation. Simpson said in a news release that Klein has never understood that CIRM is a state agency. "CIRM is not a private club or foundation and cannot be run as if it were," he said.

Stem cell housecleaning;

Editorial — 2007-12-12 11:41:00 PST

Grants are great, but the California institute created to fund research needs to put its business in order.; The agency's conflict-of-interest rules clearly forbid board members from trying to influence its business with their own organizations. Worse, Reed was advised to write the letter by Robert Klein, the chairman of the governing board and the go-getter who made Proposition 71 happen. He has been under enough heat from consumer groups to know that conflicts are an inherent danger for the agency, whose 29-member governing board is made up of people who have a direct interest in gaining stem cell funding.

Stem cell board member to recuse himself;

Sabin Russell, Chronicle Staff Writer — 2007-12-12 10:28:19 PST

The Fair Political Practices Commission is responsible for enforcing laws governing the stem cell agency, which was created by voter approval of Proposition 71 in 2004. It opened the investigation Monday in response to a complaint file by John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Santa Monica consumer advocacy group.

The wrong way to reform term limits; There's a reason special interests are bankrolling Proposition 93.

Jamie Court & Judy Dugan - OpEd Commentary — 2007-12-12 10:21:06 PST

California's elected officials have failed this year to take care of any pressing state problems -- except their own. No healthcare reform. No prison reform. No solution to the multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Instead, this year's principal public policy result is a ballot measure to extend legislators' current terms in office. The biggest beneficiaries are the most powerful: Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate leader Don Perata, who otherwise would be forced out of office next year by term limits.

Burnham official recuses himself from stem cell work in probe

2007-12-12 09:16:00 PST

John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights filed a complaint about the incident to the FPPC and asked for Reed's resignation. A week later, Chiang said he thought the commission should look into the matter.

Stem cell panelist steps aside

Jim Downing, The Sacramento Bee — 2007-12-12 09:14:00 PST

John Simpson, stem cell project director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, targeted Reed in a Nov. 21 complaint on the basis of documents first obtained by David Jensen, a blogger who follows the stem cell agency closely. On Aug. 2, Reed sent a seven-page letter to the agency's scientific staff urging them to revisit a decision to toss out a research grant application from a scientist affiliated with Reed's institute.

Conflicts trip up state stem cell program;

BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer — 2007-12-12 08:56:00 PST

Burnham's Reed to be investigated by state commission; In a related matter, the California Fair Political Practices Commission announced Tuesday it would investigate member John Reed for allegedly improperly lobbying on a grant for the Burnham Institute in La Jolla. Reed is president and chief executive of the Burnham Institute. The commission said its investigation of Reed was prompted by a complaint from the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights -- a watchdog group.

Probe of stem cell agency

Jim Downing — 2007-12-11 10:56:44 PST

A taxpayers group filed a complaint Nov. 21 alleging that John Reed, one of the 29 members of the stem cell agency's board, broke state conflict-of-interest law by asking agency staff to reconsider their decision to reject a $638,000 grant to a researcher at the institute he heads.

Burnham chief faces conflict probe

Terri Somers, STAFF WRITER — 2007-12-11 10:22:32 PST

The commission has sent letters to the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica and state Controller John Chiang to inform them that their requests for the investigation have been accepted, commission spokesman Roman Porter said.

Stem cell institute criticized on ethics

Terri Somers — 2007-12-08 12:48:00 PST

Taxpayer advocates who hammered the stem cell institute on the Reed matter were stymied as to how leaders of academic institutions did not identify the letters of recommendation as a potential conflict of interest. "It's simple. Stem cell board members cannot take part in any way in grants to their institutions," said John Simpson of the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. "Perhaps a few of these deans need to enroll in Ethics 101 at their universities and get the basics down."

State stem cell agency rejects 10 applications for grant money

Sabin Russell — 2007-12-08 12:47:00 PST

John Simpson, of the Santa Monica-based watchdog group Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said the academic deans on the board should have known better. "Some of these academics just don't get it," he said.

Stem cell agency rejects 10 grant applications

Jim Downing — 2007-12-08 12:37:00 PST

John Simpson, spokesman for the watchdog group Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said the rules should have been obvious to board members. "It's simple: Stem cell board members cannot take part in any way in grants to their institutions," he said.

Stem-cell agency denies 10 grants, cites conflicts of interest

Steve Johnson — 2007-12-08 11:28:00 PST

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST CITED FOR 10 APPLICATIONS; But John Simpson of the consumer group that complained about Reed said the agency should name the institutions and individuals involved in the rejected grant applications. "People have a right to know which board members still don't understand conflict-of-interest rules," he said. "Perhaps a few of these deans need to enroll in Ethics 101."

Bids for stem-cell grants in jeopardy;

Sabin Russell, Chronicle Medical Writer — 2007-12-07 10:31:43 PST

4 universities may have broken rules on conflict of interest; Reed has since said that it was an unintentional error on his part, but it has led a consumer group and some fellow board members to call for him to step down. Jeff Sheehy, a UCSF spokesman who serves on the stem cell board as an advocate for HIV patients, said last month that Reed should consider resigning, and has asked that the issue be brought up at the board meeting in Los Angeles next week.

