...the CTA submitted more than 800,000 signatures to place the repeal measure on the November ballot. Other supports include the California Nurses Association, Consumer Federation of California, California Tax Reform Association and Congress of California Seniors.

Unfortunately for California, June's election results have not served as the deterrent some may have hoped. November brings a new crop of initiatives bankrolled by some of our nation's most notorious polluters and corporate bad actors.

"The state's interest is in collecting tolls. Period." Said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. "that's all the data should be used for. I'm pleased to see the Legislature endorse this level of protection."

Consumer activists expressed anger that the amendment was even drafted so late in the session. Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, said "these kind of last-minute moves are for things that won't hold up if exposed to sunlight. It is not a good way to govern."

Joining the CNA will be the California Teachers Association, California Professional Firefighters, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, Consumer Federation of California, California 9-5, National Association of Working Women, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California Labor Federation, Equality California, California School Employees Association, and others.

A move to ban alcohol sales at market self-checkout counters in California is being fueled by two San Diego studies that suggest they make it easier for underaged buyers. Legislation to enact such a ban could come up on the state Senate floor as early as Wednesday.

People are tired of gridlock and are hungry for solutions that make sense-that don't make our state budget problems worse, that invest in our future and that build our economy. That's why I proposed a way to save our state parks and I support Proposition 21. It's a central dividing issue in this election.

The core question raised by Prop 26 is: who pays? Who pays to clean up air pollution, oil spills and toxic waste? Who pays for the health consequences of tobacco and alcohol addiction, of lead poisoning and diesel exhaust? Exxon, Phillip Morris and the other special interests behind Prop 26 want you, the taxpayers, to pay.

The case of San Mateo County's missing voter guides has been solved -- sort of. Some were apparently never sent, according to Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who heads the California agency that oversees elections.

In their shared comment submission, Consumer Federation of California, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and Margaret Reiter...voiced support for the proposed rules but offered up amendments aimed at tightening consumer protections.

The bill, SB 1237, would require hospitals and clinics to record radiation dose of CT scans. The bill would also require CT services to be accredited by an organization approved by CMS and calls for facilities to report any overdose to the patient, treating physician, and California Department of Public Health.

Richard Holober of the Consumer Federation of California said.."It's an effort to say 'we have a cost and we have chosen not to fix these errors because it's more expensive to fix than ignore...all those little ATM mistakes could be a windfall for Wells.

...nearly 50 environmental, public health, consumer and worker safety advocates from every region of California have written to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and to Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams, saying the draft regulations issued last month "fall far short of meeting the worthy goals of the Initiative."

Assembly Bill 2578 (Jones and Feuer) requires that prior approval be obtained before health insurance rates are increased. HMOs and health insurers would need to receive approval from the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) or the Department of Insurance for proposed rate increases.

Current California law prohibits merchants from applying checkout fees to credit card purchases. But the law is silent on debit cards, allowing merchants to bill debit-card users an additional fee set by the retailers. To halt these debit-card surcharges, I authored Senate Bill 933.

"The state's interest is in collecting tolls. Period," said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. "That's all the data should be used for. I'm pleased to see the legislation provide this protection."

Ignoring a deceptive $16 million campaign by Mercury Insurance Company, California voters rejected a ballot measure that would have amended 1988 insurance reform Proposition 103 to allow insurance companies to impose surcharges on motorists who were not previously insured or had a break in coverage for virtually any reason.

"When you're being outspent $46 million to $80,000, the fact that it's this close, I think people smelled a rat. I think they overspent until people got suspicious," said Richard Holober of the Consumer Federation of California, opponents of the initiative.

So voters beware. Certain companies (and individuals) stand to benefit mightily if Props 16 and 17 pass. You ought to know that before casting your vote.

According to state and election finance reports, PG&E has put up a fortune for this and all the other advertising - $44 million. Opponents have raised $60,000. That's almost 1,000-to-1 in favor of PG&E.

Proposition 15 is endorsed by myriad organizations, including the League of Women Voters of California, the California Nurses Association, Consumer Federation of California, California Common Cause, AARP, AFSCME, California Church Impact, the California Labor Federation, Sierra Club and nearly 400 other leaders and organizations.

Opponents believe Proposition 17 will allow insurance companies to raise premiums on drivers who, for virtually any reason, did not have insurance coverage at some point in the past five years and will make insurance more expensive overall.

Politics makes strange bedfellows—and in the case of Proposition 16, almost nobody is being swayed by Pacific Gas & Electric's efforts to woo voters.

The Consumer Federation of California calls it (Prop 16) an anti-democratic power grab, but the utility has already spend $35 million and appears poised to spend at least another $30 million to lock in its monopoly and force Californians to pay more for dirtier power if the utility wants them to.

