Rage for Justice Report
By Consumer Watchdog
Rage for Justice ReportJan 22, 2021
How A Windfall Profits Tax Can Stop Californians’ Pain At The Pump
Pointing to windfall profits reported by California oil refiners to their investors, Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber discusses with Jamie Court a new report showing that a windfall profits tax is needed to bring California gas prices under control and outlining how to structure the tax.
California’s Landmark Privacy Laws Could Be Preempted By Washington
Consumer watchdogs Jamie Court and Justin Kloczko discuss how pending federal legislation could strip Californians of new landmark privacy rights, including the right to be free from pregnancy surveillance, if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Californian, doesn’t stop it.
California's High Gas Prices Are All About Profit
Jamie Court discusses recent oil refiner investor profit reports with CW Energy director Liza Tucker. California's Big 5 oil refiners' profits doubled to $26 Billion — more than $1 per gallon.
Old Oil Wells Get New Life from Newsom Administration
Permit re-approvals for old, unproductive and idle oil wells shot up 124% this quarter over last year, approvals that threaten Californians’ health, Consumer Watchdog’s Carmen Balber and Liza Tucker discuss. Environmental justice activists disrupted business as usual this week at the state’s oil & gas regulator to protest the Newsom Administration’s lax oversight.
Golden State Gouge
Why do Californians pay more for their gas than any other state? Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber talks with Jamie Court about how oil companies are making huge profits at the gas pump, and an upcoming bill to do something about it.
Updating Malpractice Cap Will Reduce Errors & Save Medi-Cal Millions
Carmen talks with UCLA’s Dr. Jack Needleman about his new study finding that California could reduce medical errors and save $245 million annually by updating the state’s cap on medical malpractice damages and increasing incentives to make health care safer. A legislative deal forged to head off a November 2022 ballot initiative would update the cap after 47 years, and index it for inflation going forward. The bill AB 35 is on the way to Governor Newsom
Historic Deal For Injured Patients Rights
Jamie Court talks with Consumer Watchdog board member Scott Olsen, whose son survived medical malpractice, about a new legislative deal to increase the California cap set on medical malpractice survivors’ compensation in 1975 and never indexed for inflation.
Preventing Public Record Purges
Carmen Balber and Consumer Watchdog Litigation Director Jerry Flanagan talk government transparency and protecting public records from government purges. AB 2370 would require state agencies to keep records for two years – a response to recent whistleblower revelations that the California Department of Insurance was seeking to automatically delete employee emails after 6 months.
Bombshell Drops on City Attorney Feuer in DWP Billing Scandal
Carmen Balber and Justin Klozcko discuss an explosive KNBC-TV investigation that revealed City Attorney Mike Feuer was calendared at a meeting where his office okayed an extortion scheme to keep the DWP billing debacle from becoming public.
Connected Cars and The Threat to Your Privacy
Jamie Court talks with Justin Kloczko the author of a new report detailing the privacy problems posed for consumers from connected cars and points to new rules to be developed in California as a potential model across the country, if the rules can withstand lobbying by the powerful auto and insurance industries.
Legislation Targets Sky-High California Gas Prices
With California gas prices topping $5 to $7 per gallon, California State Senator Ben Allen joins Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court to announce new legislation that will require oil refiners to disclose once a month the price they pay for crude oil and the profit margins they make on the gasoline they refine and sell.
Will Gavin Newsom pay a price for abandoning single payer?
Jamie Court talks with the president of Healthy California and National Union of Health Care Workers consultant Michael Lighty about what the defeat of single payer legislation means for Gavin Newsom and his political future.
Ricardo Lara’s Email Erasure Plan Foiled
The Department of Insurance pulled back a policy to delete agency email databases days after Consumer Watchdog warned it would go to court to stop it. Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court discusses what was at stake with Litigation Director Jerry Flanagan
Will Medical Board Reform Happen in the New Year?
In a move that shocked many, state physician regulators announced they support reforms to strengthen doctor oversight and patient safety in California. Did they get it right? What’s missing? Will the doctor lobby continue to stand in the way of reform? Carmen Balber and Kathy Olsen Patient Advocate Michele Monserratt-Ramos break down the good, the bad and the ugly.
