Kimberly Hall Barlow’s Long Road to Success
As a child, Kimberly Hall Barlow’s dream was to become a veterinarian. It was a natural ambition for the child of a championship collie breeder. Ms. Barlow helped her mother look after new litters of puppies, which gave her plenty of time to devour books. She’d grab whatever was close at hand, keeping one eye […]
How California Cities Can Craft Better Office Space Deals
As cities grow, so do their governments. Since the population boom following the Second World War, cities in the American west have grappled with challenges associated with providing adequate space for their employees to work. Optimizing public resources over the long timeframes involved in real estate requires careful planning and sophisticated deal structures. The logic […]
Reactive v Proactive Code Enforcement
Enforcement agencies throughout California are looking for better ways to encourage private property owners to comply with health and safety regulations. Traditional approaches to code enforcement tend to be reactive, relying on complaints from the public to spark action. This approach has been referred to by some courts as a “passive enforcement scheme” and has […]
Health and Safety Receiverships Can Be Powerful Enforcement Tools
Persistent health and safety code violations can be exceptionally difficult to resolve using many of the enforcement tools in an agency’s tool kit. While enforcement actions wind their way through processes that can be long and slow, unsafe conditions remain. California’s public health laws allow local agencies to ask the courts to place noncompliant properties […]
Effective Affordable Housing Strategies for California Municipalities
California’s affordable housing crisis is among the most pressing governance challenges for state and local governments. Our state is not alone: major cities around the country are grappling with how to create policies that will ensure access to quality housing for all residents, not just those in the upper income brackets. Tackling the affordable housing […]
Local Policies Restricting Advertising Must Walk a Fine Line
Regulating outdoor advertising has been a controversial topic for cities ever since billboards gained popularity in the 1870s. Balancing a property owner’s use rights, the free speech rights of individuals and organizations, and the public’s interest in maintaining their hometown’s appearance has created a patchwork of legal frameworks throughout the country. A recent case before […]
Can California Public Agencies Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines for Employees?
The long-anticipated arrival of vaccines has moved the COVID-19 pandemic into a new chapter. The phased rollout of vaccines is expected to take months. As adoption of the vaccine becomes widespread, society will hopefully return to normalcy, including returning to in-person work. Public sector employers in California are beginning to study their policy positions regarding […]
Lawful Engagement of Contractors by Local Government Agencies Under California’s AB-5
California Assembly Bill 5, or AB-5, went into effect a year ago. Employers throughout the state and beyond are still grappling with how to lawfully engage independent contractors under the law. AB-5’s applicability to public agencies has been the subject of considerable debate among California lawyers. In September 2020 the California Legislature modified provisions of […]
Halloween 2020: Celebrating in an era of caution, concern and risk
It is an evening filled with memories of younger days, of hobgoblins and masked heroes, princes and princesses walking down suburban sidewalks, often with costumed parents in tow, collecting candy and treats in bulging bags and plastic pumpkins, celebrating with excitement, anticipation and sugar-fueled glee. Parents have long labored to create costumes for their children […]
For Better or Worse, the California Rule Still Limits Changes to Public Pensions
The California Supreme Court recently upheld the state’s ban on the practice of “pension spiking” by public employees while leaving in place the so-called “California Rule,” which limits reform options for the state’s public pension systems. The case, Alameda County Deputy Sherriff’s Association vs. Alameda County Employees Retirement Association, No. S247095 (Cal. July 30, 2020), […]