California Plans for a $750 Million Biotech Bank

David Jensen — 2007-12-06 11:57:00 PST

John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumers Rights in Santa Monica, helped develop the affordability rules for grants. A similar policy, he said, should be required for loans including reasonable pricing, access for the uninsured and price breaks for public agencies. The loan program "could make sense," Simpson said. "I wonder, though, how often the loans will be paid back. If the company is such a good credit risk, wouldn't it get the money from traditional lenders?"

Consumers knock cell service

D.R. Stewart, Tulsa World — 2007-12-05 10:21:00 PST

Consumer Reports' survey found that cellular phone providers' often onerous contract terms and early termination penalties are being revised under the pressure of class-action lawsuits. "In the past five years, consumer advocates such as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, in Santa Monica, Calif., and class action lawyers have filed more than 100 lawsuits coast to coast, according to an analysis by Thomson West, a legal-information-services firm," the magazine says.

Ruling on recisions is blow to insurers;

Lisa Girion, Times Staff Writer — 2007-12-05 09:06:23 PST

Patients dropped by Blue Shield may sue as a class, a panel says.; Jamie Court, a spokesman for the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights, said regulators should determine how many policies have been canceled improperly under the standards set out in the decision and move to reinstate them so that patients in need of treatment won't have to wait for the legal process to play out. "If Blue Shield can't offer at least the due process of a staple and a photocopy, then it shouldn't be allowed to ruin people's lives by taking away their healthcare coverage and refusing to pay their big medical bills," Court said.

Politics, business as usual in health proposals?

Russ Britt, MarketWatch — 2007-12-04 09:07:00 PST

Candidates' plans to bring little reform, don't address costs, analysts say; FTCR's Jerry Flanagan points out, however, that the double-digit rate increases by health insurers far exceeds the inflationary rate for doctors and hospitals, which has been estimated at 4% to 6% a year. Flanagan adds that insurers' overhead is out of whack, pointing out it runs roughly 20% to 25%, while overhead under the Medicare program is roughly 3%. And it will only get tougher to clamp down on runaway costs as merger activity is leaving the market with fewer insurers, Flanagan says.

Employment law ruling may impact wireless operators;

JEFFREY SILVA — 2007-12-03 11:44:00 PST

Case calls into question legality of arbitration clauses; "What's fascinating is that the wireless companies have lost a slew of arbitration decisions in California and across the country but have not asked the Supreme Court to review those,'' said Harvey Rosenfield, founder of the San Francisco-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "Rather they are jumping into an employment contract case with a screed against the California courts in the hopes that the Supreme Court will issue a decision that kills state law protections and shoves one-sided kangaroo court arbitration down the throats of cellular consumers everywhere."

Workers defend hospital labor costs

Genevieve Bookwalter, Sentinel staff writer — 2007-12-02 16:40:00 PST

John Simpson, of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Los Angeles, agreed. Nurses, whose profession was once associated with lower wages, are finally making what they are worth, he said. "That they need to be able to be paid well enough to live where they work is a very sound argument," Simpson said. "I think that's, in fact, absolutely essential to making sure that there's quality health care for the people of California."

California Stem Cell Agency to Fund Non-Embryonic Alternatives

David Jensen — 2007-11-30 09:48:00 PST

The plan to fund businesses drew a cautionary note from CIRM watchdog John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. He noted the current controversy over conflicts of interest at the institute, which has prompted the California state controller to order an audit of the entire agency. "We've already seen an example of an improper attempt by a stem cell board member to influence an award to his nonprofit research institution," he said in a news release late Friday. "The possibility of abuse is even greater when the biotech industry goes after the money."

Audit Ordered for California Stem Cell Agency;

David Jensen — 2007-11-28 17:08:40 PST

California State Controller John Chiang has ordered an audit of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, citing accusations of conflict of interest.; John M. Simpson, stem cell project director of the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a group that has closely watched the institute since its inception, has called for the resignation of both Klein and Reed, a call echoed by The Sacramento Bee, the leading newspaper in the California state capital. Simpson said the only way to clear the air and restore confidence in the agency's grant awards process is for both men to leave.

Grants are focus of third audit of stem cell institute;

Terri Somers, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER — 2007-11-28 11:04:54 PST

Controller says he doesn't suspect any wrongdoing; The Controller's letter to the commission follows a complaint filed last week by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, alleging John Reed, CEO of the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, violated the stem cell institute's rule when he tried to intercede on the institute's decision to deny a $638,000 grant to Burnham. "It's good to see that the controller sees this as requiring serious investigation," John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said yesterday.

$100 oil and the 'S' word

Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer — 2007-11-27 09:39:00 PST

Is it growing demand and tight supply, or merely rampant speculation that has pushed crude to record highs?; "Just the multiple [contract] turnovers in the futures markets has a cost of its own," said Judy Dugan, research director at the Center of Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. Dugan, echoing recent sentiments by oil company executives themselves, said there's no fundamental reason why oil prices should be anywhere near $100 a barrel. "There's no inability to buy oil, this is not 1981," she said.

Controller will audit stem-cell institute

Steve Johnson, Mercury News — 2007-11-27 09:25:00 PST

POLITICAL ETHICS AGENCY ALSO ASKED TO INVESTIGATE; California Controller John Chiang said he has asked the Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate John Reed, chief executive of the Burnham Institute of La Jolla and a board member with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. A similar complaint was lodged against Reed last week by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Schwarzenegger's ecological drive may be just more Hollywood

Edward Robinson — 2007-11-25 11:26:00 PST

Jamie Court, the president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, says the governor is an opportunist who seized on global warming because going green has become a popular issue. Unlike Gore, who has called for action since the early 1990s, Schwarzenegger didn't present himself as a global warming warrior until 2005. "He deserves credit for pulling off a massive show," Court says. "But when the public doesn't see results, they shouldn't be surprised."

