The complaint, filed Friday, argues that AT&T has raised landline flat rates 115% and measured service 222% in the five years since the state deregulated basic rates. Inflation during that depressed economic time has been 14%. Some cynics think AT&T is jacking up landline rates and “essentially harvesting” its customers, who they would just as soon see move to wireless.   read more

The lawsuit says a regression analysis of loan data that takes into account credit history and other factors found that a Wells Fargo African-American borrower was 2.078 times more likely to get a predatory loan than a white borrower. A Latino was 1.548 more likely. When you break out those borrowers with FICO credit-worthy scores of over 660, African-Americans were 2.124 times more likely to receive a predatory loan than a white person.   read more

The three-member board’s rejection was based on a simple principle: no permit to proceed until environmental reviews have been completed. It takes a compelling reason for the board to break that rule and the state offered none. That could set the project back a long time and cost a lot of money. Or not.   read more

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) does not know how many inspections of assisted living facilities it conducts in a year. It also doesn’t know how many allegations of abuse, medication errors and unusual injuries are reported by facilities the department oversees. What is known, thanks to a study of department records by ProPublica, is that the CDSS failed to collect half the $2 million in fines it assessed those facilities between 2007 and 2012 for violations of state law.   read more

The DWP rolled out the new computer system two months ago and its customer service lines have been ringing off the hook ever since. Customers have been subjected to bogus late notices, incorrect bills, delayed bills, threats of disconnection and an assortment of other snafus that promise to make the holiday season one of challenging uncertainty.   read more

They were established in 2000 and 2002, meet in secret, have no oversight by the city or DWP and receive up to $4 million a year in funding. It is unclear what the two organizations actually do. The ordinances that established the two groups aren’t specific about how they should spend their money and city records merely identify vague intentions.   read more

ProPublica looked at the prescribing habits of 1.6 million practitioners and zeroed in on 913 who tacked on $300 million to the nation’s medical bill in 2011 alone by writing scripts for brand-name drugs when much cheaper generic alternatives would have been suitable. Nearly half of the 913 accepted promotional or consulting fees from drug companies of at least $1,000 since 2009, while 11 collected more than $100,000.   read more

Government entities around the world have been filing suits over the manipulation that cost them billions of dollars during the economic meltdown between 2007 and 2011. Eight California entities, including the counties of San Diego and San Mateo and the city of Riverside, filed suit in January. Sonoma County, the Regents of the University of California and San Diego Association of Governments sued in June.   read more

California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) will get $261 million and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) will get most of the rest as compensation for losses the pension funds took on their investments between 2004 and 2008. The packaging of risky mortgages in exotic leveraged securities laid the groundwork for the financial meltdown that precipitated the ongoing Great Recession.   read more

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does six separate calculations for determining various levels of distress in the labor market, and California fares poorly in all of them. The big jump comes when part-timers who want to be fulltime are counted; 18.3% of Californians, U-6, are not happy campers. The part-timers are often hired as “contractors,” don’t get employee health insurance, aren’t paid much and lack other benefits like vacations.   read more

Common Cause Executive Director Kathy Feng told CBS she questioned the group’s sincerity when they say it is only trying to promote honest dialogue. “If Steve Peace is sincere in thinking that what he wants to do is promote dialogue then let’s come on back to California,” she said. “If, on the other hand, what this really is, is a front for special interests to funnel their money, to gain access to a couple of key legislators, then . . . I think that there needs to be an investigation.”   read more

Brown’s letter singled out Mariposa County government for assistance. There are no incorporated cities in the county, it has no street lights and there are just 18,251 residents. The county’s unemployment rate is 11.9%. But it depleted its contingency fund during the fire and was running a $230,000 deficit.   read more

The reporter did not suggest a quid pro quo for the lawmakers’ votes, although cuisine at The Kitchen, according to some foodies, is to die for. Five days later, the state Senate passed controversial Assembly Bill 4 on a 25-11 vote, the Assembly followed suit the next day, 48-25, and Governor Jerry Brown signed it.   read more

Kushner withheld purchase payments to the previous owner because of what he called “deliberate misconduct” that “constitutes fraud.” He alleged that his company faces $62.3 million in unexpected liabilities because of misrepresentations that included unfunded pension liabilities, improperly reported credit card charges and illusory savings through technology. Angelo, Gordon, the investment firm that handled the sale, responded by suing Kushner for $17.45 million.   read more

Annual food stamp payouts were reduced $5 billion last Friday when one of the more successful economic stimulus programs enacted at the start of the Great Recession expired. Republicans refused to consider an extension, so the meager food allowance—around $200 a month for an individual; $668 for a family of four—was slashed nearly 5%. That translates into a loss of 21 meals a month for a family of four.   read more

FPPC Chair Ann Ravel announced fines of $500,000 each for two non-profits involved in the convoluted plan that targeted Governor Jerry Brown's Proposition 30 tax hike for defeat and supported the anti-union Proposition 32 with $11 million in last-minute campaign donations. And the agency let slip out a surprising list of rich California donors who fueled their attempt to influence the election in November 2012.   read more