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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Transportation

A New Direction

The Driving Boom—a six decade-long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States—is over.

Americans drive fewer total miles today than we did eight years ago, and fewer per person than we did at the end of Bill Clinton’s first term. The unique combination of conditions that fueled the Driving Boom—from cheap gas prices to the rapid expansion of the workforce during the Baby Boom generation—no longer exists. Meanwhile, a new generation—the Millennials—is demanding a new American Dream less dependent on driving.

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Media Hit | Democracy

Prop C seeks to reverse Citizens United ruling

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Next week's election will not only decide the next mayor of Los Angeles, but it will also offer Los Angeles residents a chance to influence national policy.

 

Proposition C is a ballot measure designed to draw attention to the big money spent in elections. If it passes, it won't have a direct effect on campaign fundraising, but it will encourage California lawmakers to bring the topic back into the national spotlight.

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Media Hit | Democracy

Cheat Sheet: Proposition C Seeks to Limit Corporations' Influence on Campaigns

The 2012 election season was, by far, the most expensive in United States history.

More than $6 billion were spent on candidates running for local, state, and national offices. The presidential race alone had a $2.6 billion bill. The unprecedented spending trumped the second-most expensive campaign season by more than $700 million.

One can argue that anticipated economic factors, such as inflation, made such exceptional expenditure possible.

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News Release | CALPIRG | Consumer Protection

California Moves to Respect Consumer’s Online Privacy

CALPIRG supports AB 370 (Muratsuchi) which would require websites to disclose whether or not they honor consumer requests to disable online tracking.

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News Release | CALPIRG | Budget

New Legislation Introduced to Close Offshore Tax Loopholes

Statement of CALPIRG Field Director on the introduction of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act by Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and 45 original cosponsors, including eight members from the California delegation. Among other provisions, this legislation would close a number of loopholes that let corporations and wealthy individuals shift income to offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes.

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Media Hit | Democracy

Prop C seeks to reverse Citizens United ruling

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Next week's election will not only decide the next mayor of Los Angeles, but it will also offer Los Angeles residents a chance to influence national policy.

 

Proposition C is a ballot measure designed to draw attention to the big money spent in elections. If it passes, it won't have a direct effect on campaign fundraising, but it will encourage California lawmakers to bring the topic back into the national spotlight.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Democracy

Cheat Sheet: Proposition C Seeks to Limit Corporations' Influence on Campaigns

The 2012 election season was, by far, the most expensive in United States history.

More than $6 billion were spent on candidates running for local, state, and national offices. The presidential race alone had a $2.6 billion bill. The unprecedented spending trumped the second-most expensive campaign season by more than $700 million.

One can argue that anticipated economic factors, such as inflation, made such exceptional expenditure possible.

> Keep Reading
News Release | CALPIRG | Consumer Protection

California Moves to Respect Consumer’s Online Privacy

CALPIRG supports AB 370 (Muratsuchi) which would require websites to disclose whether or not they honor consumer requests to disable online tracking.

> Keep Reading
News Release | CALPIRG | Budget

New Legislation Introduced to Close Offshore Tax Loopholes

Statement of CALPIRG Field Director on the introduction of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act by Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and 45 original cosponsors, including eight members from the California delegation. Among other provisions, this legislation would close a number of loopholes that let corporations and wealthy individuals shift income to offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes.

> Keep Reading
News Release | CALPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Doing Your Taxes: CALPIRG answers consumers' questions

CALPIRG Education Fund provides an online Questions & Answer guide to paying federal and state taxes.

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Health Care

Review of Anthem's Rate Increase on Individual Policies

CALPIRG Education Fund has reviewed a massive new rate increase proposal from Anthem Blue Cross. 340,000 Californians can expect to see rates increase an average of 20% this year, with some as high as 24.9%. CALPIRG Ed Fund has recommended that the California Department of Insurance request that Anthem amend the rate change or make an official determination that the proposed rate change is unreasonable.

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Budget

Subsidizing Bad Behavoir

Corporations accused of wrongdoing commonly settle legal disputes with government regulators out of court. Do- ing so allows both the company and the government to avoid going to trial and the agency gets to appear as if it is teaching the company a lesson for its misdeeds. How- ever, very often the corporations deduct the costs of the settlement on their taxes as an ordinary business expense, shifting a significant portion of the burden onto ordinary taxpayers to pick up the tab.

 

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection, Health Care

CALPIRG joint letter on Consumer protection for “California Covered”

CALPIRG joins a coalition of consumer advocates in preventing risks to consumers using the new health benefits exchange known as “California Covered.”

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection, Health Care

Comments on the Aetna Life Insurance Company Proposal to Increase Rates

Nearly 70,000 Californians in small group insurance plans will see rate hikes averaging 8%, with some as high as 22%, if the premium rate hike proposed by Aetna Life Insurance Company go forward. After careful analysis of Aetna’s filing, CALPIRG is concerned that Aetna has not provided sufficient information to justify this rate increase.

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland 2012

Survey Finds Dangerous Toys on Store Shelves. CALPIRG Provides Shopping Tips & Mobile Website To Help Parents Shop Safe.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Citing Safety Concerns, Buckyballs maker to stop selling magnetic toys | Jon Fox

Maker magnetic Buckyballs announces that it will stop selling dangerous product.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection, Food

California’s Initiative to label GMOs defeated, but States taking up the Fight | Jon Fox

Unfazed by the defeat of Prop 37 in California, consumer groups are working across states for labeling and have united as the Coalition of States for Mandatory GMO Labeling.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Vote Yes on Prop 37 | Emily Rusch

CALPIRG supports Prop 37 and encourages you to support it, too. The concept behind Prop 37 is simple. Should we as consumers know more about what is in our food? Should we know if our food contains genes that are modified through engineering? 

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

CFPB says 1 in 5 credit scores sold to consumers have "meaningful" differences from scores lenders use | Ed Mierzwinski

CFPB has confirmed what consumer advocates have been saying all along - credit scores heavily marketed to consumers aren't the same as those used by lenders.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Parties Take a Stand for an Open Internet In 2012 | Jon Fox

There is at least one issue that both parties seem to agree on during this election cycle – that the Internet should remain free and open.

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Tools & Resources

  • YOUR TAX DOLLARS BECOME CORN SYRUP
    At a time when one-in-three kids is overweight or obese, over a billion taxpayer dollars go to high-fructose corn syrup and junk food ingredients.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • STOP TAX DODGERS
    Corporate tax avoidance cost taxpayers $100 billion last year. We're working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • FIGHTING UNJUSTIFIED PREMIUM HIKES
    It’s time for health insurers to get serious about lowering the cost of care instead of raising deductibles and hiking premiums.
    Learn More
  • Reclaim Democracy
    The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision ushered in an era of unprecedented spending by big money in our elections, but we're working to return our democracy back to the principle of "one person, one vote."
    Learn more
    ADD YOUR VOICE

You Can Help

We have a chance to cut billions in junk food subsidies this year. Your support will help us do the research, advocacy and grassroots organizing to convince our elected officials to act.

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PRIORITY ACTION

Each year, our tax dollars pay for enough junk food additives to buy 8.5 two-liter bottles of soda for each person under 18. Help stop the subsidies for junk food.

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