Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$3,433,856

Total expenses

$4,022,005

Contributions and grants received

$2,501,245

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$975,831

Investment income

$149,396

Other revenue

-$192,616

Total assets, end of year

$4,475,329

Total liabilities, end of year

$661,196

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$3,814,133

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$3,623,659

Management and general expenses

$235,116

Fundraising expenses

$163,230

Program service expenses (Part III)

$3,623,659

Program services were 90.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• IN 2023, CWD ISSUED MORE THAN 100 NEWS RELEASES AND GENERATED OVER 2000 NEWS STORIES ON THESE TOPICS THAT APPEARED ON STATE AND NATIONAL TELEVISION AND RADIO PROGRAMS, AND IN PRINT AND ONLINE NEWS OUTLETS.LITIGATION -- CONSUMER WATCHDOG (CWD) WORKS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS IN THE COURTS AND BEFORE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES. CWD LITIGATED TO PROTECT CONSUMER ACCESS TO THE HEALTH CARE AND INSURANCE BENEFITS THEY ARE PROMISED, PREVENT INSURANCE COMPANIES FROM VIOLATING CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS, ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT, AND RETURN ILLEGAL INSURANCE OVERCHARGES. IN 2023, CWD'S INTERVENTIONS AT THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE INSURANCE RATE INCREASES BY AUTO AND HOME INSURANCE COMPANIES SAVED CONSUMERS $2 BILLION. CWD ALSO CHALLENGED HOME INSURANCE COMPANIES' FAILURE TO GIVE HOMEOWNERS RATE RELIEF FOR TAKING STEPS TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES FROM WILDFIRE, AND AUTO INSURANCE COMPANY PRACTICES MAKING IT HARDER FOR GOOD DRIVERS TO OBTAIN COVERAGE. CWD TESTIFIED AT MULTIPLE WORKSHOPS REGARDING THE LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY, RELIABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE PRIVATE BLACK BOX CATASTROPHE MODELS INSURANCE COMPANIES SEEK TO USE TO RAISE RATES. CWD CONTINUED LITIGATING SUITS AGAINST AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY AND FOR OVERCHARGING POLICYHOLDERS DURING THE PANDEMIC. CWD CONTINUED LITIGATING A CASE REPRESENTING PLAINTIFFS LIVING WITH HIV IN A SUIT AGAINST CVS FOR UNLAWFULLY DISCLOSING HIV STATUS AND PUTTING INDIVIDUALS AT RISK OF SUCH A DISCLOSURE, AS WELL AS PROVIDING THEM A LOWER TIER OF SERVICE.

  Expenses $1,756,885 · Revenue $975,831

• ENERGY REFORM -- CONSUMER WATCHDOG (CWD) INVESTIGATES THE REGULATION OF COMPANIES GENERATING FOSSIL FUELS AND POLLUTION, ADVOCATES TO IMPROVE OVERSIGHT OF THE OIL, GAS AND UTILITY INDUSTRIES, AND FIGHTS FOR RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE, AND CLEAN ENERGY. IN 2023, CWD EDUCATED THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE NEED TO LIMIT FOSSIL FUEL SUPPLIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE, INCLUDING CURBING OIL DRILLING. CWD CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH SHOWING OIL REFINERS' PROFITS ARE CONSISTENTLY HIGHER IN CALIFORNIA THAN ACROSS THE NATION AND SUPPORTED SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATION CREATING NEW STATE OVERSIGHT OF GAS PRICES AND THE POWER TO IMPOSE A PRICE-GOUGING PENALTY ON REFINERS. CWD PUBLISHED QUARTERLY UPDATES TO ITS ONLINE MAP DOCUMENTING THE EXTENT OF OIL AND GAS WELL PERMITTING IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, MAINTAINING PUBLIC PRESSURE FOR AN END TO NEW EXTRACTION PERMITS AND A SAFETY BUFFER BETWEEN HOMES AND WELLS. CWD BACKED POLLUTER PAYS LEGISLATION TO HOLD OIL COMPANIES RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS.

  Expenses $706,551

• HEALTHCARE & INSURANCE REFORM -- CONSUMER WATCHDOG (CWD) FIGHTS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM HOME, AUTO AND HEALTH INSURANCE ABUSES, TO IMPROVE PATIENT SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, AND FOR UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE. IN 2023, CWD ORGANIZED PATIENTS WHO HAVE BEEN HARMED BY MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND ADVOCATE FOR IMPROVED ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DOCTORS BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE AND MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA. THEY WON PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION GRANTING CONSUMERS A VOICE AND NEW RIGHTS IN THE DOCTOR DISCIPLINARY PROCESS. CWD ORGANIZED FAMILIES HARMED BY THE MATERNAL MORTALITY CRISIS AND LAUNCHED HEALTH FAIRS AND MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTHS. CWD WORKS TO ENFORCE AND PROTECT CALIFORNIA'S INSURANCE REFORM PROPOSITION 103, WHICH REGULATES AUTO, HOMEOWNERS AND SMALL BUSINESS INSURANCE. CWD EDUCATED THE PUBLIC, NEWS MEDIA AND POLICYMAKERS ABOUT RATE SAVINGS AND CONSUMER PROTECTIONS UNDER PROP 103, INSURANCE INDUSTRY PROFITABILITY IN THE STATE, AND BLOCKED AN EFFORT BY THE STATE'S TOP REGULATOR TO ROLL BACK REGULATION AT THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY'S BEHEST. CWD ADVOCATED FOR LEGISLATION TO REQUIRE INSURANCE COMPANIES TO COVER HOMEOWNERS WHO DO WILDFIRE MITIGATION AS A RESPONSE TO THE GROWING HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE CRISIS.

  Expenses $676,122

• PRIVACY, CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY & POLITICAL REFORM -- CONSUMER WATCHDOG (CWD) EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ABOUT ISSUES RELATED TO CONSUMER RIGHTS, PRIVACY, TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICAL REFORM, AND RESEARCHES AND INFORMS THE PUBLIC ABOUT CORPORATE INVOLVEMENT IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS. IN 2023, CWD WORKED TO PREVENT FEDERAL PREEMPTION OF CALIFORNIA'S STRONGEST-IN-THE-NATION CONSUMER PRIVACY LAW. A NEW CWD REPORT, "UNSEEN HAND: HOW AUTOMATIC DECISION-MAKING BREEDS DISCRIMINATION," SHONE A SPOTLIGHT ON PROFILING AND THE DANGERS OF ALGORITHMS AS CWD PRESSED AT THE STATE PRIVACY AGENCY FOR STRONG REGULATIONS TO COMBAT UNFAIR DECISION-MAKING AND BIAS. CWD RESEARCHED AND EXPOSED THE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST CREATED BY CORPORATE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLITICIANS ACROSS OUR PROGRAM AREAS.

  Expenses $484,101

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• CONSUMER WATCHDOG CAMPAIGN

  501(C)(4) · PUBLIC EDUCATION AND CONSUMER ADVOCACY · CA · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by CONSUMER WATCHDOG

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

11 November 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.1

Source object

202443179349301004

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