By Staff Reporters, KMVU FOX TV-26, Medford, OR
January 12, 2022
https://www.fox26medford.com/investigators-warn-of-potentially-unlicens…
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – At first glance, a pop-up COVID testing site nestled outside the 16th Street BART station in San Francisco’s Mission District looks like a convenient way to score a free COVID test.
By Dan Bacher, DAILY KOS
January 11, 2022
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/1/11/2073926/-Critics-Say-Newsom-…
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom on January 10 unveiled his 2022-23 state budget proposal including a $45.7 billion budget surplus, receiving both criticism and praise from environmental and climate advocates.
State insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has taken campaign money and gifts from fossil fuel interests and “done almost nothing” to address climate change.
By Sam Mellins, THE DAILY POSTER
January 12, 2022
https://www.dailyposter.com/why-is-california-backtracking-on-climate-r…
Host - Steve Chiotakis, Guest - Liza Tucker, Consumer Watchdog - Greater LA, KCRW 89.9FM
January 10, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment: https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/covid-recycle/recycling-fraud
Opinion By Thomas Elias, THE DESERT SUN
January 10, 2022
https://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/2022/01/10/californias-recyclin…
In California’s recycling program, nickel and dime deposits add about $1.5 billion a year. But at least $200 million of that goes to criminals, according to a new report from the usually reliable Consumer Watchdog advocacy group.
Consumer Watchdog supports a California bill that would make producers responsible for the materials' entire life cycle.
By Kevin Smith, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
January 6, 2021
https://www.dailynews.com/2022/01/06/recycling-fraud-costs-california-c…
By Dustin Gardener, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
January 4, 2022
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-is-sitting-on-3…
SACRAMENTO — Every time Californians purchase a bottle of beer or can of soda, they pay an extra nickel or dime — a deposit they can theoretically get back if the container is returned to a recycling center.
By Debra Kahn, POLITICO PRO
December 30, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO — California is struggling to prevent wildfires from decimating communities each year. Now insurers wonder if they can accomplish what politicians can’t.
By Staff Reporters, KPFA Radio 94.1FM, SF Bay Area, CA
December 30, 2021
Listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment here: https://kpfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RECYCLING-QA.mp3
By Thomas Elias, SANTA MARIA TIMES
December 21, 2021
https://santamariatimes.com/opinion/columnists/appeals-court-tries-to-g…
California’s ballot initiative process has never been more effective or beneficial to voters (who are also utility customers) than since the strongly consumerist Proposition 103 passed handily in 1988.
By Staff Writers, ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 20, 2021
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2021-12-20/…
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A prominent advocacy group has labeled San Francisco “the poster child” of California's troubled bottle and can recycling program, saying not a single grocery store in the city is required to refund nickel-or-dime deposits.
By Ishani Desai, The BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
December 18, 2021
https://californianewstimes.com/bakersfield-doctor-with-repeat-offenses…
A local mother said Friday her deceased pregnant daughter was denied justice when the Medical Board of California decided to forgo an administrative hearing for a Bakersfield doctor accused of negligence in her death and agreed to let him surrender his license.
By Anthony Wright, ABC TV-23 Bakersfield, CA
December 16, 2021
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/doctor-surrenders-medical-lice…
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield OB-GYN Dr. Arthur Park has agreed to surrender his medical license in an agreement with the Medical Board of California. Park was accused of negligence in the death of Demi Dominguez in 2019.
By David Kaplan, BAKERSFIELD NOW
December 16, 2021
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/former-doctor-of-demi-dominguez-a…
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Bakersfield OB-GYN has agreed to surrender his license to the Medical Board of California. This comes after being accused of medical negligence in the death of 23-year-old Demi Dominguez.
By Thomas Elias, TAFT MIDWAY DRILLER
December 6, 2021
https://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/newsletter/appeals-court-tries-to-gut…
California’s ballot initiative process has never been more effective or beneficial to voters (who are also utility customers) than since the strongly consumerist Proposition 103 passed handily in 1988.
By Debrah Kahn, POLITICO PRO
December 6, 2021
California's dropping recycling rate is increasing its greenhouse gas footprint, according to a new analysis commissioned by the group Consumer Watchdog.
The state's recycling rate for containers was 58 percent last year, far below its goal of 80 percent, POLITICO's Debra Kahn reports. That means some 13.4 billion bottles and cans went unrecycled.
Opinion Column By Susan Shelley, THE DAILY NEWS OF Los Angeles
December 3, 3021
https://www.dailynews.com/2021/12/03/who-knew-what-and-when-in-ladwp-sc…
Remember back in July 2019 when the FBI raided City Attorney Mike Feuer’s office and the offices of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power?
By Steve Lopez, LOS ANGELES TIMES
December 1, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-01/lopez-column-contin…
In the carnival of avarice and corruption that is Los Angeles, we are not resting on our laurels.
Second stringers settle for bronze or silver; champions go for gold.
By Dakota Smith, LOS ANGELES TIMES
December 1, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-01/former-dwp-board-me…
An attorney for a former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power board member linked to an alleged bribery scheme defended his client Tuesday.
By Kathleen Ronayne, ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 22, 2021
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/newsom-names-energy-adviser-as-state-…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has named his senior adviser on energy policy as the next president of the powerful state body that regulates utilities.
By JW August, TIMES OF SAN DIEGO
November 21, 2021
https://patch.com/california/san-diego/californians-casting-suspicious-…
You might be asking yourself, why are we paying on average $4.70 for a gallon of gasoline in California, while the cost for the rest of the country is more than a dollar less?
By Jeannie Nguyen and Connor Malone, FOX TV-40 Sacramento, CA
November 18, 2021
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/roseville-wastewater-assistant-direct…
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (KTXL) — A Roseville city employee has been arrested after investigators said he was caught spending public money that he wasn’t authorized to use. Now, he’s facing felony charges.
By Kellie Hwang and Nami Sumida, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
November 18, 2021
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/As-inflation-rises-across-t…
It's no mystery to anyone living here that pretty much everything is pricier in the Bay Area.
By Kellie Hwang, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
November 19, 2021
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Thanksgiving-travel-is-expe…
After a dramatic downsizing last year due to the COVID pandemic, Thanksgiving travel is poised to make a near-total turnaround in the Bay Area and U.S., according to airport officials and industry experts.
By Melody Gutierrez, LOS ANGELES TIMES
November 17, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-17/california-medical-…
SACRAMENTO — The pleas for help find him. They arrive by email or seep into his social media account. One showed up in a tightly sealed letter to his home. After years of feeling ignored by the Medical Board of California, the writers hope he’ll finally be the one who hears them.
By Christina Gonzalez, KTTV FOX TV-11 Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2021
https://www.foxla.com/news/how-to-save-money-on-gas-in-california
LOS ANGELES - Is cheaper gas the same quality as high-end brands? It depends on who you ask, but there are some basic things that can save you money.
By Victoria Colliver, POLITICO PRO
November 12, 2021
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
November 11, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25…
In 2022, California voters will decide whether to raise the $250,000 cap on payouts in medical negligence lawsuit payouts, indexing it for inflation and empowering judges and juries to decide compensation in cases involving catastrophic injury or death.
By Don Thompson, ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 3, 2021
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Consumer advocates said Tuesday that they will ask the California Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court ruling they said undermines the state's ability to order billions of dollars in insurance company refunds.
By Frank Klimko, BESTWEEK
November 3, 2021
A California appeals court ruled in favor of State Farm General Insurance Co., rejecting the authority of the state insurance commissioner in ordering the carrier to reduce dwelling insurance rates by 7% that could have meant refunds of $100 million.
By Bob Egelko, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
November 3, 2021
A state appeals court says California's insurance commissioner wrongly ordered State Farm to cut homeowners' rates by 7% in 2016 and should not have told the company to pay $100 million in refunds to its policyholders.
By Rachel Stone, LAW 360
October 29, 2021
https://www.law360.com/articles/1435636?scroll=1&related=1
Law360 (October 29, 2021, 8:19 PM EDT) -- The U.S. threw its support behind a group of people living with HIV who urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that federal law covers their discrimination claims against CVS, alleging their health plans' prohibition on getting specialty medication from local pharmacies unfairly affected them.
By Nick Visser and Mollie Reilly, HUFFPOST
October 21, 2021
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/california-oil-well-3200-feet_n_6170cc0d…
California is seeking to dramatically expand protections for communities near oil drilling operations following a large oil spill off the coast of Southern California earlier this month.
By Koco McAboy, FOX TV-11 Los Angeles, CA
October 20, 2021
https://www.foxla.com/news/grocery-shoppers-feel-the-hit-as-food-prices…
LOS ANGELES - Food prices have risen astronomically this year compared to last year, according to statistics, and shoppers are feeling the hit when they go to the grocery store.
By Emma Newburger, CNBC
October 9, 2021
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/09/oil-wells-in-la-nearby-residents-grappl…
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — Stepping out of a coffee shop near Interstate 110 in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, you’re immediately hit by a foul odor.
By Dave LaChance, REPAIRER DRIVEN NEWS
October 8, 2021
https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2021/10/08/calif-orders-allstate-mer…
California’s insurance commissioner has ordered Allstate, Mercury and CSAA to return to drivers more of the excess profits collected from them during the pandemic, or face legal action.
EDITORIAL by the Editorial Board of the Southern California NEWS GROUP
October 6, 2021
https://www.pe.com/2021/10/06/marc-levine-versus-ricardo-lara/
A game of political musical chairs is underway in California as Democrats grapple with the problem of too many office-holders and not enough offices.
By Staff Reporters, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
October 6, 2021
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Liza Tucker with Consumer Watchdog calls for an end to approval of any oil drilling permits in California.
By Chip Franklin (Host), KGO AM San Francisco, CA
October 4, 2021
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Liza Tucker talks with Chip about what Governor Newsom must do to stop any future oil spills in and off the coast of California.
By Jeannie Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 24, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/business-fires-environment-and-nature-crime-…
REDDING, Calif. (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric has been charged with manslaughter and other crimes in a Northern California wildfire last year that killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
By Dan Backer, ELK GROVE NEWS
September 24, 2021
http://www.elkgrovenews.net/2021/09/advocates-say-governor-newsoms-15.h…
Sacramento, CA -- Against a backdrop of trees at the site of the KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park as wildfires rage across California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Comeback Plan’s $15 billion climate package — the largest of its kind in the country.
By Frank Mottek, KABC 790AM LA
September 9, 2021
Frank chats with Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court on why California's latest attempt to revamp it's broken bottle and can recycling system failed due to lobbying from the industry. Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
By Staff Reporters, REPAIR DRIVEN NEWS
September 6, 2021
https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2021/09/06/auto-insurers-scored-wind…
Consumer groups analyzing insurers’ underwriting performance from 2020 have concluded that auto insurers reaped billions of dollars in excess profits due to reduced accidents during the lockdowns, and say consumers are still owed billions in additional refunds.
By Alan Ohnsman, FORBES
August 16, 2021
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2021/08/16/us-launches-broad-i…
U.S. regulators have opened up the biggest review of Tesla’s Autopilot since the driving-assistance feature was introduced, centered around a string of collisions with emergency vehicles that resulted in numerous injuries and at least one fatality.
By Sasha Hupka, LOS ANGELES TIMES
August 11, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-08-11/sleek-new-credit-apps…
WASHINGTON — Alana Voechting, a 27-year-old nursing student, had never heard of Klarna when she noticed its bright pink logo while checking out at Sephora.com with $165 in skincare products.
By Adam Raskin, KGTV ABC TV-10 San Diego, CA
July 30 2021
https://www.10news.com/news/in-depth/some-california-homeowners-in-fire…
San Diego (KGTV) — Throughout the state, homeowners are preparing for what could be another long wildfire season.
