Perilous Quarters: Deaths, Serious Injuries Highlight Longstanding Concerns Over Staffing Ratios In Assisted-Living communities
by Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune
In California, assisted-living facilities and memory-care centers are not technically medical establishments. They are not required to employ medically trained experts. Read More ›
Election 2016: Big Pharma’s $70 Million Tops California Campaign Contributions
by Tracy Seipel, San Jose Mercury News
The money is piling up on behalf of campaigns for 17 statewide ballot measures — the most since March 2000. And when it comes to big backers, Big Pharma is far and away the towering force. Read More ›
Pink Tax Repeal Act Aims To Make Pricing Fair To Women
by Carla Fried, Consumer Reports
Last Friday, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) aimed to put an end to pricing products according to gender. She introduced the Pink Tax Repeal Act—a bill that would prohibit companies from charging different prices for similar products or services simply based on the gender of the customer. …
“As a rule, the man’s version or a neutrally-branded product is going to be less costly than the womens or girls version,” says Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. “Consider buying products that aren’t specifically labeled for the use of women.” Read More ›
Engineer Calls Years Of PG&E Safety Cuts ‘Near Criminal’
by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle
The crux of the prosecution is that PG&E, contrary to its stated policy, consistently sacrificed safety for profits. Read More ›
Edison Calls Settlement That Left Consumers On Hook For $3.3 Billion Reasonable
by Ivan Penn, Los Angeles Times
Consumer advocates filed their own arguments Thursday in favor of reconsidering the settlement. They argue that Edison should be held responsible for the premature closure of San Onofre in June 2013 after faulty replacement steam generators were installed at the plant. Read More ›
Federal Investigators Probe Google Over Age-Discrimination Complaints
by Ethan Baron, San Jose Mercury News
The lawsuit and investigation are taking place against a tech industry backdrop in which older workers are shuffled out to make way for younger — and cheaper — employees, said UC Davis computer science professor Norman Matloff, who studies age discrimination in the sector. Read More ›
Details Emerge In Whistleblower Suit Against Ontario-Based Prime Healthcare
by Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
The U.S. Department of Justice in June announced it was intervening in an employee’s whistleblower lawsuit against the company, which owns and operates 14 hospitals throughout the state, including facilities in San Dimas, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Inglewood and Encino. Read More ›
Bill Calling For Price Equity For Items Marketed To Females Fails
by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle
Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California … said his organization would try again next year. Women already earn less than men in wages for similar work, he said, “and then when they spend their hard-earned dollars, they’re charged more.” Read More ›
Gender Pricing Discrimination – Democrats Team With Republicans To Stop SB 899 (Hueso)
SACRAMENTO – Consumer Federation of California-sponsored SB 899 (Hueso), a bill that would have ended gender pricing discrimination, was stopped by Democrats and Republicans in today’s meeting of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Read More ›
Gender Pricing Discrimination – Democrats Team With Republicans To Stop SB 899 (Hueso)
Consumer Federation of California-sponsored SB 899 (Hueso), a bill that would have ended gender pricing discrimination, was stopped by Democrats and Republicans in today’s meeting of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) dropped SB 899 after it became apparent that a majority of the … Read More ›
Bill To End Gender Disparity In Retail Pricing Is Withdrawn After Pushback From Industry Lobbyists
by Jazmine Ulloa, Los Angeles Times
“It loaded the decks so that it was unenforceable,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. “We are very angry that what we find is another example where corporate interests dominate the majority.” Read More ›
First Audit In 20 Years Finds A Lot Wrong With The Agency That Regulates Your Utilities
by Jeff MCDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune
The General Services review is supposed to be conducted every three years, but the audit released Wednesday is the first such examination in more than 20 years. Officials did not explain why General Services failed to conduct legally required audits before. Read More ›
AB 2688: Bad Health ‘Privacy’ Bill Would Unleash Information Sharing
SACRAMENTO – Consumer advocates called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject AB 2688 (Gordon), which would establish rules for health data information sharing. The Committee will hear AB 2688 at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28. The bill would place into law broad industry controls over … Read More ›