Published Articles

2018

A Checklist of Reporting Obligations for Hazardous Material SpillsOctober 25, 2018Almost every industrial facility has hazardous material on site. Small spills or emissions of that material can trigger immediate reporting obligations. Companies that do business in multiple states face the dual challenge of understanding federal release reporting laws and state laws that could impose additional requirements. Meyers Nave Of Counsel read more

New Safe Sidewalk Vending Act: What Does it Mean for Cities and Counties?October 23, 2018Whether, where, and under what terms to allow sidewalk vending has historically been a question left to each unique city and county to address after weighing the often competing interests of various local stakeholders. All that changed on September 17, 2018, when Governor Brown signed SB 946, the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, into law. Effective January 1, 2019, sidewalk vending will be elevated to ... read more
Social Media & Government: What Are the New Rules of Engagement?October 8, 2018Government entities and elected officials are becoming more accessible and connected to constituents through the ubiquitous use of social media, email, text messaging and other communication technologies. The 21st century question is what may government entities and elected officials do and not do to regulate the public’s participation in their social media accounts? Once social media accounts ... read more

Prop 10 Could Expand Local Rent Control in CaliforniaSeptember 27, 2018When they cast their ballots on Proposition 10 in November, California voters could open the door to a dramatic expansion of rent control across the state. The current state law governing local rent control, known as the Costa-Hawkins Act, allows local governments to adopt only a narrow range of rent control measures. The three primary restrictions that cities and counties must follow are: (1) ... read more
A Summary Guide for California’s New Affordable Housing LawsFebruary 12, 2018A package of fifteen bills designed to help communities combat California’s affordable housing crisis became law in 2018. The approved bills take different approaches to the housing shortage in California, including providing more funding for affordable housing development, streamlining local government approval of housing projects, restoring local government's authority to impose inclusionary ... read more

Top 5 #MeToo Lessons for EmployersJuly 18, 2018The #MeToo movement created a seismic cultural shift in society’s awareness of the widespread presence of sexual harassment and assault in business, media, Hollywood, and government. In the still unfolding aftermath, all employers must adapt to five primary lessons learned that relate to effective harassment prevention policies, credible workplace investigations, and updated training programs. ... read more

Appellate Court Limits Local Prosecutors’ Jurisdictional Authority to Pursue Statewide Relief in UCL ClaimsJune 18, 2018On May 31, California public prosecutors and attorneys representing targets of Unfair Competition Law investigations received long-awaited guidance on two key questions. In Abbott Laboratories v. The Superior Court of Orange Co. (2018 DJDAR 5247), the court held that a local prosecutor suing under the UCL (1) may only seek monetary relief for conduct occurring within the county or city ... read more
Can You Impeach with Request For Admission Denials? Victaulic Company’s $55 Million Dollar QuestionApril 2, 2018In written discovery, litigators know that drafting questions and responses must be done carefully because both are strategically important. Expertly crafted questions are designed to be well-hidden minefields and responding to them requires extraordinary care to anticipate and diffuse them. Many litigators have declared victory when a cleverly drafted question achieves its goal of boxing in the ... read more