By Andrew Sheeler, CAPITOL ALERT - SACRAMENTO BEE
July 27, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25…
Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog reports that permit approvals for new or reworked oil wells dropped by 64% in the first six months of 2021, while the number of permit applications from oil and gas companies fell by 52%.
By J. D. Morris, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
July 22, 2021
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/PG-E-says-it-will-bury-10-0…
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Wednesday that it wants to bury 10,000 miles of its power lines in the coming years, hoping that such a far-reaching and expensive effort will finally turn the company's disastrous track record around.
By Kyle Barnett, UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
July 22, 2021
The largest utility in California is planning to bury 10,000 miles of power lines in an effort to prevent fires in the drought-stricken state.
Pacific Gas & Electric said the move is intended to "further harden its system" to prevent accidental outbreaks of wildfires. Several fires in California have been attributed to PG&E equipment over the years.
By Sonseeahary Tonsall, Eric Rucker, Ian McDonald, KXTL FOX TV-40, Sacramento, CA
July 21, 2021
https://fox40.com/news/wildfire-watch/pge-announces-plan-to-bury-thousa…
CHICO, Calif. (KTXL) — Pacific Gas and Electric announced on Wednesday that it plans to bury 10,000 miles of lines in parts of the state with higher fire danger.
By Victoria Colliver, POLITICO PRO
July 19, 2021
A medical malpractice company based in Napa dropped $5 million into the fight against a November 2022 ballot measure to increase California’s medical malpractice compensation cap.
By Barbara Feder Ostrov, CALMATTERS
July 19 2021
https://calmatters.org/health/2021/07/dialysis-california-davita/
Federal conspiracy charges against dialysis giant DaVita and its former CEO have cast one of Sacramento’s biggest political spenders in an unflattering light.
By Blaise Scemama, THE DAILY JOURNAL
July 16, 2021
The report released this week named prominent attorneys it said had "violated the ethical rules against dishonesty, deceit, and collusion and violated their ethical duties to ... the court in violation of Rules of Professional Conduct."
By Carly Olson, LOS ANGELES TIMES
July 14, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-07-14/usc-keck-norris-cance…
Nurses at two USC hospitals that handle some of the country’s most challenging medical cases are protesting working conditions they say put both medical staff and hospital-goers at risk, the latest in a series of strikes by nurses nationwide that have spotlighted hospital safety.
Consumer Watchdog says California needs to build its own infrastructure and not rely on outside power companies
By Kurt Rivera, KXTV ABC TV-10 Sacramento, CA
July 12, 2021
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/flex-alert-watchdog…
By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE
July 10, 2021
http://redgreenandblue.org/2021/07/10/big-first-californias-oil-gas-reg…
“This is the first permit denial of this scale for reasons related to public health and climate,” according to a statement from the Food and Water Watch.
By Trenton Straube, POZ
July 7, 2021
https://www.poz.com/article/supreme-court-hear-hiv-case-involving-cvs-p…
Can health plans force clients to get HIV meds via mail or at a specific pharmacy in order to keep discounts?
By Alexis Shanes, LAW 360
July 2, 2021
https://www.law360.com/retail/articles/1399999/cvs-persuades-justices-t…
Law360 (July 2, 2021, 2:17 PM EDT) -- The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it will review the revival of an Affordable Care Act case alleging CVS Pharmacy's mail-delivery drug program discriminates against HIV and AIDS patients.
By Craig Fiegener, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
July 1, 2021
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Carmen Balber with Consumer Watchdog explains how insurance companies still owe Californians refunds due to the pandemic.
By Miranda Green, CALMATTERS
June 30, 2021
https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/06/california-wildfire-insurance-cl…
In hard-hit Napa Valley, which has burned multiple times this last decade, successful winemakers and longtime residents are weighing their options to rebuild or move out entirely simply by looking at their property insurance policies.
By Emily Valdes, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
June 29, 2021
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court explains how West LA's Richard Bloom has a bill in the state Assembly that is bad for consumers trying to recycle their bottles and cans.
By Mike DeWald, KCBS AM, San Francisco, CA
June 29, 2021
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Carmen Balber explains how insurance companies have not fully refund the amount they are legally required to return to consumers after the Covid pandemic.
By Staff Reporters, INSURANCE JOURNAL
June 29, 2021
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2021/06/29/620665.htm
Most California insurance companies continued to charge pre-pandemic auto insurance rates despite a vast majority of Californians driving far less last year, according to an analysis by Consumer Watchdog on Tuesday.
The report shows auto insurers reaped “a windfall of about $5.5 billion.”
By Samantha Young, CALIFORNIA HEALTHLINE
June 25, 2021
https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/doctors-lobby-scores-majo…
SACRAMENTO — The board that licenses and disciplines doctors in California is failing to hold bad actors accountable, endangering patients in the process.
By Zarina Khairzada, SPECTRUM NEWS 1 LA
June 22, 2021
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/news/2021/06/22/crv-costs-turn-int…
LOS ANGELES — Dozens of bags filled with plastic, glass and aluminum beverage containers have been piling up in Nancy Hannickel’s backyard in West Los Angeles.
Hannickel is not happy about it and can’t find somewhere to get the full CRV refund that had been paid for them.
By Dale Kasler, SACRAMENTO BEE
June 21, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/article251430658.html
They held a potluck picnic on Sunnyside Road a few weeks ago. It was more like group therapy with a side of chicken wings.
By Colby Bermel, POLITICO
June 17, 2021
https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2021/06/17/how-much-fr…
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly said that fracking accounts for less than 2 percent of California oil production, but he appears to have vastly underestimated its use as the state prepares to ban the technique by 2024.
Progressive consumer groups are already pushing back on catastrophe model recommendations.
By Staff Writers, RISK MARKET NEWS
June 14, 2021
https://www.riskmarketnews.com/california-extreme-heat-reinsurance-pool…
By Pat Thurston, KGO 810 AM San Francisco, CA
June 14, 2021
Click here to listen to Consumer Watchdog's President and Chairman, Jaime Court join Pat Thurston to discuss SB 38 the Bottle Deposit Bill: https://omny.fm/shows/the-pat-thurston-show/june-14-2021-bottle-deposit-bill#description
By JW August, TIMES OF SAN DIEGO
June 11, 2021
https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2021/06/11/california-insurance-co…
Given a time of fast-moving climate change, wouldn’t you like to know what the chances are of your house being in the path of a wildfire?
By Cheryl Clark, MEDPAGE TODAY
June 4, 2021
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/92924?xid=fb_o&…
The agency that licenses 152,000 California physicians is facing a crisis of public confidence, with the voices of several lawmakers joining those of angry patients who say it shields bad doctors far too often.
By Victoria Colliver, POLITICO PRO
June 2, 2021
Patient advocates lambasted last-minute amendments made to a bill concerning the Medical Board of California, including the gutting of a provision to remake the panel with a public-member majority.
What happened: An earlier version of CA SB806 (21R), by Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside), increased the size of the board from 15 to 17 members, allowing for eight physicians and nine public representatives. But amendments made late last week eliminated that proposal from the bill.
By Mansur Shaheen, THE DAILY MAIL UK
May 28, 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9631213/Maryland-New-Mexico-…
States are setting up hotlines amid reports that some Americans are being charged for the COVID-19 vaccine, which is supposed to be free.
The Department of Health and Human Services said to report any vaccine fees.
By Adisa Hargett-Robinson, ABC NEWS
May 28, 2021
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-19-vaccines-free-people-bills/story…
By Staff Reporters, KNX 1070 AM LA
May 27, 2021
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio news broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court explains why Californian's are demanding changes to the state's broken bottle and can redemption system.
By CBSLA Staff, KCBS TV-2 LA
May 26, 2021
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/05/26/bottles-cans-recycling-crv/
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Consumers in California pay five or ten cent deposits for almost every beverage in a bottle or can, but new reports show many are not getting their money back at recycling centers.
Opinion By Jamie Court for THE MERCURY NEWS
May 25, 2021
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/25/opinion-california-air-board-sho…
When Elon Musk joked on Saturday Night Live that cryptocurrency was a “hustle,” he unwittingly summed up the strategy by which Tesla has fleeced the state of California.
Letter to the Editor
San Francisco Chronicle
May 22, 2021 Saturday
Dysfunctional System
Regarding "How California can redeem bottle recycling" (Editorial, May 19): Recycling means creating convenient redemption, not subsidizing waste haulers.
By David Lazarus, LOS ANGELES TIMES
May 21, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-21/column-rohit-chopra-c…
Rohit Chopra is expected to receive the U.S. Senate’s blessing any day now to become the new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His job will be to restore credibility to a watchdog agency that was largely sidelined during the Trump administration.
By Staff Reporters, KPIX CBS TV-5 San Francisco, CA
May 3, 2021
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/05/03/ca-lawmaker-proposes-bill-…
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — It’s been a year since KPIX first uncovered systemic troubles with California’s bottle and can recycling program. During the pandemic things just got worse. Now lawmakers are looking for a fix.
By Simone Chavoor, KGO ABC TV-7 San Francisco, CA
April 29, 2021
https://abc7news.com/michael-finney-7-on-your-side-seven-day/10561200/
San Francisco Mayor London Breed marked the occasion by issuing a proclamation declaring April 29 "Michael Finney Day" in the the City and County of San Francisco.
By Samantha Chatman, WLS ABC TV-7 Chicago, IL
April 29, 2021
https://abc7chicago.com/health/charged-for-a-free-covid-vaccine-feds-wa…
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Some people are frustrated after they said they were charged for their COVID-19 vaccines. The federal government has made it clear that these shots are 100% free to consumers. So why are people still being billed?
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
April 26, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made big waves on Friday when he announced plans for the state to phase out fracking by 2024, and oil drilling by 2045.
By Staff Reporters, PRESS TV
April 24, 2021
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/04/24/650179/Climate-change-Califor…
Climate action advocates have cautiously praised California Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to ban hydraulic fracturing by 2024, but stressed that the move is still a half-measure as it allows continued oil drilling for the next two-and-a-half years.
By Lloyd Alaban, SAN JOSE SPOTLIGHT
April 23, 2021
https://sanjosespotlight.com/should-san-jose-require-nonprofits-to-disc…
More than 50 individuals, companies and advocacy groups legally lobby San Jose each year about subjects including Google developments and cannabis.
By Kenny Stencil and Jessica Corbett , COMMON DREAMS
April 23, 2021
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/23/californias-new-fossil-fue…
Climate campaigners on Friday cautiously applauded California Gov. Gavin Newsom's moves to cut off new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024 and evaluate phasing out oil production by 2045, while also stressing that the timeline still needs to be accelerated.
By Staff Reporters, KGET NBC TV-17 Bakersfield, CA
April 19, 2021
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/two-years-since-childbirth-tragedy…
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Today marks two years since the death of Demi Dominguez and her son Malakhi De Leon.
By Jeremy B. White, Debra Kahn, POLITICO PRO
April 8, 2021
Pending state ballot initiatives will go before voters in 2022 as planned rather than during a likely 2021 recall election, according to campaign representatives who have heard from elections officials.
By Mark Rosanes, INSURANCE BUSINESS
March 31, 2021
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/commercial-auto/pressure-i…
Auto insurance providers are facing mounting pressure from clients and various consumer groups, who are demanding bigger refunds amid a significant reduction in claims during the pandemic, according to a Forbes report.
By John Egan and Jason Metz, FORBES
March 30, 2021
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/pandemic-refunds-criticize…
Auto insurance companies have been criticized for their refunds to customers that were based on the reduction in driving (and claims) during the pandemic. Now they’re feeling even more heat over their handling of auto insurance premiums.
