Eighth District Representative Mariko Yamada recently placed a new bill on the desk of the governor.

AB 647 aims to make information on the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System available to the public.

NMVTIS is an online-database that provides car history, such as auto titling, brand data and theft data. The information helps the state, law enforcement and consumers to confirm the car’s background, including previous damages caused by floods or fires, and help recover stolen cars as well.

The Department of Justice maintains the database, in accordance to the Anti-Car Theft Act of 1992.

California is currently the only state, out of the 36 states participating in NMVTIS, that restricts direct access to the information.

The restriction on this information puts the public in danger, said Yamada.

The database is available through a third party – R.L. Polk & Company – that charges $29.99 for the vehicle history though Polk’s branch company Carfax.

This information instead should be available through the Department of Motor Vehicles for a nominal fee of $2.50, said Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety.

Polk signed a contract with the DMV to sort through the massive amount of car information in the DMV computer system. The DMV claimed that it could not technologically be able to provide data directly, so it made the contract to help.

“The DMV needed the help of some entity that would make sense of our chaotic system caused by the DMV’s outmoded computers,” says Shahan.

Polk translated the data but stipulated in the contract that it would limit access to consumers.

AB 647, in turn, would lift this restriction and allow consumers to access NMVTIS directly. It would also prevent the DMV from entering contracts in the future that would limit access.

The bill received bipartisan support and passed unanimously on the Assembly floor Aug. 30. Now on the governor’s desk, Yamada fears the governor’s veto.

“The insurance companies have not opposed the bill openly,” says Shahan. “But the DMV has basically received the governor’s blessing.”

The DMV claims to oppose the bill because without a third party, it would not be able to manage the amount of information, according to a court document released earlier this year.

The DMV stated that it would have to find a new vendor to sort through the information. Finding a new vendor could take up to seven months and thousands of dollars.

The NMVTIS reported the database’s benefits as of its implementation on Jan. 30. Arizona experienced a 99 percent recovery rate of reported stolen cars, while the Virginia reported a 17 percent decrease in car theft, according to the NMVTIS website.

Furthermore, the information Carfax supplies is incomplete, since it lacks permission to report total information from several insurance companies, said Shahan.

NMVTIS could not be reached for comment by press time.

The insurance companies that are disclosing that data to Carfax include CNA, Liberty Mutual and Amica. Carfax also posts a disclaimer on the website that says it does not have complete history of every vehicle.

In a New York Times article, Larry Gamache, communications director of Carfax said, “We can’t even get our heads around how many incidents happen in the United States.”

The DOJ, on the other hand, requires that insurance companies update their NMVTIS information every 30 days. The department receives information from all 50 states, whether they are a part of the NMVTIS program or not. This is especially important in California, a state with a known history of being a dumping ground for cars.

It is difficult to tell whether the insurance companies report to Carfax in a timely manner, said Shahan.

“Timeliness is vital for car buyers to have access to the data before they are sold an unsafe vehicle,” she said.

As president of CARS, Shahan spearheaded numerous car safety actions, such as the requirement of the adjustable height of a seatbelt in cars. She hears many stories of individuals affected by the purchase of unsafe cars.

One occurrence involves the death of 18-year-old Bobby Ellsworth of Jamul, CA. He was in the passenger seat of a friend’s used car when it collided with another vehicle. The car’s airbags were unknowingly missing, resulting in Bobby’s death.

Shahan said these tales show what can happen when consumers buy a car unaware of possible defects.

“Had his friends known of the car’s history they never would have let him buy that car,” says Shahan.

ANA QUIROZ can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Slug: 090908_ci_Business

Edits: pk

Notes:

Headline: Most business schools will not consider GRE scores, study says

Layercake: GMAT-only schools remain widespread

By ELENI STEPHANIDES

Aggie News Writer

A Kaplan survey conducted in July and August found that most business schools, including the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, do not plan to accept the Graduate Requisite Exam.

