News Releases

Consumer Watchdog Says Lara’s Undisclosed Deal Will Allow Insurance Companies to Use Algorithms And Reinsurance Costs to Hike Home Insurance Rates, Potentially Turning California Into Florida

September 21, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Sacramento, CA — Today’s announcement by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara that he would allow insurance companies to use secret algorithms to set rates for homeowners’...

Consumer Watchdog Urges Newsom Not To Call State of Emergency On Insurance And Put Himself and Other 3% of Homeowners Over the 97% Who Would Face Rate Hikes

September 21, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Sacramento, CA — The leaders of Consumer Watchdog today wrote Governor Newsom to dissuade him from declaring a state of emergency on insurance that would...

Consumer Watchdog Urges Attorney General Bonta to Investigate Industry Collusion on Homeowner Insurance Shortages

September 5, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumer Watchdog Urges Attorney General Bonta to Investigate Industry Collusion on Homeowner Insurance Shortages  “Insurers collected more than $150 billion in premiums from California homeowners...

Insurance Companies Seek Massive Bailout & Deregulation Scheme In Sacramento

August 28, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Sacramento, CA — Insurance companies are seeking a multi-billion dollar bailout of the insurance industry for its exposure to wildfire losses, pushing for a last-minute deal at the end...

Ballot Initiative Would Overhaul Open Records Laws to Provide Greater Government Transparency & Accountability

August 2, 2023  ·  Jerry Flanagan

70% of CA Voters Approve of the Measure According to a Recent Poll Los Angeles, CA – Embracing the principle that “sunshine is the best...

Court Denies CVS’s Motion To Escape Discrimination Lawsuit Brought By HIV-Positive “John Doe” Plaintiffs

July 31, 2023  ·  Jerry Flanagan

San Francisco, CA – Late Friday a federal court in San Francisco allowed a case brought by HIV-positive “John Doe” plaintiffs against CVS to proceed,...

Prominent Public Interest Groups Support Consumer Watchdog Petition To CA Supreme Court To Require State Agencies To Enforce Strict Rule On Radioactive Debris Disposal From Santa Susana Site

July 18, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

Supreme Court Action Needed To Protect Hundreds Of Thousands Of Californians From Harm Los Angeles, CA—Public interest groups filed amicus letters with the California Supreme...

Allstate’s $16M Homeowners Rate Hike Approved Despite Company Secretly Ending Sales of New Home Insurance in California 

June 13, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Los Angeles, CA — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara yesterday approved a 4%, $16 million, rate hike on Allstate home insurance policyholders, despite the fact that...

Insurance Commissioner Lara Must Use Prop 103 Authority to Reverse State Farm’s Pullback 

May 30, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Los Angeles, CA — State Farm’s announcement on Friday that it would immediately stop selling homeowners insurance to new customers in California is unlawful under...

Wildfire is Latest Battleground in 35 Year Fight over Prop 103

May 10, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumer Watchdog Proposes Actions to Address Climate Change and Industry Abuses  Sacramento, CA – Thirty-five years after California voters passed Proposition 103 to protect themselves against...

Public Interest Groups Take On Newsom Administration Over Backtracking On Cleanup Of Radioactivity At Santa Susana Site, Case To Be Heard On Monday

April 13, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

In an appeal before the Court of Appeal in Sacramento to be heard on Monday, the Newsom Administration will be challenged over positions that breach a longstanding agreement to require all radioactive waste from the Santa Susana Field Lab be disposed of at sites licensed and designed for such waste.

Commissioner Lara Approves Over $1 Billion in Unjustified Auto Insurance Rate Hikes 

March 23, 2023  ·  Pam Pressley

Insurance Commissioner Lara’s approval last week of a $263.7 million rate hike by California’s largest insurer, State Farm, marks the latest in a flurry of approvals of unjustified 2023 auto insurance rate hikes by the top 6 auto insurers, collectively totaling over $1 billion.