Electronic medical records allow more people access to your private health information
by ABC, News 10
Privacy advocates are now bracing for full implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act, which calls for more electronic record keeping and more opportunities for database mining of health records by marketers, credit agencies and law enforcement. Read More ›
Billboard seeks to name and shame in California automobile forced arbitration case
by Will Carless, Voice of San Diego
A San Diego consumer bought a “certified” used car that turned out to be a nightmare. His ordeal has been featured in Consumer Reports magazine and is garnering national attention about forced arbitration clauses in contracts. See the YouTube video about his plight that has attracted over 550,000 views so far. Read More ›
Senate confirms Cordray to head Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
by Kevin Lam, Reuters, Washington Post
The Senate confirmed Richard Cordray to head the CFPB, ending years of contentious political wrangling over the leadership of one of the most influential agencies in Washington. The vote came hours after lawmakers averted a showdown over Senate rules governing whether a filibuster could be used to block presidential appointees. Read More ›
Hazardous lead paint: Legal battle comes to trial in California
by Howard Mintz, San Jose Mercury News
From old cottages in Berkeley and Palo Alto to ranch-style homes in Silicon Valley, the remnants of a hazardous past can lurk in the walls — lead paint. And now 10 California cities will finally get to try to make the powerful paint industry pay dearly to remove those poisonous ghosts from millions of homes around the state. Read More ›
74% of consumers support approving CFPB director
by Mary Beth Quirk, Consumerist
This week the Senate will vote to confirm a director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray, who has been overseeing the bureau for the entirety of its existence since Jan 2012. Read More ›
New round of fire fee bills coming
by Michael Gardner, San Diego Union Tribune
A controversial fire prevention fee charged to Californians who live in rural regions defended by Cal Fire enters its second year with a new round of bills going out July 12. When California lawmakers adopted the annual fire fee of $150 per home, they reasoned that those who live in those regions — called “state responsibility areas” — should help cover some of Cal Fire’s costs. Read More ›
Fraud fear raised in California’s health exchange
by Judy Lin, Associated Press Writer, Daily Democrat
As California prepares to launch its health care exchange, consumer groups are worried the uninsured could fall victim to fraud, identity theft or other crimes at the hands of some of the very people who are supposed to help them enroll. Read More ›
Urban Outfitters slapped with lawsuit over consumer data collection
by Sapna Maheshwari, Buzz Feed
It has become standard practice in the retail business for cashiers to request the ZIP code of customers paying with a credit card. But while most consumers readily supply this information, it isn’t required to check out. In fact, giving the impression it is required may be illegal. Read More ›
Sacramento, statewide foreclosures plunge in first half of year
by Mark Glover, Sacramento Bee
Year-over-year foreclosure activity default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions in California plunged dramatically through the first half of this year. Read More ›
Student loan solution still stymies Senate
by Renee Schoof, Sacramento Bee
Under current law, Congress sets student loan rates. The 3.4 percent for federally subsidized loans expired July 1 and rose to 6.8 percent because lawmakers could not agree on a new plan. Read More ›
PUC drops PG&E penalty proposal
by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle
The CPUC’s safety division has dropped a proposal that would have limited PG&E’s penalty to the money it was already spending to upgrade its gas system. Read More ›
Apple conspired to fix e-book prices, judge rules
by Editor, BBC News
The judge said the publisher defendants conspired with each other to eliminate retail price competition in order to raise e-book prices, and that Apple played a central role in facilitating and executing that conspiracy. Read More ›
State Senate panel backs AT&T in clash on LifeLine phone service
by Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times
The Senate panel supports a bill backed by AT&T that turns LifeLine into a voucher system and gets rid of most oversight by state regulators. Read More ›