...it is the big oil, drug and insurance groups who have the most to gain by smearing someone backed by environmentalists, medical attorneys and consumer protection groups and defeating Betsy Butler.

"Ask yourself, they're (Mercury) spending $10 million on Prop. 17. When was the last time an insurance company spent a fortune to save you money? Never," said Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California.

From making a major change to the state's election system to tweaking a property tax law, voters will face proposition decisions big and small on the June 8 primary ballot. The number of measures -- five -- is about average for a primary election when turnout is usually lower.

The ballot measure, funded to the tune of $35 million almost entirely by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., would force local governments to win the approval of two-thirds of their voters before jumping into the electricity business.

Listen to CFC's Zack Kaldveer interviewed on the Progressive Radio Network by Norman Solomon, a nationally syndicated columnist on media and politics. Topics include consumer rights issues, the corrosive influence of corporate money in politics and how it subverts the public interest, the costs of war, and more.

Opponents also contend that the initiative would make rates unaffordable for many new drivers and those with tarnished records, boosting the number of uninsured cars on the road and thereby raising safety risks and eventually premiums for everyone.

Prop 15 pays for itself, primarily through registration fees on lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers. No taxpayer dollars are used for Prop 15, despite its oppositions' misleading claims to the contrary. Currently lobbyists only pay $12.50 per year in California, one of the lowest rates in the country.

Fair elections work. Nearly 400 candidates from different backgrounds have been elected with this system in eight states and two cities - new people with new ideas from all walks of life, not the same old career politicians.

Jones also is touting his 100 percent rating from the Consumer Federation of California and has introduced a flurry of headline-grabbing bills during the last two Assembly sessions -- a clever use of incumbency to build name ID.

Zack and Nicole discuss CFC "White Paper" on the negative impact the cost of the Afghanistan War has on California taxpayers, our massive ongoing budget deficits, and our ability to adequately invest in the health and well being of our own citizens.

"At the end of the day, there's no reason why patients who get sample drugs at a doctor's office should be less informed than if they filled a prescription at any licensed pharmacy," said Richard Holober, Executive Director of CFC.

"The changes proposed to the law by Senator Simitian's Senate Bill 1166 enhance identity theft protection for Californians," said Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California.

This week, the California Labor Federation joined a growing list of organizations in opposition to Proposition 17, the Mercury Insurance-sponsored measure that would allow insurance companies to raise drivers' premiums based on their history of buying auto insurance.

Assemblywoman Mary Salas, a Democratic candidate for the 40th state Senate seat, is backed by the Communications Workers of America, Consumer Federation of California, the National City Firefighters Local 2744 and the California Federation of Teachers.

Watch Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California speak with KRON Channel 4 about why voters should reject Proposition 17.

Opponents point out that should Prop 17 become law, motorists facing higher auto rates, along with military personnel, include unemployed workers needing insurance to drive to work when they find a new job, students needing insurance to commute to a summer job, people who commuted by public transit needing insurance after getting a new job that is only accessible by car, and motorists who dropped coverage when recuperating from an illness or injury that prevented them from driving.

Prop 17 would create an insurance surcharge on drivers, including soldiers and seniors, who have had a lapse in car insurance coverage for virtually any reason during the past five years, or who missed a single payment.

...privacy advocates also criticized Brown after he announced he would create an online prescription drug database, in the wake of the death of model Anna Nicole Smith...Zack Kaldveer of the Consumer Federation of California, said the Brown database "raises a whole slew of privacy concerns" when it comes to police access to the records.

According to the Consumer Federation of California, "The Mercury Insurance initiative will legalize a surcharge that is currently illegal, but that Mercury imposed anyhow until it was stopped by the courts five years ago."

The decision may hurt Toyota’s image, already battered by a global recall of more than 8-million cars...At least 25% of new cars bought in California are made by Toyota, Consumer Federation of California executive Richard Holober said.

Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, thinks Toyota can do something positive."One way it can repair its relationship with consumers would be to say, 'We're going to keep the good, successful, high-quality plant open,' and I think then consumers will feel a little bit better."

Consumer Federation of California explains: If you believed a certain baby formula would make your child smarter, would you buy it? Infant formula manufacturers are banking that you would.

The group, appointed by State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, will also look into options for keeping the New United Motor Manufacturing plant open past its planned March 31 closure date.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would prohibit the sale of any private health insurance policy in the state and establish a new California Healthcare System as the primary payer for health care services in California.

A South Bay lawmaker introduced legislation Tuesday that would stop California retailers from charging customers extra fees for using debit cards. Sen. Jenny Oropeza...said she introduced SB 933 to protect consumers during difficult economic times.

Progressive Democrats...argue that it’s time someone stood up to the insurance companies and that tough economic times make it even more important to guarantee that every Californian has access to high-quality, affordable health care.