The survey gathered information from admissions officers at 260 of the nation’s top business schools that were culled from U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools” 2010 edition. Seventeen of these respondents were from the nation’s most selective business programs.

Even though well-known business schools such as Harvard, Wharton, Darden and Stern began accepting the GRE in recent months, 76 percent of top business schools only accept the Graduate Management Admission Test. Of this 76 percent, only 4.3 percent say they may accept the GRE in the future.

Harvard, Wharton, Darden and Stern now accompany Stanford and Sloan, two prestigious business schools that began accepting the GRE in 2006.

Lacking a section for GRE scores, the current UCD Business school application includes sections for personal information, career information, essays, resumes, optional information and scores for GMATs 1, 2 and 3, TOEFL 1 and 2 and IELTS 1 and 2.

Both tests have verbal, math and essay sections, with scores that are valid for five years. They differ in that the GRE offers a subject test, while the GMAT does not.

“The GRE is more flexible for students that are thinking about different types of programs and is helpful in attracting the strong, diverse candidates we are interested in,” said Yale School of Management Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico.

The GMAT also contains a critical reasoning section in place of the analogy and antonym section present in the GRE. In addition, the math sections of both tests differ, with the GRE including quantitative comparison and the GMAT containing data sufficiency. The GRE is most commonly used for non-business graduate schools.

“Schools that have expanded their admissions options to accept the GRE say they are doing so to attract non-traditional students,” said Jason Moss, vice president of graduate programs for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

Moss said that while several of the most competitive MBA programs took this route, the majority of competitive GMAT-only business schools surveyed have said that they have no plans to change their admissions policies for the time being.

Some are doubtful as to whether the results of the Kaplan survey will hold true.

David Payne, head of the GRE program, said that seven of the top ten global MBA programs accept the GRE because it makes good business sense.

“Despite this survey, we expect the trend of business schools accepting GRE to continue and grow,” said Payne.

ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at city@theaggie.org. XXX

Consumers in Davis can rest a little easier knowing their representatives have them in mind.

The Consumer Federation of California gave Senator Lois Wolk, Fifth District, a 100 percent on the 2009 Interim scorecard for State Lawmakers, while Representative Mariko Yamada, Eighth District, earned the equivalent of 80 percent on her scorecard.

Scores are based on key bills the CFC considers important. The interim scorecard provides a preview of how legislators have voted thus far throughout the session. The year‘s final scorecard is released shortly after Congress adjourns for the year.

Both Wolk and Yamada said they were proud of their voting records.

“It is a scorecard, not a list of achievements,“ Wolk said.

Wolk is among nine other senators, all Democrats, to receive a 100 percent, including Mark DeSaulnier, Christine Kehoe, Mark Leno, Carol Liu, Alan Lowenthal, Fran Pavley, Darrell Steinberg and Pat Wiggins.

Yamada said her background as a social worker often has her rooting for the underdog.

“I am proud of my background in consumer rights,“ Yamada said. “My core ethics have me working for those most vulnerable.“

The CFC aims to protect the rights of consumers. Founded in 1960, the CFC is a non-profit organization that stresses placement of consumer protection before the profit of corporations and businesses. Some of their recent issues include protecting consumer financial privacy, enabling patients to sue HMO’s for denial of care, creating cell phone users‘ rights and strengthening food safety laws.

The scorecard can provide crucial information to voters, said CFC Executive Director Richard Holober.

“The CFC is the only consumer-focused organization that provides such a scorecard on a consistent basis,“ he said. “Voters can look at how their lawmaker is voting on a range of consumer issues.“

The scorecards have other benefits as well.

“Many bills are introduced in the legislature each year, but very few reach the mainstream news media. Releasing scorecards helps to draw attention to bills that might not otherwise get much press,“ said Kristen Vicedomini, research director for Project Vote Smart, a non-partisan group comprised mainly of volunteers.

