Judy Dugan

Justin Kloczko writes about tech, energy and insurance for Consumer Watchdog. He’s covered privacy issues extensively, including data collection, privacy rights and legislation, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and surveillance pricing.

He’s a recovering daily newspaper reporter with experience covering local government, education, and the criminal justice system at the Hartford Advocate, Middletown Press, and Manchester Journal Inquirer. His work has appeared in Vice, Daily Beast, The New Republic, KCRW and Los Angeles Magazine.

While covering civil litigation at the Los Angeles Daily Journal he won LA Press Club awards for his stories detailing corruption at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. The stories led to the criminal prosecutions of multiple city officials. Justin also authored The Debaser, an independent newsletter about LA culture and politics that garnered him an appearance on the ABC/Hulu documentary about disgraced plaintiff’s attorney Tom Girardi called “The Housewife and the Hustler.”

Insurance

Opposing view: Mandatory insurance is wrong way to go

Consumer Watchdog - January 28, 2008

Sacramento Bee (California)

Those who argue that the bill would reduce the costs of the current system need to read the bill closely, since the medical-insurance complex's charges are uncapped and unregulated in the bill. Drug companies, for instance, recently dropped their opposition after the bill's bulk-purchasing mechanism was neutered. Incidentally, the industry then gave $400,000 to Núñez's term-limits extension measure, Proposition 93. Núñez and Schwarzenegger can still provide subsidies to the poor, universal coverage for kids and make the rules of the insurance market fairer. They should reject the insurance industry's demand that the state be converted to a customer delivery system for an inefficient and unregulated private market.

BP Profit Drop Just a Pause in Windfall Profits, Says Consumer Group;

Judy Dugan - October 23, 2007

Company Warned Not to Skimp on Safety, Environmental Protections to Cut Costs

Santa Monica, CA -- BP's 29% drop in net quarterly profits to $4.41 billion obscures the fact that, despite years of acknowledged mismanagement, the company made nearly the same absolute profit as during comparable periods of 2004 and 2005, said the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

‘Human Rights’ Not Part of Chevron ‘Human Energy’ Advertising Campaign;

Consumer Watchdog - October 1, 2007

Watchdog Group's Letter Calls on CEO to Dump Myanmar Gas Fields that Fund Brutal Dictatorship

Energy

Ariz drivers losing gas at the pump when they fill up in summer

Consumer Watchdog - August 31, 2007

Associated Press

The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gasoline stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation after reports that drivers filling up their tanks are losing some gas to evaporation in the summer heat. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for stations to compensate for the temperature of gasoline they sell.

Labor Day Weekend Gives Oil Companies Another Dip Into DC Drivers’ Wallets Because of “Hot Fuel”;

Consumer Watchdog - August 30, 2007

Consumer Group Urges Support for Senate "Fair Fuel" Proposal (S.1997), Now Under Fire By Oil Companies, Distributors

Exxon in Sheeps’ Clothing;

Consumer Watchdog - February 16, 2007

Oil Giant Lies, Evades in Full-Page Ads Across the Country, Group Says

Healthcare

Demand Reform, Governor;

Consumer Watchdog - January 6, 2007

The Los Angeles Times

Not only is Schwarzenegger immune to most people's struggles with insurers, he's also enjoyed nearly $1 million in direct political contributions from them, according to public contribution reports. It is this political relationship that should worry Californians hoping for real healthcare reform. Insurance companies, after all, will spend whatever it takes and call in every favor they're owed to stop reforms that restrict their profits, curb their extravagant overhead or limit what they can pay their chief executives.

Healthcare