"...there's no public option, no end of the anti-trust exemption for the health insurance industry, no ability of the government to negotiate drug prices or import cheaper drugs from Canada, and no real regulation of health insurance premiums," said Zack Kaldveer, spokesman for the Consumer Federation of California.

Experts at the Consumer Federation of California, a consumer rights group, said the key to understanding whether a tiered water system is fair is ensuring that people understand it.

Joining the CPTC to file the lawsuit was a diverse coalition of groups: the Center for Environmental Health, the Consumer Federation of California, the Planning and Conservation League, California Professional Firefighters and Sierra Club California.

...with California's $42 billion deficit a year ago, new, permanent tax breaks were given to multi-state and multi-national corporations that will cost the state...$1.5 billion a year, according to Richard Holober....of The CFC.

This lawmaking cycle was "dismal," said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. He decried the lack of consumer-protection bills and said Schwarzenegger vetoed most of the measures his group supported.

Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California gave a status update on the health care legislation currently being debated in the United States Senate.

It was the first time that all three major consumer rights groups in the state (TURN, UCAN and Consumer Federation of California) worked together to oppose a CPUC Commissioner.

The Consumer Federation of California ranked officials on their support for what the group called key consumer rights bills on...financial privacy protection, health care reform, food safety, household toxics, false advertising, deceptive insurance industry practices and real estate lending reform.

Legislators representing astern areas in San Diego County got mixed scores from Consumer Federation of California's 2009 scorecard for California lawmakers...Topping the list locally is Assemblymember Lori Saldaña...Worst was Senator Dennis Hollingsworth...

...the Consumer Federation of California also released its scorecard for state lawmakers on Tuesday rating legislators on their votes on key consumer rights bills. That organization offered nearly opposite assessments from the Jarvis group, giving more Democrats higher ratings for consumer-friendly votes.

The service workers contend that toxic chemicals used in cleaning supplies are environmental and health hazards. The SEIU is pushing hard on this issue in California, where the state government is perceived to be among the most responsive to green issues.

Legislation introduced by California State Senator Fran Pavley controls exposure to toxic chemicals. Sponsored by Service Employees International Union and the Consumer Federation of California, the bill would require environmental health regulators to assess health risks associated with the use of commercial cleaning products in supermarkets.

Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California stated: "We are disappointed that the governor sided with big business interests and against consumers on the majority of bills that reached his desk."

Listen to KVMR's Paul Emery interview CFC's Richard Holober about the Governor's scorecard based on 14 bills identified as most important to California consumers.

Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, said he believes certain provisions within the new legislation will have such a negative impact on students that it is "worse than having no regulatory system" in place at all.

The law, sponsored by the Consumer Federation of California, prohibits retailers from selling baby formula, baby food or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals after the "use by" date, a news release from the organization states.

"40 percent of the Rite-Aid stories in California today are selling expired over-the-counter medicine, baby food and infant formula," said Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California.

As the tally of victims grows, so must our commitment to strengthen privacy protections. That's why the Consumer Federation of California and a host of other consumer advocates across the state are asking Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign Sen. Simitian's SB 20.

Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California gave a status update on SB 772 (Leno, D-San Francisco) which seeks to protect children from toxic baby products.

A bill pulled from the state Senate last week leaves the door open for shoppers to continue buying alcohol at self-checkout lanes in grocery stores. AB 1060, which would have banned the practice...(and) was supported by the Consumer Federation of California.

AB 1060 was seeking to ban grocery stores from permitting shoppers from purchasing alcoholic beverages in the self-checkout lanes now popular at many stores. The bill was supported by...the Consumer Federation of California.

"Identity theft is a difficult problem to deal with," said Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California, a consumer rights advocacy organization, which included Simitian's SB 20 as one of its pro-consumer legislative priorities.

The CFC scorecard can keep legislators mindful of their voting record when voting on numerous bills in a short period of time. "The pace becomes frenzied," says CFC's Richard Holober. "Legislators begin voting on bills by the dozen, thus the scorecard is designed to let the public and the legislatures see how they are voting."

Cable's effort to push through a satellite TV tax is known to Capitol insiders as a "gut and amend..."(these) bills are by definition an attempt to avoid public scrutiny," said Richard Holober, director of the Consumer Federation of California.

Senate Bill 772...would give manufacturers the option of forgoing toxic fire retardants, and give consumers the opportunity to purchase chemical-free furniture for their kids...But lobbying efforts by the chemical industry last week extinguished the bill—at least for the rest of this year.

"(The bill) addresses a form of deceptive advertising that consumers can be lured into," said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California.

The practice often occurs when a consumer thinks he/she is making a one-time purchase for a product...only to later receive additional shipments of the product and charges to his/her credit card.

