Inter-City Express

GUEST COLUMNS

California orders vaccine or testing for health care workers, state employees

Amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that health care workers and state employees must be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing and wear masks.

Taylor Swift keeps fighting the "players" and the "haters"

In December 2019, Scott Hervey wrote about the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Taylor Swift by the writers of the song "Playas Gon' Play."

The Golden Gate Bridge: a legal history

San Francisco teems with icons: Alcatraz, cable cars, the Transamerica Pyramid. The greatest is the Golden Gate Bridge, an engineering and aesthetic marvel.

California educators battle over woke math

From balancing a checkbook to calculating rocket trajectories, human beings rely on their ability to understand and use mathematical tools, and we expect our schools to develop those tools in their young charges.

4 needed reforms of state's recall election rules

Once the $276 million (in taxpayer funds) gubernatorial recall is mercifully over in September, the Democratically controlled Legislature needs to seriously address deficiencies in the recall process.

Ruling: Criminal defense attorneys must provide detailed, up-to-date immigration advice to clients

A recent appellate ruling may come as a surprise to the defense bar, which might have assumed that general, even categorical, warnings to clients taking plea deals that their convictions "will have the consequence of deportation" would satisfy the requirement to provide competent immigration advice.

Could crime surge push Newsom recall?

Those who want voters to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom joined crime victim advocates at the state Capitol last Tuesday to accuse the governor of being too lenient on lawbreakers as the state experiences a new wave of crime.

Latinos must have a voice during redistricting process

Across the country, states will begin redrawing their political districts based on population data collected from the 2020 Census in a process known as redistricting.

How to help protect your school from ransomware attacks

From potential fires to active shooters, schools usually have a plan for emergencies. Tasked with guarding society's youngest members, administrators don't usually leave a lot to chance.

For 3.5 million California families, jobs don't cover high cost of living

A new cost-of-living study reveals a hard truth that millions of Californians now face: In many parts of the Golden State, having a job is far from enough to ensure financial stability.

Return to office hits a snag: young resisters

David Gross, an executive at a New York-based advertising agency, convened the troops over Zoom this month to deliver a message he and his fellow partners were eager to share: It was time to think about coming back to the office.

Taxpayers, not employers, should pay down EDD debt

In response to the pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom took a bold step to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and save lives by ordering large sectors of California's economy closed. Millions of Californians suddenly hit the unemployment lines, and the state's unemployment insurance fund began distributing unprecedented sums of benefits.

How California schools are fighting ransomware attacks

Schools aren't exactly known for their expansive budgets.

City councils should be able to increase housing supply

California's bizarre and dysfunctional housing politics have hit a new low. An unassuming bill that would allow (not require) cities to rezone transit-accessible parcels for small housing projects without the expensive studies usually mandated by the California Environmental Quality Act is being portrayed as an unconstitutional assault on democracy itself.

Forever chemicals: California unveils health goals for contaminated drinking water

California took a major step today towards regulating dangerous "forever chemicals" in drinking water by proposing new health limits for two of the most pervasive contaminants.

Workers' financial stress is rising. Can corporate programs help?

Soni Kapoor wanted to stay ahead of the game on his personal finances and retirement planning.

Recent developments in the right of privacy

A dressing room invasion and a dispute between neighbors are the subjects of recent appellate decisions.

Thieves are stealing California's scarce water. Where's it going? Illegal marijuana farms

One day last spring, water pressure in pipelines suddenly crashed In the Antelope Valley, setting off alarms.

Three growing crises could affect Newsom recall

In many ways, the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is evolving just as Newsom hoped it would.

Britney's conservatorship saga part of complex issue

Californians must change the debate about conservatorship and focus on the people and their families who are waiting for real reform.

The financial side of being a caregiver | Personal Economy | By Ryan Onishi

One in five Americans are currently unpaid caregivers, and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number is on the rise.

Don't film so close to me: Can copyrighted music keep vids of police encounters off the internet?

Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of news articles and stories about police officers playing popular music during a citizen/officer interaction that is being filmed by the citizen.

