Matt Woodcheke

The latest issue of Consumer Connection, the Department of Consumer Affairs’ quarterly magazine, is available now. In this issue, we examine the rapid job growth forecast in health care fields; we look at gender stereotypes that factor into why more girls do not grow up to work in STEM or…

Once each decade, the U.S. Census Bureau attempts to count every person in the United States. The next enumeration will begin April 1, 2020, and will be the first to rely heavily on online responses. The next count will begin April 1, 2020, and will be the first to rely…

Turkey TV aficionados may recall a scene from a 2001 episode of The West Wing where fictional US President Jed Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, calls the Butterball Hotline in an attempt to settle a disagreement with a member of his staff over whether stuffing can be safely cooked inside…

In May 2018, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 federal law that prohibited states from sanctioning sports betting. That doesn’t mean the sportsbook is open now, but California voters may soon get the chance to place their bets. In June of…

Kimberly Kirchmeyer has been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). Since 2013, Ms. Kirchmeyer has served as executive director of the Medical Board of California (MBC), where she was deputy director from 2011 to 2013. During her time at…

When Martha and Enrrique Gallard packed up their belongings in Georgia and sent them off in a moving truck headed to their new home in California, they had no idea what problems were awaiting them. But the Gallards were lucky: they found an ally in the Bureau of Household Goods…

Do you have old, unused medications just sitting around your home waiting to fall into the wrong hands? Anyone who enters your home could gain access to those medications and you wouldn’t even miss them. Most abusers say that’s where they got the first prescription medications that started them on…

On April 7, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown declared the state’s historic drought over. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to return to the freewheeling days of wide-open faucets. If you’re looking for a way to stay green while keeping your lawn from turning brown, the answer may be home…

Dishwasher sprung a leak? Diamond ring losing that special sparkle? TV on the fritz? Lawnmower stopped lawn-mowing? When a big-ticket item like a major appliance, jewelry, or garden equipment breaks, you may have a service contract or extended warranty contract to bail you out of trouble. These contracts cover your…