Privacy

California Toxics Agency Fails to Collect from Polluters

May 31, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has prioritized cleanup over reimbursement, agency memo says. Toxics director says collection efforts are being stepped up.</b></p> <p>The state agency responsible for protecting Californians from toxic contamination has spent more than $145 million over the last 25 years cleaning up hazardous waste sites but failed to collect reimbursement from the companies responsible for the pollution, according to information provided by the agency Thursday.</p>

Toxic Waste Regulators Failed to Collect $185M From Polluters

May 31, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p id="paragraph1">The State Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) admits it failed to collect nearly $185 million from polluting businesses, essentially passing those costs onto California taxpayers.</p> <p id="paragraph2">Earlier this year <a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Investigation-Toxic-Waste-Dump-California-Department-of-Toxic-Substances-Health-Cancer-192147871.html">in an NBC4 investigation</a>, insiders with the DTSC said the agency often failed to take significant action against business and industry that didn’t clean up contamination.</p>

California Agency Failed to Collect $100 Million for Cleanup of Contaminated Sites

May 30, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A California agency spent $100 million in public funds over the past 26 years to clean contaminated property for which polluters were liable but never were sent a bill, officials said Wednesday.</p> <p>The neglected reimbursement stemmed from 1,700 sites ranging from junkyards to small businesses, said Deborah O. Raphael, chief of the Department of Toxic Substances Control, which oversaw the cleanups.</p> <p>"It's not a pretty picture, and it makes me mad as a resident and as a director," she said.</p>

Agency Failed to Collect Millions in Cleanup Fees

May 30, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, CA - A state agency in charge of environmental cleanup said it has set up a team to go after more than $185 million in costs from companies that were not billed or didn't pay for pollution left behind.</p> <p>The disclosure by the Department of Toxic Substances Control came on the heels of an announcement earlier this year that nearly a quarter of the companies it licenses have been operating on expired permits, including one with a permit that wasn't renewed for more than 17 years.</p>

Report: Toxics Regulator Aware Of Recycling Plant Risks For Years

May 30, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com)</strong> — State regulators knew about potentially hazardous lead and arsenic emissions at a battery recycling facility in Vernon, but failed to immediately warn the public about safety risks, according to a report released Thursday.</p> <p>Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog said new documents show that officials with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) were aware of dangerous arsenic emissions and leaky pipes releasing hazardous waste into the soil before the agency ordered Exide Technologies to suspend operations in April.</p>

California Agencies Tackle Rules of Road for Driverless Cars

May 28, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Google's self-driving car had already logged hundreds of thousands of miles on Bay Area roads before Gov. Jerry Brown took a ceremonious spin in an autonomous Prius last year and signed a law allowing the vehicles to operate in California.</p> <p>Now bureaucrats in state government are playing catch-up, writing a whole new set of rules of the road.</p>

Google Is Flirting With What Company Chairman Eric Schmidt Once Called “The Creepy Line.”

May 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="bodytext"><span id="mn_Article">Google is flirting with what company chairman <a href="http://www.siliconvalley.com/topics?Eric%20Schmidt">Eric Schmidt</a> once called "the creepy line."</span></p> <p><span id="mn_Article">At its recent developer conference, the Mountain View search giant showcased a number of new personalized technologies that many consumers will find useful, such as alerts of upcoming flights and restaurant recommendations.</span></p>

Patients Win Settlement with Anthem

May 23, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>HIV/AIDS patients covered by Anthem Blue Cross insurance won a legal settlement today allowing them to get their medicines at a pharmacy rather than by mail.</p>

Nice Self-Driving Car. But How Much Does It Cost?

May 23, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Just a few years ago, the idea that a 19-year-old from Romania had built a self-driving car would’ve sounded like science fiction. Now, to get attention, Ionut Alexandru Budisteanu had to do it on the cheap. While <span class="ticker_wrap">Google’s (<a class="ticker" data-symbol="GOOG" href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=GOOG">GOOG</a>)</span> autonomous driving vehicle costs $75,000, Budisteanu’s system—which uses 3D radar and a mounted camera to detect traffic lanes and curbs—can be had for $4,000.

Rep. Hank Johnson’s Apps Privacy Bill Gaining Bipartisan Support

May 21, 2013  ·  John M. Simpson

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2649" alt="" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/images_digitalprivacy.jpg" style="width: 200px; float: right; height: 129px;" width="300" height="194" />There's growing evidence that privacy is not a partisan issue. <a href="http://joebarton.house.gov/">Representative Joe Barton</a>, a conservative Republican from Texas, has signed on to be a co-sponsor of <a href="http://hankjohnson.house.gov/">Rep. Hank Johnson'</a>s bill to increase consumer privacy protection on mobile devices.<br /> <br />

Google Privacy Policy Challenged in California

May 21, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>On May 15, 2013, the consumer group, Consumer Watchdog, sent a <a href="http://http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/ltrharris051513.pdf">letter</a> to Attorney General Kamala Harris accusing Google of violating California’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“OPPA”). According to the group, the Google privacy policy is in violation of OPPA because Google does not directly link to it on its homepage.</p>

Drug Testing for California Doctors?

May 20, 2013  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p><img align="middle" alt="" src="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6563/images/SFChronMasthead.gif" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 550px; height: 76px;" /></p>