Today, California Senate Bill 439, which would regulate medical marijuana shops, passed the Senate Committee and is heading to the Assembly. This bill provides that a cooperative, collective or other business entity that operates within the Attorney General’s “Guidelines for the Security and Non-Diversion of Marijuana Grown for Medical Use” will not be subject to prosecution for marijuana possession or commerce. Senate Bill 439 was introduced by Senator Darrell Steinberg, Senate President pro Tem, with the support the ACLU, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the Mayors of Sacramento and San Diego, among others, seeking to ... Read More >
May 17
CA Assembly Bill 188 of 2013 affects commercial property change of ownership under Proposition 13
Assembly Bill 188 proposes to revise California Proposition 13’s circumstances under which a “change in ownership” of real property owned by a legal entity is deemed to have occurred by closing a commercial property tax loophole to more accurately reflect when change of ownership takes place, thus recovering lost tax revenue. On May 13th, the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxationplaced this bill in suspense, perhaps stalling it permanently. This Committee’s analysis noted the following statements by the author of Assembly Bill 188, Assembly member Tom Ammiano: “California's current system for assessing and taxing property, as ... Read More >
May 14
CALIFORNIA INDUSTRIAL WELFARE COMMISSION WAGE ORDERS – Spring, 2013 Engrossment
California Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders For over 20 years, Legislative Intent Service has been researching California Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders. Our massive, in-house collection includes thousands of pages of minutes, transcripts, correspondence and other rulemaking documents regarding wage order provisions, many of which predate World War II or were enacted shortly thereafter. What is a Wage Order? If you’re reading this in California, you’ve probably seen it: the “official notice” in your break room with the state seal. Unless you practice labor and employment law, you probably haven’t given this 10-12 page ... Read More >
May 10
False 911 Reports, “Swatting” Ban in CA SB 333
California Senate Bill 333 was introduced by Senator Ted Lieu of Torrance, CA to address the near-epidemic proportions of “swatting” recently in the Southern California area. “Swatting” occurs when false reports of threats or invaders in the homes of numerous residents are made. The locations for the latest hoax of 911 calls come from Los Angeles and Beverly Hills and include victims such as Simon Cowell, Charlie Sheen, and Justin Bieber, among others. Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Senate Bill 333 provides that any individual convicted of filing a false emergency report, i.e., “swatting,” is liable to a public ... Read More >
May 9
California Minimum Wage Annual Adjustment – CA AB 10 of 2013
An increase to the minimum wage is being proposed by California Assembly Bill 10, authored by Assembly member Luis Alejo of Salinas, CA. Assembly member Alejo seeks to increase the current $8.00 per hour minimum wage to not less than $8.25 per hour. Furthermore, this bill would increase the minimum wage after January 1, 2015 to not less than $8.75 per hour. Finally, on January 1, 2016, California Assembly Bill 10 would increase the minimum wage to not less than $9.25 per hour. The adjustment would begin on January 1, 2017 and these minimum wage increases would continue annually thereafter. The existing federal law under the Fair Labor ... Read More >
May 8
California Senate Bill 501 of 2013 – Social Networking Privacy Bill
California Senate Bill 501, a social networking privacy bill, was introduced by Senator Ellen Corbett, California Senate Majority Leader, to add § § 60 to 65 to the Civil Code and enact the “Social Networking Privacy Act." As last amended on April 30th, Senate Bill 501 would require a social networking Internet Web site, as defined, to remove the personal identifying information, as defined, of any registered user, as defined, within 96 hours after his/her request and also require the removal of that information in that same manner regarding a user under 18 years of age upon request by the user's parent or legal guardian. The bill would ... Read More >