GUEST COLUMNS
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
The IRS has been hunting crypto hard for more than five years now, and the pace is getting faster.
By any standard, California is experiencing one of its periodic droughts after two successive years of below-normal precipitation.
For once-in-a-hundred-year events such as the pandemic — with uncertainty over the solution to the crisis and even its duration — the act's scheme leaves little option for adoption of hazard pay without full agreement of the employer.
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Last week, California's top legislative leaders unveiled a plan to spend more than half a billion dollars on efforts aimed at protecting the state from catastrophic wildfires.
Monday, April 12, 2021
Most states are following the extended federal deadlines, and a few have adopted even more generous extensions. But the IRS has not postponed the deadline for making estimated tax payments for this year's first quarter.
Friday, April 9, 2021
In the years leading up to the pandemic, many high-profile allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination were in the headlines, typically relating to attorney compensation and promotions. While the pandemic has certainly dominated all stories over the past year, the scourge of harassment and discrimination remains a vital issue for law firms.
Saving for retirement is never easy, but women in particular can face unique challenges.
Music venues, motion picture theaters and museums decimated by COVID-19 restrictions received a boost last month when the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Last week, a group of youth leaders from Richmond met over Zoom to discuss their visions for community resilience to climate change.
On March 26, MSCHF's collaboration with Lil Nas X to produce "Satan Shoes" was announced via Twitter — and caught the attention of the media and Nike. Promoted in a tweet for their unique design of incorporating authentic Nike Air Max '97, with 60 cc ink and one drop of human blood, MSCHF announced it would be selling a numbered drop of 666 shoes (the devil's number) at the price of $1,018 each beginning March 29.
Joel Lopez died of COVID this January. Apart from his wife Maria and his 2-year-old daughter Julieta, few people noticed. I did. For me, Joel was the living embodiment of why some of us love practicing criminal defense. I had the privilege of representing Joel for 23 years. During those years, Joel and I suffered wins and losses, but we never gave up trying. That is our story, and I want to share it.
Finding Google's copying a fair use, the Supreme Court ended Oracle's decade-long attempt to recover copyright damages.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
In this era of ideological polarization and perpetual partisan warfare, it's difficult to grasp the collegial, bipartisan ambience that once prevailed in California's Senate.
Time was not on John Metzger's side. The 72-year-old Californian was seeking justice after being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a terminal cancer he developed after years of exposure to asbestos through his work as a laborer in the oil industry.
On March 30, the federal court in California Chamber of Commerce v. Becerra issued a preliminary injunction enjoining Proposition 65 acrylamide cancer warnings for foods, holding that such warnings violate the First Amendment.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Two dozen state legislatures are considering bills on financial-literacy education, an unusually high number, proponents say.
Study spaces: In a typical school year, they're everywhere. College students can hit the books in their dorm rooms, head to the library or settle in at a local coffee shop.
Long before he watched the windup to the first pitch, even before he entered the Oakland Coliseum, Sergio Santillan of Hayward was already feeling emotional.
Gov. Gavin Newsom got some good news last week with a new statewide poll indicating that just 40% of California voters would support a recall were the election to be held now.
Monday, April 5, 2021
We learned recently about the tragic loss of Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Navy veteran and Antioch resident who died after family members called 911, hoping to get him help.
San Francisco Bay's life support systems are unravelling quickly, and a wealth of science indicates that unsustainable water diversions are driving this estuary's demise.
Just as the Biden administration is pushing to raise taxes on corporations, a new study finds that at least 55 of America's largest firms paid no taxes last year on billions of dollars in profits.
Friday, April 2, 2021
Disrupting the health care status quo takes courage. Recently, Assemblymember Jim Wood, who chairs the Health Committee, stood up boldly for a statewide infrastructure for sharing health data to strengthen public health, improve equity, transform Medi-Cal, and improve the quality and affordability of health services.
On March 24, the 9th Circuit sitting en banc affirmed the district court's dismissal of a Second Amendment lawsuit challenging Hawaii's licensing law, which requires that residents seeking a license to openly carry a firearm in public must demonstrate "the urgency or the need" to carry a firearm and that the applicant be actively "engaged in the protection of life and property" when openly carrying a firearm.
