October 2020 It’s the time of year that we try to update you on the new laws affecting employers in the State of California. The legislative session has completed and the Governor has now either signed or vetoed all the bills sent to his desk. Below is an attempted summary of key bills for employees [...]
Santa Barbara County moves into the red tier allowing more businesses to open and for some to include indoor operations, with modifications. The County of Santa Barbara’s Public Health Department announced that Santa Barbara now qualifies for red tier status after two consecutive weeks of meeting its rolling average. Gyms, movie theaters, personal care services [...]
Change Will Open the Private Securities Markets to More Participants August 2020 The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to the SEC rules which expand the definition of who will qualify as an “accredited investor.” Historically, individuals have been required to meet minimum requirements for either income ($200,000) or net worth ($1,000,000) before they can [...]
July 2020 When private parties are unable to resolve a business dispute, they can file a lawsuit to have the dispute resolved by the civil branch of either our state or federal court systems. The civil litigation process can be bewildering to non-lawyers, since it is full of terminology and processes that aren't used [...]
July 2020 Working from home used to be a flexible option provided to employees by some employers, but was definitely not a mandate. With the current coronavirus pandemic, a shift has been made that makes remote working not only an option, but in some cases, a requirement. As businesses reopen, employers and employees are [...]
June 2020 The California legislature has spent the last four years passing sweeping housing bills in an effort to make a dent in the State's severe housing shortage and 2020 may prove no different. Here are the housing bills to watch for the remainder of this legislative session: SB 902 (Weiner) - This bill [...]
April 2020 California landlords are facing a host of issues caused by the Novel Coronavirus, two of which directly impact California's robust fair housing framework: Due to either medical risks or economic conditions, young adults are moving back in with their parents at unprecedented rates. Does a landlord have to allow parent-tenants to add [...]
March 2020 On March 16 Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-28-20, which provided both guidance and enforcement mechanisms for local municipalities to prevent a possibly rapid increase in evictions and foreclosures arising out of the economic damage caused by of COVID-19. Most importantly, the Executive Order gave authority to California cities and counties to [...]
March 2020 Following up on our recent client alerts about SARS-Cov-2 disaster relief for small businesses, one of the brightest spots for small businesses in the latest (third if you're keeping score) federal stimulus package, which was enacted March 27 as the 'CARES Act," are emergency Small Business Administration 7(a) loans. These "payroll protection [...]
On March 19, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom issued an order directing: "all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure sectors...." The order includes potential misdemeanor penalties for violating the restrictions, and raises [...]