The Los Angeles Court of Appeal issued a recent ruling clarifying a long-established — but often contested — rule of tax litigation procedure: to have standing (the right to raise a claim in court) to challenge a government revenue measure, you must be among the people who are legally obliged to pay it, not merely
Interesting story out of Santa Barbara this week. A respected Superior Court judge ordered the Sheriff to return $620,000 in cash and 1,800 pounds — pounds — of cannabis oil to a licensed cannabis operator, finding no evidence the operation was unlawful. Under state law anyway. Seems those who police California’s growing cannabis commerce need
We have published a Bulletin on pending petitions seeking SCOTUS review of the qualified immunity doctrine. This rule protects government officials and employees (and their agencies) from liability for violating civil rights and other standards if the standard violated is not “clearly established” by existing law when the violation occurs. It is a crucial defense
The November 2020 statewide election will bring the usual host of ballot measures. Given the high turnout expected in a Presidential year, this year’s ballot has attracted significant measures. In addition to the fight between app-based businesses and labor over AB 5’s new definition of “employees” entitled to wage and benefit protections and the bail
AB 2570 (Stone, D-Sta. Cruz) would amend the False Claims Act (FCA) to allow private litigants to enforce fraudulent underpayment of State personal and corporate income taxes and, of interest to local government, sales and use taxes and transactions and use taxes (i.e., local-option sales taxes), too. The FCA allows a private litigant to identify
On May 22, 2020, the San Diego Court of Appeal resolved a long-running battle over dredging of San Diego Bay to support Army and Navy facilities there. The dredging efforts were federal projects, but subject to California Coastal Commission review. Although the original plan was to deposit the dredging spoils on adjacent land (protecting that
CH&W is launching this blog to allow us to engage California’s local government community in a more timely and interactive way. We will not stop publishing our quarterly newsletter (you can subscribe to that here: www.chwlaw.us for either U.S. Mail or email delivery. We will also continue to send periodic electronic “bulletin” editions
