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california
california
(MGChan)
California To Require More-Efficient Chargers For Mobile Devices
By Chris Morran on January 12, 2012 9:05 PM
55 Comments
In a move that will likely have a huge ripple effect in the mobile device accessory market nationwide, the California Energy Commission approved the nation's first ever energy standards for the chargers you use to power up everything from your phone and tablet to your power drill. More »
(TheeErin)
Hospital CEO Thinks It's Perfectly OK To Show Patient's Records To Newspaper
By Chris Morran on January 4, 2012 1:35 PM
125 Comments
Last January, a woman in California says she was billed by a hospital for a treatment she never received. She took her complaint to the folks at California Watch, who published a story about her predicament. But when a local newspaper went to verify the information, the hospital's CEO had absolutely no problem showing up at the reporter's door to rifle through that patient's file without her permission. More »
Bank Of America Decides To Let Foreclosed-Upon Family Stay In House Until Wife Dies
By Chris Morran on December 22, 2011 3:15 PM
82 Comments
At the intersection where Foreclosure Ave. crosses Health Care Blvd. lives a California couple who had to choose between mortgage and the health insurance needed to cover the wife's late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Until recently, it looked like they would be forced to vacate the house they'd bought 15 years ago, but Bank of America has decided to delay the eviction until after the wife's death. More »
San Francisco Becomes First U.S. City To Cross $10 Minimum Wage Line
By Chris Morran on December 12, 2011 2:30 PM
171 Comments
When the calendar flips over to 2012, minimum wage workers in San Francisco will be making a bit more, as the city becomes the first local in the U.S. with a bottom-line pay rate of more than $10/hour. More »
(lolwhut)
Chick-Fil-A Cashier Just Assumes Customers' Names Are Ching & Chong
By Chris Morran on December 12, 2011 12:30 PM
165 Comments
One would think that by this point in the internet's existence that employees at any sort of business that puts customers' names on receipts might be aware of the fact that putting a potentially offensive nickname, description or slur on said receipts is probably nowhere near as hilarious as it initially seems. More »
(KCAL9)
California City Threatens Legal Action Against Residents With Fake Grass Lawns
By Chris Morran on November 17, 2011 1:00 PM
143 Comments
Three months ago, the city of Glendale, CA, approved a ban on the use of artificial grass on residents' front yards — and now authorities plan to go after folks who haven't ripped up their faux greenery and replaced it with the real thing. More »
Allstate Denied Man's Insurance Claim Because He Went To The Hospital 5 Hours Too Early
By Ben Popken on November 10, 2011 5:00 PM
139 Comments
Usually you're rewarded for showing up early. How could showing up 5 hours early cost you $10,000? More »
Hundreds Of People's Tax Returns Found Dumped In Front Of Jackson Hewitt Office Because They Were "So Heavy"
By Ben Popken on November 4, 2011 1:00 PM
39 Comments
A soggy pile of hundreds of old tax returns was found in front of an abandoned Jackson Hewitt tax prep office in San Francisco in late October. The papers had social security numbers, names, addresses, and phone numbers, a potential goldmine for any identity thief who got their hands on them. More »
Customer Finds Live Tree Frog In Salad Bought At Costco
By Chris Morran on November 2, 2011 1:45 PM
96 Comments
Everyone knows you're supposed to rinse out your salad to get rid of any dirt before you chow down, but the food safety folks rarely mention the presence of frogs. So you can imagine the surprise that one California woman had on Monday when she spotted a living croaker in the salad she'd just bought from Costco. More »
Drone Helicopters Used To Sell High End Real Estate
By Ben Popken on November 1, 2011 2:00 PM
35 Comments
Helicopter drones looking for work outside the military might look well to apply at their local real estate office for a job. Turns out they're not just good for conducting unmanned aerial strikes against insurgents, drones can also be used to sell mansions, via in-depth tour videos made with cameras mounted to their frames. More »
