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 ›
Prop 33 DEFEATED: Voters say No to billionaire’s money grab
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California, CNBC.com
The defeat of Prop 33 sends a loud message that Californians are not easily hoodwinked into supporting corporate self-enrichment schemes, no matter how much is spent to mislead voters. 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 ›
Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls
by Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald, EdSource
California schools’ rendezvous with rock bottom is over. A massive grassroots campaign, an eleventh hour surge in advertising and strategic targeting of likely voters pulled Proposition 30 over the halfway mark yesterday, giving both Gov. Jerry Brown and California public schools and community colleges a victory. Read More ›
Prop 33 hurts consumers – 40 newspaper editorials say vote NO
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California, Sacramento Bee
Forty newspaper editorial boards … decry Prop 33 as an abuse of the ballot by a billionaire to benefit his company at the expense of millions of consumers. They warn that Prop 33’s premium rate increases would make insurance less affordable, resulting in more uninsured motorists on our roads. Read More ›
College students speak out: No on Prop 33
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California, Herald Online
Leading college student newspaper editorials urge a NO vote on Proposition 33, a measure that threatens graduates with massive auto insurance rate surcharges. Read More ›
Prop 33 billionaire admits his company doesn’t give promised discounts
by Richard Holober, California Progress Report
In a stunning admission, billionaire George Joseph stated that his company, Mercury Insurance, does not offer its own customers the “persistence discount” that Proposition 33 promises all Californians would receive by “shopping their discount” around if the initiative is approved. Read More ›
Consumer groups: Proposition 33 is a lemon
by Richard Holober, San Francisco Business Times
Seven independent consumer organizations oppose Proposition 33, which legalizes arbitrary insurance surcharges on millions of motorists.
Proposition 33 allows premium rate hikes on anyone who suspends coverage for 90 days within five years and on newly insured customers, including good drivers. Mercury Insurance’s billionaire owner George Joseph contributed $16.4 million to Prop 33. He recently acknowledged that his goal is to give Mercury a license to charge customers more. Read More ›
Top 10 reasons California newspapers say we should vote No on Prop 33
by Carmen Balber, Consumer Watchdog
Consumer and public interest groups are being outspent 50 to 1 by an insurance billionaire who has thrown $16 million into Prop 33 in order to cherry pick customers and raise rates on good drivers in California… Read More ›
Prop. 32’s real purpose is to cripple labor unions politically
by George Skelton, The Los Angeles Times
Backers say Prop. 32 would stop special-interest money from influencing politicians, but the measure actually would tilt the playing field unfairly to the right. Read More ›
California Progress Report: Progressive Voter Guide for November 2012 Ballot Propositions
The voter guide lists the recommendations of several leading statewide progressive organizations, along with a quick summary of each proposition. Read More ›