The Governator's Gold Rush;

Edward Robinson, Bloomberg — 2007-11-25 11:14:00 PST

Arnold Schwarzenegger is shaping America's climate change agenda. But critics say the billions pouring into California's green industries are chasing Hollywood hype.; Schwarzenegger's critics suspect his crusade is more Hollywood razzle-dazzle than hard-nosed policy. Jamie Court, president of advocacy group Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, says the governor is an opportunist who seized on global warming because going green is popular with voters. "He deserves credit for pulling off a massive show," Court says. "But when the public doesn't see results, they shouldn't be surprised."

Lobbying probe urged;

Mercury News staff — 2007-11-22 10:42:00 PST

Consumer group calls for investigation of stem-cell board member; The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said John Reed, CEO of San Diego-based Burnham Institute, wrote the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in August saying it had erred in refusing a $638,000 grant to a Burnham researcher.

Top Burnham official accused of conflict of interest

Terri Somers, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER — 2007-11-22 10:38:00 PST

John M. Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica said that John Reed, the Burnham's president, violated the state conflict-of-interest law when he sent a 6�-page letter to the institute detailing why its decision to withhold a grant from the Burnham would set a "dangerous precedent." Simpson mailed a formal complaint yesterday to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission. If the commission finds wrongdoing, it could levy a fine of up to $5,000 against Reed or stem cell institute Chairman Robert Klein.

State stem cell board member asked to quit over apparent conflict

Sabin Russell, Chronicle Medical Writer — 2007-11-22 10:34:00 PST

"I think it would be the best thing to have a clean slate. They both should go," said John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Santa Monica group that has become a public watchdog over the state program. Simpson has also filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, which is charged with enforcing rules regarding conflict of interest among state board members. "Every time you flout the law, you can't just say, 'Aw shucks,' " he said.

Taxpayer group alleges conflict

Jim Downing — 2007-11-22 10:08:00 PST

Agency staff stood by their decision; the award was formally rescinded last month. But John Simpson, spokesman for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, said documents reveal ethical lapses by Reed and Klein. He called for Reed to resign from the 29-member board.

UW seeks patent on breakthrough;

KATHLEEN GALLAGHER, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — 2007-11-21 10:25:00 PST

Stem cell method clears ethical barrier; "This is an important development in the biology of human cells, but like all scientific progress, it is built on earlier work," said John Simpson, stem cell project director at the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. Simpson said his views about the validity of WARFs three patents haven't changed because of the new work.

Regulators responsible for fair, accurate gas measures keep cozy with the regulated

STEVE EVERLY, The Kansas City Star — 2007-11-18 12:38:00 PST

Although nothing had been done about it at the regulatory level, hot fuel in 2006 drew the attention of several consumer groups and an independent truckers' organization. Some of them began to attend conference meetings -- and were stunned by how cozy regulators were with the industries they regulated. "I was shocked to my shoes," said Judy Dugan, research director for The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, Calif. "They have spent so long doing their business outside of public view that they don't know how they appear to other people."

UC Signs BP Contract, Research Already Underway

Richard Brenneman — 2007-11-16 12:07:47 PST

John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) said he was particularly concerned because the contract gives BP more control of the EBI and research than envisioned in the original proposal. "BP can thwart any action they wish," said Simpson. "And given the despicable record of BP, which killed 15 of its workers in Texas and spilled oil all over Alaska because of unreasonable cost cutting, why should we believe the oil giant would act in good faith? They have demonstrated time and again that they act only in their own narrow interest."

Blue Cross gave chairman $16.4 million in retirement pay;

Jeffrey Krasner, Globe Staff — 2007-11-16 11:22:46 PST

Van Faasen still on salary at insurer; "When you're spending down the coffers by paying $19 million to reward a CEO for changing jobs, premiums are going to have to increase," said Jerry Flanagan, healthcare policy director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer group in Los Angeles. "Double-digit premium increases that are fueled by insurance company excesses like this are uninsuring the insured."

Insurance chief hires top legal enforcer - and gets some static

Gilbert Chan, The Sacramento Bee, — 2007-11-15 11:10:00 PST

Cole's selection, however, was questioned by one consumer group. It also follows a call by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights for Poizner to fire his special counsel, William Gausewitz, a former industry lobbyist accused of trying to help insurance avoid paying thousands in court fees during a legal fight over insurance rates.

Donations influence admissions at UCLA's elite orthodontics program

Robert Faturechi, Daily Bruin/University Wire — 2007-11-15 11:03:00 PST

Many worry such grants surrender undue influence to private interests, compromising the integrity of university research. "The university is digging everywhere it can to find new sources of revenue," said John Simpson, a consumer advocate at the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "In that process, they're selling the soul of higher education to the highest bidder."

Berkeley's Pact With BP for Research Institute Gives Company Favorable Terms on Intellectual Property

GOLDIE BLUMENSTYK — 2007-11-15 10:33:42 PST

One of those groups, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, reiterated that criticism on Wednesday in a blistering news release that called the deal a sellout of the university's values and an insult to the California Board of Regents and the public. Because four of the eight seats on the governing board will be controlled by BP, the company can block proposed research from going forward, the foundation said in its release.

