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The days of doctor/patient privacy are dwindling as more agencies and companies wield technology to peer into your medical records.

Under California law, genetic snooping is perfectly legal. Now, legislators are considering a bill that would require a donor's consent to collect, analyze or share genetic information.

Californians have now received the bottom line on which insurance firms will sell policies on the state's new health-care exchange this fall and how much those premiums will cost.

A reform measure that would end a lucrative tax break for corporations and wealthy investors has stalled in the state legislature.

While there have been many cases where groundwater contamination has occurred with both oil production and fracking methods, oil producers' settlements have included gag orders silencing whistleblowers who might warn the public of fracking dangers.

Apple has used an elaborate web of offshore subsidiaries to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes on $44 billion in foreign income over the past four years, a Senate investigation has found.

The bill would increase the minimum wage 25 cents next year, another 50 cents in 2015 and then to $9.25 in 2016. Thereafter, it would be adjusted annually to the rate of inflation.

Just months after California voters passed Proposition 30 to stave off education cuts, a push is under way to ensure that the next stream of higher education funding flows out of the ground.

Millions of Californians who contact the state's new health exchange to buy insurance will be given the opportunity to register to vote, too.

A recent change in the way Google presents its privacy policy violates the California Online Privacy Protection Act and is fundamentally deceptive, Consumer Watchdog told AG Kamala Harris.

After scrimping and borrowing to pay for college, graduates are finally preparing to celebrate. But at many public universities, you don't just pay to get in. You pay to get out.

More than 150 countries have agreed to phase out the use of the toxic flame retardant chemical HBCD and restrict trade in four other dangerous substances.

A new Medicare program that punishes hospitals with high patient readmissions is forcing administrators to improve how patients are cared for even after they are wheeled out the hospital doors.

Gov. Brown proposed a revised budget that would send an extra $2.9 billion to schools this year, including $1 billion in funding to help districts implement more rigorous academic standards.

Walmart shoppers probably didn't expect to be greeted by taxpayers protesting the Walmart Loophole, which allows large companies like Walmart to avoid their responsibilities to pay their fair share for their workers' health care.

California AG Kamala Harris has accused JPMorgan Chase & Co. of using fraudulent and unlawful debt-collection practices against some 100,000 credit card holders in the state.

Mercury has sued to block a $16.5-million rate cut, asked court to delay implementation.

Online merchants are now free to use information to build customer profiles for marketing or for sale to third parties who may use this information for any purpose.

He says unscrupulous lawyers are misusing the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, or Proposition 65, by seeking monetary gain from lawsuits.

A division of the CPUC recommended that the agency levy a $2.25-billion penalty against PG&E for the deadly 2010 explosion in San Bruno.

We do not support changing the current standard. If something is 90 percent made in the U.S., it should say 90 percent made in the U.S., said Richard Holober, CFC executive director.

State coffers contain about $4.5 billion more than expected in personal income tax payments. Business taxes have also rebounded, signaling an economic recovery.

Change of ownership, key to reassessment, is cut-and-dried for homeowners but not businesses. It means a loss of tens of millions of dollars a year in tax revenue.

Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) has announced that the California Right to Know Act (AB 1291) will not be voted on this year but she will keep working to pass it next year.

In California, with the highest unemployment rate, Republican Jeff Gorell and Democrat Steven Bradford presented a privacy bill that guards against drone surveillance, but they are pushing a bill to provide tax breaks to drone manufacturers.

An Assembly panel passed three bills that propose to halt fracking for up to five years while more studies on environmental safety are conducted.

Seven years after introducing parking kiosks downtown, Sacramento officials say it's time for an even more expansive upgrade of downtown parking, starting with solar-powered parking meters that drivers can pay via cellphone.

Operations are back to normal at airports across the country as federal officials stop the furlough of air traffic controllers.

Government health spending in California now exceeds the size of the entire state general fund budget.

How happy are you with the fact that a long list of Internet companies know so much about you - and are using that information to pad their pockets?

Unless it's smothered in caramel or part of a sugary pie, we can't think of many times when an apple isn't good for you. But the ever-nutritious fruit once again tops a bad-news list that might make you consider it in a different light.

The Medical Board of California would be stripped of its power to investigate physician misconduct under a sweeping reform plan by legislators who say the agency has struggled to hold problem doctors accountable.

Californians have paid tens of millions of dollars the past three years in state fees that had been scheduled to die - but never did.

Premiums for employer health insurance in California jumped 170% over the last decade, more than five times the 32% increase in the state's inflation rate.

