A recent study released by the University of California, Davis Olive Center revealed that 69% of imported olive oils and 10% of California olive oils tested were erroneously labeled as “extra virgin olive oil.” The oils that were mislabeled did not meet the International Olive Council (IOC) and US Department of Agriculture’s standards for extra…
Despite an appeal by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has once again denied federal disaster aid to the victims of the San Bruno, California gas line explosion. Thirty-five homes were destroyed and eight people killed when the PG&E gas line exploded in September of this year. FEMA maintains that local resources…
A recently released report from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by California Representative Henry Waxman, found that denial of individual health insurance policies increased almost 50% between 2007 and 2009, and that companies are denying more claims based on pre-existing conditions. Four of the largest insurance companies, WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., Humana Inc.,…
Ralphs and Albertsons supermarkets find themselves on the defensive end of two class action employment lawsuits brought by 9,000 union workers. The worker say they were illegally denied millions of dollars in benefits while on strike in 2003. The cases challenge decisions made by the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board that allowed the grocery stores…
In an unusual ruling, a Missouri judge issued a permanent injunction against the standard “non-compete” clause signed by Individual Taxes Etc. Inc. employees who were hired as temporary workers to prepare seasonal tax returns. Individual Taxes is a franchised subsidiary of New Jersey-based Jackson Hewitt. As a course of the hiring process, Individual Taxes has…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new guidelines for Olive Oil labeling went into effect on October 24th, 2010. The new standards define grades of olive oil and establish chemical and sensory guidelines for determining each grade, including “extra virgin.” Bottles of olive oil should also now have a “best by” date printed on them…
The 99¢ Only Store was fined this week for illegally selling misbranded toxic products in violation of federal law. The 99¢ Only Store’s violations were discovered in multiple inspections by federal officials in California, Arizona and Nevada between 2004 and 2008. A federal judge ordered the retail chain to pay nearly $410,000 in penalties for…
A Beverly Hills, California business promising “tax relief” was finally shut down by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week. Authorities say American Tax Relief LLC cheated consumers out of more than $60 million by promising clients that their tax bills could be settled for pennies on the dollar. Despite a criminal search warrant executed…
A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that PG&E has more “high consequence” gas line leaks in populated areas compared to other utilities. The report was in response to the San Bruno, California gas pipeline explosion in September that killed 8 people and caused an estimated $65 million in property losses. (The eighth death occurred…
Six Silicon Valley corporate giants, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit, Pixar and Adobe Systems admit they had a secret agreement not to hire employees away from the other companies using “cold call” tactics. In violation of federal anti-trust law, the companies agreed to the “no cold call” pact in 1996. According to documents from the U.S.…