Banning chemicals is hard to do. Richard Holober of the Consumer Federation of California says that the petrochemical industry will slightly alter a banned chemical, "sort of chasing one version after another."

The office of Senate president Darrell Steinberg...noted that last year she had received scorecards with 100 per cent positive ratings from the Sierra Club, California League of Conservation Voters, California Labor Federation, Planned Parenthood, National Organization for Women, American Cancer Society and the Consumer Federation of California.

CFC's Zack Kaldveer discusses why the elimination of OEHHA would cost Californians far more than it would save through increases in public health services dedicated to the treatment of illnesses that would have been prevented.

"Instead of increasing maximum loan amounts, legitimizing Internet payday lending and offering unattractive re-payment plans, California should embrace the growing national consensus that predatory payday lending practices must be reined..." stated Consumer Federation of California...

The bill is...supported by the California League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planned Parenthood, Consumers Union, and Consumer Federation of California...

Consumer Federation of California reported last week on a new finding that BPA is linked to heart disease in women. Allayaud said the concern is especially great for pregnant women and nursing mothers...

...the California Labor Federation, the Consumer Federation of California, VotersInjuredatWork.org, the California Society for Industrial Medicine & Surgery, and Assemblymember Dave Jones oppose the insurance industry’s proposed 23 percent increase for workers compensation insurance.

CFC's Zack Kaldveer speaks with ABC News reporter Michael Finney about the unregulated, for profit, private post secondary vocational educational industry.

One Wednesday, the Senate Environmental Quality Committee voted 3-2 along party lines in favor of an alternative plan to save the OEHHA by tapping other funds. Committee staff will now begin drafting a trailer bill to put the plan into legislation.

"California's law is a model for the nation and provides consumers much more control of their personal financial information than does federal law," said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California.

The opposition to this proposition, unlike the others, however, wasn't quite as linked to conservative anti-tax stances. The proposition also included measures limiting spending that could have affected state employee wages -- which explains why AKPD client SEIU opposed it.

Proposition 1A’s opponents include the League of Women Voters of California, Congress of California Seniors, Health Access California, California Nurses Association, California Federation Teachers, Consumer Federation of California, Older Women’s League of California, SEIU California State Council, and the California Faculty Association.

"You're using your car as if it's a storage closet, and if you remove those items, you know, the less weight your engine is having to pull, the more you're saving on gasoline," said Richard Holober with the Consumer Federation of California.

Michael Finney was recognized as the Journalist of the Year by the Consumer Federation of California.

"Instead of making our budget process more transparent and accountable, 1A does the opposite. Its complex formulas and fine print will invite unintended consequences and behind the scenes manipulation" according to arguments against the proposition, signed by the Congress of California Seniors, California Faculty Association and Consumer Federation of California.

In 1972 he became a founding officer, and ultimately president emeritus, of the Consumer Federation of California. "Al was a great pioneer of the consumer movement in California," said Jim Gordon, the federation's president. "Al Gruhn always had the interests of consumers and working people in his heart. He built bridges between the consumer movement and our allies in organized labor and in the community."

It is unconscionable that as California is dealing with a $42 billion deficit, multi-state and multi-national corporations will receive new, permanent tax cuts that will cost the state approximately $1 billion this year and $1.5 billion in future years, according to Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California.

The proposed cap generally would limit state budget increases to inflation and population growth. Billions of state revenue also would be funneled into an expanded rainy-day fund that could only be tapped in tough financial times. Leaders of groups such as the Congress of California Seniors, the California Faculty Association, the Consumer Federation of California and the Union of Health Care Professionals signed ballot arguments against the cap.

Hancock ceded her right to three groups, the Congress of California Seniors, the California Faculty Association and the Consumer Federation of California. Their argument, backed by Hancock, emphasizes that the bill was "hastily drafted behind closed doors" and that a spending limit would hurt state services, but it does not mention any of the tax extensions.

Perhaps the worst part about this new contract is the fact that it was proposed under the radar, without the public being made aware of it, so citizens don't even have the chance to ask all of the questions they want regarding their privacy and security.

The problem is that the DMV's plan has not been vetted by anyone and no analysis has been made of the potential security and privacy implications, said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California.

The ACLU is fighting the proposal with a handful of other groups, including...the Consumer Federation of California, which says the plan poses "massive threats" to personal privacy. "We see this as sort of creeping Big Brother government, an invasion of people's privacy," said Richard Holober, executive director of the...Consumer Federation of California.

Calls for tighter controls and more information about how the federal bailout passed last year is being spent. And during his travels About the Bay, KCBS reporter Mike Sugerman started thinking about just who is getting that money. Listen to the CFC's Zack Kaldveer comment on the bill.