Consumer Watchdog Accountability In The News

From the ballot box in California to the halls of Congress and Wall Street, several new initiatives would require more oversight of how the company protects its passengers. By Emily Steel, NEW YORK TIMES https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/business/uber-scrutiny-sexual-assault.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GFA.yS9t.oZMjvq9pK4nY&smid=em-share Uber faces mounting scrutiny across the...

By Rebecca Ellis, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-17/uber-personal-injury-lawsuits-california-law The long-simmering fight between some of L.A.'s best-known billboard attorneys and Uber, one of their most frequent targets, is poised to spill out of the courtroom and onto the November ballot. The ride-hailing giant...

By Michael Hiltzik, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-01-16/uber-tries-to-snow-voters-with-supposedly-pro-consumer-ballot-initiative Uber loves to define itself as a most public-spirited company.  “We’re reimagining how the world moves ... to help make transportation more affordable, sustainable, and accessible for all,” as the ride-sharing giant declares on its website.  In...

By Malcom Maclachlan, DAILY JOURNAL CAOC-backed committees report massive fundraising totals as title and summary approvals allow competing ballot measures to move toward signature gathering. Plaintiffs' attorneys and rideshare companies are barreling toward a titanic ballot initiative battle. As the new...

Original airing: https://youtu.be/8kLBIhKLy_E https://youtu.be/QWj7kQHubtQ

By Staff Reporters, Capitol Public Radio: Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.

By Dakota Smith and Katie King, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-11-14/dana-williamson-newsom-aide-profile-federal-indictment The FBI was secretly listening last year when a high-ranking advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed a stream of profanities as she vented about a public records request from an unnamed individual.  “Double f—...

By Janet Nguyen, MARKETPLACE https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/11/13/will-us-consumers-be-able-to-get-any-of-their-tariff-money-back President Donald Trump’s new tariff policies, which include tax rates of 10% to 50% on imports around the world, have raised about $120 billion so far this year. Tariffs are taxes that the importer has to pay. That means tariff...

By Christopher Reynolds, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2025-03-18/adults-only-hotel-ban-children-is-it-legal Can hotels legally ban children? With spring breaks starting momentarily and summer vacations not far away, the question is puzzling a wide scope of California travelers - parents booking their next family vacation as well...

By The Office of Senator Tom Umberg (Sacramento, CA)—Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana) announced the introduction of Senate Bill 82, which aims to restrict overly broad terms and conditions that require unsuspecting consumers to sign “infinite” arbitration clauses. “Arbitration...