Here's why California gas prices are so high compared to other states
By Chase DiFeliciantonio, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
March 27, 2021
https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Here-s-why-California-gas-pri…
By Samantha Chapman, WSL ABC TV-7 Chicago, IL
March 25, 2021
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-covid-vaccine-near-me-illinois-jackson-…
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team has learned that a Chicago hospital is charging patients after getting their free COVID-19 vaccine after a South Shore woman reached out after receiving a bill from Jackson Park Hospital.
By Stephanie Stanton, FOX TV-11 LA
March 24, 2021
https://www.foxla.com/news/gas-prices-continue-to-rise-in-southern-cali…
LOS ANGELES - Once again prices at the pump in Southern California continue to rise. After a pandemic pause in 2020, gas prices are now hitting their highest levels since November of 2019.
By Bob Egelko, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
March 19, 2021
Property owners can sue title insurers who charged them rates without first filing them with the state insurance commissioner, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case that could affect millions of Californians.
By Sean Lyngaas, CYBERSCOOP
March 19, 2021
https://www.cyberscoop.com/verkada-breach-surveillance-facial-recogniti…
Even for Elisa Costante, who studies vulnerabilities in surveillance devices for a living, the breach at the security-camera startup Verkada was startling.
By Iliana Capellan, KGET NBC TV-17 Bakersfield, CA
March 19, 2021
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/state-senator-plans-to-ask-califor…
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Last week we told you about the fight the Dominguez family continues to battle for justice for Demi Dominguez and her son Malakhi De Leon, both of who died in 2019.
The effects of a breach of a car, or fleet, could be devastating. Auto manufacturers and suppliers have aggressive plans, and a lot of firewalls.
By Eric A. Taub, THE NEW YORK TIMES
March 18, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/business/hacking-cars-cybersecurity…
By Staff Writers, VENDING TIMES
March 18, 2021
https://www.vendingtimes.com/news/california-bill-to-make-beverage-indu…
A bill to put the responsibility for recycling empty CRV containers onto the beverage industry passed California's senate environmental quality committee, according to a press release.
State has nearly $140 million of unredeemed bottle deposits
By Stephanie Melchior, MONTEREY HERALD
March 13, 2021
https://www.montereyherald.com/2021/03/13/figuring-out-an-easier-way-to…
By Lezla Gooden, KERO ABC TV-23, Bakersfield, CA
March 12, 2021
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/family-of-demi-dominguez-speak…
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Two years after her death, the family of Demi Dominguez is speaking out after it was announced the Medical Board of California is seeking to revoke the license of one of her doctors.
Attorney General Files Negligence Accusation
By Ilyana Capellan, KEGT NBC TV-17, Bakersfield, CA
March 12, 2021
https://www.kget.com/news/familys-fight-for-justice-continues-for-young…
By Staff Reporters, ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 11, 2021
https://ktla.com/news/california/california-drivers-owed-more-pandemic-…
Auto insurers shortchanged California drivers on refunds ordered last year as crashes dropped during the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s insurance regulator said Thursday.
By Sue Pasco, CIRCLING THE NEWS
March 10, 2021
https://www.circlingthenews.com/suspected-wrongdoing-at-the-dwp-and-cit…
The following tale, which has more turns than a mystery novel, involves the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, misconduct at the City Attorney’s Office and the increasingly high utility rates paid by residents.
By Susan Shelley, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
March 10, 2021
https://www.dailynews.com/2021/03/10/mike-feuer-and-the-fallout-of-the-…
There are political scandals, and there are corruption scandals, and then there’s the level of scandal that becomes a movie starring Jack Nicholson.
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
March 8, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/article249724333.html
Representatives from 10 groups have written a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to modernize California’s beverage recycling program.
“I was saving money with (the) variable rate, but after this, in case this happens again in the future, I'm sticking with the fixed rate.”
By Anastasiya Bolton, KHOU TV-11 Houston, TX
February 23, 2021
https://www.khou.com/article/news/deep-dive-texas/variable-rate-electri…
By Kyle Arnold, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
February 19, 2021
https://www.bakersfield.com/ap/national/this-year-s-winter-storm-could-…
DALLAS — The deep freeze and snowfall that paralyzed Texas this week could be the costliest weather event in state history as home and auto claims start to pour in, insurance industry officials warn.
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE
February 15, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24…
MARCH FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND MALPRACTICE REFORM
By Scott Linesburgh, THE STOCKTON RECORD
February 13, 2021
https://www.recordnet.com/story/news/local/2021/02/13/this-shouldnt-hav…
MANTECA – Sharon Washington-Barnes led a group of more than 40 people on a 1.5-mile march through southwest Manteca, visiting each of the medical facilities they felt failed her late brother, Shawn Washington II.
By Daniel Wilson, LAW360
February 5, 2021
A pair of veterans have hit USAA with a putative class action in California federal court alleging the insurer, which only insures military members, veterans and their families, discriminates against enlisted service members by charging them higher rates than officers.
Op-Ed Commentary by Greer Levin, for HOSPITAL WATCHDOG
January 29, 2021
https://hospitalwatchdog.org/op-ed/
Governor Newsom appointed Dr. Richard Thorp to the Medical Board of California in July of 2019. His controversial appointment raises a glaring red flag for health care quality across the state.
A new report released by Earthworks, along with allies VISION California and Center for Biological Diversity, reveals that California, often portrayed by the state’s politicians and national media as the nation’s “green” leader, is actually one of the worst states in the U.S. when it comes to regulating the oil and gas industry’s waste.
By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE
January 28, 2021
By Debra Kahn, Politico California Pro Newsletter
January 19, 2021
By Max Pringle, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC PRESS
January 13, 2021
https://www.sfpublicpress.org/elected-watchdogs-in-scandal-plagued-citi…
This article is part of a project examining ways to use the ballot to hold local government accountable. It was supported by the Solutions Journalism Network’s Renewing Democracy program.
Despite bold promises, our Governor has continuously sided with oil and gas.
By Alexandra Nagy, KNOCK LA
January 12, 2021
https://knock-la.com/newsom-oil-and-gas-fracking-2021-48d3c44b015f
French Laundry debacle, appointment of top aide raise serious questions about who the governor really represents
Op-Ed commentary by Charles Johnson, MERCURY NEWS
December 17, 2020
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/12/17/opinion-gavin-newsoms-cronyism-threatens-families-like-mine/
By Bob Egelko, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
December 10, 2020
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Suit-that-claims-AIDS-patients…
HIV/AIDS patients who said they lost access to potentially vital medical information when their health plans started requiring them to obtain their medications from CVS pharmacies can sue for discrimination, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
By Brendan Pierson, REUTERS LEGAL
December 9, 2020
(Reuters) - A federal appeals court has revived a proposed class action by California HIV/AIDS patients alleging that pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark discriminated against them by requiring them to use its own specialty pharmacy in order to benefit from in-network rates through their employer-sponsored health plans.
“Everyone deserves health care without judgement,” says the plaintiff.
By Trenton Straube, POZ MAGAZINE
December 2, 2020
https://www.poz.com/article/surgeon-refused-operate-patient-hiv-claims-…
Rachel Wagoner will lead California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.
By Megan Smalley, WASTE TODAY
November 30, 2020
https://www.wastetodaymagazine.com/article/california-governor-appoints…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Rachel Wagoner as the state’s new director of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
Rachel Wagoner has much support, may face questions over helping kill wildfire mitigation bills
By Evan Symon, CALIFORNIA GLOBE
November 28, 2020
https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/former-gov-newsom-appointee-is-ne…
By Adam Beam, ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 27, 2020
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/27/calrecycle-chief-eyes-overhaul-o…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed a new head of the state's troubled recycling agency, who has pledged to overhaul its troubled bottle deposit system that has worsened during the pandemic.
By Janet Wilson, PALM SPRINGS DESERT SUN
November 26, 2020
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/11/26/audit-calge…
California oil regulators ignored their own regulations and issued improper permits for hundreds of new wells last year, according to an audit by the state Department of Finance that was finalized this week.
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.
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.
KCBS AM, San Francisco, CA
November 18, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Activist Charles Johnson tells KCBS radio why he is more alarmed than most over Newsom’s French Laundry blunder.
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.
By Staff Reporters, KCRW 89.9FM Santa Monica, CA
November 13, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment: https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/RADKCRW_11-13-…
Jamie Court with Consumer Watchdog explains how easy it was to hack into a Tesla.
By Marivic Cabural Summers, USA HERALD
November 9, 2020
https://usaherald.com/zoom-settles-ftc-allegations-over-its-encryption-…
Zoom Video Communication (NASDAQ: ZM) agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its encryption to secure users’ data on its video conferencing platform.
By Jonathan Greig, TECH REPUBLIC
November 5, 2020
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/california-voters-back-new-data-pr…
Millions of California voters have backed a controversial amendment to the state's consumer privacy laws, voting in favor of Proposition 24 by a 56%-44% margin.
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.
By Staff Reporters, CBS Sacramento TV-13
November 4, 2020
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/11/04/proposition-24-the-propositi…
Proposition 24 has passed, the Associated Press reports.
By Colin Staub, RESOURCE RECYCLING
November 3, 2020
https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2020/11/03/big-drop-in-califor…
Advocacy organization Consumer Watchdog recently noted the COVID-19 pandemic has slashed California’s beverage container recycling rate. But the state’s recycling agency called that analysis “inaccurate.”
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.
Critics worry that the curatives in Prop. 24 are worse than the disease of privacy-rights violations.
By Seth Rosenblatt, DARK READING
November 2, 2020
https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/californias-prop-24-splits-privacy…
In a letter to the Senate Elections Committee, Consumer Watchdog questions the Big Tech company's motives
By Julia Musto, FOX BUSINESS
October 31, 2020
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/watchdog-group-calls-for-investiga…
By Patrick W. Dunne, DIGITAL PRIVACY NEWS
October 29, 2020
https://digitalprivacy.news/2020/10/29/privacy-experts-split-on-calif-s…
California residents will vote Tuesday on a divisive privacy initiative: Prop 24, also known as the California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act.
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
By Doug Sovern, KCBS AM San Francisco, CA
October 27, 2020
Click here to listen to Carmen Balber of Consumer Watchdog explain how Prop 24 will strengthen privacy protections in California: https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/RADKCBS_Carmen…
By Nicole Nixon, KPBS, CAPITOL PUBLIC RADIO
October 23, 2020
https://www.kpbs.org/podcasts/san-diego-news-matters/2020/oct/23/candid…
Californians are voting on a dozen ballot propositions this election, including Prop 24, which would tweak the state’s new digital privacy law. CapRadio’s Nicole Nixon reports.
The Newsom administration has established a pattern of approving permits during busy news cycles.
By Steve Horn, CAPITAL & MAIN
October 23, 2020
https://capitalandmain.com/gov-newsom-pledges-to-ban-fracking-californi…
By Wendy Davis, MEDIAPOST DIGITAL NEWS DAILY
October 23, 2020
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/357145/consumer-reports-…
The influential watchdog Consumer Reports has endorsed a ballot initiative aimed at strengthening California's already broad privacy law.
By Lyle Adriano, INSURANCE BUSINESS AMERICA
October 20, 2020
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/consumer-advoc…
Consumer advocate group Consumer Watchdog has issued a statement accusing the insurance industry of “exploiting” the California wildfires for its own financial gain.
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.
By J. Jennings Moss, SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
October 9, 2020
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2020/10/09/prop-24-would-…
By J. Jennings Moss – Silicon Valley Business Journal
10 hours ago
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The U.S. as a nation spends more on health care than any other developed country but has worse health outcomes. How is this possible?
