News

Monday, April 27, 2020
John P. Paone Jr., esq. and Victoria E. Paone, esq.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?
 
Under the common law, pets were treated as chattel. Put another way, just a typical piece of property to be distributed like an automobile or a piano. In today’s world, however, there is a growing consensus that pets are more like family members and less like property.
 
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Thursday, April 16, 2020
Valley Voice Contributor
 
Mosquito experts throughout the state say the increased attention on public health is an excellent reminder that there are many ways for residents to protect themselves from other viruses transmitted by infected mosquitoes.
 
While COVID-19 is not transmitted by mosquitoes, they can transmit several other diseases. West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease that has impacted the lives of California residents since 2003. There is no human vaccine for West Nile virus which can cause debilitating cases of meningitis, encephalitis, and even death.
 
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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As the coronavirus spreads through California, the restrictions placed on its 40 million residents have varied by county and community, the result of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's early decision to largely allow local governments to set their own rules.

After initially setting statewide guidance to keep crowds under 250 people, Newsom on Monday night restricted all unnecessary gatherings and ordered restaurants to close to dine-in patrons and gyms and movie theaters to shutter. It came after local government leaders in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area had already taken such steps, or even more aggressive ones. He never mandated school closures statewide, though almost every district has shut down.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Adam Beam, Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Legislature approved up to $1 billion in new spending on Monday to combat the coronavirus outbreak, then suspended their work for the next month to try and contain the illness.

It is believed to be the first unexpected work stoppage in the California Legislature in 158 years, according to Alex Vassar, an unofficial legislative historian at the California State Library. And it came on the heels of extraordinary bipartisanship, as Republicans and Democrats alike voted overwhelmingly to give Gov. Gavin Newsom broad authority to spend during the crisis without their oversight.

“It is a request to step away from our desks much earlier than we would like. The demands of public health require it,” Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said.

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Friday, February 21, 2020
Bill Would Ban 12 Highly Toxic Chemicals
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On Thursday the California Assembly reintroduced the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, A.B. 2762. If passed, the law would ban 12 toxic ingredients, such as mercury and formaldehyde, from the beauty and personal care products Californians use every day.
 
“More than 40 other nations protect their citizens from harmful cosmetics,” said Susan Little, EWG’s senior advocate for California Government Affairs. “But the U.S. has done little to ensure consumers are not exposed to unsafe ingredients in personal care products. A.B. 2762 would prevent cosmetics manufacturers from adding some of the most toxic chemicals to cosmetics sold in California.”
 
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Debra Kahn, Politico
 
The Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee approved a bill today that would give the state far more power to restrict chemicals in cosmetics.
 
CA AB495 (19R), by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) and Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), would model the state's rules after the European Union's by specifying a list of toxic chemicals that can't be contained in cosmetics, including formaldehyde, asbestos, mercury and several categories of a chemical known as PFAS. The bill would give the state the authority to impose recalls, injunctions and civil or criminal penalties for violations.
 
The bill passed 5-0 with Assemblymembers Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno), Devon Mathis (R-Visalia), Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) and Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake) not voting.
 
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Saturday, December 7, 2019

Denton Staff Contributor, Denton Daily

LOS ANGELES (AP) – California courts could be going to the dogs – and maybe cats, too – under a new law granting judges authority to settle disagreements over who keeps the family pet in divorce cases the same way they handle child-custody disputes.

Until now, Fido and Kitty have been considered family property, a status giving them little more standing in a divorce than a family‘s big-screen TV.

Under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown, pets will still be considered community property but a judge deciding who gets to keep them will have the discretion of weighing such factors as who feeds them, who takes them to the vet and on walks, and who protects them.

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