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Utility Consumers Action Network
Also Known As: UCAN & PRC (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse)
3100 Fifth Ave Ste B San Diego, CA 92103

GENERAL INFORMATION

Who We Are

UCAN fights to educate and protect consumers from utility abuse. UCAN is also the parent organization of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Advocacy efforts include, but not limited to: electricity, natural gas, phone, gasoline, cable TV, telecommunications, privacy rights, identity theft resources.

• This organization is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity .
• This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
• Financial information in this report is derived from the organization's June 30, 2008 Form 990.
• Additional narrative information in this report was last supplied by the organization on February 26, 2009.
• It makes its audited financial statements available to the public upon request.
• Contributions are deductible, as provided by law.

How to Help

This organization is seeking funds from contributions and grants. These funds will be used for unrestricted operating expenses and special projects.

Location(s) Served

• National
• UCAN: San Diego. PRC: National

NTEE Code

• W01—Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
• W80—Public Utilities
• W50—Telephone, Telegraph and Telecommunication Services

Chief Executive

Michael Shames

Chief Executive Profile

Executive Director and Co-founder, Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) a non-profit consumer watchdog group made up of 31,000 San Diego house­holds and small businesses. Represents the interests of San Diegans in energy, telecommunication and Internet matters before the state and federal regulatory bodies. Also serves as an expert witness and attorney on behalf of UCAN and an adjunct professor at University of San Diego School of Business. Authored the recent someday-to-become-a-best-seller: "Secrets of the World's Greatest Consumer: Essential Consumer Tools for the 21st Century ", a 300+ page slightly irreverent guide to new tools and strategies used by consumers in dealing with most retailers and more recently "Gruminations of the World's Greatest Consumer", the first consumer e-book on the Net.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MISSION AND PROGRAMS

Mission

Founded in 1984 by San Diego citizens to protect consumers from San Diego Gas and Electric, UCAN is the Utility Consumers'' Action Network. UCAN successfully lowered SDG&E''s rates from the highest in the USA, to the lowest in CA. Since that time, UCAN has expanded its consumer protection activities to include electricity price gouging, gasoline price gouging, natural gas, water rate issues, telephone service rates and abuses, cable television rates, and general consumer abuse and fraud. With 40,000 San Diego and Orange County members, UCAN is dedicated to educating consumers with its acclaimed quarterly newsletter, the UCAN Watchdog.

Programs

Achievements by UCAN anf the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse consumer advocates activists are too numerous to list here. Recent accomplishments as of this writing (4-07-07) include: 1) Drafted law that capped electric rates at 6.5 vs. 21 per kWhr, preventing billions of dollars in overcharges to local consumers. 2) Proved in PUC hearings that Pacific Bell has been defrauding customers. 3) Spurred multiple state and federal price-fixing investigations into gas price-gouging. 4)Created the "Fraud Squad" consumer education and advice phone hotline, free to the public, and staffed by a team of trained volunteer advocates. 5) Parent organization of the nationally recognized Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC). The PRC provides fact-sheets on identity theft, Internet privacy, financial privacy, telemarketing, junk mail, and other privacy-related issues. It participates in numerous public policy proceedings at the local, state, and national level to advocate for stronger privacy protection laws, regulations, and industry practices.

Additional Comments from the Organization

"With the increasing costs of necessary services far exceeding the rate of inflation, more and more homes are being squeezed by very large corporations who are more interested in maximizing profit than in providing competitive and affordable services to American consumers. "

- Michael Shames

GOALS AND RESULTS

Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2006

1. Won a number of actions against major cell phone carriers to refund money for overcharges and change marketing practices
2. Integral role in forging a regional energy plan for San Diego, along with a move to higher tech and improved efficiency in the region.
3. Privacy Rights: conducted a comprehensive consumer education campaign on financial privacy, the new federal law known as Gramm-Leach-Bliley

Objectives for Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2007

1. ENERGY/UTILITY: Take lead role in beating back a $1.5 billion rate hike proposed by SDG&E and SDG&E's expensive transmission line.
2. CONSUMER EDUCATION: Protect more consumers by expanding news coverage of the the "Fraud Squad" consumer education and problem-solving hotline. Updated UCAN web pages to provide useful and free information to California consumers.
3. PRIVACY RIGHTS: The PRC will push for stronger state and federal financial privacy protections, expand Web site content, and provide information in English and Spanish.

Self Assessment

UCAN and the PRC have a strong history of results-oriented programs designed to meet specific, measurable objectives. Large donors may contact us directly for more information.

FINANCIAL DATA

Revenues and Expenses: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008

Balance Sheet: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008

Note: The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot long survive, but the types of assets and liabilities also must be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Financial Comments from the Organization

UCAN and the PRC's finances and resources are open to the public. We publish our audits on our Web site before they are made available here. visit our Web page at http://www.ucan.org/about_us.html to get our latest summaries.

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