A week after it was excoriated for its lax safety and regulatory culture, the CPUC claimed to have made strides in turning things around in a report it filed with a legislative committee.

Only about a sixth of the $2 billion available to help troubled homeowners in the state has been tapped. But officials say the money will begin to flow soon.

Google, which has been testing driverless cars for years in the Bay Area, and automakers say: Don't stifle us with too many regulations. Meanwhile, safety advocates plead for caution.

The old adage "pack your patience" may be more true than ever this summer at Sacramento International Airport and other airports nationally - the result of federal budgets cutbacks that went into effect this week.

Silicon Valley tech, banks and other powerful industries are mounting a quiet but forceful campaign to kill an Internet privacy bill that would give consumers the right to know how their personal information is being used.

California's state auditor found shortcomings in management and oversight of special license plate programs meant to provide funding for causes like Lake Tahoe, anti-terrorism efforts and state parks.

Lawmakers grilled the executive director of the CPUC, saying they see no progress on safety issues since the deadly San Bruno blast, and called for a change in leadership at the agency.

Although short-term loans with triple-digit annual interest rates have been deemed predatory and barred in 17 other states, attempts to regulate payday lending in California have not made it very far.

State lawmakers are poised to blast the CPUC after a scathing report that questions the agency's commitment to safety.

Procrastinators who have yet to file their taxes have until midnight. Some retailers are offering freebies Monday to help relieve your tax-day woes.

One simple label to identify GMO foods (often using the genes of foreign bacteria and viruses) would lead more consumers to seek out non-GMO alternatives. That is why Monsanto is fighting labeling.

Lawmakers warn that they will let the agency expire next year if it doesn't become more aggressive in taking action against dangerous doctors.

Your online life may not seem worth tracking, but the data you generate is a rich trove of information that says more about you than you realize.

The beleaguered U.S. Postal Service backed down from its cost-saving plan to eliminate Saturday mail delivery, acknowledging that Congress barred a move that supporters said was essential to addressing the agency's dire financial condition.

Employers are frequently using monitoring software to make their employees more productive at work...although the Constitution speaks of a "reasonable" expectation of privacy, this is not applicable at private employers.

Two ticket-selling giants have brought an industry turf war to Sacramento, with both sides claiming to represent fans' rights as they compete over billions in proceeds from concerts and sporting events.

Internet firms push back on California proposal requiring they disclose what has been done with users' information.

Proposed changes to the federal used-car buyers guide have stirred disagreements over whether the wording reduces protection for consumers.

A technology long deployed on the battlefield could be coming to a farm, newspaper or police station near you.

Commissioner Dave Jones ripped Anthem for raising rates 5.2 percent on small businesses. He said Anthem's rates on those customers have jumped 10.5 percent in the past year, which he called "excessive and unreasonable."

A judge has thrown out a regulation that allows the insurance commissioner to decide what is an unfair business practice, which can carry penalties for companies and their agents.

Consumer Watchdog on the various ways current and upcoming vehicle electronics are collecting and possibly selling your information, including driving habits, frequently used routes, and what radio stations you listen to.

For money-minded shoppers, it could have been a great weekend to buy big-ticket items. Starting April 1, a blizzard of sales tax hikes kicks in for more than 20 cities and counties statewide.

Middle class Californians counting on federal health-care reform to lower their insurance premiums are in for a double-digit shock next year, a new state study shows.

The streamlined mortgage modification program doesn't require troubled borrowers to prove a hardship, but it won't include principal reductions.

A 2014 initiative would let the insurance commissioner reject health premium hikes deemed excessive. Insurers have begun their campaign against it in earnest.

Jim Doucette served the Sacramento Fire Department for more than 30 years, and he understood the perils of the job when he accepted it. But there was one hazard he did not anticipate: the effects of burning toxic chemicals embedded in furniture.

California officials vowed to move forward on a new fire safety rule that could eliminate the use of toxic flame retardants in household furniture and baby products sold nationwide.

People are used to being watched when shopping. Cookies track our every move online, and salespeople follow us around high-end stores. But many retailers are taking spying to a new level.

California's community colleges - the nation's largest public higher education system - have lost so many teachers and classes that students are being driven away.

T-Mobile USA, the struggling No. 4 cellphone company, is ditching plans centered on familiar two-year contracts in favor of selling phones on installment plans.

Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law.

Microsoft reveals in a new transparency report that between all of its online services, it received more than 75,000 requests from law enforcement agencies around the world in 2012.