By Maura Hohman, TODAY
September 22, 2020
https://www.today.com/tmrw/why-healthcare-so-expensive-united-states-t1…
By UPFRONT - KPFA 94.1FM Berkeley, CA
September 9, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio news broadcast: https://kpfa.org/episode/upfront-september-9-2020/
By Angelica Cabral, THE CALIFORNIAN
September 8, 2020
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.
As the California Resources Corporation and other oil companies filed for bankruptcy and COVID-19 cases shattered California daily records in the second quarter of 2020, oil regulators under Governor Gavin Newsom also shattered records for dispensing new oil and gas production well drilling permits, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance said in a report released today.
By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE
September 3, 2020
By Larry Perel, KCRW 89.9 FM Santa Monica, CA
September 3, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio news segment: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/CWD_OilPer…
Insurers, facing huge losses, have been pulling back from fire-prone areas across California. “The marketplace has largely collapsed,” an advocate for counties in the state said.
By Christopher Flavelle, THE NEW YORK TIMES
September 2, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/climate/wildfires-insurance.html
By Colby Bermel, POLITICO PRO CALIFORNIA
September 2, 2020
WELL, WELL, WELL: New oil and gas production drilling permit approvals are up 190 percent in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, according to a Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance report provided to POLITICO.
By Kerry Klein, KVPR NPR Bakersfield, CA
September 1, 2020
https://www.kvpr.org/post/state-senator-questions-medical-board-about-i…
A San Joaquin Valley legislator is seeking answers from the Medical Board of California as to why the oversight agency allowed a Bakersfield doctor to remain in practice even though it determined he had been negligent with patients.
By Katy Murphy, POLITICO
August 31, 2020
https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/08/31/andrew-yang…
SACRAMENTO — Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is throwing his weight behind California’s November data privacy ballot measure — not just endorsing the initiative but chairing its advisory board, the Proposition 24 campaign announced Monday.
By Wendy Davis, DIGITAL NEWS DAILY - MEDIAPOST
August 31, 2020
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/355306/andrew-yang-backs…
Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is backing a California ballot initiative aimed at strengthening California's already broad privacy law.
By Patrick Range McDonald, CITY WATCH LA
August 27, 2020
https://citywatchla.com/index.php/cw/los-angeles/20318-can-californians…
HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT-On the evening of June 1, in Washington D.C., Rahul Dubey could see trouble brewing outside his home.
By KCBS LA Staff, KCBS TV-2 Los Angeles, CA
August 24, 2020
Click here to view the video of this story: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/08/24/garden-grove-orange-county-w…
GARDEN GROVE (CBSLA) – The Do family lives in a modest single-family home in Orange County.
By Jeff McDonald, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2020
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2020-08-21/sta…
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the Los Angeles advocacy group Consumer Watchdog issued separate statements Friday announcing they no longer opposed a wildfire-insurance bill.
Silicon Valley has enthusiastically backed Ms. Harris since she first ran for state attorney general in California a decade ago.
By Daisuke Wakabayashi, Stephanie Saul and Kenneth P. Vogel, THE NEW YORK TIMES
August 20, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/technology/kamala-harris-ties-to-big…
By Kevin Smith, SAN BERNARDINO SUN
August 18, 2020
https://www.sbsun.com/2020/08/18/consumer-group-fears-californias-recyc…
California’s already hobbled recycling network will likely collapse unless supermarkets and other beverage retailers are forced to redeem empty bottles and cans, a consumer group says.
By KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
August 18, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court explains why Governor Newsom must restart California's bottle and can deposit recycling program.
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
August 18, 2020
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom should not give retailers any further exemptions from their duty to refund bottle and can deposits, argues the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog.
By Ryan J. Farrick, LEGAL READER
August 14, 2020
https://www.legalreader.com/lawsuit-zoom-lied-security-measures-end-to-…
The lawsuit claims that Zoom never had end-to-end encryption, despite it telling customers that it did.
Zoom is facing another lawsuit alleging that the video communications company has deceived consumers by making false claims about its privacy measures.
By Marc Christopherson, LIVE INSURANCE NEWS
August 14, 2020
https://www.liveinsurancenews.com/wildfire-prone-property-insurance-bil…
The bill is expected to be heard in upcoming weeks as opposing sites prepare for major battle.
By Anthony Spadafora, TECH RADAR
August 14, 2020
https://www.techradar.com/news/zoom-sued-over-misleading-security-claims
US advocacy group alleges Zoom's end-to-end encryption claims were false advertising
By Tara Seals, THREATPOST
August 13, 2020
https://threatpost.com/zoom-legal-challenges-end-to-end-encryption/1583…
The video-conferencing specialist has yet to roll out full encryption, but it says it’s working on it.
Video-conferencing behemoth Zoom has been hit with yet another lawsuit stemming from its claim to offer end-to-end encryption for sessions.
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
August 13, 2020
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=227382&altsrc=23
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --
A consumer group is asking California lawmakers to put the brakes on passage of a bill it says undercuts the state's landmark legislation guarding against price gouging and discrimination.
By Jeremy B. White, Carla Marinucci, Graph Massara and Aaron Leathley, POLITICO PLAYBOOK
August 13, 2020
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2020/08/13/evi…
By Jon Swartz, MARKETWATCH
August 13, 2020
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/kamala-harris-is-a-friend-not-foe-of-…
An audible collective sigh of relief from Silicon Valley came shortly after Kamala Harris was named running mate of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
By Matt Stevens, Thomas Kaplan and Stephanie Saul, THE NEW YORK TIMES
August 12, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/us/politics/kamala-harris-issues-pol…
Ms. Harris sometimes struggled to clearly define her stances during her unsuccessful presidential campaign. But in recent months, she has emerged as a leading voice on racial justice and inequality.
By Don Jergler, INSURANCE JOURNAL
August 11, 2020
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/08/11/578753.htm
The stage has been set for a major battle over a California bill due to be heard in the next few weeks in a key committee that opponents say is a direct attack on insurance consumer protections and proponents say is the best way to make insurance more available in an increasingly wildfire-prone state.
Zoom falsely claimed to offer 'end-to-end encryption' to consumers, lawsuit says
By Stephanie Pagones, FOX BUSINESS
August 11, 2020
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/zoom-false-privacy-claims-watchd…
By Harvey Rosenfield, SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE
August 11, 2020
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article244870462.html
Three democratic procedures safeguard Californians against hasty and dangerous actions by the California State Legislature:
▪ Every bill gets a legislative hearing.
▪ Committee staff provides an impartial analysis of each bill.
▪ Members of the public are heard.
By Andrea Vittorio, BLOOMBERG LAW
August 11, 2020
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/zoom-sued-for-m…
Zoom Video Communications Inc. allegedly misrepresented the level of security used to protect communications on its platform, giving users “a false sense of security” and violating D.C.'s consumer protection law, according to a new lawsuit filed there.
By Joseph Marks with Tonya Riley, WASHINGTON POST
August 11, 2020
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/11/cybersecurity-202-zo…
A consumer advocacy group is suing Zoom and seeking millions of dollars in damages, accusing the company of misleading its users about the strength of its encryption protections.
KCBS FM San Francisco, CA
August 10, 2020
Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court explains why Governor Newsom's advisory committee on economic recovery needs oversight.
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
KNX 1070 AM LA
August 10, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment, where Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court discusses how Governor Newsom's advisory economic task force meets in private with no public oversight or accountability.
By Phil Willon, LOS ANGELES TIMES
August 10, 2020
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-10/newsom-coronavirus-…
SACRAMENTO — Faced with a pandemic that has put millions of Californians out of work and eviscerated businesses large and small, Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that “health and science” would guide state officials in repairing the economy and steering it toward recovery.
By Kathleen Pender, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
August 8, 2020
https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/networth/article/Homeowners-insura…
Nearing the end of their legislative session and the beginning of wildfire season, state lawmakers are pushing through an industry-backed homeowners' insurance bill despite fierce opposition from consumer groups and California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
By Kerry Klein, KVPR - CENTRAL VALLEY PUBLIC RADIO
August 5, 2020
https://www.kvpr.org/post/deaths-mothers-infants-during-childbirth-prom…
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
By Mathieu Pollet, EURONEWS
August 4, 2020
https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/04/covid-19-pandemic-spells-uncertain-…
People planning to travel abroad to a destination on their country's "green list" still face the risk of not being covered by their insurance.
With Californians in COVID lockdown, industry lobbyists are working to overturn voter-approved consumer protections
Op-Ed Commentary by Harvey Rosenfield
August 2, 2020
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/02/opinion-legislators-scheming-wit…
State lawmakers are preparing a gift for you: a massive increase in the premiums you pay to insure your home and property.
By John Wildermuth, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
August 2, 2020
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/What-s-in-a-name-Everythin…
Campaigns in four of the 12 initiative measures in California’s November election have sued state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, charging that his office wasn’t fair and neutral when it prepared the titles and summaries that will appear on the ballot.
By Lyle Adriano, INSURANCE BUSINESS AMERICA
July 31, 2020
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/consumer-adv…
Consumer Watchdog has managed to block a plan to hike the rates of drivers under California’s low-income auto insurance program.
You may need to update your policies in light of COVID-19
By Daniel Bortz, KIPLINGER'S MAGAZINE
July 30, 2020
https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/insurance/601097/time-for-an…
Initiative would raise cap on selected cases, extend deadline for medical negligence cases
By Evan Symon, CALIFORNIA GLOBE
July 28, 2020
https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/medical-negligence-compensation-c…
By John Wildermuth, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
July 24, 2020
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-measure-raising…
With 12 ballot measures already scheduled for a vote in California in November, the first initiative has qualified for the 2022 election, with two others well on the way.
By Ryan Byrne, BALLOTPEDIA NEWS
July 24, 2020
https://news.ballotpedia.org/2020/07/24/first-2022-state-ballot-measure…
The first state ballot measure for 2022 qualified for the ballot in California on July 21, 2020.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
July 22, 2020
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/07/22/576522.htm
Californians will have to wait until the pandemic ends to vote on an initiative to change the state’s medical malpractice cap.
Proponents of a measure to change California’s medical malpractice cap announced today they have reportedly collected 900,000 signatures, enough to qualify the initiative for the November 2022 ballot.
By John Cox, THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
July 22, 2020
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/berry-corp-hires-former-top-state-oil-…
The head of one of Kern's biggest oil producers says he knew it might raise eyebrows to hire a man who used to be California's top oil regulator.
By Adam Beam, ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 22, 2020
https://apnews.com/01ba9661168ba6f07ada1d6390cb7d6c
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California patients could get more money from medical malpractice lawsuits under a ballot initiative that is now eligible for the 2022 November election.
By Victoria Collver, POLITICO PRO
July 22, 2020
2022 WATCH: An initiative to raise the 45-year-old cap on medical malpractice compensation for injured patients has qualified for the ballot — but voters will have to wait until the November 2022 ballot to vote on it, POLITICO’s Victoria Colliver reports.
By Michael Finney, KGO AM SF, CA
July 18, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Host Michael Finney mediates a debate between Consumer Watchdog's Harvey Rosenfield and Rex Frazier of the Personal Insurance Federation of California about the details of bill AB 2167 to change the homeowners' insurance market in the state of California.
By Colby Bermel, POLITICO PRO
July 17, 2020
SACRAMENTO — The bankruptcy declaration of California's largest oil and natural gas producer will pose the first major test for the state's fossil fuel regulator since Gov. Gavin Newsom shook up the agency after indications it was too soft on industry.