On March 19, San Francisco Mayor London Breed signed the "COVID-Related Hazard Pay Ordinance." The ordinance became effective March 22 and requires "General Grocery, Specialty Grocery, or Pharmacy" businesses to pay their San Francisco employees an additional $5 per hour until the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended.
Should successful plaintiffs pay taxes on legal fees they never receive? It sounds like a silly question, especially in consumer cases where consumer protection statutes give extra protection to plaintiffs, calling for defendants to pay legal fees.
Life in California feels as if it is finally returning to normal.
Last month, a motion was introduced with the Los Angeles City Council that has the power to implement real, lasting change for young people and the city.
One of California's perpetual political conflicts may be heating up again, which requires some background to understand because it is so convoluted.
Thursday, April 1, 2021
When the first European explorers arrived in California's Central Valley, they found a vast mosaic of seasonal and permanent wetlands, as well as oak woodlands and riparian forests. What remains of those wetlands are still the backbone of the Pacific Flyway; along with flooded agricultural fields, they support millions of migrating waterbirds each year.
The Ninth Circuit recently considered an issue of first impression: What standard of review does an appellate court apply when reviewing a district court's grant of summary judgment in a trademark infringement case on the equitable basis of the unclean hands doctrine.
Last summer, failures and heat exhaustion at gas power plants contributed to California's first non-wildfire related blackout in 19 years. In the days following, when temperatures remained brutally high and California's power supply remained dangerously low, Southern California Edison and its customers united to move 4,000 megawatts of demand off of the grid, preventing further blackouts.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Two years ago, CalMatters housing writer Matt Levin described a factory in Vallejo that was building housing modules that could quickly — and relatively inexpensively — be assembled into multi-story apartment houses.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Last year, Ariele Doolittle, a tax lawyer, got a call from a client who lived and worked in New York but was considering working remotely from California temporarily after his offices were shuttered in the pandemic.
Monday, March 29, 2021
A series of key decisions await Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state heads back into a potential drought. So this seems like the right moment to review what happened last time: Water was prioritized for big agriculture at the expense of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, endangered species and California communities.
California law imposes various requirements on employers who hire minors. In addition to rules regarding the use of certain equipment (such as knives and balers) and requiring school-approved work permits, as of January 1, 2021, public and private sector employers with five or more employees must comply with Assembly Bill ("AB") 1963.
One patient recovering from COVID-19 finally started eating after a family member was allowed to bring home-cooked meals to a hospital in Fresno. Another patient's racing heart calmed at a hospital in Monterey when a relative was allowed inside.
Standing on the beach, the giant blades of an offshore wind turbine 20 miles off the coast appear miniscule – a white pinprick floating on the blue horizon. But up close, the turbines are massive – taller, sometimes, than the Washington Monument and with blades that can span the length of a football field.
Faced with a looming recall threat, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday nominated Assemblymember Rob Bonta as California's next attorney general, handing one of the state's most powerful offices to a trusted political ally who will make history as the first Filipino American to hold the position.
Friday, March 26, 2021
If you are paying more attention to how your lifestyle decisions may impact the planet or your community, you can apply the same perspective to your investments. An increasingly popular investment strategy is known as environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. It allows you to focus your investments in ways that are designed to generate a more meaningful impact beyond dollars and cents.
During the last cataclysmic recession, California's state government was forced to cleave billions from its budget to close an historic deficit.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
The young California condor stood patiently in a makeshift field laboratory, tolerating the team of biologists taking a blood sample to test for lead poisoning.
The quarterback drops back to pass, spots a receiver and cocks his arm to throw, but the football slips out of his hand, a lineman from the other team snatches up the loose ball and runs for a touchdown.
The validity of a United States patent can be challenged in federal court litigation. Patents can also be challenged in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which, in most cases, is a quicker and less costly process.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
For almost a decade, much has been done in California around election reforms, with measures put in place to help make the election process more accessible and to boost participation among historically underrepresented groups and communities of color.
Dan Walters raises some provocative questions about Gov. Gavin Newsom's State of the State address at an empty Dodger Stadium.
