The state Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a pair of fines Thursday totaling nearly $20 million against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for failing to check for gas-line leaks in seven East Bay communities and for missing a deadline to turn over pipeline safety records. Read More ›

Both types of fracking also inject chemicals with the water, raising concerns about the possible contamination of drinking water sources. The state already has identified many hotspots where groundwater has been tainted with agricultural chemicals, such as nitrates. Read More ›

Legislation carried by Sen. Juan Vargas that seeks to alter a complex law governing vehicle history reports stalled in a Senate committee Tuesday after more than half of the members did not vote. Read More ›

California’s Department of Consumer Affairs says it’s looking at changing controversial fire retardant rules. State Sen. Mark Leno has been trying for years to undo the regulation. Read More ›

Car-title loans have triple-digit interest rates. In California, there is essentially no limit to the amount of interest a car-title lender can charge, though 1-800LoanMart stipulates that 180% APR is the maximum for their loans. Read More ›

…a document signed by more than 200 scientists from 30 countries disputes that flame retardants have been proven effective. “Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can increase fire toxicity, but their overall benefit in improving fire safety has not been proven.” Read More ›

The cash crunch is the latest fallout from Proposition 26, which was bankrolled in 2010 by oil, tobacco and alcohol companies and the California Chamber of Commerce.
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The American Civil Liberties Union released a troubling report this past weekend demonstrating that law enforcement agencies around the nation routinely track personal cell phones, often without warrants. Conspicuously absent from the survey was information about the tactics of Northern California police departments. Read More ›

Shahan is the founder and president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS), a driver of some of the most important advances in auto-related safety and financial protection regulation. Read More ›

A state Public Utilities Commission administrative law judge has rejected Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s appeal of a $16.8 million fine for failing to check gas pipes for leaks in seven Contra Costa County communities, saying the danger the company created justified the penalty.
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In California today, nearly 90 percent of health insurance policies sold on the individual market do not cover prenatal care or labor and delivery costs. That will change on July 1, when a new statewide maternity-care mandate kicks in, and nationwide in 2014, when the federal Affordable Care Act goes into full force. Read More ›

A state lawmaker representing Silicon Valley wants to rein in a cutting-edge law enforcement technology that enables police to stockpile digital personal information on motorists and build a portrait of their whereabouts. Read More ›

More than a year after the San Bruno tragedy, PG&E still doesn’t have its house in order, the consultants said: “PG&E’s current integrity management program itself presents a safety risk to PG&E’s field and station employees and the public.” Read More ›