Consumer

CALPIRG: Apartment Hunting Guide

Finding a new apartment can be a daunting experience. There are a ton of choices, lease terms can be confusing and just about everyone knows someone who had a bad experience with an apartment or landlord. This guide is designed to provide some simple tips for prospective student renters to help you avoid getting ripped off by a bad landlord or experiencing unforeseen problems with renting.

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Media Hit | Consumer, Higher Ed, Textbooks

Groups target textbook prices to rein in college costs

A push to create free or inexpensive textbooks is gaining momentum as educators, philanthropists and policymakers nationwide search for new ways to rein in college costs.

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Report | CalPIRG Education Fund | Consumer

A Consumers Guide to a New Cell Phone Plan

It is a challenge to save money when shopping for a cell phone, but it needn’t be. The California Public Interest Research Education Fund (CALPIRG) released a new cell phone shoppers’ guide titled Making the Right Call: A Consumers' Guide to a New Cell Phone Plan, offering simple tips consumers can take to save money when buying a new cell phone.

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News Release | CALPIRG Education Fund | Consumer

CALPIRG Releases New Shopping Guide For Cell Phones

San Francisco, CA – It is a challenge to save money when shopping for a cell phone, but it needn’t be. The California Public Interest Research Education Fund (CALPIRG) released today a new cell phone shoppers’ guide titled Making the Right Call: A Consumers' Guide to a New Cell Phone Plan, offering simple tips consumers can take to save money when buying a new cell phone

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Resource | Consumer, Health Care

Young Person's Guide to Health Insurance

Under the federal health care law, young adults have access to new, previously unavailable health insurance options. To make the most of those new choices, you need to learn the facts. This guide is designed to help you do that.

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Resource | Consumer

Student Consumer Action Network Project Packet

Download this resource for everything you need to know to organize the consumer campaign on your campus.

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Campaign | Consumer

Student Consumer Action Network

After Wall Street practices brought down the entire U.S. and parts of the world economies, Congress finally stepped up in July 2010 and created the CALPIRG students-backed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new agency that will act as a counterbalance to the banks and ensure that the credit cards, mortgages, and student loans that consumers use are safe and easy to understand. When you have a complaint about a bank or credit card company, you can call on the new CFPB.

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Report | CALPIRG | Consumer

Saving Dollars, Saving Democracy - Cost Savings for Local Elections Officials Through Voter Registration Modernization

Millions are being wasted due to antiquated voter registration systems and procedures. U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s survey of 100 counties showed that over $33,467,910.00 of public money was spent on simple registration implementation and error-correction issues in 2008. The Fund finds that a more streamlined and automatic system linking existing databases with the state voter rolls could free up significant resources at the local level.

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Report | CALPIRG | Consumer

Cutting Interest Rates, Lowering Student Debt - - Updated

About 5.5 million undergraduate borrowers took out subsidized Stafford loans in 2005-2006. Most of these borrowers came from predominately low- and middle-income families. As an effort to making college more affordable, cutting interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans will result in significant savings.

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Report | CALPIRG | Consumer

Cutting Interest Rates, Lowering Student Debt - - Updated

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CALPIRG Students in Action

Students from across the state organize a press conference to STOP CUTS to CalGrants in Sacramento with their elected officials.
UC Berkeley Intern Kat Lockwood speaking to students at Cal about the NO on 23 campaign to protect California’s clean air and global warming law with Van Jones.
UCSB interns host the Textbook Rebellion as part of a national tour to fight high prices and successfully get both TV and print media to report on their event.
Actress Amy Smart speaks at the CALPIRG Statewide Organizing Conference about activism and banning plastic grocery bags.
Four TV, two radio, and two print media cover our High Speed Rail Spring Break Tour stop in the central valley.
UC Davis students kick off a TEXT-2-GIVE table for Somalia Famine Relief on the quad – our efforts statewide raised thousands of dollars for famine relief.
UC Davis CALPIRG Interns Justin Hassis and Manny Rin take a photo petition during the CALPIRG Alternative Spring Break Tour- gathering hundreds of petitions calling for a statewide ban on single use polystyrene containers and plastic bags
UCR, USC, and UCLA interns come together for a joint beach clean-up!
Jared Calinisan, UC Mercd AmeriCorps Member and CALPIRG intern, teaching kids at a local elementary school about energy efficiency (UC Merced educated 1,157 kids in one quarter – way to go!)
UC Merced intern caulking a window as part of our Energy Service Corps program’s work to save Californian’s energy and money while also saving the environment!