California's senior U.S. senator is once again in the center of a media maelstrom — or feeding frenzy — over whether she'll serve out the remaining four years of her current term.
Each year, we look at our progress toward this benchmark. We ask ourselves – is our state doing enough to fight the climate crisis and create a more just future?
An affordable housing crisis has long afflicted the Coachella Valley. Even before the pandemic devastated our local economy, more than a third of renters spent more than half their income keeping a roof over their heads.
I am a California resident, happy beyond measure to work as a writer and sheep shearer. I own West By Midwest, a registered business in San Francisco. I file taxes as a sole proprietor using a federal Employer Identification Number. I receive 1099s – not W2s – from my clients. I am neither an Uber driver nor an abused worker in any way.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Abraham Sanchez knew exactly how he wanted to spend his stimulus check.
Let's assume that your rich Uncle Harry died and when his will was read, he had left you $50,000.
Monday, March 22, 2021
At the start of the pandemic, Brandon McCall's two tenants ran into financial trouble. One had surgery, and went on disability, which tightened his purse strings.
As Tax Day approaches, an underused part of many health care plans could offer a chance to significantly reduce your tax bill.
Friday, March 19, 2021
As California's schools prepare to reopen, protecting childrens' health must be a top priority. One surprising way to achieve this, along with rigorous COVID-19 protocols, is to make school food more accessible and healthful. Two bills in the state Legislature provide a booster shot in that direction.
It's a minor miracle that anyone can live in San Francisco on a $900 a month Social Security check, but Freddie Persons – a 75-year-old retiree – has survived times with his belt far tighter.
A majority of California's largest school districts plan on bringing students and teachers back on campuses by early April, even as local officials grapple with state social distancing requirements they say are unclear and limit kids' in-person options.
To counter COVID-19, Newsom ordered widespread shutdowns of businesses, particularly small service businesses such as restaurants, thus forcing layoffs of employees — as many as 2 million at one point.
California's electricity prices are among the highest in the country, new research says, and those costs are falling disproportionately on a customer base that's already struggling to pay their bills.
We're facing another very dry year, which follows one of the driest on record for Northern California and one of the hottest on record statewide.
If a person close to you has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, it may be time to address some serious financial questions.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Carolina Navarro is out of work, hasn't paid rent in three months, and has been watching her utility bills slowly pile up.
"Nearly half of California adolescents report mental health difficulties," headlines a UCLA School of Public Health press release publicizing their latest report – one that really shows authorities are failing modern young people with dubious measures that offer diminishing insights.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's belated State of the State address last week was fundamentally a self-administered pat on the back for handling the COVID-19 pandemic, refuting the "nay-sayers and dooms-dayers" who want him recalled. Newsom's cavalcade of accomplishments prominently featured California's rollout of vaccinations against the deadly infection that began late last year.
California is poised to issue the world's first guidelines for microplastics in drinking water despite no data on how plentiful they are in the state, no scientific agreement on how to test water for them and little research on their health risks.
On March 16, 2021, U.S. Circuit Judge Evan J. Wallach for the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals announced he plans to take senior status on May 31, 2021.
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
With the nation at war in 1944, tunesmiths Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer wrote an uplifting song for a morale-building movie, "Here Come the Waves."
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
When the coronavirus pandemic ripped a hole in the economy a year ago, many feared that the United States would repeat the experience of the last recession, when a timid and short-lived government response, in the view of many experts, led to years of high unemployment and anemic wage growth.
Monday, March 15, 2021
This past year may have been one of the most complicated tax seasons ever, but there are also recent updates that may affect your taxes when you file your return next year.
When George Gascón became district attorney of Los Angeles County, he directed his prosecutors to seek the dismissal of almost all three strikes, gun, gang and other so-called sentencing enhancements.
In our practice advising California law firms, one of the questions we hear most often from our clients, in some form or another, is: What is a law firm worth? This is an important question because, for many lawyers, their interests in their law firms can be among the most valuable assets they own.
As President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion virus relief package heads to the Oval Office for his signature, the mammoth spending bill has the potential to reduce child poverty in the Golden State by half.
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