By Annie Sciacca, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/article278656929.html California doctors and state lawmakers are squaring off once again over the future of the Medical Board of California, which is responsible for licensing and disciplining doctors and has been criticized by patient advocates...

By Annette Ramirez, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/08/medical-negligence-victims-california-investigations/ Eleven years ago I went into the hospital for a hysterectomy and was expecting to go home the next day. Instead, I fought to survive in the hospital for two years after my doctor’s mistakes and...

By Sam Dean, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-08-28/farmers-insurance-lays-off-2-400-workers Farmers Insurance, one of the nation's largest property and casualty insurers, is laying off 2,400 workers, representing 11% of its total workforce. The Los Angeles-based company cited a need to reduce operational costs...

By Jason Henry, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2023/08/28/el-monte-officials-used-disappearing-message-app-to-coach-cannabis-applicant/ El Monte’s city manager and then-mayor used an application that automatically deleted text messages, potentially in violation of state law, to coach an applicant attempting to secure a retail cannabis license from...

Consumer Watchdog Advocate Michele Monserratt-Ramos and volunteers share their experiences with the Medical Board to enact change regarding maternal mortality.

When the state receives a complaint, medical professionals are asked for their side of the story, but victims are not By Maria Ibarra Navarrette, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/25/opinion-california-medical-board-reform-would-save-patient-lives/ My little brother Jose was always at the center of my life — despite...

Patient Advocate Michele Monserratt-Ramos discusses the details of friday's medical board meeting that will focus solely on maternal mortality issues in the central valley starting at 9:00am at the doubletree hotel in Bakersfield.

By Staff Reporters, KCBS – San Francisco, CA Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.

Harvey Rosenfield discusses how insurance companies have a profit motive constantly to raise rates, to limit the amount of claims they pay, and to seek higher rates before the insurance commissioner.

By Michael Shashoua, DIGITAL INSURANCE https://www.dig-in.com/news/consumer-advocates-question-insurers-wildfire-risk-models#:~:text=But%20consumer%20advocates%20say%20regulators,and%20more%20availability%20or%20affordability. The models and technology that carriers use to evaluate risk have become part of the regulatory debate following severalwithdrawals from the California insurance market attributed to wildfires. Carriers have been lobbying the California Department of...

By Kellie Hwang, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/grocery-stores-overcharging-18303789.php# Grocery stores and other retailers across the Bay Area have recently been caught overcharging customers, according to county inspectors — a problem that experts say happens far more than most people realize. In early...

By Gary Galles, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER https://www.ocregister.com/2023/08/17/government-failure-in-the-california-property-insurance-market/ California has recently been described as, “a state riven by billion-dollar wildfires, mudslides, and the ever-present threat of a catastrophic earthquake.” For instance, the 2017 and 2018 fires in the state reportedly...

By Staff Reporters, KQED – San Francisco, CA Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.

By lurch Lowery, REPAIRER DRIVEN NEWS https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2023/08/16/waymo-cruise-approved-for-san-francisco-24-hour-operation-of-robotaxis/ Following millions of miles driven on public roads and billions in driving courses and simulations, rival robotaxi companies Waymo and Cruise have been given approval to operate in San Francisco at all hours. Amid safety concerns,...

Oil companies are spending record amounts to push back against policies that could limit profits, restrict new drilling, boost accountability and more. By Brook Staggs, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER https://www.ocregister.com/2023/08/14/from-dueling-ballot-measures-to-a-new-czar-the-battle-over-california-oil-heats-up/ As climate change boosts deadly heat waves, fires and flooding this...

By Staff Reporters, KFBK – Los Angeles, CA Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.

BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66478070 Two "robotaxi" firms have been given the green light to start charging for service throughout San Francisco. The move marks a major expansion for the companies, which previously faced limits on when or where they could charge for...

Requiring a more transparent Legislature and making agencies keep public records longer are good ideas. But will officials actually change their ways? By The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-u-t-editorial-board-staff.html Consumer Watchdog — the crusading organization that for decades has sought to...

By Freddy Brewster, FOX KTVU https://www.ktvu.com/news/calls-mount-for-california-to-hit-brakes-on-driverless-vehicles SAN FRANCISCO - The California Public Utilities Commission is set to decide the fate of driverless vehicles and the future of taxi riding in San Francisco at its next meeting on Thursday Consumer advocacy groups are urging the...

By Emmy Freedman, LAW 360 https://www.law360.com/articles/1705299/hiv-patients-can-amend-disability-bias-suit-against-cvs Law360 (July 28, 2023, 9:00 PM EDT) -- Patients can revise their claims that CVS Pharmacy Inc.violated the Affordable Care Act by forcing people with HIV and AIDS to get medications by mail, a...