By Bob Egelko, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
July 15, 2020
https://www.sfchronicle.com/nation/article/In-suit-involving-Kaiser-jud…
Insurance companies cannot discriminate against disabled people by broadly denying coverage for the types of treatment they need, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
By Mark Olaide, PALM SPRINGS DESERT SUN
July 15, 2020
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/07/15/new-ethics-…
The California Department of Conservation, which has for years weathered accusations of a cozy relationship with the oil industry, has quietly introduced a new ethics policy that has drawn praise from advocates of good governance.
By Lyle Adriano, INSURANCE BUSINESS AMERICA
July 8, 2020
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/consumer-adv…
Consumer Watchdog has warned that members of the California State Senate have taken $2,353,000 in campaign contributions from both insurance companies and insurance industry trade associations in the last two election cycles.
By Amber Frias, KGET NBC-TV, Bakersfield, CA
June 25, 2020
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/bakersfield-ob-gyn-placed-on-proba…
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – The medical license of a Bakersfield ob-gyn has been placed on probation for five years after allegations that gross negligence and repeated negligent acts led to a new mother’s death.
By Frank Mottek, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
June 25, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast: https://knx1070.radio.com/media/audio-channel/mottek-on-money-special-e…
You could be paying higher premiums than a driver with a similar car and driving history. Here's why.
By Kayda Norman, NERDWALLET
June 25, 2020
https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/why-loyal-customers-may-be-p…
By Colin Staub, PLASTICS RECYCLING UPDATE
June 24, 2020
https://resource-recycling.com/plastics/2020/06/24/california-reinstate…
A single-use plastic bag ban and reusable bag recycled-content mandate is back in force in California. The regulations had been temporarily lifted because of COVID-19.
By Emily C. Dooley, BLOOMBERG LAW
June 23, 2020
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/california-extends…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has extended a waiver by 60 days that allows grocery stores and other retailers to stop redeeming recyclable bottles and cans.
By Michael Hiltzik, LOS ANGELES TIMES
June 19, 2020
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-06-19/insurers-coronavirus-…
It’s fair to say that most Americans see the coronavirus pandemic as an enormous and fearsome burden.
Not the insurance industry. In California, the industry is using the crisis to bring about a sneaky change in insurance rules that could lead to massive increases in homeowner premiums.
By Don Jergler, INSURANCE JOURNAL
June 17, 2020
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/06/17/572626.htm
Backers of a controversial bill in California, which they say is designed to increase insurance coverage in high-risk wildfire areas by amending Proposition 103, believe it has the right timing and plenty of momentum to go all the way.
By Frank Mottek, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
June 17, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast: https://knx1070.radio.com/media/audio-channel/mottek-on-money-special-edition-wednesday-june-17th-2020
When Covid-19 hit, travel insurance didn’t help many travelers recover the cost of their canceled trips. What, then, were they paying for?
By Elaine Glusac, THE NEW YORK TIMES
June 17, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/travel/travel-insurance-pandemic.html
Dear Gavin, Your budget sucks, too.
By Nicole Levin, KNOCK-LA
June 13, 2020
https://knock-la.com/gavin-newsom-environmental-budget-cuts-344ab8791856
“Because one thing I know about cuts, there’s a human being behind every single number. Behind every category is a dream that is either deferred, in some case a dream that is denied. I am sober about it, I’m not naive about cuts.” — Gavin Newsom, May 14, 2020
By MACKENZIE HAWKINS, CAPITOL ALERT - SACRAMENTO BEE
June 10, 2020
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24…
After several years of catastrophic burns — and the insurance industry pulling back from some fire-prone communities — many California homeowners will face the upcoming fire season without proper coverage.
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
June 9, 2020
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=225814&altsrc=23
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is squaring off with property/casualty insurers over a bill that would ease regulation on rate-setting in return for insurers' reentry into wildfire-prone markets.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
June 9, 2020
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/06/09/571546.htm
A consumer group is warning that homeowners could pay billions more for their home insurance under what it calls an “insurance industry legislative attack on California’s effective rate regulation.”
By Pat Thurston, KGO 810 AM, SF, CA
June 8, 2020
Click here to listen to Harvey Rosenfield on The Pat Thurston Show discuss the insurance industry's sneak attack on Prop 103’s homeowners insurance protections.
By Kevin Smith, RIVERSIDE PRESS ENTERPRISE
June 5, 2020
https://www.pe.com/2020/06/05/watchdog-group-opposes-bill-that-would-hi…
A bill that would allow California insurance companies to boost homeowners’ insurance rates in regions prone to wildfires will price people out of the market, a watchdog group says.
Study looked at 3 million birth certificates and oil, gas info - Low birth weights found in rural areas near active wells
By Emily C. Dooley, BLOOMBERG
June 3, 2020
Pregnant women living in rural areas close to active oil and gas wells are at higher risk o f having babies that weigh less than those born in urban areas, a study of millions of birth records in California shows.
By Stacey Shepard, BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
June 3, 2020
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/state-board-puts-local-doctor-on-proba…
A local OB-GYN will begin five years of probation later this month following a state investigation into the death of one of his patients in September 2016.
By Staff Writers, KALLANISH ENERGY
May 26, 2020
https://www.kallanishenergy.com/2020/05/26/group-seeks-to-toughen-calif…
A consumer group wants California Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an executive order to block oil companies from getting state approval for new wells without full bonding for their cleanup, Kallanish Energy reports.
That request was made last week by Consumer Watchdog.
By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE
May 21, 2020
http://redgreenandblue.org/2020/05/21/socialism-oil-companies-end-payin…
Consumer Watchdog called upon Governor Gavin Newsom to prevent oil companies from receiving approvals for new oil wells without first requiring full bonding for their clean-ups, according to a press release from the group today.
By Staff Writers, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
May 21, 2020
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/
The head of the group Consumer Watchdog has written a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling on him to issue an order that no new oil wells be approved without full bonding for their clean-up and a requirement to plug a certain number of idle wells in exchange for a new permit.
By Wendy Davis, MEDIAPOST DIGITAL NEWS DAILY
May 20, 2020
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/351605/google-begins-enc…
In a move touted as boosting privacy and security, Google on Tuesday rolled out a relatively new encryption technology for domain name look-ups.
By Dan Bacher, INDYBAY MEDIA SF
May 20, 2020
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/20/18833152.php
“Given the state’s grave deficit, it’s imperative that no new wells be approved without full bonding for their clean-up and a requirement to plug a certain number of idle wells in exchange for a new permit,” the letter said.
By Dan Bacher, INDYBAY MEDIA
May 15, 2020
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/18833050.php
Tuesday, May 19, marks the fifth anniversary of the massive Plains All American Pipeline spill near the Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County.
By Max Greenwood, THE HILL
May 8, 2020
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/496676-coronavirus-pours-cold-wat…
Advocacy groups and citizen-led ballot initiatives are struggling to keep their campaigns going amid the coronavirus pandemic.
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
May 7, 2020
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=225122&altsrc=23
The California Assembly's Committee on Insurance advanced a bill to expedite rate filings in parts of the state that are prone to wildfires.
The committee approved the bill in a 14-0 vote May 7, sending it to the Appropriations Committee.
By Aaron Pelc, LAW360
May 4, 2020
https://www.law360.com/newyork/articles/1270123/law360-s-tort-report-ca…
Law360 (May 4, 2020, 7:35 PM EDT) -- The postponement of a campaign to raise a California cap on pain and suffering damages leads Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.
By Victoria Colliver, POLITICO PRO
April 30, 2020
OAKLAND — Proponents of an initiative to increase California's medical malpractice compensation cap dropped their November 2020 effort today, the latest ballot proposal to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic.
By John Wildermuth, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
April 30, 2020
https://www.msn.com/en-us/Travel/news/coronavirus-forces-california-ini…
Worried about the effect the coronavirus pandemic may have on the November elections, backers will delay until 2022 a California initiative that would raise the dollar limit for damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
By Staff Writers, ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 30, 2020
https://www.thehour.com/news/article/California-battle-on-malpractice-c…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has delayed by two years what likely would have been one of the most expensive California ballot battles leading up to this November's election, initiative supporters said Thursday.
By Frank Mottek, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
April 27, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast:
https://omny.fm/shows/mottek-on-money/mottek-on-money-special-edition-monday-april-27th
The founder of Consumer Watchdog, Harvey Rosenfield, asks the state insurance commissioner to suspend auto insurance rate hikes during the crisis and discusses other consumer issues.
By KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
April 26, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Harvey Rosenfield explains Consumer Watchdog's call for a freeze on all auto insurance rate hikes in California during Covid-19.
By Michael Finney, KGO AM Radio San Francisco, CA
April 25, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Harvey Rosenfield discusses with Michael Finney Conusmer Watchdog's call for the CA Insurance Commissioner to suspend all auto insurance rate hikes during the pandemic.
By Paul Krueger & J.W. August, NBC San Diego, CA
April 23, 2020
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/consumer-advocates-dema…
A state-wide consumer advocacy group wants California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to suspend all auto insurance rate hikes until at least September 1.
April 24, 2020
Click here to watch the video of this broadcast segment: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/coronavirus/in-scramble-to-stay-open-san-francisco-court-leaves-confidential-records-unsecured-during-covid-19-pandemic/2278001/
By Kevin Smith, THE DAILY NEWS OF LOS ANGELES
April 23, 2020
https://www.dailynews.com/2020/04/23/watchdog-wants-auto-insurance-hike…
A Los Angeles-based watchdog group is urging California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to suspend all auto insurance rate hikes through Sept. 1 or for the duration of shelter-in-place restrictions, whichever comes later.
By Maura Dolan, Harriet Ryan and Anita Chabria, LOS ANGELES TIMES
April 23, 2020
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-23/nursing-homes-legal…
For weeks, nursing homes have been the epicenter of coronavirus outbreaks and deaths in California, making them prime targets for civil lawsuits and even criminal prosecutions.
By Samantha Chapman, ABC TV-7, Chicago, IL
April 21, 2020
https://abc7chicago.com/coronavirus-illinois-test-testing/6118404/
MATTESON, Ill. (WLS) -- A Matteson man said he got tested for the coronavirus, and is now being asked to pay nearly $2,000 for it.
Now, on top of a scary health battle, Donald Utoh said he's now having to fight a financial one.
By Dorothy Atkins, LAW 360
April 20, 2020
https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/1265146/aetna-s-ex-settlement…
Law360 (April 20, 2020, 3:04 PM EDT) -- Aetna Inc. has reached a deal to resolve its lawsuit alleging a settlement administrator revealed the HIV status of more than 10,000 Aetna members through a bungled class action settlement mailing, according to filings in California federal court.
By Andrew Sheeler and Hannah Wiley, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
April 16, 2020
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24…
Five dozen climate, health and environmental organizations have sent a letter to Gov. Newsom, urging him “to reject the efforts by the oil industry to exploit this emergency as an excuse to roll back regulatory oversight.”
By Chris Taylor, MONEY
April 13, 2020
https://money.com/heres-how-to-figure-out-the-amount-of-homeowners-insu…
Here’s some advice for new homeowners figuring out how much insurance coverage to buy: Think back to the popular childhood fable, and keep the Goldilocks Principle in mind: Not too much, not too little, but just right.
By Dan Bacher, SF INDYBAY MEDIA
April 11, 2020
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/11/18832287.php
The issuing of new fracking permits took place less than two months after Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Alliance reported that the total number of oil and gas well permits issued in 2019 under the Newsom Administration rivals the number issued during the last year in office of former Governor Jerry Brown.
By Timothy Darragh, BEST WIRE
April 8, 2020
Transamerica Life Insurance Co. has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by policyholders who alleged it improperly increased monthly charges on their universal life insurance policies.
