Accountability In The News
The San Diego Union Tribune – Consumer Group Appeals Court Loss In Dispute Over State Insurance Records
By Jeff McDonald, THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2023-02-28/consumer-watchdog-appeal-insurance-records-lara
The Los Angeles advocacy group that unsuccessfully sued California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the Department of...
Cal Matters – Could Public Records Act Be Made More Useful?
By Dan Walters, CAL MATTERS
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/02/could-public-records-act-be-made-more-useful/
California's Public Records Act, signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1968, gives the public the legal right to examine governmental...
KABC-AM (Radio) – Los Angeles, CA; Consumer Watchdog Urges Mayor Karen Bass To Protect Consumers From Digital Advertisment Tracking
By Staff Reporters, KABC - Los Angeles, CA
Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
The Los Angeles Times – Bass’ New Chief Of Staff Will Avoid Olympics Issues For A Year. Critics Aren’t Satisfied
By Dakota Smith, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-12/bass-chief-of-staff-chris-thompson-olympics
Months before he became chief of staff to Mayor Karen Bass, Chris Thompson was a registered lobbyist at...
The Los Angeles Times – Column: At DWP, The Pay Is Good, The Benefits Are Better And The Deals Keep Getting Sweeter
By Steve Lopez, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-03/lopez-column-la-dwp-deals-keep-getting-sweeter
More than once over the years, when people have complained about how hard it is to survive in...
The Sacramento Bee – Newsom Wants To Tackle High Gas Prices With A New Tax. Here’s Why It Might Not Be Easy
By Maggie Angst, THE SACRAMENTO BEE
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article267851087.html
Nearly a month after California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a new tax on "greedy" oil companies charging high gas prices...
Background Briefing – Oil Company Extortion in California as Consumers Pay Twice as Much Per Gallon as the Rest of the Country
By Ian Masters, BACKGROUND BRIEFING
Click here to listen to this podcast.
Then with consumers in California paying twice as much per gallon as the rest...
Associated Press – Newsom Relaxes Refinery Rules As California Gas Prices Soar
By Kathleen Ronanyne, ASSOCIATED PRESS
https://apnews.com/article/business-california-gavin-newsom-prices-climate-and-environment-89cd3bae962a0b417c54eb2bd99ac04f
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that oil refineries could start selling more polluting winter-blend...
The Sacramento Bee – Consumer Watchdog Asks Newsom For A Special Session On Gas Prices
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article266426446.html
As California continues to struggle with high gas prices, one advocacy group is calling on the governor...
Red Green & Blue – Setbacks: CA Finally Banned Oil Drilling Right Next To Homes and Schools. Big Oil Is Already Scheming To Overturn...
By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE
http://redgreenandblue.org/2022/09/24/setbacks-ca-finally-banned-oil-drilling-right-next-homes-schools-big-oil-already-scheming-overturn/
It didn’t take long for the oil industry to challenge Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing into law SB 1137,...
San Francisco Chronicle – Advocates Warn Bottle-Recycling Bill Could Give Millions To One Wine Company In California
By Dustin Gardiner, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
August 30, 2022
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Advocates-warn-bottle-recycling-bill-could-give-17408605.php?cmpid=gsa-sfgate-result
California legislators are on the verge of passing a bill to overhaul the state’s ailing bottle-deposit program, but the...
The Sacramento Bee – California Lawmakers Use Secretive Process To Kill Would-Be Laws: ‘Where Good Bills Go To Die’
By Andrew Sheeler, Lindsey Holden, and Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
August 16, 2022
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article264432901.html
Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, R-San Luis Obispo, went into the last...
Workers Compensation – Legislature “Suspends” Bill Triggered by Insurance Commissioner Scandal
By Staff Reporters, WORKERS COMPENSATION
https://www.workerscompensation.com/news_read.php?id=41708
San Francisco,CA (WorkCompAcademy) - Suspense day" at the California Legislature on Thursday saw several key bills killed while others moved...
The Sacramento Bee – FPPC Investigates Ricardo Lara
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
June 1, 2022
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article261982260.html
California’s election watchdog is investigating Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and four political committees: Ricardo Lara...
The Los Angeles Times – Column: Everyone Wins In Compromise To Increase Malpractice Payouts — Especially Victims
Column by George Skelton, LOS ANGELES TIMES
May 9, 2022
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-09/skelton-malpractice-cap-deal-california
SACRAMENTO — It’s being called the Sacramento equivalent of the Berlin Wall falling. Or a Middle East peace...
The Los Angeles Times – ELECTION 2022: An Independent Regulator – Marc Levine Would Be An Insurance Commissioner For The People — And The Planet.
By The LOS ANGELES TIMES Editorial Board
April 28, 2022
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-04-28/marc-levine-endorsement-insurance-commissioner
Ricardo Lara’s first year as California insurance commissioner — the elected office charged with regulating the state’s...
The Los Angeles Times – California’s Malpractice Payouts Would Rise Under A Deal To Avoid A Costly Ballot Fight
By Melody Gutierrez, LOS ANGELES TIMES
April 27, 2022
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-27/california-malpractice-payouts-would-rise-under-deal-to-avoid-costly-ballot-fight
SACRAMENTO — Cash payments in California medical malpractice cases would go up for the first time in nearly five...
The Daily Breeze – Inspector General Hired To Monitor LADWP, Amid FBI Corruption Probe
The role is being filled nearly three years after FBI raid at LADWP headquarters and other offices.
By Elizabeth Chou, THE DAILY BREEZE
April 11, 2022
https://www.dailybreeze.com/2022/04/11/inspector-general-hired-to-monitor-ladwp-amid-fbi-corruption-probe/
Nearly...
KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA: LADWP Billing Scandal Meeting Report Implicates City Attorney Mike Feuer’s Involvement
By Natalie Savidian, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
April 5, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Jamie Court with...
Editorial: Government Emails Are Public Records. Deleting Them Too Quickly Is Not OK
EDITORIAL by the LOS ANGELES TIMES Editorial Board
March 28, 2022
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-03-28/editorial-california-public-records-delete-emails
A fundamental principle of a free and open society is that citizens have a right...
Auto-Delete State Workers’ Emails? Some Departments Scrap Records In As Little As 90 Days
By Wes Venteicher, SACRAMENTO BEE
March 23, 2022
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article259638169.html
When the California Department of Insurance announced a plan to start deleting employees’ emails automatically after 180 days,...
KXJZ-FM Capitol Public Radio, Sacramento, CA: New Bill Aims To Force Oil Refiners To Open Books
By Staff Reporters, KXJZ-FM Capitol Public Radio, Sacramento, CA
March 14, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer advocates support CA...