California leads radiation dose regulation efforts
by Rebekah Moan, Diagnostic Imaging North America
The bill, SB 1237, would require hospitals and clinics to record radiation dose of CT scans. The bill would also require CT services to be accredited by an organization approved by CMS and calls for facilities to report any overdose to the patient, treating physician, and California Department of Public Health. Read More ›
CFC’s Zack Kaldveer Provides Comments to the PUC on Privacy and the Smart Grid
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California, California Progress Report
Personal privacy issues routinely arise when data collected is harmless in isolation, but becomes a threat when combined with other data, or examined by a third party for patterns. In other words, what are the potential “unintended consequences” of such an electrical system? And more importantly, what must we do to ensure that those unintended consequences are never realized? Read More ›
Green Chemistry Draft Regs: Toothless, Limited, Biased Toward Industry
by Renee Sharp, Environmental Working Group, California Progress Report
…nearly 50 environmental, public health, consumer and worker safety advocates from every region of California have written to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and to Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams, saying the draft regulations issued last month “fall far short of meeting the worthy goals of the Initiative.” Read More ›
Jones Bill to Rein in Skyrocketing Health Insurance Costs Passes Key Hurdle
by California Political Desk, California Chronicle
Assembly Bill 2578 (Jones and Feuer) requires that prior approval be obtained before health insurance rates are increased. HMOs and health insurers would need to receive approval from the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) or the Department of Insurance for proposed rate increases. Read More ›
CFC Supports SB 933 – Debit Card Surcharges
SB 933 would prohibit retailers from imposing a surcharge on consumers who use their debit cards to make a purchase. Read More ›
Protecting California consumers from unfair ‘checkout’ fees
by State Senator Jenny Oropeza, Capitol Weekly
Current California law prohibits merchants from applying checkout fees to credit card purchases. But the law is silent on debit cards, allowing merchants to bill debit-card users an additional fee set by the retailers. To halt these debit-card surcharges, I authored Senate Bill 933. Read More ›
Privacy protection bill passes state senate
by Los Altos Town Crier, Los Altos Town Crier
“The state’s interest is in collecting tolls. Period,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. “That’s all the data should be used for. I’m pleased to see the legislation provide this protection.” Read More ›
CFC’s June 2010 Election Recap: Endorsed Candidates Win Big, Ballot Measures Mixed
Consumers Beat Back Big Business on Props 16 and 17′ The taste of victory is sweet, especially when it overcomes $62 million of the worst kind of deceitful campaigning. Two arrogant corporations received the humiliations they richly deserved when voters turned down Proposition 16 and 17 yesterday. … Read More ›
CFC Message to Voters on Defeat of Prop 16 and 17: You Won This!
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California
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 ›
Voters Defeat Proposition 17, The Mercury Insurance Initiative
by Campaign for Consumer Rights, Campaign for Consumer Rights
Ignoring a deceptive $16 million campaign by Mercury Insurance Company, California voters rejected a ballot measure that would have amended 1988 insurance reform Proposition 103 to allow insurance companies to impose surcharges on motorists who were not previously insured or had a break in coverage for virtually any reason. Read More ›
Despite $46 million spending fest, Proposition 16 goes down
by John Howard, Capitol Weekly
“When you’re being outspent $46 million to $80,000, the fact that it’s this close, I think people smelled a rat. I think they overspent until people got suspicious,” said Richard Holober of the Consumer Federation of California, opponents of the initiative. Read More ›
PG&E Customers Killed Prop 16
by Richard Holober, CFC Executive Director, California Progress Report
PG&E spent $46 million of its ratepayer dollars on Prop 16 to make sure our electric rates remain high, without asking the consent of its ratepayers. Read More ›
PG&E Customers Killed Prop 16
by Richard Holober, CFC Executive Director, California Progress Report
PG&E spent $46 million of its ratepayer dollars on Prop 16 to make sure our electric rates remain high, without asking the consent of its ratepayers. Read More ›