UC BERKELEY: BP research partnership contract is finally signed;

Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer — 2007-11-15 10:09:25 PST

Critics assail board for giving oil firm equal membership; The 114-page contract drew immediate criticism Wednesday from opponents of the partnership. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica said the agreement "compromises the university's commitment to public education by allowing secret corporate research on campus." The group also attacked the change in the governance board. "BP can thwart any action they wish," said spokesman John Simpson.

Split views on Poizner pick;

Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writer — 2007-11-15 09:58:09 PST

A lawyer whose firm has represented foes of Proposition 103 is named the insurance commission's counsel.; Harvey Rosenfield, who endorsed Poizner when he ran for insurance commissioner last year, said he was particularly troubled that Cole's appointment followed the naming earlier this year of former insurance industry lobbyist Bill Gausewitz as the commissioner's special legal counsel for policy issues. Rosenfield this month called on Poizner to fire Gausewitz. He contended that Gausewitz "covertly" helped insurers in a lawsuit they brought against the commissioner.

Insurance chief picks new counsel

Mike Zapler, San Jose Mercury News — 2007-11-15 09:47:00 PST

Harvey Rosenfield, a leading consumer rights advocate and author of Proposition 103, said he's far from convinced that Cole's hiring settles the bias concerns. He said Poizner, a multimillionaire who refused insurance-industry donations during his campaign, has broken his promise to have a true consumer advocate among his senior staff. Noting that Cole represented businesses in claims against insurers, Rosenfield called Cole a "corporate lawyer" and said, "He's not a consumer advocate."

BP inks $500M research deal with UC-Berkeley

Ben Geman, Greenwire senior reporter — 2007-11-15 09:26:00 PST

A California-based watchdog group, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, criticized the agreement. "BP researchers will be able to suck up the best of what Berkeley's scientists have to offer, retreat behind locked, guarded doors and pursue their corporate agenda without giving anything back," the foundation's John Simpson said. "Academic research is based on an exchange of ideas and information. This is a one-way street benefiting only BP."

After Fires, Homeowners Feel an Insurance Pinch

SOLOMON MOORE — 2007-11-13 09:45:01 PST

After past disasters, California state officials tried to raise homeowners' awareness of their coverage limits by requiring policies to be written clearly and with disclaimers about what is not covered. But several national studies suggest that many homeowners tend to underestimate risk and do not understand that their policies do not guarantee replacement of their homes. "Most Americans still think that full coverage means full coverage, but insurance companies know otherwise,'' said Douglas Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, an advocacy organization.

Secrecy & Conflicts: Amid Success and Shortfalls, California's Stem Cell Agency Reaches for Cures

David Jensen - Special to The Bee — 2007-11-11 10:00:00 PST

For much of CIRM's life, John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, has taken part in the institute's policy development. He has both praised and criticized the agency. "Now," he says, "they've got to get out of the entrepreneurial start-up mode, behave as the state agency they in fact are. That means a true commitment to openness and transparency in all deliberations, rather than grudging lip service and hiding behind the idea 'scientists know best.' After substantial accomplishments CIRM must settle in for the long haul. It's a marathon now, not a sprint."

Price of oil seen as sign commodities bubble near;

Dean Calbreath — 2007-11-11 09:54:00 PST

Run-up in price of oil is partly Fed's fault; As they did with the run-up in the stock market in the late 1990s and the housing market in the early 2000s, speculators are pumping money into the investment vehicle with the greatest growth potential. And for the time being, that appears to be oil. "Of course it's a bubble," said Judy Dugan, a specialist on oil issues at the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. "Of course it's driven by speculators. It's insane for an economy our size to be held hostage by unregulated speculation."

A patent challenge for human embryonic stem cell research;

Jeanne Loring — 2007-11-08 14:43:00 PST

A scientist describes how she decided that a legal fight would advance science; On 17 July, 2006, three of us -- Dan and I, and John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, California -- requested that three "Primate Embryonic Stem Cell" patents be re-examined on the grounds that the claims were obvious. We cited several publications from the 1980s that described the precise recipe for ES cell derivation that Thomson used, and I wrote a declaration explaining that I thought that using the published methods for mouse ES cell derivation was an obvious approach for primate ES cells.

CRUDE PRIMED TO HIT CENTURY MARK

PAUL THARP — 2007-11-07 16:19:00 PST

Wholesale gasoline hit a high of $2.435 a gallon, up 5.39 cents -- totaling a 20-cent a gallon wholesale rise in the last week. Gas could soon fetch $4 a gallon at pumps in New York and California, said the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Health care funding at issue;

Aurelio Rojas — 2007-11-07 15:14:00 PST

Governor reacts to Dems' plan hinging on tobacco tax hike.; The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights opposes the individual mandate and contends it would guarantee a windfall for insurers at the expense of middle-class workers.

Groups Urge UC To Reject BP Deal

Stephanie M. Lee — 2007-11-06 09:31:26 PST

John Simpson, consumer advocate for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said he is concerned the final contractual terms could let corporate interests taint UC Berkeley research. "We feel it was done with too much behind closed doors, when you have something like this which has the potential of completely altering the face of public education," Simpson said. "There's the notion that 50 BP scientists are going to be able to come onto campus and public facilities and do secret propriety research that they won't share with anybody."

