Los Angeles, CA, March 29, 2023 —Today Consumer Watchdog released a report spotlighting the profiling flaws of algorithms and submitted a letter this week to the state privacy agency outlining how new state regulations can be drawn to stop them. The report, “Unseen Hand: How Automatic Decision-making Breeds Discrimination and What Can Be Done About […]
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Chevron reports $1.4 Billion in CA windfall refining profits in 2022, total windfall profits rebate climbs to $3.2 billion as 4th quarter reports continue to roll in
Los Angeles, CA, January 30, 2023 – Chevron’s profits report to investors Friday revealed it made 85 cents per gallon profit in California in 2022, more than doubling last year’s 37 per gallon profit and nearly doubling its historical average of 46 cents per gallon over the last twenty years. Chevron has only crossed the […]
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Phillips Extracts 68 Cents Per Gallon in 3rd Q Profits from West Coast Consumers
Oil refiner Phillips 66 posted 3rd quarter refining profits of $2.8 billion, accounting for more than half of its total quarterly profits of $5.3 billion. Its total corporate profits rose seven times over those generated in the third quarter last year. Phillips made 68 cents per gallon in profits at West Coast pumps in the third […]
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Insurance Companies Use Unlawful Policy Provisions to Burn Homeowners on Wildfire Claims: Report
Los Angeles, CA, July 11, 2022 – A Consumer Watchdog examination of public filings reveals that insurance companies have inserted provisions into the fine print of their home, condo and renters’ insurance policies that allow them to limit or deny coverage after a wildfire in violation of California law. Read the report, “Up in Smoke: […]
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Consumer Watchdog Urges California Supreme Court to Reaffirm “Organizational Standing” in Unfair Competition Cases
Consumer Watchdog filed a “friend of the court” brief urging the California Supreme Court to reaffirm the ability of non-profit organizations and other groups to bring lawsuits on behalf of the public under California’s landmark Unfair Competition Law. Consumer Watchdog filed its amicus brief on behalf of the plaintiff in the case, California Medical Association. […]
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Patients Embrace Legislative Deal to Update Malpractice Cap, Forestall Ballot Fight on Fairness for Injured Patients Act in November
Los Angeles, CA, April 27, 2022 – The California families harmed by medical negligence who launched the Patients for Fairness coalition (http://www.patientsforfairness.org) responded favorably to news of a potential legislative deal to raise the 47 year old cap on medical malpractice damages. The families said the legislation would eliminate the need for the Fairness for […]
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California Lawmakers Answer Injured Patients’ Call for Reform, Propose Nation’s First Public Member Majority Medical Board
Sacramento, CA, May 26, 2021 – California lawmakers have moved legislation to the Senate Floor to make California the first state in the nation whose Medical Board has a majority of public, not doctor, members. The bill follows months of calls for increased public representation from families harmed by medical negligence who have been denied […]
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Bill To Save Collapsing Bottle Deposit System Passes First Legislative Hurdle
Los Angeles, CA, March 15, 2021 — SB 38 (D- Wieckowski), a bill to save the collapsing bottle deposit system by putting the responsibility for recycling empty CRV containers onto the beverage industry, passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee today in a decisive first step towards modernizing California’s rigid and antiquated system, Consumer Watchdog said […]
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Consumer Bottle Redemption Rate Falls To 58%, Major Overhaul Of Container Recycling Program Inescapable
Los Angeles, CA, December 7, 2020 — Between July and September of 2020, the rate of consumer redemption of empty beverage containers fell another two percentage points to 58%, according to beverage sales data from CalRecycle, the state’s overseer of the bottle deposit program. That means 42% of annual consumer bottle deposits—or about $546 million […]
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Watchdog Urges Legislative Leaders To Reject Last Minute Raid By Waste Haulers On Consumer Bottle Deposit Funds
Los Angeles, CA, August 26, 2020 — Consumer Watchdog urged Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to shut down a last-minute attempt by waste haulers, grocers and recyclers to steal consumers’ bottle deposit refunds and make the system less available to them, the group said. “The last week of legislative […]
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Insurance Industry Pushes “Wildfire” Legislation to Increase Homeowners Insurance Rates
