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Hanson Bridgett LLP | July 2020

In a landmark victory for Federally-qualified health centers, a California Court of Appeal confirmed last October that federal and state law requires the State of California to pay FQHCs “100 percent” of their costs of furnishing core and other ambulatory services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. (Tulare Pediatric Health Care Center v. State Department of Health Care Services (2nd Dist. 2019) 41 Cal.App.5th 163 ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | June 2019

Last month, a California appellate court rejected an insurer's arguments and affirmed a large punitive damages award against the insurer, providing a fresh roadmap for policyholders to obtain such relief when insurers engage in certain bad-faith practices. Mazik v. GEICO General Insurance Company (2019) 35 Cal.App.5th 455 involved a policyholder's claim for the $50,000 limits under his underinsured motorist policy ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | June 2021

Key Points Starting July 31, 2021, all employees who are not fully vaccinated shall be provided respirators for voluntary use. Exclusion pay is required even if an employee is not able to work. Employers should amend their COVID-19 Prevention Plans.     Introduction On June 3, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board (Board) passed changes to the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). Initially, the Board voted 4-3 against the proposed ETS ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | December 2020

Key Points Cal/OSHA's COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) became effective Nov. 30, 2020. Cal/OSHA clarified Section 3205's Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) Standard exemption applies to employees with occupational exposure to ATDs, not to all employees of an employer subject to the ATD Standard. Cal/OSHA issued a model COVID-19 Prevention Plan to assist employers ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | July 2021

Key Point Employers must immediately change the manner in which they calculate and pay employee meal period and rest break premiums if they pay those premiums using an employee’s regular hourly rate in any workweek that an employee receives additional non-discretionary earnings. Introduction On July 15, 2021, in Ferra v ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | October 2018

On October 3, 2018, the IRS issued guidance for employers on how to claim tax deductions for business meals this year. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, ("TCJA") business expenses for "entertainment" are no longer deductible, effective for 2018. However, the TCJA did not modify the separate 50% deduction for expenses for business meals, which left employers wondering how to distinguish a business meal from entertainment ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | August 2021

Yesterday, the California Supreme Court issued an important ruling in a case that had the potential to profoundly affect how public entities budget and pay for publicly funded projects in California, Busker v. Wabtec Corp. (Cal., Aug. 16, 2021,No. S251135) __ Cal.5th __, 2021 WL 3612126 ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | March 2020

As each day that passes while COVID-19 spreads throughout the country, more businesses are closing their doors to protect their employees, customers, vendors, and other people with whom they come into contact. And many of them are wondering whether there is coverage for their business losses during this time. Business interruption or business income coverage is sometimes included in commercial property coverage ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | March 2020

As each day that passes while COVID-19 spreads throughout the country, more businesses are closing their doors to protect their employees, customers, vendors, and other people with whom they come into contact. And many of them are wondering whether there is coverage for their business losses during this time. Business interruption or business income coverage is sometimes included in commercial property coverage ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | August 2019

The Bureau of Cannabis Control recently published two new fact sheets on its website as a resource for industry stakeholders, licensees, and the general public. The facts sheet help everyone better understand the different responsibilities of the cannabis distributor (Type 11) and the cannabis distributor transport only (Type 13) licensee by providing a list of required procedures and guidelines for various distribution activities ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | October 2021

Key Points Governor Newsom vetoed AB 339. AB 361 will continue to operate as currently construed. On October 7, 2021, Governor Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 339 (Lee), a bill aimed at addressing Brown Act teleconferencing requirements for large public entities. AB 339 sought to add special rules for meetings of city councils or county board of supervisors that govern jurisdictions containing at least 250,000 people ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | June 2021

On May 28, the Treasury Department released the General Explanations of the Administration's Fiscal Year 2022 Revenue Proposals, known as the "Green Book," detailing the Biden administration's proposed changes to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). For startup founders and early investors, the Green Book provides welcome relief ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | May 2021

President Biden has signed into law the FASTER Act, which adds sesame as a "major food allergen" under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Under the FD&C Act, food labels of products containing sesame, whether in whole seed form or as an ingredient in a spice or flavor, must disclose its presence using its plain English name. The law will become effective on January 1, 2023 ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | May 2020

