Legal Alert: How do you manage WFH in today’s world?
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 reevaluating the way they work. Some may determine that a remote model is preferable, but what are the legal impacts? There are key policies, such as time tracking and ADA compliance, that should be evaluated. What legal considerations need to honored in a work-from-home environment? To [...]
Housing Bills To Watch This Legislative Session
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 would authorize local jurisdictions to update the zoning on any parcel to up to 10 units per parcel if the parcel is transit rich, jobs rich, or in an urban infill area. Local jurisdictions could adopt such an ordinance notwithstanding local restrictions, including restrictions enacted by [...]
Legal Alert: California Fair Housing Law and the Novel Coronavirus
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 their adult children to an existing lease? What rights and responsibilities does a landlord have if they learn that one of their tenants is infected? Can a landlord require tenants to tell them they are or think they have been infected? What Are California's Fair [...]
Legal Alert: A Guide to Issues with Residential and Commercial Tenancies Caused by COVID-19, For Landlords and Tenants
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 ban evictions for non-payment of rent if the tenant can prove their financial hardship was caused by the pandemic. Both the City and County of Santa Barbara have enacted such bans within the last week. What the Ordinances Do In both residential and commercial contexts, [...]
Legal Alert: Payroll Protection Loans for Small Business Available in New Stimulus Bill
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 loans" will be made available through the 1800 banks nationwide that are already SBA-certified lenders and offered funding for 2.5X a business's average monthly payroll, rent, interest expense, and utility payments -- up to a $10 million maximum loan amount. Your business must have less [...]
Legal Alert: California Stay at Home Order – Information for Landlords and Property Managers
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 the question of what this means for landlords and property managers that need to keep residential properties operational for the residents, as well as operating commercial properties that house other critical businesses. The "commercial facilities sector" is one of the sixteen sectors identified in a [...]