Tori Richards, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From Tori Richards

Tori Richards

Gas leak ruling provides secrecy and legal defense to SoCal Gas

Government officials have ordered the Southern California Gas Co. to shut down its leaky Aliso Canyon well, yet the ruling is far from a victory for the thousands of sickened Porter Ranch residents, an attorney charges. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the

Will Huy Fong end up in Texas?

Tori Richards May 14, 2014

When David Tran fled Vietnam in 1978, he left his possessions behind and boarded the dilapidated freighter Huey Fong bound for Hong Kong. His fare was approximately $11,500 in today’s dollars, money that was split between the Vietnamese government

Sen. Gaines is suing Covered California

Tori Richards March 4, 2014

Obamacare’s most vocal critic in the California Legislature has announced that he will be filing a lawsuit Wednesday against Covered California. Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado Hills, has recently sparred with Covered California’s director, Peter Lee, over accountability pertaining to the

Calderons indicted in massive bribery, fraud case

Tori Richards February 22, 2014

State Sen. Ron Calderon and his brother Thomas, a former assemblyman, were indicted late Thursday in a massive bribery and insurance fraud case that could send them to prison for the rest of their lives. A 24-count criminal complaint

Legislative bipartisan criticism aims at Covered CA spending

Tori Richards February 12, 2014

Responding to a state senator’s call for an investigation into the marketing budget of California’s Obamacare exchange, the agency says it is in great financial shape and even received high marks for an audit conducted last year. “By 2015/16,

CA senator seeks audit of state Obamacare exchange

Tori Richards February 3, 2014

A California state senator is seeking to audit the state’s Obamacare exchange after a CalWatchdog.com story revealed that $1.37 million was spent on a campaign featuring an eight-hour web stream starring a gyrating Richard Simmons. The Jan. 16 event — now immortalized on YouTube — showed

Covered California video features gyrating Richard Simmons

Tori Richards January 30, 2014

Facing a $78 million budget shortfall, Covered California spent $1.37 million on an outreach campaign that included a video featuring exercise guru Richard Simmons gyrating on the floor and hugging a kneeling contortionist whose buttocks stuck in the air. The

Covered California unplugs most top hospitals from patients

Tori Richards November 27, 2013

President Obama has been claiming that people can keep their favorite doctors under the Affordable Care Act. But anyone who wants a premier hospital in California better do some homework before signing up. A survey of the state’s top hospitals

Buy 1, Get 3 Free! Experts say Obamacare ‘grace period’ gives fraudsters the green light

Tori Richards November 25, 2013

Tucked inside nearly 11,000 pages of the Affordable Care Act is a little-known provision that doles out three months of free health care to individuals who choose to default on their premiums. People who receive the federal subsidy to be part of Obamacare will

CA says ‘no’ to Obamacare freebies, makes own law

Tori Richards November 22, 2013

One of the most liberal states in the nation has said no thanks to a key Obamacare provision and instead is enacting its own version of the law. California has decided to skirt the “Buy 1, Get 3 Free!”