Consumer Watchdog

Newsom's French Laundry Dinner Shows How Lobbyists Get Access To Power In Sacramento

By Alexei Koseff, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

November 23, 2020

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Newsom-s-French-Laundry-di…

SACRAMENTO - When he dined at the French Laundry in Yountville this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom enjoyed not only fine cuisine at a three-star Michelin restaurant, but also the company of several influential figures with regular business before his administration.

ONE RULE FOR US - Fury As California Lawmakers Ignore Warning To Fly To Hawaii For Covid Conference After Newsom Broke Rules For Dinner

By Magda Ibrahim , THE SUN UK

November 19, 2020

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13239989/fury-california-lawmakers-hawaii…

EIGHT California lawmakers are facing a furious backlash after flying to Hawaii for a conference despite health officials warning against out-of-state travel amid a spike in coronavirus cases.

Connected Cars Including Tesla Hackable Consumer Watchdog Reports

By Lynn Walford, AUTO CONNECTED CAR NEWS

November 15, 2020

https://www.autoconnectedcar.com/2020/11/connected-cars-including-tesla…

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Consumer  Watchdog released a video showing how a box it built with the help of technologists could hack into the wireless connection of a Tesla and take over the screen with a “This Tesla’s Been Hacked” message.

Expansion Of Landmark California Data Privacy Law Leading

By Jocelyn Gecker, ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 4, 2020

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/03/expansion-of-landmark-california…

SAN FRANCISCO — Two years ago, California became the first state to pass a sweeping digital privacy law seen as the strongest of its kind in the United States. Early returns Tuesday showed a measure to refine and expand the law leading with 57% of more than 7 million votes counted.

Can the Ballot Be Used to Hold Local Government Accountable?

By Max Pringle, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC PRESS

November 2, 2020

https://www.sfpublicpress.org/can-the-ballot-be-used-to-hold-local-gove…

San Francisco has faced many scandals in which public officials abused their power for personal, political or organizational gain. Most recently, the Department of Public Works was rocked by an FBI investigation into alleged kickbacks, slush funds and illicit permitting influence. 

Culver City, CA Stands Up To Big Oil, Votes To Phase Out Drilling In Largest Urban Oil Field In U.S.

In a year of record fires, record heat and the unprecedented Coronavirus in California, the City Council of Culver City, the site of the largest urban oil field in the U.S,  voted on October 26 to phase out oil drilling. This vote took place as the Gavin Newsom Administration has expanded oil and gas drilling in California — and the City Council members hope that Newsom will take note of the historic decision.

By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE

October 29, 2020

CA Regulators Issue 6 New Fracking Permits Yesterday, Bringing The Total This Year To 54

By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE

October 17, 2020

http://redgreenandblue.org/2020/10/17/ca-regulators-issue-6-new-frackin…

The agency approved the permits after an independent technical review by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, according to Matt Baker, Deputy Secretary for Energy of the California Natural Resources Agency.

Judge Fines L.A. $2.5 Million For ‘Serious Abuse’ In Handling Of Evidence In DWP Case

By Dakota Smith, LOS ANGELES TIMES

October 6, 2020

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-06/la-fined-serious-ab…

A Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay a $2.5-million fine, ruling in favor of a consulting firm that accused City Atty. Mike Feuer’s office of concealing evidence in a high-profile lawsuit involving the Department of Water and Power.

Proposition 24: Big Tech Quiet In California Data Privacy Initiative Fight

By John Woolfolk, THE MERCURY NEWS

October 5, 2020

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/10/05/prop-24-big-tech-quiet-in-califo…

Proposition 24 on the November ballot is pitched as an expansion of California's already robust consumer data privacy law, an iron cuff on the claws of companies that profit handsomely from tracking and selling your online search, travel and purchase habits to marketers.

KPCC 89.9FM Pasadena: A New Bill Aims To Expand Consumer Privacy Laws, But Opponents Say To Read The Fine Print

Host - Larry Mantle, AIR TALK - KPCC 89.3 FM SCPR Pasadena, CA

September 30, 2020

Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment: https://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2020/09/30/66072/a-new-bill-aims-…

This November, Californians will find a new privacy bill on their ballots. 

Californians Could Sign Ballot Measures Online If Group Has Its Way

By John Wildermuth, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

September 24, 2020

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Californians-could-sign-ba…

A consumer advocacy group wants to pull most of the rickety card tables, dog-eared paper petitions and pushy initiative signature gatherers from California's shopping centers and sidewalks and move it all to the internet.

Newsom Aims To Phase Out New Hydraulic Fracking Permits In California By 2024

By Janet Wilson, THE DESERT SUN

September 24, 2020

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/09/23/newsom-aims…

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday vowed to work with the state legislature to phase out new permits for hydraulic fracking by 2024, but left untouched a more widely used oil extraction technique in the state that has been linked to hundreds of oil spills.

California Ban On Fracking By 2024 Criticized As Too Late

By Don Thompson, ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 23, 2020

https://apnews.com/article/legislature-climate-hydraulic-fracturing-env…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Wednesday to end issuing new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024, a delay criticized by many environmental groups but characterized as legally and politically realistic by another.

Prop 24 Seemingly Seeks To Expand Internet Privacy, Critics Say It Won't

By Angelica Cabral, THE CALIFORNIAN

September 8, 2020

https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2020/09/08/proposition-24-centers-internet-privacy/5739293002/#

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of four articles highlighting notable ballot propositions. The other propositions The Californian covered were 17, 21 and 22. 

Proposition 24 is a bit confusing.

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