Group says Allstate overcharges California drivers;

Willie Monroe — 2007-11-05 10:27:00 PST

Nearly two million drivers affected; The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights says Allstate's claims of potential financial hardship are not credible. "Last year in 2006 Allstate had net profits of $5 billion dollars. We should all have that kind of deep financial hardship," said attorney Daniel Zohar.

Probe of Perata dealings quiet, but alive;

Tim Reiterman, Times Staff Writer — 2007-11-04 14:00:00 PST

A grand jury has issued subpoenas and agents have collected records in the federal investigation into possible corruption by state Senate leader.; A consumer group filed a complaint with a Senate ethics panel, based partly on a San Francisco Chronicle report that a business associate of Perata's received hundreds of thousands of dollars from campaigns supported by Perata while paying the senator's consulting firm for other work. "Don Perata was... pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars through his consulting business, based quite clearly on his position of power," said Doug Heller of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Chevron fails to cash in on high oil prices;

Elizabeth Douglass, Times Staff Writer — 2007-11-03 14:44:00 PST

Third-quarter profit takes a 26% hit. The firm blames sharply lower profit margins on the West Coast.; "No one outside of Wall Street can weep for Chevron or any of the other major oil companies," said Judy Dugan, research director at Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights. "The outlandish profits of recent years, almost entirely on the backs of motorists, allowed them to ignore the long-term sustainability of their core business." Dugan said that investments in renewable energy projects by Chevron and others were dwarfed by what they spent buying back company stock. Chevron, which recently completed three $5-billion share-buyback campaigns, launched a $15-billion share repurchase program in September.

Energy firm to pay $15,000 fine for elections violation;

Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer — 2007-11-03 14:35:00 PST

The action stems from efforts to defeat a ballot measure seeking to tax crude-oil production.; Judy Dugan of the Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights characterized the violation as "very serious." "The public has a right to know who is supporting and opposing a ballot measure," she said Friday. "In any election, that amount of money can change the outcome."

Chevron hits snag, posts dip in profit: Company says high crude prices cut into third-quarter earnings

George Avalos, Contra Costa Times — 2007-11-03 14:15:00 PST

Despite the profit erosion, a consumer group claimed Chevron remains a remarkable profit machine. The Foundation for Taxpayers & Consumer Rights said Chevron is still on pace to vault to a record annual profit. "No one outside Wall Street can weep for Chevron or any of the other major oil companies," said Judy Dugan, the consumer group's research director.

Opponents ask UC regents to delay signing BP contract

Chronicle Staff Report — 2007-11-03 11:01:00 PST

"The prospect of giant carbon polluters directing research related to and gaining control of key energy technologies is very troubling -- especially when the research is conducted at, and the technologies are developed in collaboration with, public institutions," said the letter to UC President Robert Dynes and UC regents Chair Richard Blum. Joining Greenpeace in signing the letter were Essential Action of Washington, and the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights of Santa Monica.

N��ez solicited Verizon money after bill passed

Jim Sanders — 2007-11-02 14:55:00 PST

Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a public policy group often at odds with Nunez, said the Assembly leader's travel, luxury purchases and large charity solicitations create a disturbing pattern. "Here's a guy who really wants to fly like a high roller, live like a high roller -- and maybe he wants to give like a high roller," Court said. "But he's using his contributors' credit card."

Record sales boost ExxonMobil despite 10% decline in quarterly earnings

Elizabeth Douglass, Times Staff Writer — 2007-11-02 11:19:06 PST

Consumer advocates were unsympathetic, noting that even with the pullback, ExxonMobil made more in three months than it did in the first nine months of 2002, the last down year before company profit took off. "Exxon has led the pack in setting a 'new normal' for its profits, which ultimately come out of the budgets of carpooling moms and pensioners struggling to buy home heating oil," said Judy Dugan, research director at the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Poizner urged to get rid of aide;

Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writer — 2007-11-02 11:11:25 PST

A key Department of Insurance attorney is accused of cozying up to the industry.; Consumer advocates called Thursday for state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to fire one of his top aides "because he covertly assisted insurance companies in a lawsuit they brought against the commissioner." Harvey Rosenfield, a Santa Monica lawyer who wrote the landmark Proposition 103 insurance initiative, said that electronic mail messages obtained under the California Public Records Act show that Poizner's special legal counsel, Bill Gausewitz, colluded with the insurance industry in its effort to avoid paying $300,000 in legal fees.

Consumer Group Demands That Insurance Commissioner Fire Attorney

STEVE LAWRENCE, Associated Press Writer — 2007-11-02 11:03:21 PST

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said it obtained a series of e-mails showing that William Gausewitz secretly collaborated with insurers to file a declaration in court. It says the document supported the insurers' claim that court costs should be paid by the state, not them.

California insurance chief again accused of favoring insurers;

Mike Zapler, Mercury News Sacramento Bureau — 2007-11-02 10:59:12 PST

CONSUMER GROUPS WANT POIZNER TO AX AIDE FOR HELPING IN SUIT; On Thursday, Harvey Rosenfield, a leading consumer rights advocate, called on Poizner to fire a top legal adviser whom Rosenfield said inappropriately aided auto insurers in a recent lawsuit. The aide, Bill Gausewitz, is a former longtime insurance industry lobbyist.

