The latest is Chase making credit card customers who had previously opted out from receiving offers to do so again under the guise of ‘updating our customers’ preferences.’ Read More ›

While Calderon’s concern for people of marginal means is commendable, it can’t be ignored that he, his brother and other lawmakers have raked in campaign contributions from the payday loan industry. Read More ›

It’s not surprising that California lawmakers do the bidding of their biggest contributors. But even for them, the latest move to expand predatory payday lending — detailed in Karen de Sa’s front-page story today — is remarkably brazen. Read More ›

Documents made public Monday show that PG&E moved salvaged pipe in and around the South Bay and Peninsula over the years, but the company insisted that it didn’t reuse “scrap” or “junk,” as claimed by state regulators. Read More ›

The new rules create a list of 3,000 toxic chemicals found in consumer items as diverse as personal care products, children’s toys, automobiles and even computers. Read More ›

A major Pacific Gas and Electric Co. gas transmission line serving the Bay Area ruptured during a pressure test Monday south of Bakersfield, just as the company was planning to boost gas levels on the pipeline to meet winter demand. Read More ›

A key mechanism of Amazon’s business model, which was to exploit the price advantage it gained by not collecting sales tax, is beginning to come apart, in no small degree because of California.
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A pair of letters to the health insurer’s California customers sparks confusion. Anthem, it turns out, is replacing its California Medicare Advantage plan with 13 regional variations that allow it to set premiums and benefits according to local conditions. Read More ›

California voters approved Proposition 13 to rein in property taxes that had doubled in 10 years. More than three decades later, that rebellion has mortgaged the state’s future, saddling it with the nation’s highest debt and lowest credit rating. Read More ›

Much of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s natural-gas transmission system could be at risk of catastrophic failure, but the company’s record-keeping system is so flawed that the true danger is impossible to determine, federal investigators said Monday in their final report on last year’s San Bruno disaster.
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The type of plastic pipe that caused a natural gas explosion and fire in a Cupertino condominium last month has long been considered a potential threat to the public, but federal pipeline regulators have allowed companies to keep it in the ground and secretly gather limited information about its failings, a Chronicle investigation shows. Read More ›

PG&E and Mercury Insurance were in a contest to see which would stoop the lowest to buy a law through the ballot box. Voters saw through PG&E’s $46 million spending spree on Prop 16 and Mercury Insurance’s $16 million contribution to Prop 17. Read More ›

Voter approval of Proposition 15 will demonstrate effective public campaign financing in California, and lobbyist registration fees are an appropriate funding source for ensuring a level playing field in elections. Read More ›