Several U.S. grocery chains have agreed not to sell a genetically engineered salmon that is nearing approval from the FDA.

Many students will be looking for deals as they make their spring break travel plans...scammers are aware of this and advertising custom-tailored schemes to defraud this vulnerable group.

Prices for generic prescription drugs can often go on a roller coaster. The FDA should take action to help consumers find out the true cost of such medicine.

Your smart phone already serves as a portable office, media player, newspaper, GPS, camera and social network hub. Now it can replace your wallet, too.

The legislation calls for development of 50 online classes as potential substitutes for the hard-to-get core courses required for graduation at UC, Cal State and community colleges.

Policymakers, industry leaders and consumer advocates are battling over which chemicals should be allowed as they seek a balance between fire-safe products and a toxic-free environment.

The FTC set out clear rules for short-form ads on social media like Twitter and Facebook; ads must make space for full disclosure.

But for several years the company was also secretly collecting personal information such as e-mails, medical and financial records, and passwords as it cruised by. It was data-scooping from millions of unencrypted wireless networks.

FTC has gotten the court to shut down a company that used deception and threats to induce elderly consumers to pay for medical alert systems they neither ordered nor wanted.

Hundreds of thousands of Californians covered by the state's largest health insurers are facing double-digit premium hikes, and regulators and consumers are pushing back.

The CA insurance commissioner criticizes Blue Shield for an unjust rate hike which he is currently powerless to stop. There is a chance to change that on the 2014 ballot, which would force insurance companies to justify their rates before hikes can take effect.

Buying a used car can be a great money saver, but in a hidden-camera investigation, Jeff Rossen with NBC discovered some dealers are selling cars that may have dangerous safety flaws.

Mercury, which had originally sought a 7.3% increase, responds by filing a lawsuit seeking to block Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones' ruling.

For a decade consumers have been able to keep their cellphone numbers even if they switched their wireless carriers. The Obama administration and FCC said consumers should be able to switch carriers and keep their actual phones.

Harris asks California lawmakers to OK funding for a database to identify doctors who recklessly prescribe addictive drugs.

Holding everything from medical and social media material to confidential financial and corporate documents, cloud services are an enormous trove of information that is proving a lure for hackers.

Among new airline fees are charges to speed through airport screening gates and board early, watch streaming movies, and have checked bags delivered.

In the coming months California will confront an unusual confluence of challenges that could determine the price and availability of water for decades to come.

Skeptical consumers, take heed: If you receive a notice that your personal data has been breached, pay attention and take free self-help steps to protect yourself from identity fraud.

Rubio also supported, and may have encouraged, the governor's firing of two state energy regulators in 2011 after oil lobby complaints about their tightening of oversight.

"It's one-stop shopping for all this information on our website," said Gary Winuk, chief of the FPPC's enforcement division. "The idea is to hold people accountable."

Identity theft tops list for 13th consecutive year in report of national consumer complaints.

These automatic spending cuts would sap $500 million in federal funding from California putting priorities like education, health care and public safety at risk. The cuts could cost California 225,000 jobs.

The bill would extend privacy protections to online stores, but still allow companies to detect credit card fraud. CFC's Richard Holober: They can't..develop all sorts of profiling about you as a consumer, your habits.

Consumers will see little, if any, savings. But there will be less of one unnecessary and likely toxic chemical in the environment. That will be a welcome step forward.

California's fire chief called his department's off-books fund "an invaluable tool" and said he "will not apologize for using it to improve our cost recovery efforts."

The abrupt resignation of Sen. Michael Rubio to accept a government affairs job with Chevron sparked complaints by watchdogs about the revolving door between the public and private sector.

Nearly 72,000 Californians have had their mortgages reduced or forgiven under terms of a multi-state mortgage settlement with six major banks, according to a report about banks' compliance.

FDA's analysis fails to consider the risks these fish could pose to our natural environment, said an Earthjustice attorney. If they mix with wild salmon, the ecological harm could be devastating.

An Oakland watchdog group said it is suing manufacturers and retailers, including Target and Amazon.com, for selling nap mats made with a toxic flame retardant that is a known carcinogen.

In the face of overwhelming public outrage and consumer complaints, Blue Cross is suspending their controversial planned forced mail-order pharmacy program for HIV/AIDS patients.

The state legislative analyst recommended that auditors probe whether regulators are properly overseeing accounts for utility projects totaling trillions of dollars.

California electricity consumers could get refunds totaling $1.6 billion because of excessive rates charged during the initial phase of the energy crisis, the Public Utilities Commission said today.