Consumer Watchdog Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Carmen Balber talks with environmental journalist Dan Bacher about SB 467, new California legislation by Senators Limón and Wiener to ban fracking and prevent new oil wells from being drilled next to schools, playgrounds and hospitals.

Does your job affect how much you pay for car insurance? Are insurers transparent about how they set prices as voter-approved Prop 103 requires? Carmen Balber talks with Prop 103 author Harvey Rosenfield about new regulations under consideration in California.

Bay Area Senator Bob Wieckowski joins Carmen Balber to talk about his bill, SB 38, to reform California’s broken bottle recycling law and hold producers responsible for making it easy for consumers to return bottles and cans.

Carmen Balber and Sharon Washington-Barnes, whose brother lost his life to medical negligence after waiting 8 hours in an ER for care, preview a march for justice for medical neglience in Manteca this weekend. Change 4 Shawn, Black Lives Matter Manteca and other Central Valley civil justice groups host the march and endorse the Fairness for Injured Patients Act to update California’s medical negligence laws.

Carmen Balber and Consumer Watchdog board member Tammy Smick discuss the hard questions posed about patient safety and doctor accountability at the confirmation hearing for two former presidents of the California Medical Association appointed by the governor to the state agency responsible for overseeing doctors.

This week, Carmen Balber talks with award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio, whose film I Am Jane Doe about online child sex trafficking helped catalyze reform of the law - Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act - giving blanket immunity to Internet companies for facilitating and profiting from illegal activity online. They discuss what to expect from the new Congress and Biden Administration on reform of the law.

For Inauguration week, Carmen Balber and Jamie Court discuss what consumers can expect from the new Biden administration on climate change including a just transition off fossil fuels, healthcare reforms like a public option and drug pricing reform, and stronger regulation of abuses by Big Banks and Big Tech.

Carmen Balber and Jamie Court discuss why Gov Newsom should withdraw his nomination of an opponent of patient safety reforms and former head of the doctors’ lobby to the Medical Board charged with overseeing patient safety, and the use of his pandemic emergency powers to delay public scrutiny of the appointment.