According to the settlement agreement in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Transamerica will pay up to $88 million in account value credits to policies in effect and those for which death claims were pending as of Dec. 31, 2019.
By Randy Mac, KNBC TV-4 Los Angeles, CA
April 7, 2020
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/watchdog-says-car-insurance-companie…
On Monday Allstate insurance announced it’s issuing partial refunds to its car insurance customers due to “stay at home” orders. But consumer advocates say the entire industry needs to step up.
The once clogged freeways in the LA region are mostly empty.
By Adam Beam, ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 4, 2020
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-issues-first-new-fracking-…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California issued 24 hydraulic fracturing permits on Friday, authorizing the first new oil wells in the state since July of last year and angering environmental groups who have been pressuring the state to ban the procedure known as fracking.
By Janet Wilson, THE DESERT SUN
April 3, 2020
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/04/03/calgem-appr…
California regulators on Friday issued fracking permits for the first time in nine months, saying federal scientists had given clearance for 24 permits to Aera Energy for oil well stimulation in Kern County.
By John Wildermuth, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
March 23, 2020
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Coronavirus-halts-Californ…
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order will not only keep people off the streets, but also could keep some initiative measures off the November ballot.
Policymakers have disparaged tech companies over issues like data privacy, market competition and online misinformation. Now, they need the industry's help to combat coronavirus.
By Steven Overly, POLITICO
March 18, 2020
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/washington-tech-industry-coron…
By Jeremy B. White, POLITICO
March 18, 2020
https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/03/18/no-one-has-…
SAN FRANCISCO — As Californians raided hand sanitizer and wipes to battle the spread of the coronavirus last week, Fred Kimball pivoted to make a different kind of bulk purchase: 300,000 pens.
Research suggests your internet-connected vehicle could be easily manipulated by crafty hackers. Cyber threat intelligence experts Brian DeMuth and Bryson Bort explain how to protect high-end vehicles for the future.
By S.C. Stuart, PC MAGAZINE (AUSTRALIA)
March 9, 2020
https://au.pcmag.com/security/65910/connected-cars-are-cool-but-are-the…
By Kayda Norman, ASSOCIATED PRESS / NERD WALLET
February 26, 2020
https://www.thetelegraph.com/business/article/How-auto-insurers-use-you…
You expect your car insurance rates to increase after you buy a new vehicle, cause a crash or add a young driver to your policy. But some insurers jack up prices based on seemingly unrelated data - like your magazine subscriptions or what groceries you buy.
By Wendy Davis, MEDIA POST RAW
February 25, 2020
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/347580/firefox-starts-en…
Mozilla's Firefox browser on Tuesday began encrypting domain names by default for U.S. users.
The move will help prevent internet service providers like Comcast and AT&T from using subscribers' personal data for commercial purposes, Mozilla told Congress two months ago.
By Dan Bacher, INDY BAY MEDIA
February 22, 2020
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/22/18830901.php
On the morning of February 19, activists from groups affiliated with the Last Chance Alliance held a spirited rally on the sidewalk outside the west steps of the Capitol just before Governor Newsom delivered his State of the State address.
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
February 19, 2020
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?altsrc=108&refnum=223495
A consumer group has sued the California Department of Insurance and Commissioner Ricardo Lara, saying they failed to comply with a state records request seeking documentation of Lara's meetings and communications with campaign contributors.
Lawsuit also accuses Ricardo Lara’s office of creating records for public release that excluded key information
By Jeff McDonald, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
February 19, 2020
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2020-02-19/sta…
By Lolita Lopez, KNBC TV-4 Los Angeles, CA
February 19, 2020
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/recycling-centers-closed-c…
Many Californians are having a tough time recycling bottles and cans and getting back deposits as hundreds of recycling centers shutter throughout the state -- but something else is going on behind the scenes that is making it even worse.
Here’s how it’s supposed to work:
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
February 18, 2020
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/02/18/558731.htm
A non-profit consumer group announced on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit to compel California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the California Department of Insurance to hand over records of Lara’s meetings and communications with insurance companies.
California is exploring new models to boost consumer access to California Redemption Value (CRV) bottles and cans.
By Megan Smalley, RECYCLING TODAY
February 17, 2020
https://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/calrecycle-approves-two-crv-pilo…
Sen. Ed Markey alleges Tesla drivers are confused by the name and capabilities of Autopilot.
By David A. Wood, CARCOMPLAINTS.COM
February 4, 2020
https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2020/tesla-should-change-autopilot-n…
The Tesla "Autopilot" name allegedly should be changed to clarify the technology isn't fully autonomous and it requires a driver to stay fully engaged with the vehicle and its surroundings.
By Janet Wilson, THE DESERT SUN
January 31, 2020
https://www.desertsun.com/story/tech/science/energy/2020/01/31/californ…
Jason Marshall, one of California's top oil and gas regulators, is stepping down.
By Don Thompson, AP - THE SANTA ROSA PRESS-DEMOCRAT
January 30, 2020
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10652542-181/bill-requiring-beverage…
SACRAMENTO — A California state senator on Thursday ended his effort to pass a bill requiring beverage distributors to create a new system to take back their own containers, though advocates said they will keep pushing the issue this year.
By Staff Writers, ASSOCIATED PRESS - KPIX CBS TV-5 San Francisco, CA
January 30, 2020
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/01/30/bay-area-legislator-bill-r…
SACRAMENTO (AP) — A California state senator on Thursday ended his effort to pass a bill requiring beverage distributors to create a new system to take back their own containers, though advocates said they will keep pushing the issue this year.
By Meher McArthur, LOZ FELIZ LEDGER
January 30, 2020
https://www.losfelizledger.com/keen-to-be-green-reducing-our-recyclable…
Last year, California lost almost 300 recycling centers when the recycling center chain RePlanet closed in August, citing decreasing prices for aluminum and PET plastic and rising operating costs and wages.
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
January 29, 2020
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?altsrc=108&refnum=223140
Mercury Insurance Co. subsidiary California Auto Insurance Co. is seeking a 5% rate hike for drivers in the state, which has a consumer group up in arms.
California Department of Insurance records show CAIC issued its request for an increase Dec. 6.
By Duffie Osental, INSURANCE BUSINESS AMERICA
January 28, 2020
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/advocacy-gro…
Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has urged California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to reject a proposed 5% auto insurance rate increase by Mercury Insurance Company that “discriminates against lower income, less-educated drivers.”
By Michael Hiltzik, LOS ANGELES TIMES
January 23, 2020
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-01-23/chevron-and-exxon-con…
Litigation is nobody’s idea of fun (except, perhaps, lawyers), and that’s certainly true for anyone dragged into a lawsuit without being either a plaintiff or defendant.
Beverage distributors would be required to form a product stewardship organization for container collection. The state's container redemption program has experienced mounting financial strain.
By Katie Pyzyk, WASTE DIVE
January 22, 2020
https://www.wastedive.com/news/california-senate-advances-epr-changes-s…
Safe, loyal drivers aren't always rewarded with cheaper rates.
By Kayda Norman, NERDWALLET
January 21, 2010
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/price-optimization/
You expect your car insurance rates to increase after you buy a new vehicle, cause a crash or add a young driver to your policy. But some insurers jack up prices based on seemingly unrelated data — like your magazine subscriptions or what groceries you buy.
By Steve Toloken, PLASTICS NEWS
January 20, 2020
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/california-may-put-onus-industry-run-…
California is looking next door to Oregon for how it can fix its container recycling system, potentially shifting toward one that would put the onus on the bottling industry to design and operate.
By Paul Eisenstein, RIDE TECH BLOG
January 17, 2020
https://ride.tech/mobility-lifestyle/us-dot-sec-unveils-voluntary-av-gu…
The White House has announced plans regarding public testing of autonomous vehicles.
Golden State legislature being lobbied for bottle bill reform while national trade groups propose national framework.
By Brian Taylor, WASTE TODAY
January 16, 2020
https://www.wastetodaymagazine.com/article/california-crv-bottle-can-re…
By Anikka Abbott, KCOY CBS TV-12 /KEYT ABC TV-7 / KKFX FOX TV-11 Santa Barbara, CA
January 15, 2020
https://keyt.com/lifestyle/food/2020/01/15/central-coast-winemakers-rea…
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Senate Bill 372, The Beverage Container Recycling Act of 2020, passed the state senate Environmental Quality Committee Wednesday.
By Madeleine Brand, PRESS PLAY - KCRW 89.9FM SANTA MONICA, CA
January 15, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment: https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/impeach…
Advocates say CRV isn't working
By Derek Staahl, KGTV ABC-10 NEWS, SAN DIEGO, CA
January 15, 2020
https://www.10news.com/news/lawmakers-consider-overhaul-to-californias-…
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- State lawmakers are considering an overhaul to the CRV recycling program on bottles and cans that would make drink-makers responsible for setting up a system to collect the containers they produce.
By Kevin Smith, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
January 14, 2020
https://www.dailynews.com/2020/01/14/watchdog-legislator-offer-plans-to…
California lawmakers will consider legislation Wednesday, Jan. 15 to revamp the state’s struggling recycling program for bottles and cans — a program Consumer Watchdog fears may collapse unless significant changes are made.
By Dan Bacher, INDY BAY MEDIA
January 9, 2020
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/09/18829591.php
Sacramento - On the anniversary of Governor Gavin Newsom’s first year in office on January 7, thirty-seven environmental and public health groups called on the governor to declare an “immediate climate emergency” and institute a moratorium on new oil and gas drilling permits.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
January 6, 2020
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/01/06/553686.htm
Salaries at California’s State Compensation Fund are being called into question by some people in the state Capitol, it’s being reported.
By Patrick McGreevy, LOS ANGELES TIMES
January 4, 2020
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-04/state-compensation-…
SACRAMENTO — A California public agency that offers workers’ compensation insurance coverage to employers has recruited a high-priced team of former executives from the private sector to turn it around after years of scandal and financial problems.
By Samuel Metz, THE DESERT SUN
January 1, 2020
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/01/01/cali…
In addition to voting for president in 2020, Californians may weigh in at the ballot box on everything from legalizing psychedelic mushrooms to allowing sports betting at tribal casinos.
By Major Garrett & Carter Evans, CBS EVENING NEWS
December 31, 2019
MAJOR GARRETT: 2020 will bring with it a new law in California that could impact consumers across the country. It gives shoppers control over the way their personal information is used. Carter Evans explains how it works.
(Begin VT)
CARTER EVANS (CBS News Correspondent): Whether shopping in stores or online, retailers collect all sorts of information about you.
By Soumya Karlamangla, LOS ANGELES TIMES
December 27, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-27/self-blinded-man-ps…
Roman Arustamyan can’t see the holiday decorations surrounding him, or his wife and children shuffling around in sweaters in their Van Nuys home.
By Greg Iacurci, CNBC TV
December 24, 2019
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/24/california-tries-to-curb-discrimination…
California officials proposed a rule on Tuesday that would cut discriminatory pricing practices being used by auto insurance companies in the state.
By Don Thompson, ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 24, 2019
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/24/california-may-limit-using-jobs-…
SACRAMENTO — California is proposing to restrict auto insurance practices that regulators say benefit those who have more money, more education and are white.
Investigation found some programs discriminated against low-income people
By Leslie Scism, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
December 23, 2019
https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-to-toughen-rules-on-group-disco…
Column by George Skelton, LOS ANGELES TIMES
December 23, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-23/skelton-medical-mal…
SACRAMENTO — California is arguably the nation’s most politically “progressive” state. That’s our reputation. Left coast and all that. But on one issue, no state is more regressive.
By Malcolm Maclachlan, LOS ANGELES DAILY JOURNAL
DECEMBER 17,2019
SACRAMENTO – Often fighting back tears, proponents of an initiative to raise California’s 44-year old cap on non-economic medical malpractice damages kicked off their signature gathering campaign Monday.