Seismic-safety mandates and deadlines for hospitals need to stay in place

The horrifying collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Florida last month that killed at least 95 people is a reminder of how frail a seemingly sturdy structure can suddenly become.

Will DaVita's indictment alter its political spending?

Federal conspiracy charges against dialysis giant DaVita and its former CEO have cast one of Sacramento's biggest political spenders in an unflattering light.

UC tuition hike: Regents to vote on 'forever' increase

Get ready for whiplash: After receiving $1.3 billion in new money from lawmakers this year, the University of California now wants to raise tuition on each incoming undergraduate class. Every year. Indefinitely.

Great LA Times malpractice exposé has odd omission

Last week, the Los Angeles Times published a damning article about the state agency that is supposed to police California's physicians.

State will pay off $2B to avoid utility shutoffs

Two years ago the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off electricity at Will Hollman's home in the San Fernando Valley, forcing the family to rely on a gasoline generator.

In fighting climate change, what's an individual to do?

Climate change can seem like such an enormous problem that individual actions would have little impact. Consider Europe's wide-ranging proposals this week to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, including eliminating sales of new gas- and diesel-powered cars in the next 14 years.

Curb spread of fentanyl — have DAs put dealers on notice

There is a silent assassin roaming the streets of California and targeting our children and young adults. This assassin does not see race, ethnicity, religion, party affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or income — it is an equal-opportunity, lethal killer. The synthetic opioid fentanyl has murdered thousands of Californians a year.

Californians will adapt to drought, as we always have

We are a bit better prepared for this drought than for the 2012-2016 drought, but Californians, individually and collectively, will always need to expect and prepare for drought.

Latest 'menstrual equity' bill would require California's public colleges to provide period products

Similar campus initiatives across California have come and gone. With many students still recovering from the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, Leung says now is the time for legislative action.

California schools face ransomware threat

While incidents like the Colonial pipeline ransomware attack and the Kaseya attack received international attention, schools and universities have also been on the wrong end of cybercriminals.

Before deciding which insurance plan to use, health experts say, students and families should research and compare plans to see which option offers accessible care at the most affordable cost.

Will bullet train survive budget wrangle?

Using a singular noun "budget" no longer describes the tortuous process by which the governor and state legislators decide how to spend the state's money.

Low-wage workers in state can't afford to take family leave

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego County, authored a bill this year to increase that percentage — making it more realistic for low-income earners to use the leave that they're required to fund with 1.2% of every paycheck.

California should help fund local water resilience projects

On July 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded two earlier drought emergency declarations to cover 50 of the state's 58 counties.

California lacks timely data on who goes to college; statewide data system could change that

The state's paltry public data on high schoolers going to college is the result of one-time funds from 2017-18, not an integrated data system with regular updates.

The financial realities of IVF and adoption

If you are considering your options to expand your family, it's important to understand the associated financial realities and develop a plan to deal with them.

Investing in Latinas is investing in the future

Now more than ever, we need comprehensive social policies designed to help the women and children most affected by inequity but least represented in government relief and recovery efforts.

Senate Bill 10 threatens California's initiative process

Packaged as yet another silver bullet to California's housing crisis, SB 10 is aimed at increasing housing supply in areas that are already developed; however, loopholes could still allow building in undeveloped areas.

California has a segregation problem

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area, the study found, is the nation's sixth most segregated region of 200,000 residents or more.

Supreme Court decision could mean increase in labor trafficking of farmworkers

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, California is one of the most prominent sites of human trafficking in the U.S. In 2018, of the nearly 11,000 cases reported nationally, more than 1,600 came from California. About 150 of those cases were reports of labor trafficking.

What to know about $300 monthly child tax payments

Monthly $300 payments are in the works for California families struggling to make ends meet.

Fixing the Federal Election Commission

Part of the For the People Act (H.R. 1) would attack the FEC's problem of not being able to form a quorum.

Is order safeguarding child tax credit payments good 'law'?

Last month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement to creditors and debt collectors that it would be illegal to seize the federal Child Tax Credit payments for purposes of satisfying individual debts.

