News Releases

Watchdog To Newsom: Don’t Help Chevron Get Richer, Pull Back CARB Rules

May 27, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA – Consumer Watchdog urged Governor Newsom to pull back a Thursday vote on new rules for cap-and-trade that will hand a $2 billion windfall to Chevron...

Oil Permits Surge In First Q 2026 With Majority For Dangerous Extraction Techniques; Watchdogs Warn New State Drilling Law Unfair 

May 27, 2026  ·  Liza Tucker

Los Angeles, CA –California oil permitting surged dramatically in the first quarter of 2026 with 154 of 190 permits to drill new wells authorizing dangerous oil...

Assembly Kills Landmark Legislation Requiring Independent Audits of Utility Wildfire Spending, Slap In Face to Wildfire Survivors As Utilities Seek Bailout Worth Billions

May 14, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA – The California Assembly Appropriations Committee failed to advance Assembly Bill 1774 (Boerner), which requires independent audits of Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) spending before...

Wildfire Survivors, Consumer Groups, Insurers, Public Entities Oppose Limits on Survivors’ Rights At Hearings In CA Capitol On CEA SB 254 Report  

May 12, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA  —  Survivors of the worst fires in California history will be speaking out against limits on their rights to recover damages from for-profit utilities that...

CA Oil Refiners’ Margins Top $1 Per Gallon In March, $1.11 For Chevron, Trending Upward; Validating Need for Three Year Old CEC Rules on Resupply and Minimum Inventories

May 7, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Los Angeles, CA – New data released (opens in new tab) by the California Energy Commission (CEC) shows California refining margins skyrocketing to $1 per gallon in March...

Watchdog Calls On Senate Leader Not To Confirm CEC Vice Chair Until He Delivers Three Year Old Gasoline Pricing Rules; Confirmation Hearing Wednesday Afternoon

May 6, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA —  Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court called on Senate Pro Tem Monique Limón (opens in new tab) and the Senate Rules Committee not to advance the nomination of...

Phony Chevron-Funded Group Blames CA When Chevron’s Price Gouging Is Pegged For Run Up At Pump According To New State Gas Pricing Report

May 5, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Los Angeles, CA—Californians for Energy Independence (CEI), a fake, Chevron-funded group is using its $13.7 million Chevron-supplied war chest to run Facebook ads blaming stratospheric...

PBF Refinery Still Down, Driving $6 Gas — Shows Need For Resupply and Minimum Inventory Rules To Stop Gas Price Spikes

May 1, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Los Angeles, CA – In its recent investor call, PBF acknowledged that its Martinez refinery is still not up and running, but the company is getting...

Wildfire Survivors, Consumer and Environmental Groups Slam State Report for Letting Utilities Off the Hook for Deadly Fires

April 21, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Twenty-three organizations warn CEA recommendations would reduce accountability, increase wildfire risk, and force the public to pay Los Angeles, CA — A coalition of twenty-three organizations —...

Watchdog and Actual Wildfire Survivors Launch “Utilities Shareholders First” to Counter PG&E-Backed “Wildfire Victims First”

April 16, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

New coalition challenges utilities decision to pretend to be the people they’ve harmed Sacramento, CA — In response to PG&E’s latest entry into what critics call “reality-reversal...

45 Public Interest Groups Point To CA Price Gouging, Demand CEC Write Overdue Regulations To Address CA’s Pain At Pump

April 10, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Los Angeles, CA—45 environmental and public interest groups are demanding that Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Energy Commission immediately implement long-overdue rules to protect...

Landmark Legislation Requiring Independent Audits Of Utility Wildfire Mitigation Spending Before More Is Approved Passes Assembly Energy Committee

April 8, 2026  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA – Tackling one of the biggest cost drivers of utility rates, the California Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee passed Assembly Bill 1774 (Boerner) 11-0,...