Fight brewing over used-car information
by Michael Gardner, San Diego Union Tribune
…Carfax data are limited and questionable given the company reveals few details about its gathering due to proprietary rights. Others opposed include…the Consumer Federation of California and Consumer Watchdog.
Read More ›
Burning irony: Flame retardants might create deadlier fires
by Brett Israel, Environmental Health News
…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 ›
State funding for quake safety oversight at risk
by Will Evans, California Watch
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.
Read More ›
Why cell-phone tracking should require a warrant
by James Temple, San Francisco Chronicle
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 ›
Auto safety activist Rosemary Shahan turns lemons into legislation
by Ken Bensinger, Los Angeles Times
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 ›
SB 1330 Reins in the Use of License Plate Recognition Software
CFC Supports SB 1330 to safeguard our right to privacy by reining in the use of license-plate recognition software.
Read More ›
AB 1648 Increases Transparency in Campaigns and Elections
The Consumer Federation of California supports AB 1648, which makes changes to the Political Reform Act of 1974, to increase transparency in campaigns and elections. Read More ›
Judge upholds PG&E’s $16.8 million gas-safety fine
by Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle
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.
Read More ›
CFC Supports SB 901 (Steinberg) – Vehicle Retirement Program
High-polluting vehicles emit more than 50 percent of the vehicle pollution, being a significant contributor to the smog that exists in our cities. SB 901 (Steinberg) will help reduce smog, stimulate auto sales, and provide critical assistance to consumers. Read More ›
A law that scraps junk insurance
by Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star
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 ›
State bill would restrict data from license-plate scanners
by G.W. Schulz, California Watch
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 ›
Mercury News editorial: PUC needs to hold PG&E accountable
by Editorial, San Jose Mercury News
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 ›
California Tells Debt Buyers to “Prove It”
by Bill Bartmann, Huffington Post
Debt buyers will be prohibited from getting a legal judgment against consumers — or sending any written material to consumers — unless they can document that they’ve matched the right person to the debt. Read More ›