Recent Articles

San Francisco has always been a progressive city, some would say too progressive. Politically San Francisco has never been afraid to lead the liberal charge. San Francisco has always been and will always be “the City” to me; however, after visiting New York, “the City” tag is probably best reserved for Northern Californians. SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES [...]

Seventy-eight year old Erika Grotheer, a German citizen visiting California, signed up for a hot air balloon tour with a company called Escape Adventures. The eight passengers were to land in a nearby vineyard owned by Wilson Creek in Temecula, California. THE CRASH The first part of the ride was spectacular and uneventful. The landing [...]

One of the most often asked questions in the real estate world is “How should I take title?” Of course, the answer depends on the circumstances. Are we talking a married couple, a business entity, a non-profit, commercial or residential, are the owners related family members, would a trust be helpful?  Today’s column will focus [...]

Seatbelts are required in California – everyone knows that. However, surprisingly quite a few drivers and passengers don’t always use them. SEATBELT STATS Since 1975, seatbelts have saved over 300,000 lives in the U.S. alone. When used properly, seatbelts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45% and prevent ejection [...]

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses open to the public to “make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures…to individuals with disabilities.” Could the ADA require automobile dealers to install temporary vehicle hand controls for would-be test drivers with disabilities, no matter how expensive? That, my friends, is the question of the hour. T10/11 [...]

The question I get asked more than any other – more than “Porter aren’t you retired by now?” even more than “how did you manage to have such a wonderful family?”- is “So when is the Railyard Project going to get started?” BREAKING NEWS/GROUND Well, this just in …brace yourselves…after a dozen years in planning [...]

“In 1939 Germany, as part of the ‘Aryanization’ of the property of German Jews, Lilly Neubauer was forced to ‘sell’ a painting by Camille Pissaro, a French Impressionist, to Jackob Scheidwimmer, a Berlin art dealer.” That, my friends, is the opening paragraph of this Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Opinion. The federal Court of Appeals [...]

Our Truckee-Tahoe economy is recreation-based. Name the sport – it’s done in our Sierra Region. There is an entire body of law involving recreational activities where the participant is deemed to have “assumed the risk” of injuries inherent in the activity, and thus has given up the right to sue. The public policy is to [...]

If you are a baseball nut, especially if you like stats, this is your lucky day. Several minor league baseball players filed an antitrust suit against former baseball commissioner Bud Selig and all of the owners of major league teams. The antitrust issues are as boring as a fifteen inning, low scoring game, but this [...]