Key Points:  Bay Area counties issued new Shelter Orders on April 29, 2020 allowing all construction to resume. The new Shelter Orders include detailed Construction Safety Protocols that construction jobsites must comply with. There is one Construction Safety Protocol for “small” construction projects, and a more rigorous Construction Safety Protocol for “large” construction projects ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | April 2020

On March 31, 2020, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties plus the City of Berkeley issued new Shelter-in-Place orders, further restricting construction and extending Shelter-in-Place restrictions until May 3, 2020. Under the new orders, most construction, including residential and commercial, is now prohibited. Healthcare, low income housing, specially designated public works projects, shelters, and temporary housing projects may continue ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | March 2021

Hanson Bridgett has long been a visionary in promoting social and environmental change. That innovative spirit is what led them to become the first law firm certified as a B Corporation and a leading advocate for what has now become a global social movement. The California law firm is one of the founding members of B Corporation, a business model created in 2006 that enables companies to include a social as well as financial agenda in their legal structure ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | January 2022

Key Points U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized a rule renewing nationwide permits under the Clean Water Act for projects involving discharges of dredge or fill material to jurisdictional waters. The Army Corps also issued new nationwide permits, such as for water reclamation and reuse facilities and for activities involving water, stormwater, and wastewater utility lines. These new nationwide permits create opportunities to expedite permitting for certain infrastructure projects ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | December 2019

With a new year comes changes. And one change is a law tying business license applications to California's water quality laws. Beginning January 1, 2020, Senate Bill 205 will require that certain applicants for either a new business license or a renewal from cities or counties show that they are complying with the federal Clean Water Act and California's Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | September 2021

Key Points Opponents of the proposed Oakland A's stadium at Howard Terminal argued that the Governor missed a deadline to certify the project for an expedited environmental review pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 734, a special purpose bill.   AB 734 contained no explicit deadline for certification, but it incorporated guidelines from AB 900, as amended, which did include a certification deadline ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | May 2017

As reported previously in a Newsletter to readers, the City in its continuing efforts to increase the housing stock now allows the addition of one or more in-law units in almost all zoning districts that allow residential uses, notwithstanding the density limit of the zoning (such as RH-2 and RH-3 zoning). These in-law units are known as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) and they are created within unused or underutilized space entirely within an existing building ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | July 2017

On January 1, 2019, local agencies will be required to comply with new requirements for posting agendas on their websites (AB 2257). The California Brown Act requires that any local agency must post an agenda 72 hours in advance of a regular meeting. If an agency has a website, then the agency is required to post the agenda on their website ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | March 2018

Alvarado v. Dart  Container Corporation, Case No. S232607 (Cal. Sup. Ct, March 5, 2018)  On March 5, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued its long awaited overtime calculation decision in Alvarado v. Dart  Container Corporation, Case No. S232607 (March 5, 2018). The specific question before the Court was "how an employee’s overtime pay rate should be calculated when the employee has earned a flat sum bonus during a single pay period ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | March 2018

Alvarado v. Dart  Container Corporation, Case No. S232607 (Cal. Sup. Ct, March 5, 2018)  On March 5, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued its long awaited overtime calculation decision in Alvarado v. Dart  Container Corporation, Case No. S232607 (March 5, 2018). The specific question before the Court was "how an employee’s overtime pay rate should be calculated when the employee has earned a flat sum bonus during a single pay period ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | January 2018

In case you have been in a coma, major tax changes to the Internal Revenue Code were passed in December 2017. See Pub. L. 115-97 (115th Cong., 1st Sess.). Those changes make it much more attractive (from a tax perspective) to arrange one’s affairs like a business owner. Broadly speaking, the new tax law changed the landscape so that many business owners will now benefit from dramatically lower tax rates (e.g., the corporate rate has not been this low since 1939) ...

Hanson Bridgett LLP | November 2021

On September 30, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsome approved and signed AB 26, AB 48, AB 89, AB 481, AB 490, and AB 958, which amend existing laws, add entire new chapters, and expand laws impacting law enforcement agencies, their operations, and the review of conduct of peace officers ...

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