Wildfires spotlight insurance issues;

Kathy Chu & Elizabeth Weise — 2007-11-01 09:09:55 PST

Some homeowners may find they don't have enough coverage; Most of the affected homeowners have yet to calculate the cost of rebuilding from the California wildfires. But regulators and consumer advocates worry that too many victims will lack adequate insurance to pay for the wreckage of the fire, which has destroyed about 2,200 homes. Whether homeowners have enough insurance is a "vital question" that will determine whether -- and how quickly -- they can rebuild, says Douglas Heller of the Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights.

Insurers seek to tap growing ranks of early retirees too young for Medicare

TOM MURPHY, AP Business Writer — 2007-10-31 11:24:00 PST

But this coverage push draws skepticism from consumer watchdogs who say insurers have a history of avoiding this age range (50 - 64) and the expensive claims for illnesses that often hit that group. "That is a market that needs to be served, partly because traditionally WellPoint won't serve them," said Jamie Court of the California-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

NO FALL BREAK: NEAR-RECORD OIL PRICES WIPE OUT THE USUAL AUTUMN DROP IN FUEL COSTS;

Ryan Randazzo, The Arizona Republic — 2007-10-31 11:07:00 PST

BUSINESSES PASS ALONG INCREASE; "Speculators in largely unregulated futures markets are using any excuse, from bad weather in Mexico to a dip in U.S. oil supplies, to drive crude oil toward $100," said Judy Dugan, research director of Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and its OilWatchdog.org project. She said the number of $100 call options for December oil, essentially wagers that oil will cost more than $100 a barrel by then, allowing option-holders to buy at that price and sell for a profit, show that "gamblers" are driving the market. FTCR wants more regulation of energy trading and supply.

Insurance claims adjusters determining payout for losses in Southern California

ANCHOR: KATIE COURIC / REPORTER: JOHN BLACKSTONE — 2007-10-30 12:56:33 PST

BLACKSTONE: So even if the insurance companies had to pay one or even $2 billion for these fires, they'd still be making money.
Mr. DOUG HELLER (FTCR): Oh, yeah. There's plenty of money in the insurance companies' coffers here in California to cover these claims and still be walking away with several billion dollars in profits.

Gasoline prices follow oil upward;

Ronald D. White, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-30 12:08:41 PST

Crude futures hit new highs. The weak dollar, stormy weather in the Gulf of Mexico and other factors are cited.; Oil market critics took the system to task for ratcheting up the worst-case-scenario fear premium at the expense of consumers. "Speculation is largely to blame. The victims, as usual, are ordinary motorists and people using petroleum products to heat their homes as winter approaches," said Judy Dugan, research director of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

California Wildfires; Insurance Controversy; Home Protection

Gerri Willis & Chris Lawrence — 2007-10-27 12:45:00 PDT

DOUGLAS HELLER, FOUNDATION FOR TAXPAYER & CONSUMER RIGHTS: The insurance industry is looking at American consumers sort of like they look at a casino. We just hit three blackjacks in a row, let's take our chips off the table and leave.

Competing health insurance plans equally flawed

Malinda Markowitz -- Op-Ed Commentary — 2007-10-25 16:38:44 PDT

Why does Massachusetts matter? Because both the latest Schwarzenegger proposal, and the alternative favored by Assembly Speaker Fabian N��ez and some of his allies, repeat the mistakes of the Massachusetts law. Massachusetts officials admit 18 percent of the uninsured cannot afford insurance, notes a report by the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. As Ben Day, director of Mass-Care, a vocal critic of the law, points out, "many of those who supported it are now saying the law will never work."

Insurance in a risky state: Coverage changed after Oakland blaze

Julie Sevrens Lyons & Patrick May, San Jose Mercury News — 2007-10-25 10:36:00 PDT

Consumer-rights advocate Carmen Balber warned that homeowners should be vigilant when it comes to properly insuring themselves against fire and other disasters. "The big concern is that consumers who've lost their homes this week don't get adequate payment to rebuild," she said. "That certainly became an issue after the '03 fires when a lot of homeowners thought they were insured for full replacement value of their home, only to find their policies had been whittled down over the years without them knowing it."

IS YOUR HOME COVERED? - HOW TO KEEP CURRENT

George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer — 2007-10-25 09:28:40 PDT

Poizner said he does not anticipate there will be requests for rate increases as a result of the fires and claims. Consumer watchdogs don't either, but only because they're high already. "Insurance companies have been jacking up rates for the last five years, not just in California but all over the country, in anticipation of this natural disaster," said Harvey Rosenfield, founder of Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. "It's the nature of their industry in collecting as much in premiums as they can and hold on to it to recoup the investment profit. The industry wants to pay out as little as possible and the policyholders want as much as possible. That's two competing tensions that always make for problems," said Rosenfield.

SOUTHLAND BLAZES: HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS -- Before smoke has cleared, insurers roll in;

Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-24 17:15:56 PDT

Mobile units set up in affected areas. A top state official predicts 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in damage.; The latest fires are just the sort of catastrophe that prompted third-ranked Allstate Corp. in May to stop writing new policies for homeowners. The insurer also is seeking a major rate increase for current policyholders, citing danger from fires. That could spell trouble for California homeowners "if other insurance companies choose to look at it like that," warned Douglas Heller of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica.

When health insurance dumps you;

Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer — 2007-10-24 17:09:05 PDT

State works to protect consumers from having health coverage pulled; At least one consumer group is concerned the new regulations still leave too much power in the hands of insurers. "They leave it up to the plans to investigate, and the insurance company has a financial incentive to deny as many people as possible," said Jerry Flanagan, health advocate for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. He said he would like regulators to play a more active role in mediating rescission disputes.

