California is currently home to over 2 million veterans and large numbers of elder veterans, who are often targeted by unscrupulous businesses and individuals using military insignia and patriotic logos to get to their pensions, retirement assets, Social Security, or property. Various interested stakeholders, which included the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America and California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, sponsored CA SB 272 of 2013 to restrict the use of military or government terms, symbols, and content that reasonably could be interpreted or construed as implying a connection, approval, or endorsement of any ... Read More >
Nov 23
California’s new Olive Oil Commission
When Gov. Brown signed Senate Bill 250 in 2013 into law, he enacted California's Olive Oil Commission and with it all of the accompanying bureaucratic components, such as membership, board of directors, and creation of quality standards. California produces 99% of the olives grown in the United States. According to the California Olive Oil Council, there are over 400 growers on approximately 30,000 acres dedicated to the production of olive oil. With over 50 varieties of olives grown in California, it is estimated that the 2013 harvest will produce over 2.4 million gallons of oil. According Senator Wolk, California's olive oil industry ... Read More >
Nov 23
2013 Compendium of Notable California Legislation
LIS has published its annual Compendium of notable California legislation for 2013 at http://www.legintent.com/legislation/legislation2013.pdf The Compendium is not exhaustive, but it does reflect some of the major bills that were reported on in our California newspapers and were supported or opposed by some of California’s more established stakeholders, such as the League of California Cities, the California Teachers Association, California Manufacturers and Technology, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and the California State Bar. California has been enacting laws since 1850, when it became a state, and at Legislative Intent ... Read More >
Jul 31
CA SENATE BILL 520 SUPPORTS ONLINE COURSES FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
California Senate pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg is carrying CA Senate Bill 520 through the Legislature to amend Education Code provisions relating to student instruction to create an incentive grant program to assist faculty and individual campuses of the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and the California Community Colleges (CCC), to provide increased opportunities for students to take online courses. In a statement posted at his website, Senator Steinberg offered the following rationale for the proposals in SB 520: “The need for this online lifeline for students is critical,” said Steinberg. Last ... Read More >
Jul 31
CA SB 131 To Extend Statute of Limitations for Claims of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Senators Jim Beall and Ricardo Lara are lead authors of California Senate Bill 131 to amend California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.1 relating to childhood sexual abuse, statute of limitations and damages. SB 131 proposes to extend the statute of limitations in limited instances for civil actions involving childhood sexual abuse, as follows: Would retroactively apply the current statute of limitations for the commencement of civil actions against third parties regarding recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse, which is eight years after the plaintiff reaches majority (i.e., 26 years of age) or within three ... Read More >
Jul 17
Limousines Catching Fire Targeted by CA Senate Bill 338
Senator Jerry Hill introduced California Senate Bill 338 to require owners of limousines offered for hire in California to equip their limousines with two fire extinguishers, one in the drivers' compartment and one in the passenger cabin. Senator Hill carried SB 338 after an incident that occurred on May 5, 2013, in which a limousine caught fire while traveling on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge over the San Francisco Bay. That limousine was carrying nine passengers. The driver escaped unharmed and four of the passengers escaped through the driver's partition. The five other passengers died in the blaze. Senator Hill asserted that the ... Read More >
Jul 17
California Considering Fracking bill – Senate Bill 4
Senator Fran Pavley, representing portions of Ventura County that include Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, and Westlake Village, has introduced Senate Bill 4 to establish a comprehensive regulatory program for oil and gas well stimulation treatments (e.g., hydraulic fracturing), which includes, among other things, a study, the development of regulations, a permitting process, and public notification and disclosure. The SB 4 analysis of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources explained that hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. fracking) is a form of well stimulation used to obtain oil and natural gas in areas where those ... Read More >
Jul 17
LIS Online Store Legislative Histories
Shopping on Main Street has never been easier for attorneys seeking quick and inexpensive access to legislative history materials. LIS legislative history compilations have been lauded by clients and courts for their complete gathering of California bill materials. Now, LIS’ previous compilations of legislative history materials are posted to our online store. At our online store, you will have, in a matter of a few minutes, 24/7, the following: All versions of the bill (introduced and amended) Chaptered version of the bill Final history Plus the following materials we searched for when we previously accomplished ... Read More >
Jul 3
Legislative Intent Service Meets the Research Needs of Law Firms and Offices
Today’s “Big Law” and “Medium Law” firms are transitioning into their professional futures by focusing on specific areas of practice and by limiting their in-house staffing and counsel, among other major changes to the practice of law. Whether your practice is national or state-wide, Legislative Intent Service, Inc. [“LIS”] is a legislative history and intent research law firm that can assist this transition into the new world facing old and new law practices. Areas of Practice: At LIS, we have researched almost every area of law, from civil, civil procedure, business, family and insurance to penal, probate, water, and vehicle, just to ... Read More >
Jun 27
Legislative Analysis of California Statutes
Legislative analysis of legislative history materials begins with a fundamental rule: to construe or interpret a statute, the court’s primary objective is to determine the legislative intent of the enactment; all other rules of construction yield to this rule. When the text of a statute is unambiguous and provides a clear answer, the courts generally go no further than that text. However, when a statute’s language supports multiple interpretations, then California law permits resort to extrinsic sources to ascertain legislative intent. This includes the legislative history and administrative interpretations of the language. While laws in ... Read More >