Have a ‘food-safe’ holiday season!
Consumer Federation of America offers tips to consumers to have a food-safe holiday season this year. Read More ›
New political terrain holds promise for California schools
by Lisa Schiff, California Progress Report
The passage of Props 30 and 39 and a new Democratic supermajority in the legislature mean influxes of revenue for schools and possibly making changes in revenue and how it gets distributed. Read More ›
New battle coming over California’s minimum wage
by Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee
The $8 per hour minimum wage in California has been frozen for five years and a battle is likely in the 2013 legislative session over whether it should be increased and indexed to inflation. Read More ›
Facing deadline, most states say no to running their own insurance exchanges
by Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News
The Obama administration will have to build and operate online health insurance markets for more than 30 states, something few expected when the federal health law was approved in 2010. Read More ›
Decision day for states on health insurance marketplaces
by Michael Pearson, CNN
The federal government will run 24 exchanges outright and likely partner with states to run the other six; 19 states will run their own, while Florida and Utah remained undecided as of Friday. Read More ›
Initiative backers must come forward, panel says
by Mark Walker, San Diego Union Tribune
People who pay for petition drives in support of statewide ballot measures can no longer hide their identity, thanks to a regulation adopted by the Fair Political Practices Commission. Read More ›
Blue Shield of California seeks rate hikes up to 20%
by Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
In filings with state regulators, Blue Shield is seeking an average rate increase of 12% for more than 300,000 customers. Consumer advocates say the firm should use its reserves to hold down rates. Read More ›
New studies find chemicals in furniture hard to avoid
by Stephanie M. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to reduce toxic flame retardant chemicals permitted in furniture, but experts say damage has been done nationwide. Read More ›
Google ruling shows need for do not track and strong antitrust action
by John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog
A federal judge’s ruling in a key privacy case demonstrates the need to implement tough Do Not Track rules and to take decisive action on the antitrust front against Google. Read More ›
Homeland Security wants to more than double its Predator drone fleet inside the US, despite safety and privacy concerns
by Trevor Timm, Electronic Frontier Foundation
They say the drones are vital in the fight to stop illegal immigrants, but the DHS Inspector General issued a report faulting DHS for wasting time, money, and resources using drones that were ineffective and lacked oversight. Read More ›
A consumer injustice: Arbitration agreements only protect big business
by Carey Been, Justice News Flash
The days of facing your opponent in a court of law to settle disputes are rapidly fading, especially if you are a consumer. For consumers, a barely noticeable clause may be trading your right to a day in court for forced arbitration when disputing a matter with a company, because you were given no choice when you signed or were given the contract for their services, says Carey Been, an Los Angeles consumer protection attorney. Read More ›
Microsoft sued over false advertising of surface storage space
by Michelle Jones, ValueWalk
Microsoft faces a lawsuit filed by a California lawyer over claims about the company’s new Surface tablet. Court papers say the tablet was advertised as having 32 GB of storage space, but it had only 16 GB left after the operating system and all the apps for Microsoft Office were installed. The papers request that the suit be given class-action status. Read More ›
VICTORY: Election day successful for California consumers!
Each one of Consumer Federation of California’s ballot measure recommendations won on election night. The winners are California consumers! Yes on Prop 30: Restores Education Funding Governor Jerry Brown declared victory after his tax initiative seized a narrow lead Tuesday night, calling Proposition 30 a “unifying force” … Read More ›