Providing an effective voice for American consumers in an era when special interests dominate public discourse, government and politics. Non-partisan.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- A self-described anti-big-business group is calling on President-elect Barack Obama and Energy Department designee Steven Chu to step…
Dec 30, 2008SACRAMENTO, CA -- California's need to borrow billions to handle its basic government expenses in a soured credit market is costing taxpayers…
Dec 27, 2008Last month, Gov. Schwarzenegger appointed former state Sen. Carole Migden to a $132,000-a-year seat on the waste-management board, an obscure panel that…
Dec 26, 2008A plan to allow Americans to buy into Medicare before turning 65 would do a better job of lowering costs and expanding…
Dec 26, 2008In one of his final acts as insurance commissioner, Matt Denn fined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware $150,000 on Wednesday for…
Dec 26, 2008California's stem cell board, the Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee (ICOC), was flummoxed again on Tuesday by its super majority requirement. The 29-member…
Dec 24, 2008Consumer advocacy group calls for Google to adopt an easy zero day data retention "opt out" provision One of the most controversial…
Dec 24, 2008The oracle of progressive opinion, the New York Times editorial page, articulated the core concept for new privacy protection in America: "Internet…
Dec 24, 2008SA detailed report issued by the Congressional Budget Office comparing health care reform options found that a plan to allow Americans to…
Dec 23, 2008“That's the big problem with COBRA,” says Flanagan. “And that's why we need health reform so badly. COBRA is good, in that…
Dec 23, 2008Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner rode to victory in 2006 partly on the effects of a TV ad ridiculing his opponent, Cruz Bustamante,…
Dec 23, 2008Today's report by Robert Pear in the New York Times, about about one of the 4,200 house parties on health care reform…
Dec 23, 2008California is a bellwether for the nation, for good and ill. Today it's for ill, in the most literal way. The state's…
Dec 23, 2008S.F. Institute Considers Its Options, May Sell Bonds Privately The global financial crisis may do what opponents of California’s $3 billion state-sponsored…
Dec 22, 2008Directors of California's stem cell agency are being asked Tuesday to approve a request for $420,000 so the International...
Dec 22, 2008This week Yahoo released a new policy on data retention. Under the policy, the number two search engine will anonymize its users…
Dec 19, 2008There's nothing insurance companies fear more than having to compete with a low-overhead public and nonprofit health care option--say, Medicare. They're in…
Dec 19, 2008A new public health insurance plan that competes directly with private insurers is essential to controlling health care costs and improving quality…
Dec 19, 2008