Small business owners in California are a brave bunch. Not only must they navigate the perpetually changing seas of federal regulation, but they must also traverse a particularly treacherous minefield under California law. Yet, at least they can rest assured that they won’t be sued if they act in accordance with best available guidance from […]

While the legislature is in session, the National Federation of Independent Business/California will be profiling anti-small business bills and initiatives and the adverse effect they would have on California’s job creators. This is the second of the 2015 series. The end of summer isn’t the only bad news in Sacramento. The Legislature is back in […]

CALA has repeatedly pointed out that a select group of organizations are profiting from shakedown Proposition 65 lawsuits. The list of Proposition 65 Private Settlements for 2014 has just been posted and, as always, shakedown lawsuits have put more money into the pockets of these organizations. Let’s be clear, these lawsuits and the resulting settlements are not […]

When we gather with friends and family this July 4th, it is the perfect time to reflect on some of the things that make our country great – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights provide a solid foundation for our roles as citizens, but unfortunately, […]

Study after study has shown that consumers and employees actually fare better in arbitration than in court. In a 2006 study by Mark Fellows, Legal Counsel at the National Arbitration Forum, analyzed data from California and found that consumers prevail in arbitration 65.5% of the time, as compared to 61% of the time in court. Many […]

California’s economic recovery might be a little over stated, at least according to the people who actually create jobs. Chief Executive Magazine has released its annual Best and Worst States for Business Survey and California ranked last – for the 11th year in a row. In the annual survey, completed by 511 CEOs across the United States, states […]

Slowly, but surely, the California Legislature is making progress tackling the issue of shakedown lawsuits alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We saw the first bit of success in 2008 with SB 1608 and more in 2012 with SB 1186. These bills represented the growing acknowledgement among our state’s elected leaders that […]

In April, the City of Los Angeles reached a deal to repair the city’s broken and crumbling sidewalks, at a cost of more than $1 billion over 30 years. Just how bad are the city’s sidewalks? One city estimate found that 40 percent of the city’s sidewalks needed to be fixed. A plan to fix the sidewalks […]

In 1998, the California Legislature designated the second full week in May each year to honor the important contributions of citizens who serve on juries, making the right to trial by jury possible. This year marks the 18th Anniversary of Juror Appreciation Week. For those of you who have served on a jury, CALA would […]

I have been involved in the fight to end lawsuit abuse for quite some time and grassroots supporters always ask me whether meeting, calling, or writing to their legislators will make a difference. With all the talk of special interest influence and the effect of campaign contributions, it is easy to understand why individual citizens […]