News

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Paul Netter, Southern California Edison

Southern California Edison, like other California utilities that experience hundreds of metallic-balloon-caused power outages and their potential hazards yearly, will find out, thanks to a new state law.

Signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown last September and effective since Jan. 1, Assembly bill 2450 requires that metallic balloons made by in-state manufacturers have a printed warning about the risk of releasing them in a conspicuous location and in a readable font that says: “CAUTION: NOT INTENDED FOR RELEASE. USE WITH COUNTERWEIGHT; DISPOSE OF PROPERLY. NEVER USE METALLIC RIBBON WITH BALLOONS.”

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Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Sarah Brady, California Council on Science and Technology

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established via the California State Legislature to serve state leaders, is proud to announce the recipient of its CCST Leadership Award for Science in Public Service.

This year’s awardee, Assemblymember Bill Quirk, will be recognized during the CCST Science & Technology Week Reception and Leadership Awards Ceremony, Monday, February 4, 2019, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at The MiX in Sacramento. The greater Capitol community is invited to attend. This event kicks off a week of events hosted by CCST at the State Capitol.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Elaine S. Povich, Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts

The divorce court judge was frustrated. The husband, in tears. The wife, adamant. The couple’s love for each other had ended, but each professed to love and want the dog. How would the judge decide?

The husband offered thousands of dollars to his soon-to-be-ex for the pit bull terrier mix named Sweet Pea. The wife wouldn’t accept the compensation, and insisted the dog was hers — a gift, in fact, from her husband.

“This was a mutt they got at the pound, and it wasn’t worth money,” said family attorney Erin Levine of Oakland, California, who represented the husband and said the judge gave her grief for not settling the dispute out of court in the 2015 case. “There was no way we weren’t going to litigate this; they were so attached to the dog.”

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Saturday, December 29, 2018
Dareh Gregorian, NBC News Digital
 

A new law being unleashed in California on New Year's Day will give pets' rights some bite in court cases.

The measure provides judges with the power to consider what's in the best interests of the animal in divorce cases, instead of treating them the way they've been treated by courts in the past — as physical property

"I'm very excited," said David Favre, a professor who teaches animal law at Michigan State University College of Law. "It's important for humans and animals."

The law was sponsored by dog owner and state Assembly member Bill Quirk and signed by dog lover Gov. Jerry Brown (Lucy, a borgie, is the state's first dog and Cali, a bordoodle, is the first deputy dog). The measure empowers judges to consider "the care of the pet animal" and create shared custody agreements.

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Thursday, November 1, 2018
John P. Paone, Jr., Esq. and Victoria E. Paone, Esq, The Two River Times
 
Americans have a love affair with pets. According to a recent survey, “three-fourths of Americans in their 30s have dogs, while 51 percent have cats.” It is not uncommon for people to spend thousands of dollars per year on pet clothing/accessories, food, photographs, medicine and the like. But what happens to “Fluffy” when parties go through a divorce?
 
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Monday, October 29, 2018
Judges now have authority to decide who keeps the family pet in divorce the same way child custody is handled.
 
DVM360 MAGAZINE
 
A new law has been passed in California that grants judges the authority to decide who gets custody of the family pet in divorces cases, much as they decide child custody, according to the Associated Press (AP). Until now, pets have been considered property, a status that puts them in the same category as material items like TVs and vehicles.
 
A new bill signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown states that pets will still be considered community property, but the judge deciding who gets to keep the pet will be able to consider things like who feeds the pet, takes it to the veterinarian and walks it, the AP reports.
 
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Friday, October 19, 2018
California governor Jerry Brown signed legislation which allows cannabis to be sold and consumed at special events.
 
Meg Ellis, PotNetwork.com
 
Prior to the passage of AB 2020, California required an 11-step procedure for cannabis-related business licenses. While the Bureau for Cannabis Control could issue temporary licenses to businesses interested in establishing temporary events celebrating cannabis, the application process was lengthy and cumbersome to small, independently owned businesses.
 
The requirements for establishing a temporary event included submission of fingerprints as well as a background check, a licensing fee, and an established labor peace agreement.
 
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