The CFC scorecard can keep legislators mindful of their voting record when voting on numerous bills in a short period of time.

“The pace becomes frenzied,“ says Holober. “Legislators begin voting on bills by the dozen, thus the scorecard is designed to let the public and the legislatures see how they are voting.“

The scorecard stresses accountability. Vicedomini says that voters keep an eye on those who represent them in the government throughout the year, not just on Election Day.

“Scorecards help to reinforce the idea that the actions of our representatives need to be watched and evaluated,“ Vicedomini said.

Because of its strong consumer stance, the CFC has often faced accusations of being “anti-business.“

To these accusations, Holober says that regardless of a position on business, consumer protection is a priority.

“Businesses have to be kept honest,“ said Holober. “Anti-consumer tactics make is harder for ethical business to stay in business.“

With the end of the legislative year soon approaching, Yamada said she is looking forward to seeing her record as a whole.

Currently, Yamada is working on several bills, some dealing with consumer rights, notably, AB 647, which seeks to make vehicle registration information available to the public.

Wolk has a long list of achievements under her belt. She has been a long-time champion for the protection of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, one of the few inverted river deltas in the world. She serves as the chair of the Select Committees on Delta Stewardship and Sustainability, and states among her work, the protection of the Delta is important.

“I want to see the Delta survive,“ says Wolk.

A few of her other projects include attaining reverse mortgage to help seniors, budget reform to prevent unnecessary cuts in funding and legislature to help protect California parks.

ANA QUIROZ can be reached at city@theaggie.org. XXX

Sacramento will soon be transforming a dull parking lot into a bustling mini-park called Presley Park.

PARK(ing) Day this year will take place on Friday, Sept. 18th on the intersection of J Street and 20th Street in downtown Sacramento.

People will begin setting up at 6:30 a.m. and the event will continue until 6:00 p.m., with citizens and activists working together to transform ordinary parking spots into small community parks, complete with trees, grass, benches and music performers.

Rebar, a San Francisco art collective, created the annual national event in 2005. The event soon exploded across San Francisco and the rest of the country, with as many as 500 PARKs in over 100 cities on four continents last year.

Eric Fredericks began organizing Sacramento’s own PARK(ing) Day in September 2007. Around this time, 70 percent of Sacramento’s public land was dedicated to parking, while only 8 percent was allotted to parks.

“It’s amazing to think what you can do with all the space, when you consider that each parking space is about the size of a small bedroom,” Fredericks said. “The sheer quantity of parking spaces out there could be used for so much.“

PARK(ing) Day organizers are a group of environmentally-inclined people, meaning that the event is a non-commercial project with no formal sponsor. Citizens working on the project hope to promote environmental awareness and stir debate about current environmental issues, namely the use of public urban space.

“We stand at a singular time in history, where climatic changes demonstrate to us our profound and undeniable impact on the natural environment,” said Matthew Passmore, one of the founding artists of Rebar. “The system of trans-global capital has collapsed, leaving this is an incredibly opportune moment to rethink the way our cities are created and to re-examine whose values are served by the processes urban spatial formation.“

Volunteers helping to organize PARK(ing) Day hope to get across a similar message.

“A park constructed in a parking spot in the middle of a busy street is bound to attract attention. Hopefully it will also provoke people to think about their environment and how they interact with the space around them in a different way,” said Laura Rubin, an assistant planner of PARK(ing) Day.

In addition to promoting awareness, PARK(ing) Day will serve as a traffic calmer, encouraging less speeding and more respect for people sharing space.

Rubin said that based on last year’s success, it is likely that this year’s PARK(ing) Day will draw in a large crowd that can take away something meaningful from the event.

“I want people to realize how easy it is to build a sense of community with such a simple thing as a park,” said Rubin.

Fredericks encourages UC Davis students to set up a PARK(ing) Day event in Davis, and said it would be a good location because of its environmental and agricultural friendliness.

ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at city@theaggie.org. XXX