Regulators aim to curb healthcare rescissions;

Lisa Girion, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-24 17:03:17 PDT

Rules would have firms check applicants' fitness before issuing policies.; The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights had petitioned the agencies for rules against rescissions and said the first draft was disappointing. Spokesman Jerry Flanagan said that to protect consumers, regulators must step in and require that insurers prove policyholder misconduct before allowing a company to carry out a cancellation. "They've restated the law here fairly well, but that's not the point," Flanagan said. "They are supposed to establish a process for making sure that the cancellations are fair and patients are protected."

Health plan shield proposed;

Gilbert Chan — 2007-10-24 10:48:06 PDT

State agencies lay out regulations to halt cancellation of policies retroactively.; But one group criticized the proposal, saying the plan falls short of protecting consumers. "The rules will result in more litigation because patients will be forced to go to court when regulators fail to prevent illegal cancellations of coverage," Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said in a statement.

The Next Battle for Wildfire Victims: Insurance

David Ellis, CNNMoney.com Staff Writer — 2007-10-23 11:02:00 PDT

Consumers could get stiffed on reimbursement for razed homes, and even get dropped by their insurance companies, consumer advocates warn.; Experts like Doug Heller, executive director for Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, worry about is how much money will be available when it comes time for customers to rebuild their homes. "That's the real concern for me at least," said Heller. "Will they actually fulfill their advertisements?" One of the biggest controversies erupted in 2003, when fires ravaged San Diego and San Bernardino counties. Consumers found themselves under-insured because their policy limits were not raised to reflect their home values, said Heller. That meant homeowners had to pay the difference. "I think there is a question as to whether insurance companies learned from 2003 and have made sure that policyholders have enough coverage," said Heller.

New schools may get bond funds;

Howard Blume, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-23 10:50:13 PDT

Voters approved the money in 2005 to modernize existing L.A. Unified campuses; Van Ginkel added that the bond's wording allows for such a transfer. But the fine print of ballot resolutions is not enough, said Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights. "Politicians will try to use whatever money is on hand to fill any hole they have," Court said. "And in those cases they're often very flexible with 'the voter's intent' when the voter's intent wasn't that elastic. Politicians can't lawfully seize on the fine print to use money where that use was not made explicitly clear."

WellPoint doctors to get Zagat ratings

Julie Appleby, USA TODAY — 2007-10-22 16:37:00 PDT

While customer satisfaction is a factor in picking a doctor, some consumer advocates say it falls short. "The fact that a doctor might have a friendly administrator at the front desk is meaningless if they have a high medical-error rate," says Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights.

Stem cell agency mulls big loans for biotechs

Ron Leuty — 2007-10-22 12:19:23 PDT

John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the watchdog Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said that if a company's therapy is so promising, it should be able to receive a regular bank loan. "If (CIRM is) a lender of last resort, that could mean that despite the best intentions, a number of these companies could burn through the money and default," Simpson said. "If that happens, there's not going to be this great stream of revenue."

What if the UC system lost state funding?

Lisa M. Krieger, Mercury News — 2007-10-22 11:44:43 PDT

"I see privatization happening right now," said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. "It is wrong to have this fundamental shift in what the people in California have believed all these years without a public debate."

34 percent of area gas stations fail pump tests in last three years

Mc Nelly Torres, South Florida Sun-Sentinel — 2007-10-21 13:38:00 PDT

Devices that shortchange customers are taken out of service until they are fixed and reinspected. Pumps that err in consumers' favor are not shut down. "It is difficult to tell when a pump is cheating you," said Judy Dugan, founder and research director for Oilwatchdog.org, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group based in Santa Monica, Calif. "But the key issue here is does anybody [gas station owners] ever pay a price for cheating?"

Auto insurance reforms set to equalize rates face a deadline

Evangeline Mitchell, Business Writer — 2007-10-21 13:00:00 PDT

Prop. 103 is "all about giving drivers a fair shake," said Doug Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayers and Consumer Rights. Under the old system, urban drivers can end up paying for insurance that is hundreds of dollar higher than drivers in other areas.

Refinery margins have been an ally at the gas pump

Steve Everly, The Kansas City Star — 2007-10-20 14:01:00 PDT

Industry critics say that refinery capacity over the years has not kept up with demand, and that gives oil companies the power to profit even more handsomely when demand rises. "Those record prices in the spring weren't tied to the price of crude oil," said Judy Dugan, research director for The Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights. "The key factor is what amount of refining profit the oil companies are willing to seek and for what reasons."

State HMOs treaded water in improving care, study says

Gilbert Chan — 2007-10-19 10:15:03 PDT

One consumer group criticized the report, calling it shallow and incomplete. Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said the $500,000 report -- funded by state assessments collected from HMOs -- omits information about costs, specific consumer complaints and regulatory action against health plans. "The information in these things are vague. They provide no real help to consumers," Flanagan said. "They have gone out of their way to leave out the worst practices."

State report card: HMOs need to help more with diabetes, obesity

Victoria Colliver — 2007-10-19 10:10:00 PDT

Jerry Flanagan, health advocate for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, was astounded that the report card made no mention of recent problems involving health plans. Several insurers, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield, have come under fire for retroactively revoking coverage after patients made claims. Kaiser's Northern California kidney transplant program was dismantled for patient safety concerns, and the HMO was hit this summer with a state fine for mishandling complaints. "It's easy to get a good grade when the teachers aren't looking at your bad behavior," he said.

