The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, unquestionably the most liberal federal court in the nation, surprised many last week when it unanimously upheld an injunction against a San Francisco law mandating health warnings on ads for soda and sugary drinks. The City by the Bay adopted legislation back in 2015 that mandated specific language relating…
Read More »You really couldn’t make this stuff up, but the Berkeley California City Council unanimously approved a new ordinance this week that will require restaurants to charge customers $0.25 for disposable cups. The Single Use Disposable Foodware and Litter Reduction Ordinance, which sailed through on the recommendation of the City’s Zero Waste Commission, also requires that all…
Read More »Yes, unfortunately you read that right! California’s new governor, democrat Gavin Newsom, just days into his term as the state’s Chief Executive Officer, has proposed imposing a new tax on drinking water. The Governor incorporated the tax as part of his budget proposal for fiscal year 2020, which is projected to end with a surplus…
Read More »Bear with me on this one . . . On Christmas Eve, the Appeals Court in the state of Washington invalidated a voter-approved law known as the Hotel Employee Health and Safety Initiative. On its face, Initiative 124 dealt only with hotel employees, however the depth and breadth of its provisions could have stretched far…
Read More »As we know, the city of Seattle passed its new 1.75 cents per ounce tax on soda and other sugary drinks in June 2017 and made it effective January 2018. Almost one year since to the day, the city is boasting soda tax receipts of over $16.9 million – almost $2 million in revenue beyond…
Read More »With paid sick leave plans being mandated by local and state governments across the country on the heels of local minimum wage hikes and predictive scheduling mandates gaining in popularity, could retirement plans be the next mandate foisted upon private business? California became the third state in the nation to create a pilot program for…
Read More »Two other states sent questions to the voters about soda taxes and the voters gave one a yes and the other a no. Oregon voters rejected Measure 103 by an overwhelming margin of 57 – 43%. The proposal would have banned most new taxes on grocery items – especially soda and other sugary beverages. The…
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Appeals Court protects employees’ right to wear buttons advocating higher wages While employers may require employees to wear a uniform at work, under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) employees have the right to wear union buttons and insignia while working. Those conflicting rights have created fights over what a company may require and what…
Read More »New Jersey is one example, but the ongoing drumbeat to continually hike the minimum wage at state and local levels continues. The city council in St. Paul Minnesota released an initial draft of a $15/hr minimum wage ordinance they plan to consider before year-end. The proposal mandates that large businesses with 100 workers or more…
Read More »Somehow it seems appropriate that rock band The Eagles released that hit song in 1976, early in the first administration of California Governor Jerry Brown (1975 – 1983). Well, it must be déjà vu all over again as the same Governor Brown signed a couple of different bills recently that can significantly impact small businesses…
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