Flame retardants may leach from your walls
by Stephanie M. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle
Couches throughout the nation have become notorious for containing flame-retardant chemicals that may do more harm than good. Now, it turns out, those chemicals may also be leaching from the walls that surround you. Read More ›
Apple wins Internet privacy ruling
by Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
Internet retailers of music and other downloadable products may seek personal identifying information from consumers, the California Supreme Court ruled 4 to 3. Read More ›
Lawsuit filed against fracking as oil lobbyist says it’s “safe”
by Dan Bacher, California Progress Report
As a lawsuit was filed to stop unregulated fracking in California, the president of the Western States Petroleum Association claimed that fracking causes no environmental harm in the state. Read More ›
Gas prices on the rise again across California
by Gary Richards, San Jose Mercury News
Get ready to pay a few more bucks for gas. Prices are on an upward march and could hit $3.80 to $3.95 a gallon by Valentine’s Day as refineries convert to the more expensive summer blend of fuel while coping with sporadic outages. Read More ›
Proposed used-car window stickers may not help consumers
by Eric Evarts, Consumer Reports
Window stickers on used cars specify warranty terms and inform consumers of their rights. Those stickers are about to change and consumer advocates say the new ones take a step backward. Read More ›
Obamacare loophole threatens UC students
by Nanette Asimov and Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle
Health care limits like the one imposed by UC are already illegal under the sweeping federal health-care law – dubbed Obamacare – but the health care act does not apply to “self-funded” college plans like UC’s. Read More ›
Lawmakers to hold hearing on fracking
by Michael Mishak, Los Angeles Times
California does not require energy firms to disclose where they use the controversial procedure or what chemicals they inject into the ground. Regulators released draft rules for fracking last month that would mandate such disclosure but allow oil companies to keep secret the names of certain chemicals they claim to be proprietary.
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January 28 is Data Privacy Day: Top 10 tips to protect your privacy
Data Privacy Day is an effort to empower people to protect their privacy, control their digital footprint, and escalate their protection of privacy and data.
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Rolling back regs on fire retardants
by Dan Morain, Sacramento Bee
California has led the nation on many environmental issues. In this instance, the state led the nation into a dark hole, and filled it with substances linked to maladies such as cancer and neurological dysfunction. Read More ›
Stamps rise to 46 cents Sunday
by Jennifer Liberto, CNN Money
The price of sending mail with a first-class stamp goes up by one cent to 46 cents – a hike the USPS announced last October. Postcard postage will also rise one cent to 33 cents.
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Group finds more fake ingredients in popular foods
by Jim Avila and Serena Marshall, Good Morning America
A new scientific examination by the non-profit food fraud detectives, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, discovered rising numbers of fake ingredients in products from olive oil to spices to fruit juice. Read More ›
Assemblyman Marc Levine pushing statewide plastic bag ban
by Derek Moore, Press Democrat
Single-use plastic bags would be banned in California under legislation introduced this week. Read More ›
Markey concerned over Disney plan to track kids with bracelets
by Brendan Sasso, The Hill
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) expressed concern over Disney’s plan to track guests at its theme parks using bracelets called MagicBands. Markey is worried that the plan could “have a harmful impact on our children.” Read More ›