The Health Insurance Monopoly
by Bill Monkerud, CounterPunch
“…there’s no public option, no end of the anti-trust exemption for the health insurance industry, no ability of the government to negotiate drug prices or import cheaper drugs from Canada, and no real regulation of health insurance premiums,” said Zack Kaldveer, spokesman for the Consumer Federation of California. Read More ›
CFC Opposes AB 822 (Fletcher) – Weakens Acute Care Consumer Protections
AB 822 would play havoc with this staffing system, and empower hospitals to easily downgrade a patient’s status from critical to acute as a cost saving measure. It would make enforcement more difficult, as mixed units would be impossible to classify in terms of the required staffing ratios. Read More ›
Consumer Federation Statement on Election of John P
by Richard Holober, Executive Director , Consumer Federation of California
John Perez is a superb choice for Speaker of the California State Assembly. John is a staunch advocate for justice and opportunity for all Californians, on the job, in the marketplace and in the community. Read More ›
The Politics of Fear and “Whole-Body-Imaging”, By CFC’s Zack Kaldveer
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California, California Progress Report
Before we…willfully give up our civil liberties and freedoms, support wars on countries that did nothing to us, and sign off on wasting HUGE amounts of money on ineffectual security systems, consider this: Your chances of getting hit by lightning in one year is 500,000 to 1 while the odds you’ll be killed by a terrorist on a plane over 10 years is 10 million to 1. Read More ›
The Pig, the Pony and the Dodo Bird
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California
Each year Californians are treated to a Governor Schwarzenegger makeover when he gives his State of the State address. Schwarzenegger version 7.0 used a quaint story about a pig and a pony to emphasize the need for lawmakers of both parties to work together to solve the horrific budget disaster over which he has presided. Read More ›
Corona proposes new rates for water
by Leslie Parrilla, The Press Enterprise
Experts at the Consumer Federation of California, a consumer rights group, said the key to understanding whether a tiered water system is fair is ensuring that people understand it.
Read More ›
California hangs on to PEX pipe plans, for now
by Matt Defosse, Modern Plastics Worldwide
Joining the CPTC to file the lawsuit was a diverse coalition of groups: the Center for Environmental Health, the Consumer Federation of California, the Planning and Conservation League, California Professional Firefighters and Sierra Club California. Read More ›
It Takes a Village: Ten trends the past decade brought to California schools
by Andy Shapiro, Santa Cruz Sentinel
…with California’s $42 billion deficit a year ago, new, permanent tax breaks were given to multi-state and multi-national corporations that will cost the state…$1.5 billion a year, according to Richard Holober….of The CFC. Read More ›
A 2009 Consumer Review, New Laws Going into Effect, and the Challenge Ahead
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California, California Progress Report
In addition to reforming our pay-to-play campaign finance system, we progressives must redouble our efforts if we expect to pose any kind of challenge to the moneyed interests that dominate the state capitol. Read More ›
New year, new laws, new low for state
by Michael Gardner, San Diego Union Tribune
This lawmaking cycle was “dismal,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. He decried the lack of consumer-protection bills and said Schwarzenegger vetoed most of the measures his group supported. Read More ›
Previous state agency went dark after lawmakers, schools failed to agree on changes
by Jim Miller, Riverside Press Enterprise
“It seems to promise protection that really isn’t there,” said Hernandez, a lobbyist for the Consumer Federation of California. “The bill is not without some positive elements, but there are just too many schools that are exempt.” Read More ›
Consumer Protection Bills Going into Effect on January 1, 2010
“These are a few bright spots in a pretty dismal year for consumers. The most far reaching, pro-consumer legislation failed to even pass the legislature,” said Richard Holober, Executive Director of the CFC. “Of the 14 bills we identified as most important that did reach the Governor’s desk, he took the side of the consumer in only six instances…” Read More ›
PG&E ballot measure is a stealthy power play
What are the chances that PG&E ginned up this innocuous-sounding initiative, shrouding its own involvement behind a scrim of public relations and law firms, largely to preserve its monopoly against competition from public power agencies? Read More ›