60 Public Interest Groups Call on Corporate Donors to Withdraw Nov. '04 Initiative to Gut Unfair Business Competition Law 2/19/2004
From: Carmen Balber, 310-392-0522, ext. 324 or Jamie Court, 310-392-0522 ext. 327, both for Election Watchdog SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 19 -- Sixty public interest organizations, including environmental, labor, consumer, senior and civil rights groups representing over 4.5 million Californians, sent a letter today to the corporate donors to an initiative which will gut the state's premier consumer protection law, calling on them to withdraw their support and ask for their money back. "The Unfair Business Competition Law is the California law that gives consumer and public interest groups a fighting chance against unfair, illegal or fraudulent practices of car dealers, HMOs and corporate polluters. We urge you -- for the sake of a safe society, honest market, and your family's health -- to withdraw your support and request a refund of your money," the groups wrote. The letter, signed by organizations including AARP, California ACORN, California Church IMPACT, California League of Conservation Voters, California National Organization for Women, CalPIRG, Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Sierra Club and United Farm Workers is available online at: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/electionwatchdog/fs/fs000018.php ElectionWatchdog.org was launched today to expose the grave danger of the initiative proposal and how real people will suffer if it succeeds. The measure is currently circulating and is proposed for the November ballot. It would eliminate the right of public interest organizations to bring cases on behalf of Californians to prevent injury or harm to the environment, workers, consumers or the public health, instead only allowing cases brought by the government or after the damage has been done. Further, the legislature would never be allowed to amend the law. "The initiative will take away the right of nursing home patients to sue to prevent elder abuse, allow insurers to avoid paying legitimate claims, permit banks to skim home equity from seniors, and give polluters carte-blanche," warned the groups. Some of the state's largest corporations, including Blue Cross, State Farm, Safeway, Microsoft, Kaiser and Bank of America, and car dealers across the state, have contributed over $6 million to the initiative. Many of these companies have been subject to successful cases brought under the Unfair Business Competition Law. Blue Cross has been the subject of several unfair business competition cases brought by hospitals, doctors, and patients. Kaiser was the subject of a false advertising case that resulted in landmark disclosure. Safeway was charged with changing the date on old meat and selling it as fresh. State Farm had to repay millions of dollars to Northridge earthquake victims the insurer defrauded by improperly reducing earthquake coverage. Car dealers and auto makers have been held accountable with the unfair business competition law for practices including discriminatory and deceptive financing, withholding information from consumers, and selling cars and trucks with defective parts. Many cases, including lawsuits that collected billions from tobacco companies, would not go forward if the corporate-backed initiative succeeds. "The Unfair Business Competition law keeps corporations accountable and allows the public to stop them when they're not. This initiative would throw the baby out with the bath water and should be abandoned in the interest of public safety, environmental protection and worker, consumer and civil rights," said Carmen Balber, an advocate with Election Watchdog. The public interest organizations signing the letter are: AARP, As You Sow, Bet Tzedek Legal Services The House of Justice, California ACORN, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California Church IMPACT, California Communities Against Toxics, California Community Health Advocates, California Corporate Reform Working Group, California League for Environmental Enforcement Now (CLEEN), California League of Conservation Voters, California National Organization for Women, California Nurses Association, California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG), California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATS), Center for Environmental Health, Center for Justice & Democracy, Center for Public Interest Law, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, Citizen Works, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), Congress of California Seniors, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of California, Consumer Watchdog, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS), Defenders of Wildlife, DES Action, Ecological Rights Foundation, Election Watchdog, Environmental Law & Justice Clinic Golden Gate University, Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), Foundation Aiding the Elderly (FATE), Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, Global Exchange, Gray Panthers California, Identity Theft Resource Center, Labor/Community Strategy Center, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Persons, Inc., Physicians for Social Responsibility Sacramento, Planning and Conservation League, Privacy Activism, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Public Advocates, Inc., San Francisco Tenants Union, SF Bay Area Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sierra Club of California, The Impact Fund, The Utility Reform Network (TURN), Trauma Foundation, United Farm Workers (UFW), United Policyholders, Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), Waterkeepers Northern California and its projects SF Baykeeper, Deltakeeper and Petaluma Riverkeeper, Women For, World Privacy Forum ------ Election Watchdog is a political action committee sponsored by Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized in California. Election Watchdog was organized to protect consumers' interests in the ballot initiative process and does not take positions on candidate elections. Consumer Watchdog is the advocacy and campaign affiliate of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). Learn more at http://www.ElectionWatchdog.org | |