By Staff Reporters, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
December 17, 2019
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment covering the launch of the Fairness for Injured Patients Act statewide ballot initiative in California for November 2020: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/KNX_Boxer_…
By Staff Reporters, KQED 88.5 FM San Francisco, CA
December 17, 2019
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment covering the launch of the Fairness for Injured Patients Act statewide ballot initiative in California for November 2020: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/RADKQED_12…
By Staff Reporters, KFBK 1530 AM Sacramento, CA
December 17, 2019
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment covering the launch of the Fairness for Injured Patients Act statewide ballot initiative in California for November 2020: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/RADKFBK_12…
By Angela Hart, POLITICO PRO
December 16, 2019
SACRAMENTO — Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Monday threw her support behind a November ballot initiative to increase a decades-old cap on compensation in California medical negligence cases.
By Andrew Wheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
December 16, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23…
A surgery gone wrong ended boxer “Sugar” Shane Mosley’s career. Now he’s fighting to change a California law that caps certain medical negligence lawsuit payouts .
By Cheryl Miller, THE RECORDER
December 16, 2019
https://www.law.com/therecorder/2019/12/16/new-ballot-campaign-against-…
Supporters of a proposed ballot initiative to lift, and in some cases eliminate, California’s $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases, kicked off their signature-gathering campaign in Sacramento on Monday.
By Don Thompson, ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 10, 2019
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cvs-fine-cvs-fined-3-6-million-in-californ…
CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy health care provider, is facing a record $3.6 million fine for failing to redeem deposits on bottles and cans at some of its locations, California regulators said Monday.
By Sharon McNary, LAist / KPCC
December 9, 2019
https://laist.com/2019/12/09/recycling_fail_cvs_faces_36_million_penalt…
California's recycling officials are making an example of drugstore giant CVS, accusing the chain of balking at redeeming cans and bottles in-store and failing to pay recycling fees to the state.
By James Rainey, LOS ANGELES TIMES
December 9, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-09/cvs-fails-redeem-ca…
Seeking to pressure retailers to accept recyclable containers from consumers, the state of California has proposed a $3.6-million penalty against the CVS pharmacy chain after dozens of its stores declined to redeem cans and bottles.
By Hannah Wiley, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
December 4, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23…
A ballot initiative to adjust the cap on medical malpractice payouts was cleared for circulation on Tuesday, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
By Hailey Branson-Potts & Maria L. La Ganga, LOS ANGELES TIMES
December 3, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-02/pge-camp-fire-equip…
For years, Pacific Gas & Electric failed to do climbing inspections of a century-old tower that malfunctioned and sparked last year’s devastating Camp fire, a state investigation has found.
By John P. Mello, Jr., TECH NEWS WORLD
December 3, 2019
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/EU-Digital-Czar-to-Probe-Facebooks-…
The European Union has launched a probe into how Google and Facebook gather, process, use and monetize data for advertising purposes.
By Jeanette Settembre, FOX BUSINESS
December 3, 2019
https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/gloves-for-juul-smokers-being-markete…
Op-Ed by Susan Shelley, THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
November 27, 2019
https://www.dailynews.com/2019/11/27/you-cant-save-the-world-if-you-can…
Recycling is garbage.
That’s rapidly becoming the only logical conclusion to draw from a series of failed and failing policies that seem to be throwing your money in the trash.
His departure follows the closing of rePlanet CRV redemption centers throughout the state this summer.
By DeAnne Toto, RECYCLING TODAY
November 25, 2019
https://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/calrecyle-director-scott-smithli…
By Dan Bacher, INDYBAY MEDIA
November 24, 2019
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/11/24/18828400.php
The FracTracker Alliance and Consumer Watchdog unveiled a new website on November 19 to continually map and update the number of oil and gas wells permitted by the Newsom Administration: http://www.NewsomWellWatch.com.
By Adam Beam, ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 22, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article237687549.html
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The director of the agency that oversees California’s recycling programs said Friday he will resign by the end of the year.
By Vanessa Borge, Good Day LA, KTTV FOX TV-11 Los Angeles, CA
November 21 2019
https://www.foxla.com/news/consumer-watchdog-shares-ways-to-avoid-onlin…
LOS ANGELES - It's the holidays meaning more of us are shopping - specifically shopping online.
By Good Day LA, KTTV FOX TV-11 Los Angeles, CA
November 21, 2019
https://www.foxla.com/news/consumer-watchdog-shares-tips-on-protecting-…
LOS ANGELES - The United Postal Service says they delivered more than 30 million packages a day last holiday season and that means more opportunities for thieves. Consumer Watchdog shared tips on preventing porch pirates from nabbing your packages.
By Keith Laing, THE DETROIT NEWS
November 20, 2019
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2019/11/19/di…
Washington — Distraction caused by a personal cellphone call is the probable cause of a 2018 crash in which an Uber self-driving car struck and killed a pedestrian, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Tuesday.
By Sophia Bollag, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
November 19, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23…
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced a crackdown on fracking projects and a moratorium on new oil wells that use high-pressure steam.
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, involves shooting a high-pressure stream of water or another substance into rock to extract oil or gas.
By Phil Willon, LOS ANGELES TIMES
November 19, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-19/california-fracking…
SACRAMENTO — In a victory for critics of California’s oil drilling industry, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday stopped the approval of new hydraulic fracturing in the state until the permits for those projects can be reviewed by an independent panel of scientists.
By Chris Mills Rodrigo, Maggie Miller, Chris Mills Rodrigo, THE HILL - HILLICON VALLEY
November 13, 2019
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/overnights/470370-hillicon-valley…
SHAKE IT UP/OFF: Microsoft shook up the debate over privacy rules with its announcement that the company will follow the principles of California's tough online privacy law across the U.S.
By Staff Reporter, AUTO WORLD NEWS
November 4, 2019
https://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/39390/20191104/will-you-press-yo…
When cars were analogue and mechanical, all we had to fear was a face to face hold up. Any connected car is a smart car-like "Swiss Cheese" with holes waiting for a breach. The solution as recommended, by Consumer Watchdog is to slap in a "Kill Switch".
By Dan Bacher, INDYBAY MEDIA
October 31, 2019
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/10/31/18827743.php
The Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), again in the spotlight of the national and international news media because of its shutoffs of electricity to millions of Californians as fires now rage throughout the state, spent $876,445 on lobbying from January 1 to June 30 of his year.
By Rose Aguilar and Lea Ceasrine, KALW 91.7 FM SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC RADIO
October 31, 2019
https://www.kalw.org/post/how-did-pge-go-wrong-preventing-wildfire-risks
On this edition of Your Call, we’ll discuss the history of PG&E and its role in California’s wildfires.
By David Lazarus, LOS ANGELES TIMES
October 31, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-10-31/fire-insurance-david-…
Vida Hamadani was hit twice this week by the Getty fire. As a Brentwood resident, she was forced to evacuate from her house and move in with her son.
As an independent insurance broker, she’s been fielding calls from clients asking what’s going to happen to their rates.
By Hannah Wiley and Dale Kasler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
October 30, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23…
As California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, battled bankruptcy and prepared for another round of mass power outages across the state, the company’s executive said Californians should expect to see fire-preventing blackouts for the next 10 years.
By J.D. Morris and Trapper Byrne, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
October 29, 2019
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/PG-E-will-cred…
Bowing to pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will provide some form of compensation to people affected by widely criticized mass power outages the utility implemented earlier this month.
Californians consistently pay a dollar to a dollar fifty more for our gasoline and there`s no good reason for it.
By Anne-Marie Green, CBS NEWS
October 28, 2019
ANNE-MARIE GREEN: And California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into soaring gas prices in the state. Carter Evans reports.
(Begin VT)
CARTER EVANS: Eye-popping prices at the pump are a harsh reality for Californians.
By Wendy Davis, DIGITAL NEWS DAILY - MEDIAPOST
October 23, 2019
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/342396/encrypting-domain…
A controversial new technology that encrypts domain name requests would boost online privacy and security, watchdogs say in a new letter to lawmakers.
By Rob Nikolewski, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
October 23, 2019
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/story/2019-1…
Every California motorist knows that gasoline is expensive in the Golden State. Taxes and fees on the state and federal levels account for more than 80 cents per gallon at the pump.
By Staff Reporters, KCBS TV-2/KCAL TV-9 Los Angeles, CA
October 22, 2019
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019/10/22/why-are-california-gas-price…
WEST LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Ever wondered why California’s gas prices were so high compared to the rest of the country?
By John Myers, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
October 22, 2019
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday asked the state attorney general to investigate whether California's leading oil and gas suppliers are involved in price-fixing or other unfair practices related to high pump prices.
By Pete Bigelow, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
October 21, 2019
https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/cybersecurity-firm-attracts-oe…
There hasn't been a high-profile car hack since researchers commandeered a Jeep Cherokee by remote control four years ago. That doesn't mean the threats have diminished.
Decision announced Monday means company cannot sell policies in California
By Jeff McDonald, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
October 21, 2019
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2019-10-21/sta…
By Dan Bacher, INDY BAY MEDIA
October 20, 2019
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/10/20/18827485.php
The appointments of Shabazian and Ntuk come in the wake of increased opposition by environmental justice, conservation and public interest groups to the expansion of onshore and offshore drilling in California under Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom.
Expert: Per-gallon price to drop back below $4 by Halloween
By Rob Nikolewski, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
October 17, 2019
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/story/2019-1…
Op-Ed Column by Thomas Elias, CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD
October 14, 2019
https://www.chicoer.com/2019/10/14/gasoline-gouging-9-0-same-as-earlier…
For the ninth time in the last five years, gasoline prices spiked this fall in California, with per-gallon pump charges briefly leaping above $5.15 at many stations around the state.
By Staff Writers, ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 12, 2019
http://www.startribune.com/california-governor-signs-bill-limiting-oil-…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed a law intended to counter Trump administration plans to increase oil and gas production on protected public land.
By Staff Writers, SCRIPPS NATIONAL
October 11, 2019
https://www.10news.com/news/national/prudential-to-start-charging-same-…
A change is coming to some people’s life and health insurance policies that will make them more expensive.
Prudential recently announced it will consider e-cigarette users the same as traditional smokers.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara accepted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from company named in complaint
By Jeff McDonald, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
October 4, 2019
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2019-10-04/jud…
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
October 2, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/10/02/541727.htm
Mercury Insurance Co. has agreed to pay more than $41 million to end a two-decade long battle with the California Department of Insurance battle over the Los Angeles-based carrier improperly tacking fees onto auto insurance policies and over false advertising claims.
By Dan Walters, THE MERCURY NEWS
A dad who says his infant’s lungs were ‘blown up’ by malpractice and Consumer Watchdog propose nullifying it
October 2, 2019
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/10/02/walters-new-battle-over-250k-cap…
California’s longest-running single-issue political battle, over limits on damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, is about to heat up again.
By Rob Nikolewski, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
September 30, 2019
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/story/2019-0…
First, it was a missile attack in Saudi Arabia. Now, it’s another spate of refinery closures. Regardless of the reasons, San Diego motorists are being greeted by an unwelcome sight when they pull into the service station: The return of $4-a-gallon gasoline.