The NCAA is not above the law

Last month the Supreme Court affirmed a Northern District of California judgment finding that the NCAA had violated antitrust laws by restricting education-related benefits provided to college football and basketball players.

What happens in your backyard doesn't always stay in your backyard

Loud parties, surveillance cameras and a neighbor dispute? The Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in California was recently faced with these issues in a case involving claims that one neighbor's use of surveillance cameras violated the other neighbor's right to privacy.

Newsom urges residents to cut water use by 15%

As extreme drought claims most of the state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom today asked Californians to voluntarily cut their water use by 15%.

Inside one city's multimillion-dollar effort to convert motels into affordable housing

State-funding efforts to shelter unhoused residents in converted motels could be a game-changer for Motel Drive, an area of Fresno that city leaders say has long been overrun by drugs, human trafficking, and prostitution.

For some people, working from home sped up their decision to retire

For Mona Janochoski, a chemist who ran a laboratory at 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, working from home during the pandemic was the deciding factor.

Have questions about disability income insurance? Here are some answers. | Personal Economy | By Ryan Onishi

Think about the financial impact if you were unable to earn a paycheck for an extended period.

California is betting $61 million that new highway crossings will keep wildlife safe

The project known as the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing is one step closer to happening now that Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a budget that includes $7 million to help build it — and another $54.5 million for similar projects in other parts of the state.

It's a date: Newsom recall election set for Sept. 14

California voters will decide on Sept. 14 whether to throw Gov. Gavin Newsom out of office, making him the second governor in state history — and just the fourth nationwide — to face a recall.

Koch brothers win legal duel with California

This is an apt topic for Independence Day — whether the U.S. Supreme Court struck a blow for privacy and free speech last week or undermined California's justifiable effort to require a controversial (and conservative) political organization to reveal its donors.

Should homeowners pay for climate change?

In hard-hit Napa Valley, which has burned multiple times this last decade, successful winemakers and longtime residents are weighing their options to rebuild or move out entirely simply by looking at their property insurance policies.

Breakthrough COVID is rare in California

About 7,550 out of more than 19.5 million Californians who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have contracted the disease, a minuscule percentage that provides strong evidence of the vaccines' effectiveness, according to state data.

SCOTUS employment law decisions 2020-2021

Since our last annual United States Supreme Court roundup article, the Court issued four decisions that may affect California employers. We summarize these rulings below.

How budget 'trailer bills' get misused

California’s state budget is accompanied by “trailer bills,” which have become vehicles for special interest goodies having little or nothing to do with the budget.

PUC is working against California's climate goals

The California Public Utilities Commission vote against rooftop solar favors utilities over consumers and derails efforts to meet the state’s climate change goals.

Capitalizing on employee stock options | Personal Economy | By Ryan Onishi

If your employer provides you with this benefit, it's important to understand how the employee stock options (ESO) work, and the most effective ways to take advantage of them.

Spears conservatorship just the tip of the iceberg

Unfortunately, the pop star's experience is a common one for people with developmental disabilities or mental illness, whose fundamental life choices are restricted "for their own good."

An entire town is without running water, in a heat wave

This is how California's water crisis is going these days: The only functioning well in the rural community of Teviston broke in early June, leaving more than 700 residents without running water as temperatures in the Central Valley soared to triple-digits in a drought.

Special ed, high-needs students get windfall in budget

California schools are poised to get a record-breaking amount of money in the state budget to help students recover from the 15 months of chaos, virtual classrooms, hybrid schedules and ever-shifting guidance.

Insurance providers should not be playing doctor

As a neurologist, I see patients with chronic medical conditions. While these diseases are not curable, they are treatable with appropriate strategies, including medications that can give patients their best chance at a full and productive life.

Help families electrify homes, cars to reduce energy costs

As of October 1, California ratepayers with overdue utility bills will once again be at risk of disconnection.

Once again, generic computer systems that do routine functions are not patentable!

Patents protect inventions. However, patents protect only certain inventions.

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