GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, April 16, 2021
Pfizer and BioNTech recently asked the Southern District of California to dismiss a patent infringement claim from Allele Biotechnology related to Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Earlier this month, camera crews once again gathered in the Sierra Nevada to watch a man plunge a pole through the snow. The pole was removed and, following a tense few moments, Californians learned we experienced another dry winter, and we are plunging further into drought.
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
For once-in-a-hundred-year events such as the pandemic — with uncertainty over the solution to the crisis and even its duration — the act's scheme leaves little option for adoption of hazard pay without full agreement of the employer.
By any standard, California is experiencing one of its periodic droughts after two successive years of below-normal precipitation.
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Last week, California's top legislative leaders unveiled a plan to spend more than half a billion dollars on efforts aimed at protecting the state from catastrophic wildfires.
Reliance on binding precedent may no longer be enough
Building investor trust while mitigating litigation risk
Monday, April 12, 2021
Most states are following the extended federal deadlines, and a few have adopted even more generous extensions. But the IRS has not postponed the deadline for making estimated tax payments for this year's first quarter.
Friday, April 9, 2021
While California's landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act promised comprehensive protection of the state's groundwater, significant gaps remain in its coverage.
Saving for retirement is never easy, but women in particular can face unique challenges.
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Finding Google's copying a fair use, the Supreme Court ended Oracle's decade-long attempt to recover copyright damages.
Last week, a group of youth leaders from Richmond met over Zoom to discuss their visions for community resilience to climate change.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
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.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Two dozen state legislatures are considering bills on financial-literacy education, an unusually high number, proponents say.
Monday, April 5, 2021
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.
Friday, April 2, 2021
After a devastating sweep that killed more than 9,000 residents and workers, COVID-19 has nearly disappeared from California's nursing homes.
Life in California feels as if it is finally returning to normal.
Thursday, April 1, 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.
When the first European explorers arrived in California's Central Valley, they found a vast mosaic of seasonal and permanent wetlands, as well as oak woodlands and riparian forests. What remains of those wetlands are still the backbone of the Pacific Flyway; along with flooded agricultural fields, they support millions of migrating waterbirds each year.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
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
Last year, Ariele Doolittle, a tax lawyer, got a call from a client who lived and worked in New York but was considering working remotely from California temporarily after his offices were shuttered in the pandemic.
Monday, March 29, 2021
California law imposes various requirements on employers who hire minors. In addition to rules regarding the use of certain equipment (such as knives and balers) and requiring school-approved work permits, as of January 1, 2021, public and private sector employers with five or more employees must comply with Assembly Bill ("AB") 1963.
Friday, March 26, 2021
A series of key decisions await Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state heads back into a potential drought.
If you are paying more attention to how your lifestyle decisions may impact the planet or your community, you can apply the same perspective to your investments. 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.
Thursday, March 25, 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.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
California housing is crowded, expensive and difficult to find, but if a package of bills proposed by prominent Senate Democrats becomes law, some cities could look very different a decade from now.
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.
Tuesday, March 23, 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.
Abraham Sanchez knew exactly how he wanted to spend his stimulus check.
Monday, March 22, 2021
As Tax Day approaches, an underused part of many health care plans could offer a chance to significantly reduce your tax bill.
Friday, March 19, 2021
Of all the existential threats California parks face — dwindling budgets, more visitors and costly, long-deferred maintenance — now comes a climate-driven conundrum: When is a park no longer a park?
At the start of the pandemic, Brandon McCall's two tenants ran into financial trouble. One had surgery, and went on disability, which tightened his purse strings. The other, who works in entertainment, was laid off almost immediately, and wasn't eligible for unemployment as a contract worker. With a limited amount of cash coming in, McCall said the two of them stopped paying rent on his Van Nuys condo in Los Angeles.
If a person close to you has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, it may be time to address some serious financial questions.
Thursday, March 18, 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.