Holober, Richard
Richard Holober is the Executive Director of the non-profit Consumer Federation of California a leading consumer advocacy organization.
Consumers Get a Breath of Fresh Air from Jerry Brown
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
On issues ranging from household toxics to food safety to elder abuse to personal privacy, Governor Jerry Brown has demonstrated much greater empathy with consumer protection than his predecessor. The 2011 end of session tally stands at 33 signatures and four vetoes on Consumer Federation of California supported bills that made it as far as the governor’s desk.
In his final year in office, former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed with consumers on only ten of 27 bills that made it to his desk.
Stopping the Sale of Expired Infant Formula and Medications
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
When Dale Proctor’s nine month old son Kai became violently ill this year after eating baby food purchased at a Raley’s Supermarket in Woodland, he and his wife Connie desperately searched for an explanation. “I went to the cupboard to check the baby food jars – to my surprise the jar of baby food was past the use by date – seven months past the date. I cannot explain how upset we were.”
Governor Signs Senator Simitian’s Identity Theft Prevention Bill
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
Persistence paid off for Senator Joe Simitian. Governor Jerry Brown just signed Simitian’s Senate Bill 24, which will arm consumers with information to help prevent identity theft. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Senator Simitian placed three previous versions of his security breach notification bill on the desk of former Governor Schwarzenegger, only to encounter vetoes.
If you are one of the many Californians who had your confidential information compromised in a security breach, you most likely found out by receiving a letter in the mail. After reading it, you were probably quite upset, but confused about what you should do about it. SB 24 will help consumers make sense of these notices, and help arm us to stop identity theft.
Health Insurance Rate Regulation Approved By Key Senate Committee
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
AB 52 (Feuer) won passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee this morning on a 6-3 party line vote. Democrats on the committee voted Aye and Republicans voted No. The bill would give state regulators authority to approve or reject health insurance and HMO premium rate increases.
AB 52 and the Fight to Stop Health Insurance Industry Price Gouging
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
A bill to regulate health insurance rate hikes faces fierce industry opposition as it moves through the legislature. AB 52 (Feuer) would rein in health and HMO premium increases that soared 131% from 1999 to 2009 - nearly five times the rate of inflation.
Excessive health insurance rate increases have priced coverage out of the reach of millions of Californians. Today, 8.2 million state residents have no health insurance. Businesses are finding it difficult to pay for these rate hikes, and pass the increased costs on to workers, or opt for less expensive – and less comprehensive – coverage plans.
Breaking News: Big Supreme Court Victory for “Made in the USA”
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
The California Supreme Court issued a significant ruling yesterday protecting consumer access to the courts in cases of false advertising. The case involved a manufacturer that labeled as “Made in the USA” products that, in fact, contained component assemblies manufactured in Mexico – a clear violation of state law prohibiting this label on products that are substantially produced outside of the United States.
The case is Kwikset Corp. v Superior Court (Benson). Quikset, a manufacturer of locksets, closed down its Anaheim factory and shipped jobs to Mexicali, Mexico. It continued to label products containing foreign-made subassemblies as "Made in the USA". Consumers sued under California's Unfair Competition Law, claiming that they were duped into buying these products only because of their prominent "Made in the USA" label.
Prop 26 – Voters Must Reject the Polluter Protection Act
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
Prop 26 is a sneak attack on environmental and health regulations that costs California’s general fund a billion dollars a year. Voters must reject this big oil and big tobacco hand out, and reject it they will.
The ballot label that voters will read when they cast their votes states: “PROPOSITION 26. REQUIRES THAT CERTAIN STATE AND LOCAL FEES BE APPROVED BY TWO-THIRDS VOTE. FEES INCLUDE THOSE THAT ADDRESS ADVERSE IMPACTS ON SOCIETY OR THE ENVIRONMENT CAUSED BY THE FEE-PAYER’S BUSINESS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Fiscal Impact: Depending on decisions by governing bodies and voters, decreased state and local government revenues and spending (up to billions of dollars annually). Increased transportation spending and state General Fund costs ($1 billion annually).”
Siding with Consumers, Boxer Voted to Keep Banks from Becoming “Too Big to Fail”
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
Consumers have a long list of reasons to re-elect Senator Barbara Boxer. Start with this: Boxer cast a courageous vote in 1999 against deregulation that opened the gates for banks to become “too big to fail.”
Had a majority of her colleagues joined Boxer in opposing the Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act, the meltdown of America’s economy never would have happened.
At the time, Barbara Boxer was one of eight US Senators to resist the deregulatory fever that had both parties in its grip. Gramm-Leach-Bliley, also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act, was a longstanding goal of banking interests. The 1999 law repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, a New Deal reform enacted in the financial wreckage of the Great Depression.
PG&E Customers Killed Prop 16
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
It was a long night of watching election returns. I was at an election night party with scores of labor and community activists at an IBEW hall. That’s right - construction electrician locals OPPOSED PG&E’s Prop 16. We were all waiting to see if PG&E’s early lead would dissolve.
It was after midnight when Prop 16 dropped below 50% on its way to the final count: 47.5% Yes to 52.5% No.
PG&E spent $46 million of its ratepayer dollars on Prop 16 to make sure our electric rates remain high, without asking the consent of its ratepayers. PG&E spent those dollars to convince ratepayers that elected local officials shouldn’t enter into any cost-saving direct purchasing arrangements with electricity generating companies unless the government agency first received the approval of two-thirds of local voters. Maybe PG&E couldn’t see its double standard, but voters certainly did.
Follow the Money - No on Prop 16
By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
Want an easy way to figure out who benefits from a ballot proposition? Follow the money.
PG&E wrote Prop 16 and contributed $34.6 million to win its passage.
The flood of Prop 16 TV ads don’t mention that the initiative was written to guarantee that PG&E’s high priced electricity monopoly will never be challenged.
Prop 16 makes it nearly impossible for locally elected officials to bypass PG&E and use the purchasing power of hundreds of thousands of local residents to negotiate discounts from independent power generation companies.