HMOs rate poorly on prevention;

Lisa Girion, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-19 09:51:07 PDT

Many Californians in the plans are not getting adequate screening to detect diseases such as cancer, state report says.; Jerry Flanagan, a patient advocate with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said the report let health plans off too easily by failing to take them to task for what he called their "worst behavior." For instance, he said, the report didn't make note of the cancellation of sick patients' coverage, for which Blue Cross and Kaiser have been sanctioned, or the troubled kidney transplant program at Kaiser. "This vague and incomplete analysis gives consumers a false sense of security about the quality of HMOs," Flanagan said.

Oil prices soar -- but why?

Kevin G. Hall, Knight Ridder Washington Bureau — 2007-10-18 10:33:00 PDT

Oil industry critics say that refiner manipulation is to blame. "These companies control the maintenance, the output, the expansions. There is a lot of limitation (in generating supplies) that is deliberate in refineries, and they were able to drive up profits to levels that were close to a dollar a gallon for finished gasoline" earlier this year, said Judy Dugan, research director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Los Angeles, a consumer group that clashes frequently with Big Oil. "Americans will pay $3 a gallon for gasoline, but if they were getting the margins they were getting this spring, gas would be over $4 a gallon, and you'd see people bring torches to the Capitol!"

Shell sees biofuel in future

Janis Mara Martinez, The Oakland Tribune — 2007-10-17 09:51:00 PDT

Hofmeister acknowledged that the price charged by oil companies such as Shell to retailers would ultimately figure into the price paid by consumers. Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said gasoline costs are high in part because oil companies withhold supply from the market to drive prices up.

Job of N��ez's wife at issue;

Jim Sanders - Bee Capitol Bureau — 2007-10-16 10:42:59 PDT

Link to hospitals with stake in health reform criticized.; Doug Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said bankrolling a job for the wife of a legislative leader can do more for a special interest than a campaign contribution would. "This is lifestyle protection," he said. "It's a way to provide personal financial benefits to a politician whose votes you depend on."

Drivers' fee hikes signed by governor;

Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-15 12:03:16 PDT

Registration costs will increase $3 per year. Schwarzenegger also puts his signature on a bill banning the use of phthalates in some toys.; Some consumer advocates accused N��ez of slipping the bill through in the waning hours of the legislative session to let oil companies -- big campaign contributors in Sacramento -- off the hook financially for the cost of meeting clean-air and alternative fuel goals. "Instead of going to the deep pockets of big oil, this bill goes to the much shallower pockets of the average consumer," said Judy Dugan, research director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "It's business as usual in the Capitol."

Chevron Teaches Big Brands What Not to Do

Joan Voight — 2007-10-15 09:40:00 PDT

Jamie Court on the Huffingon Post, wrote, "Chevron's latest advertising campaign is a classic study in how large rogue corporations try to show themselves as having a soul and human meaning." Not surprisingly, the environmental activist crowd had a field day. A column in The Daily KOS (with 600,000 visitors a day) took the opportunity -- while bashing the Chevron ads -- to remind people of the anti-SUV messages secreted in the user-generated ads for the Chevy Tahoe and share some of those videos, which the oil and auto companies no doubt wish would just go away.

Insurance providers want your attention

Ed Mendel — 2007-10-15 09:25:00 PDT

Proposition 103 created an elected state insurance commissioner, an office now held by Steve Poizner, and requires that auto insurers get the approval of the state Department of Insurance before adjusting their rates. The insurance industry, which backed three unsuccessful alternative initiatives to Proposition 103 in a campaign that set spending records, has continued the fight in the courts, the Legislature and the regulatory process.

Home Insurers' Secret Tactics Cheat Victims, Hike Profits

DAVID DIETZ & DARRELL PRESTON — 2007-10-14 12:07:00 PDT

Companies pay out less, make $73 billion more; Insurance companies are no longer following their mandate to take care of policyholders' money and then pay it out when needed, says Douglas Heller, executive director of the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, California. "The whole purpose of insurance is evaporating before our eyes as we continue to send checks to the companies," Heller says. "Insurers are looking to shed their purpose as a risk bearer and become financial institutions."

Health insurance lessons from Massachusetts;

Mike Zapler — 2007-10-13 11:10:00 PDT

UNIVERSAL COVERAGE TOUGHER IN CALIFORNIA; "Massachusetts faced far fewer hurdles in reforming its health care system than California does," said Carmen Balber of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which is tracking Massachusetts' efforts and says California needs to regulate insurance rates as part of any health reform effort. "Nevertheless, as far as the affordability of health care goes, it's not working there."

Gov. vetoes election day registration for new citizens;

Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer — 2007-10-12 11:19:32 PDT

Also, he signs an immigration-related bill that prohibits cities from having landlords ask about the residency status of their tenants.; Meanwhile, with gasoline prices in California edging back up to around $3 a gallon, the governor has also signed a bill to study whether motorists are getting less than they pay for when they pump gas during hot weather. However, consumer advocates had urged the governor to veto the bill, saying the oil industry had convinced legislators to study, not solve, the problem. "The bottom line of our opposition is that the measure calls for politically tinged studies that will delay or block any resolution and add nothing to the science of hot fuel," said Judy Dugan, research director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.