Nearly two years after the pipeline explosion that killed eight people and devastated a neighborhood in San Bruno, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. considers 239 of its natural-gas transmission lines to be at risk of a similar failure, according to a company assessment obtained by The Chronicle. Read More ›

Fewer people were victims of identity theft last year than in 2010, but each person lost substantially more money, according to a new report by the California Public Interest Research Group. Read More ›

One of the agencies that accredits San Francisco’s California Culinary Academy is questioning the veracity of the college’s reported job placement rates – ordering the school’s parent company to provide audited placement data by September in order to maintain its accreditation status. Read More ›

Smoke should be pouring out of Californians’ ears since the recent, damning revelations about flame retardants that the chemical industry uses in sofas and easy chairs. Reputable scientists say the concoctions are highly toxic and dangerous to people, especially children.
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For years, the chemical industry has fought to stop statewide bans on certain toxic chemicals, arguing that such decisions are best left to federal authorities, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Read More ›

When Blue Shield of California raised the rates for Robert Jeffrey Martin’s family insurance policy by 23 percent, the health insurer offered him two options: Stay in his expensive old plan or switch to a policy that offered his family skimpier benefits with a higher deductible. Read More ›

Prepayment programs allow companies to sidestep critical consumer protections that have evolved over decades, according to the report by the National Consumer Law Center. Read More ›

Even if Proposition 29 fails, the Legislature should seize the opportunity to raise desperately needed revenue and save crucial programs. Read More ›