Historic Rally for Single-Payer Healthcare
A broad-based coalition of some 2,000 healthcare activists will stage a historic May 8 rally in Sacramento in support Sen. Sheila Kuehl’s ground-breaking SB840, which proposes guaranteed healthcare on a single-payer model… Read More ›
Flawed federal ID law overburdens states
Richard Holober, executive director of the San Mateo-based Consumer Federation of California, fears that the REAL ID Act will create new opportunities for identity theft with a one-stop shop for thieves. Read More ›
Phone ‘bill of rights’ battle resumes
by Aurelio Rojas , Sacramento Bee
As a member of the California Public Utilities Commission, Susan Kennedy helped dismantle the nation’s first “bill of rights” for telephone customers and replace it with a less restrictive one. Read More ›
CFC Sponsored Cell Phone Consumer Bill Moves Through Senate
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California
On April 24th, cell phone users came one step closer to winning critical consumer protections after the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee approved Senate Bill 831 (D- Lowenthal). Read More ›
Critics question proposal for national ID standards
by Edwin Garcia , San Jose Mercury News
Some worried that REAL ID could lead to a national database and loss of privacy…”We are very concerned these proposals will jeopardize privacy,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the San Mateo-based Consumer Federation of California. Read More ›
UC Davis hosts town hall meeting on REAL ID Act
by Ben Pulliam, California Aggie
Lobbyists, private citizens and students voiced their concerns over the proposed REAL ID program at a town hall-style meeting at Freeborn Hall on Tuesday…Richard Holober, a representative from the Consumer Federation of California, called the national database a “one-stop shop” for identity thieves. Read More ›
CFC Applauds Senate Committee Vote
The cellphone industry ranks No. 1 among all industries in consumer complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau, said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. Consumers have put up with deceptive contract terms, poor phone reception, excessive early termination fees and inadequate customer service for long enough. Read More ›
Cell Phone Subscriber Protection Bill Approved by Senate Committee
Cell phone users are one step closer to winning critical consumer protections after today Read More ›
Health Insurance Premium Increases Regulation Passes Committee
by Frank D. Russo, California Progress Report
Yesterday evening, the Assembly Health Committee on a 10-5 vote passed AB 1554 by Assemblymember Dave Jones regulating health insurance premiums. Read More ›
SB 831 Fact Sheet: Cell Phone Subscriber Protections
SB 831 would establish a sorely needed minimum standard of consumer protections that every cell phone customer deserves – and every phone company must comply with. Read More ›
Controls urged for medical insurers
by Jordan Rau , Los Angeles Times
Saying the healthcare debate here was not sufficiently focused on curbing insurers’ profits, some lawmakers and consumer groups are backing a new effort to regulate medical insurance rates the same way the state controls auto coverage costs. Read More ›
Reduce Big Business Control of Sacramento
by Richard Holober, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of California
CFC supports public financing of elections to reduce the corrosive influence of big business campaign dollars. Read More ›
Kinder Morgan: CPUC ruling scheduled for May 24
by Nadia Damouni , dealReporter
Alexis Wodtke, a staff attorney at the Consumer Federation of California, pointed out that the only component left of SFPP are the pipes in the ground. My only goal in this is to make sure the commission takes a close look at this transaction to make sure it doesn’t approve something that is going to be harmful to consumers. Read More ›