In 1994, Court joined fellow consumer activist and
Proposition 103 author
Harvey Rosenfield to build
Consumer Watchdog then known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. Consumer Watchdog named Court president of the organization in 2003.
HMO patients' rights Court began his career at Consumer Watchdog as the head of Californians for Quality Care, working to reform the
HMO system in the state. Here his theatrical style of muckraking matured. For example, during a legislative meeting in
Sacramento, Court and his team placed a
red herring on the table to signify that the proposed HMO reform was a deliberate attempt to divert attention. Court's pioneering work for HMO patients' rights made Consumer Watchdog a national voice in the HMO reform debate. In 1996, Court worked with Rosenfield and the California Nurses Association to have a first patients' bill of rights proposition placed on the California ballot. However,
Proposition 216 failed to pass garnering only 38.7% of the vote. In 1998, Consumer Watchdog advocated for legislation, ultimately signed into law by California Governor
Gray Davis, to extend broad need rights to HMO patients. Most of the legislative package passed with the help of the
California Nurses Association in November 1998.
Arnold Watch In 2003, Court launched Arnold Watch to expose Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger's ties to special interests. Consumer Watchdog also targeted four Schwarzenegger-backed proposition on the ballot in a special election in 2005. Specifically, Proposition 74, which would have lengthened the time it takes for teachers to get tenure, Proposition 75, which would have limited public employee unions' political spending, Proposition 76, which would have limited California's spending and Proposition 77, which would have removed lawmakers ability to redistrict the state. Consumer Watchdog's grassroots efforts lead to the defeat of the propositions and changed Schwarzenegger's governorship.
Oil Watchdog In 2005, Court helped create Oil Watchdog, a subgroup of Consumer Watchdog tasked to "expose about the profiteering, power, and unscrupulous practices of the oil industry". He worked to bring attention to
Proposition 87, a "$4 billion program with goal to reduce petroleum consumption by 25%, with research and production incentives for alternative energy, alternative energy vehicles, energy efficient technologies, and for education and training", funded by a "tax of 1.5% to 6% (depending on oil price per barrel) on producers of oil extracted in California." The proposition was voted down by the voters, 54.7% opposed to 45.3% in favor.
Insurance reform During 2010, Court and his team fought
Proposition 17, a $16 million attempt by
Mercury Insurance Group to repeal a key provision of Proposition 103. Consumer Watchdog and its sister organization the Campaign for Consumer Rights "argued that the measure would have allowed Mercury and other companies to impose surcharges of as much as $1,000 on drivers who have not had continuous coverage." To raise awareness of the fact that an insurance company was trying to hide its sponsorship of Proposition 17, and its CEO was afraid to debate the merits of the proposal in public, the group sent a man in a chicken suit to legislative hearings on the measure. The group was outspent 12-to-1, but the measure was defeated on June 8, 2010.
Inside Google Court works closely with
John Simpson on Consumer Watchdog's Inside Google project. Funded by the Rose Foundation, Inside Google's goal is to educate the general public "about the need for greater online privacy, and to hold Google accountable for tracking consumers online without explicit permission and for exhibiting its monopolistic power in dangerous ways." In 2010, to bring attention to Google's privacy issues, Consumer Watchdog checked networks in California Representative
Jane Harman's home to see if her unencrypted
Wi-Fi network might have been tapped when the company captured images for the
Google Streetview service of
Google Maps. Also in 2010, the group created a cartoon video of Google CEO
Eric Schmidt as an ice-cream truck driver interested in gathering data about the children on his route. The video aired in Times Square and received media attention. Because of Consumer Watchdog's work,
Google allegedly tried to influence the Rose Foundation to halt funding for Inside Google.
Controversy In 2011, Court's tactics attacking legislators, described as "Keystone Kops" tactics, were publicly criticized. These tactics included launching a TV ad against a state senator. In 2017, a
Los Angeles Times investigation found that Court and Consumer Watchdog do not disclose contributions to their nonprofit organization, raising questions about certain actions the group has taken. In 2023, a
Politico article described Court's recent successes with Governor
Gavin Newsom's administration, having "chalked up some significant policy wins as the costs of climate change have started hitting people's pocketbooks," and noted criticism that he had previously been tagged a "complainer for hire". In 2022, IRS filings showed that Jamie Court received more than $400,000 in compensation. ==Works==