Blog

When consumers visit their favorite restaurants, one of the last things on their mind is becoming ill – despite the repeated horror stories that have sullied the food industry lately. Catching a foodborne illness can be more serious than you think. In many cases, food poisoning may result in a short bout of stomach cramping,...

For most people, the last thing on their mind when visiting someone else’s property is the possibility they will get hurt. When injuries happen, they often come as a surprise. In most cases, when someone sustains an injury on someone else’s property, it comes down to how well it was maintained.   Whether visiting a premises...

Homeowners in Los Angeles County living in houses contaminated by lead paint got a break recently from the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld an 18-year-old California court ruling requiring paint manufacturers to spend $409 million to clean up and test for lead paint in several California communities. “It's at the top of our list of...

Children across the southeast of Los Angeles County are exposed to lead from two distinct sources in the region—lead paint in their homes and pollution from a shut-down battery recycling plant. Officials have been aware of the problem for quite some time.   State officials have begun cleanup of the soil around the Exide Technologies plant – California’s largest lead cleanup project...

California wildfires pose a threat even to homeowners whose property is safe from the flames. That’s because many insurance companies are expected to either not renew policies or to simply stop writing homeowner policies in areas with the highest fire risk, California Insurance Commissioner David Jones recently told The Associated Press. Rate increases also are...

The eviction process in California – and particularly in Orange County – can seem like an almost automated process, as the Los Angeles Times reported recently. But the truth is that these are highly contentious matters that require an attorney's attention. An eviction procedure may happen at breakneck speed. By law, if a landlord pursues...

Property owners, real estate agents and residential building developers are debating the merits of a new requirement to install solar panels on most residential properties.  The California Energy Commission has adopted the new building standards, which would require solar panels on all new residential homes and low-rise condos and townhouses by 2020. The Orange County...

Almost every home sale in Orange County involves a home inspection, and almost every home inspection identifies some improvements that are needed on the property. Buyers and sellers have wide latitude to negotiate these repairs. It is important that both sides be flexible, and not allow an inexpensive repair to undo an otherwise satisfactory sales...

The California Association of Realtors has introduced a bill which would overhaul critical provisions of Proposition 13. Proposition 13 currently provides important limitations on property tax assessments for qualified real estate. The proposed changes could greatly impact Newport Beach senior citizens who have benefited from property tax stabilization over the decades since Proposition 13 was...

The Healthy Homes and Schools Act, a state ballot initiative still in need of signatures, would establish a $2 billion bond to remove lead dangers from homes, apartments, schools and senior citizen housing. Lead paint is a substantial risk, particularly to young children. A pediatrician with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health testified...