GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, April 9, 2021
Last week, a group of youth leaders from Richmond met over Zoom to discuss their visions for community resilience to climate change. Some in high school and others in their 20s, all are members of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network and come from Asian refugee and immigrant families.
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. The battle began between these tech giants when Google designed its Android software platform for mobile devices, such as smartphones.
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.
Thursday, April 8, 2021
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
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.
Two dozen state legislatures are considering bills on financial-literacy education, an unusually high number, proponents say.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, April 5, 2021
One of California's perpetual political conflicts may be heating up again, which requires some background to understand because it is so convoluted.
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.
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.
Friday, April 2, 2021
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.
More than 90% of wetlands in the Central Valley – and throughout California – have disappeared beneath tractors and bulldozers. So it's not surprising that multiple studies show a similar decline in bird populations that depend on them, in California and beyond.
Thursday, April 1, 2021
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.
Before California's housing shortage contributed to a surge in homelessness and tipped median home prices close to $700,000, an obscure state financing agency led by top elected officials had the opportunity over the last decade to help private developers build a trove of affordable housing.
If not for a persistent mail carrier, Lance Hastings might not have discovered all of the fake unemployment claims.
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
The new law designates "human resources employees" and supervisors of minors as "mandated reporters" under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act ("CANRA"). It also requires employers to provide written notice and one-time training for all non-minor employees covered by the Act.
Monday, March 29, 2021
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.
Friday, March 26, 2021
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.
During the last cataclysmic recession, California's state government was forced to cleave billions from its budget to close an historic deficit.
Tens of millions of Californians live and work in buildings that burn natural gas to power their air heating and cooling, hot water and cooking equipment. This energy use in turn causes about 10% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions and substantial amounts of harmful indoor air pollution.
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.
While the relationships among the various levels of American government are often cooperative, always lurking in the background is what one might characterize as a political food chain.
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.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Abraham Sanchez knew exactly how he wanted to spend his stimulus check.
Last December, during the biggest-known COVID-19 workplace outbreak in Fresno County, public health officials said they were investigating Foster Farms' chicken processing plant in southeast Fresno.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
As Tax Day approaches, an underused part of many health care plans could offer a chance to significantly reduce your tax bill.
Monday, March 22, 2021
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.
If a person close to you has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, it may be time to address some serious financial questions. Due to the debilitating nature of Alzheimer's and related forms of dementia on your loved one's ability to make sound financial decisions, the sooner you can get financial matters in order the better.
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.
While boasting about how California — and he — have handled the COVID-19 pandemic in his State of the State address this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom virtually ignored its severe economic impacts, offering only a tepid statement.
Friday, March 19, 2021
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.
Carolina Navarro is out of work, hasn't paid rent in three months, and has been watching her utility bills slowly pile up.
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.
Wednesday, March 17, 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.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
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.
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.
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.
Monday, March 15, 2021
For so many people who love to travel, it's been a tough 12 months since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccines give us hope that the crisis will ease, traveling today still requires careful planning.
With a tradition-busting speech meant to mark the tragedies of the last year while inspiring hope for the future, Gov. Gavin Newsom also worked Tuesday night to shore up support from the Californians who can keep him from being thrown out of office.
If both the common and legal meaning of "gift" are the same, why are gifts given during marriage not always a gift? Because in dissolution proceedings, not all gifts are treated equally. So when is a gift really a gift?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders had a lot of people to thank when they gathered last week to announce the state's plan to reopen public schools. Conspicuously absent from the shout-outs? State schools Supt. Tony Thurmond, California's top education official.
Friday, March 12, 2021
The U.S. economy is poised to stage a strong comeback in post pandemic 2021. The Congressional Budget Office predicts Gross Domestic Product growth of 3.7%. Other indicators such as manufacturing, construction and trades are trending upward.
If recalls followed the rules of a normal California election — the person who wins a majority of the votes wins — then Gov. Gavin Newsom, an incumbent Democrat in a thoroughly Democratic state, would have nothing to worry about.
We recently discussed a new trend in celebrity copyright litigation on our YouTube channel and podcast (The Briefing on YouTube). Specifically, we discussed celebrities taking a stand and defending copyright claims brought by photographers against celebrities who reposted photos on their social media accounts.
California is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots – home to more unique species of plants and animals than any other state in the U.S. This biodiversity makes up the beautiful land and seascapes of the world's fifth-largest economy and sustains our health, cultures and quality of life. Yet it is disappearing at alarming rates.
Independent contractors are excluded from traditional employment benefits such as unemployment insurance, minimum wage standards, workers compensation and protection from discrimination and harassment.
With the vaccine rollout underway, new vaccines coming online and kids returning to schools, there finally appears to be a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, at least for some.
United Teachers Los Angeles' members voted 91%-9% last week to resist a forced return to unsafe schools, with three-quarters of UTLA's 33,000 members participating.
Californians holding out hope for spring baseball games, summer trips to Disneyland and outdoor concerts in the park are in luck.
California's bench of judges and justices is growing more diverse, according to data released this week by the state's governing body for the court system.
New York Times News Service
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies via videoconference before a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies via videoconference before a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.
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