Fraud In CA Recycling
Hundreds of millions of dollars are lost every year to fraud in California’s bottle deposit system. Consumer Watchdog’s Jamie Court discusses the problem with the author of a new report on the topic, Liza Tucker.
DWP Plea Bargain Reveals Bribes and Graft
Journalist Justin Kloczko talks with Jamie Court about what a new federal plea bargain reveals about the corruption behind the DWP billing error scandal and what heads might roll next.
Medical Board of California can’t stand the heat
Carmen Balber and Sandy Perez, who lost her daughter to medical negligence, question the Medical Board of California’s shocked response after a whistleblower complaint to the state auditor that the Board protects dangerous doctors at the expense of patient safety.
Our Surprise Win In The US Supreme Court
Consumer Watchdog’s litigation director Jerry Flanagan talks with president Jamie Court about his surprise victory in the US Supreme Court that vindicated the rights of people with disabilities to have equal access to health care benefits.
Patients for Fairness Coalition Launch
Carmen Balber talks with Scott Olsen, Consumer Watchdog Board Member and father of a medical negligence victim, about this week’s launch of the Patients for Fairness Coalition at www.patientsforfairness.org. The coalition of families like Scott’s have come together to change the nearly 50-year-old law that caps damages in medical malpractice cases, and prevents injured patients from getting justice and accountability.
License to Steal
Carmen Balber and Proposition 103 author Harvey Rosenfield discuss a recent court decision that would strip California’s Insurance Commissioner of the power to order refunds when insurance companies overcharge consumers. With billions at stake – including $3.5 billion in COVID auto insurance refunds – Consumer Watchdog will seek review by California’s Supreme Court.
Setback For the Oil Industry
This past week California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a landmark, new setback rule banning oil wells within a half mile of a home, school or business. Consumer Watchdog’s Carmen Balber and Jamie Court discuss the significance for California and the world.
Will the Orange County oil spill cause Newsom to stop permitting wells?
Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court and Energy Director Liza Tucker discuss the impact of the Orange County oil spill and why Governor Gavin Newsom needs to take greater action to limit drilling in offshore waters and onshore too.
Medical Board of California Dismisses Patient Deaths
This month a whistleblower told CBS This Morning the California Medical Board’s failure to discipline bad doctors “costs patient lives.” Carmen Balber interviews Alka Airy, who confronted the Board’s failure to act after the death of her sister Shilpa due to medical negligence.
Furor over Feuer’s State Bar Problem
Mike Feuer, city of LA’s top lawyer and mayoral front runner, is under investigation by the State Bar regarding the DWP billing saga. And he doesn't want to talk about it. Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court and Justin Kloczko talk about what this means in a post-Girardi world. Will anything come of it?
Preventing Childbirth Horror Stories - World Patient Safety Day 2021
Kimberly Turbin shares her traumatic story of assault during childbirth at the hands of her doctor with Carmen Balber on World Patient Safety Day. When she sought to hold the doctor accountable, 80 lawyers turned her away because of the state’s cap on compensation for medical negligence victims.
Surviving California wildfires
Carmen Balber talks with Consumer Watchdog Board Member RoseAnn DeMoro about her experience surviving several California wildfires, becoming a fire expert, and how a cactus wall can mitigate fire risk. As insurance companies’ downplay steps taken by homeowners’ to reduce wildfire risk, even as they continue insuring the fossil fuel projects that cause climate change, policymakers must do more.
Federal Investigation of Tesla Autopilot Crashes Could Be Turning Point
The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration’s investigation of deaths involving Tesla’s Autopilot could result in a recall of the self-driving technology. Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court talks with an anonymous technologist and whistleblower about Tesla’s problems and the future of self-driving cars.
Will LA City Attorney Mike Feuer Lose His Law License Over LA DWP Billing Scandal?
A new report from the special master in the LA DWP billing scandal reveals that attorneys working for the City Attorney violated the rules of ethical conduct in filing a sham lawsuit against the City. Will they and City Attorney Mike Feuer lose their law licenses? Jamie Court talks with reporter Justin Klozco about whether California State Bar will take action in wake of the other scandal involving Tom Girardi, the famous trial lawyer who allegedly stole from his clients and whose abuses were ignored by the state bar because of his political connections.
