Consumer Watchdog

Los Angeles – October 16, 2026 -- California approved 433 oil well drilling permits in the first nine months of 2026, a 277% jump over the 115 approved across all of 2023 through 2025, according to analysis by Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance of state data.

Approvals rose another 22.7% between the first half of the year and the first nine months. The figures come from the California Department of Geological Energy Management (CalGEM).

New-well approvals climb from 2 to 80 in a year

Permits for new well drilling reached 80 in the third quarter of 2026, up from two in the same quarter of 2025. Permits to rework or redrill existing wells fell only slightly, and well plugging dropped 5.2% against the third quarter of 2025.

Sacramento – – September 23, 2026 -- Ten California home insurers have requested $571 million in combined rate increases under Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's climate-model rules while committing to sell only 12,000 new home insurance policies, according to an analysis of Department of Insurance filings by Consumer Watchdog.

Sacramento, Calif. – September 12, 2026 -- Consumer Watchdog has released a video accusing Pacific Gas & Electric of withholding $2 billion in already-funded infrastructure spending to pressure California lawmakers into approving liability relief legislation in a special session.

PG&E withholds $2 billion in ratepayer-funded upgrades pending bailout approval

The advocacy group alleges PG&E is halting infrastructure work that customers have already paid for through approved rate hikes, after the state legislature declined to grant the utility liability protections during its regular session. Former California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) President Loretta Lynch calls the move "bailout blackmail" in the video, arguing PG&E CEO Patti Poppe misrepresented the company's financial position.