Los Angeles, CA, May 6, 2020 — While the rest of the state is sheltering at home, lobbyists for the insurance industry are busy promoting legislation, scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, that would allow them to boost insurance rates on homeowners and renters. The bill would derail voter-approved protections against insurance price-gouging and fails to address insurers’ growing refusal to sell insurance in wildfire […]
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Know Your Health Care Rights: 6 Tips for CA Consumers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Los Angeles, CA, April 2, 2020 – Consumer Watchdog released a “Know Your Rights” tip sheet today outlining 6 things consumers should know about their health care cost and access rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. California consumers and patients should know their legal rights as COVID-19 is expected to heavily tax the resources of the health care system and may exceed capacity in some communities, potentially resulting […]
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Insurance Companies Use Occupation and Education to Segregate and Overcharge California Drivers
Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 1, 2019 – An analysis of new data obtained from insurance companies by the California Department of Insurance (“CDI”) confirms complaints by Consumer Watchdog and other citizen groups that insurance companies are surcharging motorists based on their occupation or educational status, in violation of insurance reform Proposition 103. The data show […]
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Insurance Companies Should Cut Ties with Fossil Fuels in the Wake of Climate-Related Rate Hikes, Policy Cancellations
Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 25, 2019 – As the 2019 wildfire season begins, many homeowners in at-risk areas have once again seen their insurance rates go up, or their insurance policies dropped altogether. According to the California Department of Insurance, nearly 350,000 rural homeowners have had their coverage dropped in just the past four years. […]
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Release of Calendar and Public Records Suggest Lara Made First Contact In “Pay to Play” Insurance Scandal
LOS ANGELES, CA, Sept. 19, 2019 – Calendar entries, documents, and newly uncovered photographs reveal that Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, not his fundraiser, made first contact with an agent of a workers compensation insurance company offering political support in conjunction with seeking approval for a change of control in the company. New records, produced under […]
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Three Emergency Rules Ricardo Lara Can Issue Immediately to Protect Homeowners’ Access to Insurance Coverage
Los Angeles, CA, Aug. 27, 2019 – In a letter sent today, Consumer Watchdog called on Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to use the full authority of his office to preserve Californians’ access to home insurance. “Homeowners insurance companies are imposing extreme rate hikes and abruptly non-renewing homeowners who live in areas at higher risk for […]
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Consumer Watchdog Urges Governor To Take Urgent Steps On Recycling
Los Angeles, CA, Aug. 9, 2019 — Consumer Watchdog today urged Governor Newsom to crack down on the state’s recycling regulator CalRecycle and to take urgent steps that save the state’s bottle deposit program in the long and short term. “The closure of the largest recycling chain in the state, rePlanet, has cut the number […]
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Groups Urge DMV, AG, & FTC to Investigate Tesla After Another Autopilot-Related Death
Los Angeles, July 25, 2019 – Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Auto Safety today renewed their call to the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles to investigate dangerously misleading and deceptive practices and representations of Tesla Motors, Inc. regarding the safety and capabilities of its Autopilot feature. Since the consumer groups called […]
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Gov. Newsom Fires Oil Regulator, Institutes Sweeping Ethics Review of Agency
Los Angeles, CA, July 12, 2019 – Consumer Watchdog today thanked Governor Gavin Newsom for firing the state’s top oil and gas supervisor and instituting an ethics review of the state’s well approval and inspection personnel in response to its recent request. Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Alliance called for action from the Governor Wednesday […]
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Groups Petition CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara To Ban Use of Occupation and Education to Price Auto Insurance
LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb. 21, 2019 – Community organizations representing consumers, low-income workers and communities of color petitioned Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today to ban the use of occupation and education to set auto insurance premiums. Many California auto insurance companies charge lower-income and less-educated drivers up to 15% more in order to give discounts […]