Never Events - A documentary to save your life
Carmen Balber talks with Angela Asatrian, a social worker-turned filmmaker who wrote, directed and produced the new documentary Never Events about the medical malpractice crisis in America. Consumer Watchdog board member Tammy Smick, patient safety advocate Michele Monserratt-Ramos and allies Annette Ramirez and Bruce Brusavich are among those interviewed for the doc about their own medical negligence horro stories and the cap on compensation that prevents families from getting justice.
How Ricardo Lara Violated The Public Records Act
Following a 2019 pay-to-play scandal, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara agreed to be transparent about its details. After a year and half of litigation over Public Records Act requests that are unanswered, Consumer Watchdog has found Lara in overt violation of the Public Records Act. Consumer Watchdog’s Litigation Director Jerry Flanagan discusses the case with President Jamie Court.
CA Drivers Overcharged $5.5 Billion for Insurance Last Year
While the vast majority of Californians drove far less last year, most California insurance companies continued to charge pre-pandemic auto insurance rates, reaping a windfall of about $5.5 billion. Carmen Balber talks with Prop 103 author Harvey Rosenfield about how to get people their money back.
On Father’s Day This Dad Fights for Justice
Charles Johnson joins Carmen Balber for a Father’s Day discussion about the preventable loss of his wife Kira in childbirth. As Charles shares on Oprah’s Father’s Day Special, Honoring Our Kings, his responsibility to Kira and their two sons propelled him to fight the Black maternal death crisis and to restore equal justice for women of color – and all families – who lose a loved one to medical negligence.
Doctors’ Lobby Guts Doctor Accountability Law
Does the California Medical Association own the state Senate? Legislation to make the Medical Board of California more accountable to patients harmed by negligent doctors was gutted this week because of doctor pressure after being in print for just one week. Carmen Balber talks with patient safety advocate Michele Monserratt-Ramos about new developments and patients’ demand for accountability.
Why Your Bottle Deposit Refund Is Missing And How SB 38 Gets It Back
You pay a deposit every time you buy a bottle or can, but how do you get it back? Liza Tucker talks with Nancy Hannickel about the disappearing act of recycling and return centers across California. They discuss how Senate Bill 38 will help restore recycling.
Elon's Carbon Credit Bitcoin Hustle
Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court and Energy Director Liza Tucker discuss how California needs to revoke Tesla’s carbon credits, which give it hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies annually for zero emissions vehicles, if the company is going to invest in Bitcoin, whose carbon emissions dwarf any savings from the Tesla fleet.
Michael Finney’s 30 Years On Consumer’s Side
Celebrating 30 years as the Bay Area’s leading consumer reporter Michael Finney has seen it all. Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court talks with Michael about his experiences on KGO’s Seven On Your Side consumer beat.
How Big A Deal Is California’s Fracking Ban?
Gavin Newsom announced an historic ban on fracking, but what does it really mean? Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court talks with environmental advocate Liza Tucker about the ban and what more is needed.
Better Birth Outcomes for Black Mamas & Babies
Carmen Balber and Nourbese Flint, Executive Director of Black Women for Wellness Action Project, close out Black Maternal Health Week with a conversation about legislation to close racial maternal health disparities and improve birth outcomes for all moms in California.
Informed Consent: Revealing Doctors’ Conflicts of Interest
When you go into the Dr you assume they are looking out for your best interest. But what if they are looking out for their bank account instead? Carmen Balber talks with Wendy Knecht to discuss California Bill AB1278
Your COVID Vaccination Questions Answered
With California greatly expanding COVID vaccine eligibility in April, Carmen Balber sits down with Anthony Wright of Health Access for tips on how, why and where you can get vaccinated, and a reminder that the program is free for everyone.
When Women make the Rules
For Women’s History Month, Carmen Balber discusses the fight to get women represented in the halls of power with Val McGinty, founder and president of FundHer, the first PAC dedicated to winning gender parity in state legislatures.
What Gavin Newsom’s Recall Means For California
Jamie Court and Mike Mattoch talk with veteran press agent and San Francisco legend Lee Houskeeper about Gavin Newsom’s recall and what it means for California political opportunities in 2021.
Public, Not Doctors, Should Oversee Doctors
Carmen Balber and the Center for Public Interest Law’s Bridget Gramme discuss needed reforms of the Medical Board of California that is failing to protect patient safety. Among their top recommendations: Add public members to the Board that’s currently controlled by doctors.