Activism
Public Hyper-Aware About Pandemic Pricing
Agriculture, Weights and Measures maintains a consumer help line at (415) 473-7888. If a consumer believes he or she has been overcharged, becomes aware of posted prices not being honored at the checkout stand, or is unable to view the prices of items when a purchase is being rung up, please call the helpline immediately so staff can investigate.
Supervisors hear findings from Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures
Courtesy of Marin County
When it comes to consumerism, one positive result of the pandemic is increased awareness of price gouging. Last year, one Marin County pharmacy had COVID-19 take-home tests priced much higher than competing stores, and shoppers alerted the Marin County Department of Agriculture / Weights and Measures (AWMs).
AWMs Inspector Raoul Wertz said the COVID-19-related executive order from Governor Gavin Newsom that prohibited sharply increased pricing during or after an emergency expired in September 2020. Earlier in 2020, AWMs established a new working relationship with the District Attorney’s fraud division back when there were rushes on particular goods at local stores. Starting in April 2020, the executive order prohibited businesses from pricing items with more than a 10% price increase from what it was charging two months earlier. That included emergency and medical supplies such as face coverings.
Consumer pricing complaints jumped 40% over the previous year, but since the executive order expired, it hasn’t been illegal to price items higher than competitors.
“We didn’t get the referrals from the DA as much as we did earlier in the pandemic, but we still got gouging-related complaints from the public,” Wertz said. “It’s mostly opinion about where those COVID-19 tests should’ve been priced. We’re back to what the market will bear. People having lived that experience of the previous spring and witnessing the inflated prices has them on high alert.”
The new 2021 Marin County Consumer Protection Report, presented to the Marin County Board of Supervisors on March 8, shows a decline in overcharging frequency during the fiscal year between July 2020 and June 2021. It went from 4.1% of investigated cases in the 2020 report to 3.1%. However, businesses that passed their price accuracy inspections fell by 14%. The full report is online in English and Spanish, and all past reports are archived.
“Our department encourages all consumers to shop with care, pay attention to posted prices and promotional offers, and to always retain and check their receipts to ensure they pay the correct price for merchandise and services they purchase,” said AWMs Director Stefan Parnay.
There were 150 notices of violation issued in the 2020-21 fiscal year to 107 local businesses. When AWMs inspectors find violations, businesses receive a notice of violation. The department’s goal is to gain compliance through education and outreach, but there would likely be a fine if the violation is egregious or the business has repeatedly received the same type of violations.
This marked the sixth consecutive year the AWMs staff produced a Consumer Protection Report. The department’s weights and measures inspection staff has only 2.7 full-time positions, but the team spent 4,353 hours conducting 6,449 inspections at 307 businesses to ensure accuracy of measuring devices and store prices. The number of inspections is down almost 2,000 over the previous year because of pandemic working conditions.
“We focused on consumer complaints and investigated them as we always do, but we did postpone some routine inspections as we scaled back our ability to conduct field work,” Wertz said. “That might explain why there was a significant drop in businesses passing our price accuracy inspections.”
Agriculture, Weights and Measures maintains a consumer help line at (415) 473-7888. If a consumer believes he or she has been overcharged, becomes aware of posted prices not being honored at the checkout stand, or is unable to view the prices of items when a purchase is being rung up, please call the helpline immediately so staff can investigate.
Want to watch out for yourself and others more closely? There are helpful consumer tips on the Ag, Weights & Measures website.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties
Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
By Post Staff
Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.
His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.
Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”
Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.
At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.
The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.
Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”
Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”
After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”
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