Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Cazadero is an unincorporated town in western Sonoma County, California, United States with a population of 2,347. Nearby towns include Jenner, Annapolis, Stewart's Point, Duncans Mills, Villa Grande, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio, and The Sea Ranch. The downtown of Cazadero is quite modest, consisting of two churches, a general store, a post office, a hardware store, an auto repair garage, the well equipped main station of the Cazadero Volunteer Fire Department and a few homes. Cazadero is generally regarded as the area from the confluence of Austin Creek and the Russian River along California State Route 116 along the Cazadero Highway up to the town. Cazadero Highway roughly parallels Austin Creek which is a principal tributary of the lower Russian River. Austin Creek flows southward through the town. Just north of the town, Cazadero Highway is joined by Fort Ross Road which is a winding, narrow road which meanders west before reaching State Route 1 on the Pacific Ocean near an old fort established by the Russian trappers in the 19th century. Located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, Cazadero can also be considered part of the Wine Country. Flowers Vineyard and Winery is in Cazadero. Cazadero is approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the Pacific Ocean, the rugged Sonoma Coast and the mouth of the Russian River.