Consumer Watchdog filed a new ballot measure Thursday to make a frontal assault on the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, known as MICRA, a 1975 law capping non-economic medical negligence damages at $250,000,
By Malcolm Maclachlan, THE DAILY JOURNAL OF LOS ANGELES
September 27, 2019
By Y. Peter Kang, LAW 360
September 27, 2019
https://www.law360.com/california/articles/1203371/calif-group-seeks-to…
Law360 (September 27, 2019, 9:18 PM EDT) -- A consumer advocacy group has launched a ballot initiative that would significantly raise California’s cap on pain-and-suffering damages in medical malpractice cases, five years after a similar proposal was shot down by voters.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
September 26, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/09/26/541369.htm
Several families of inured patients on Thursday filed proposed initiative for the November 2020 ballot to raise California’s medical malpractice cap.
The cap is set by the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, MICRA, passed in 1975.
The Fairness for Injured Patients Act was filed with the Secretary of state.
By Dakota Smith, LOS ANGELES TIMES
September 26, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-26/dwp-pricewaterhouse…
The city of Los Angeles moved Thursday to abandon its high-profile lawsuit against PricewaterhouseCoopers in what amounts to a stunning defeat for City Atty. Mike Feuer, who had tried to blame the consulting firm for the massive overbilling debacle at the Department of Water and Power.
"We are the most progressive state in the country with the most regressive medical malpractice laws in the country," the president of Consumer Watchdog says.
By Cheryl Miller, THE RECORDER
September 26, 2019
https://www.law.com/therecorder/2019/09/26/caps-on-medical-malpractice-…
By Adam Beam, ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 26, 2019
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2019-09-26/…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A proposed California ballot initiative would let patients get more money in medical malpractice lawsuits.
By Alex Gangitano, THE HILL
September 26, 2019
https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/463124-industry-spends-big-to…
Major players in the self-driving car industry are boosting their lobbying presence to convince policymakers in Washington the vehicles are safe for the road.
By Angela Hart, POLITICO PRO
September 26, 2019
SACRAMENTO — A deep-pocketed lawyer and a coalition led by Consumer Watchdog are launching a November 2020 ballot initiative that would multiply the amount medical negligence victims stand to receive in court, potentially resurrecting a political dogfight involving attorneys, hospitals and doctors.
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
September 25, 2019
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?altsrc=108&refnum=220466
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
Saying discounts offered to affinity groups in California exacerbate disparities in auto insurance rates that lead to higher costs for lower-income families and communities of color, the California insurance commissioner is looking into their legality.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
September 23, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/09/23/540852.htm
Consumer Watchdog has written California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the District Attorneys of Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles counties, calling for an investigation of money laundering and bribery relating to the fundraising scandal engulfing California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
By Hannah Wiley, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
September 19, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23…
When an industry executive reached out on May 1 to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s department staff, he emailed with two meeting requests: a “formal policy discussion” and a “political meeting.”
By Pat Thurston, KGO 810 AM Radio - Berkeley, CA
September 19, 2019
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment: http://www.kgoradio.com/2019/09/19/consumer-watchdogs-jamie-court-talks…
Consumer Watchdog reporter Jamie Court explains why gas prices are going up so quickly. Listen for details with Pat Thurston.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
September 19, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/09/19/540547.htm
Calendar entries and documents show that California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, not his fundraiser, made first contact with an agent of a workers’ compensation insurance company offering political support in conjunction with seeking approval for a change of control in the company, according to Consumer Watchdog.
Consumer Watchdog asks state Attorney General’s Office, local prosecutors to examine political contributions
By Jeff McDonald, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
September 19, 2019
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2019-09-19/adv…
By Michael Finney & Renee Koury, KABC TV-7 San Francisco, CA
September 18, 2019
https://abc7news.com/society/bottle-deposits-go-unclaimed-as-recycling-…
DALY CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- The sudden shutdown of the state's largest recycling company has sparked outrage among consumers who say they've lost any reasonable way to redeem the deposits on their bottles and cans.
Insurers, consumer advocates at odds over use of algorithmic models to assess risk
By Nicole Friedman, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 16, 2019
https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-one-can-agree-on-how-to-price-californi…
Finding home insurance in wildfire-prone parts of California is getting more difficult and more expensive. No one can agree on how to make it any easier.
By Janet Wilson, THE DESERT SUN
September 13, 2019
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2019/09/13/california-…
California has issued no permits for fracking since late June, according to records reviewed by The Desert Sun and watchdog groups.
James Shannon, 36, is suspected of stealing from his neighbors, co-workers, and others, police said.
By Eric Leonard, Philip Dreschler and Andrew Blankstein, KNBC TV-4 Los Angeles, CA
September 12, 2019
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Suspected-ID-Thief-Rented-Luxu…
By John Phillips, RIVERSIDE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
September 11, 2019
https://www.pe.com/2019/09/11/state-insurance-czar-wants-us-to-pay-the-…
I hope you’re sitting down, because I just heard about a scheme to rip off California taxpayers using the railroad … and it’s worse than the bullet train!
By The SACRAMENTO BEE Editorial Board
September 11, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article234952877.html
Will Ricardo Lara survive his first term as California’s insurance commissioner? We can’t say for sure.
By Hannah Wiley, CAPITOL ALERT - SACRAMENTO BEE
September 10, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23…
California’s top regulator of insurance companies sought campaign contributions from the industry and partied with one of its lobbyists after winning his election last year, according to records and social media posts obtained by The Sacramento Bee.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
September 10, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/09/10/539402.htm
Consumer Watchdog is calling on California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the district attorneys for Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco counties to launch an investigation over the potential theft of public funds.
Op-Ed Commentary by Jamie Court for the SACRAMENTO BEE
September 10, 2019
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article234899717.html
The ugliest sausage made in Sacramento gets ground up in the last week of legislative session.
By Staff Reporters, INSURANCE JOURNAL
September 4, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/09/04/538887.htm
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has offered an apology for accepting campaign contributions from the insurance industry.
Lara in a letter that was reportedly sent on Tuesday acknowledged that his campaign solicited contributions from the insurance industry, despite a campaign pledge not to do so.
Model 3 runs into back of unoccupied fire truck
By Michael Strong, THE DETROIT BUREAU
September 3, 2019
https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2019/09/ntsb-confirms-autopilot-engage…
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a Tesla Model S that hit the back of a fire truck was in Autopilot mode and the driver was not holding the steering wheel when it hit the parked vehicle.
By Michael Hiltzik, LOS ANGELES TIMES
August 29, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-28/hiltzik-california-fi…
Steve Nielsen would not normally have considered himself a resident of California’s wildfire zone. But that ended in October 2017, when a fire swept through Coffey Park, his suburban Santa Rosa neighborhood, destroying his home and those of about 1,200 neighbors.
It’s finally being counted, but things are complicated.
By Jill Cowan, THE NEW YORK TIMES
August 28, 2019
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/us/wildfires-insurance.html
A little while ago, we asked about whether wildfires were affecting your ability to get or keep homeowners insurance. The answer was, in a word, yes.
By Katie Pyzyk, WASTE DIVE
August 28, 2019
https://www.wastedive.com/news/whats-next-for-california-container-recy…
The recent announcement that California’s largest operator of beverage container redemption centers was immediately shutting down all locations has left many wondering what happens next with recycling in the state.
The state's Insurance Commissioner is being accused of not using his full powers to help people losing home insurance.
By Becca Habegger, KXTV ABC TV-10 NEWS, Sacramento, CA
August 28, 2019
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/everythings-on-the-table-insurance-c…
Ricardo Lara’s campaign contributions, questionable meeting, legislation raise concerns about consumer commitment
By MERCURY NEWS & EAST BAY TIMES EDITORIAL BOARDS
August 23, 2019
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/08/23/editorial-californias-insurance-…
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has some explaining to do.
Ricardo Lara’s campaign contributions, questionable meeting, legislation raise concerns about consumer commitment
By MERCURY NEWS & EAST BAY TIMES EDITORIAL BOARDS
August 23, 2019
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/08/23/editorial-californias-insurance-…
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has some explaining to do.
By Ryan Daws, IoT NEWS
August 23, 2019
https://www.iottechnews.com/news/2019/aug/23/senators-connected-car-kil…
US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey have penned a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking whether vehicle manufacturers have disclosed vulnerabilities with their cars.
By Derek Catron, CAPITOL WEEKLY
August 21, 2019
https://capitolweekly.net/kern-spill-renews-oil-production-controversy/
California has long been a top producer of oil. But that may change.
The California Supreme Court's decision upholds a historic $27.6 million fine against Mercury for illegal practices.
By Heather Turner, NU PROPERTY CASUALTY 360
August 19, 2019
https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2019/08/19/calif-doi-wins-20-year-c…
rePlanet shuts down all California locations
By Keldine Hull, SANTA MONICA MIRROR
August 18, 2019
https://smmirror.com/2019/08/californias-largest-recycling-center-close…
By Timothy Darragh, BESTWIRE
August 16, 2019
http://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?altsrc=108&refnum=219515
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Supreme Court has denied a petition by Mercury Insurance Co., letting stand a record $27.6 million fine the state Department of Insurance levied on the company for illegally charging broker fees on its automobile policies.
By Chase Difeliciantonio, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL
August 16, 2019
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/9906981-1…
If you are in the grocery business, guess what? You might also soon be in the recycling business.
By Howard Fine, LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL
August 16, 2019
https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2019/aug/16/mercury-loses-bid-overtu…
Mid-Wilshire-based Mercury General Corp. lost its bid to overturn a $27.6 million state fine over auto insurance surcharges as the state Supreme Court declined to review the case, the state Department of Insurance announced Aug. 15.
By Staff Writers, INSURANCE JOURNAL
August 16, 2019
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/08/16/536518.htm
California regulators say a ruling by the state’s highest court means a $27.6 million fine imposed against Mercury Insurance Co. for improperly tacking fees onto auto insurance policies will stand.
By Nicole Hayden, THE PALM SPRING DESERT SUN
August 15, 2019
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2019/08/15/closure-recycling-cente…
Starr Thornton was tired from the heat. She felt sticky with summer sweat. She apologized for the needs she wished she didn’t have. She had tried to collect more bottles to return, but her body hurt.
By Steve Evans, ARTEMIS
August 15, 2019
https://www.artemis.bm/news/california-disaster-risk-transfer-bill-stal…
The passage of California legislation calling for approval for the state to purchase insurance, reinsurance, insurance-linked securities (ILS), or other alternative risk transfer (ART) structures as financial protection against disasters has stalled.
By Margie Murphy, THE TELEGRAPH UK
August 14, 2019
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/08/14/hackers-could-hurt-ca…
It may seem like something straight out of a thriller: a terrorist hacking into a home, taking over household electronic devices to torture those inside. But, according to some experts, this may not be too far from reality.
By Tim Sandle, DIGITAL JOURNAL
August 13, 2019
http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/hacking-of-co…
Connected vehicles will need better security feature to avoid cyber-attack. A new report finds that connected cars are open to being hacked and this stands as a major security threat.
By David Lazarus, LOS ANGELES TIMES
August 13, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-12/toll-road-agencies-pr…
Transit authorities statewide have been targeted with lawsuits alleging that, among other privacy violations, information from toll-road transponders — think FasTrak — is being used to illegally market to drivers.
The state is sitting on a $340 million surplus in recycling funds.
By Kevin Smith, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
August 13, 2019
https://www.dailynews.com/2019/08/13/watchdog-group-seeks-overhaul-of-c…
By Keith Laing, THE DETROIT NEWS
August 12, 2019
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2019/08/12/se…
Motorists may have to rely on automakers to keep them safe in self-driving cars in the absence of clear direction from Washington.
By Andrew Sheeler, SAN LUIS OBISPO TRIBUNE
August 12, 2019
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/state/california/article233714092.ht…
The leadership of CalRecycle must drastically change or else be sacked and replaced by Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to a letter written to the governor from the head of a consumer advocacy group, just days after the largest recycling chain in California shuttered all remaining locations.