California Ups Testing For Contaminated Public Waterways
By Phil Villarreal on October 12, 2011 10:15 AM
11 Comments
Responding to an increase of contaminated waterways in the state, California's State Water Resources Board plans to test its 3 million acres of rivers, streams and lakes, which may have been polluted with nastiness including bacteria and pesticides. More »
(bastiend)
You Can Now Legally Order Sangria In California
By Marc Perton on September 23, 2011 5:00 PM
77 Comments
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law this week overturning a Prohibition-era ban blocking bars from serving alcoholic drinks infused with fruits or other substances. Under the old law bartenders could be fined for serving fruit-infused drinks like sangria, as well as alcohol infused with spices, herbs or vegetables. More »
Amazon Makes Deal With California To Delay Collecting Sales Tax For One Year
By Chris Morran on September 8, 2011 1:30 PM
64 Comments
The battle between Amazon and the state of California over whether or not the e-tailer should be compelled to collect sales taxes may be drawing to a close after the two parties appear to have come to a tentative agreement that would have the online megastore collecting taxes, but not for another year. More »
California Considering Ban On Styrofoam To-Go Containers
By Chris Morran on August 29, 2011 1:00 PM
96 Comments
Though many of the large fast food chains ditched Styrofoam containers many moons ago, there are still plenty of restaurants that continue to use Styrofoam for packing up to-go orders for customers. But a bill before the California State Assembly could put an end to that in the Golden State. More »
Allstate Won't Cover Bat Infestation Because It Thinks Bats Are Rodents
By Chris Morran on August 24, 2011 11:30 AM
92 Comments
The words "bat" and "rat" rhyme and some folks have been known to refer to bats as "flying rodents," but that doesn't make it so. If only someone would tell this to the folks at Allstate, who have told a California homeowner that it won't pay to rid her home of bats — something it had previously covered — because the insurance company now believes bats are rodents. More »
Angry Homeowners Dump Trash From Abandoned Home In Lobby Of Wrong Bank
By Chris Morran on July 28, 2011 12:15 PM
72 Comments
A group of homeowners in San Jose, CA, are so fed-up with the messy conditions at a bank-owned, abandoned home that they picked up the garbage themselves — and took it straight to Wells Fargo in protest. Unfortunately, it looks like they dumped their troubles in the wrong lobby. More »
Dog Dies After Visit To Petco Groomer, Owner Wants Hair Dryer Cages Banned
By Laura Northrup on July 28, 2011 10:30 AM
89 Comments
Sadie, a beloved 6-year-old Lhasa Apso in good health, died in 2008 after a regular grooming session at a California Petco. She became ill while inside a cage dryer, a kennel with an air blower attached (sometimes heated, sometimes not) and was immediately taken for emergency medical care. The veterinarian treating her concluded that the dog died of "severe heatstroke." But was the heatstroke caused by the actions of Petco's employees, as her owner's lawsuit alleges? More »
Amazon Wants To Bring Sales Tax Battle To California Voters
By Maggie Shader on July 12, 2011 3:00 PM
138 Comments
Amazon wants California voters to reverse a new law that requires online retailers to collect sales tax on purchases made in that state. Amazon previously dropped its California affiliates in response to the law. More »
Homeowners Find Out Their House Is Stolen, Continue Making Mortgage Payments
By Chris Morran on June 15, 2011 3:15 PM
96 Comments
A family in California thought they'd purchased their dream home last summer, only to later find out that the property had been stolen and illegally sold to them. Now they're stuck making mortgage payments on a house they could be evicted from at any moment. More »
Anthem Blue Cross Holds Off On Plan To Charge $15 To Pay Bill By Credit Card
By Chris Morran on June 14, 2011 3:30 PM
21 Comments
Last week, we told you how Anthem Blue Cross of California had decided it no longer wants to take credit card payments and will soon start charging $15 "convenience" fees for those still wishing to pay by plastic. But now that the California Attorney General is looking into the matter, Anthem has put that plan on hold. More »
