Fire inspection scammer arrested
Authorities arrested a man who scammed Santa Barbara County businesses with false invoices for fire inspection services that were not actually performed. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced on Sept. 1 that it arrested Robert Musich in Pomona for allegedly duping 834 California victims. Musich was arrested on suspicion of 11 felony counts, Read More →
Simi Valley resident awarded $16M in MetLife financial elder abuse scheme
Updated at 9 a.m. on Sept. 7: A grandmother who invested her life savings in a fraudulent investment scheme hatched by a MetLife insurance agent was awarded $15.6 million. Simi Valley resident Christine Ramirez invested $279,769 with a real estate fund Diversified Lending Group that promised that the unregistered and ultimately worthless securities would provide Read More →
Jackson bill passes Senate
A bill authored by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, that could expand paternity leave for small business employees passed the Senate and now heads to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 654 will expand the state’s Paid Family Leave Program to employees at small businesses with 20 to 49 employees. Current law Read More →
Legislature holds bill that would help elder financial abuse victims
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Plaintiffs file for class certification in Refugio oil spill lawsuit
A class of plaintiffs who claim to be injured by the Refugio oil spill filed for class certification. After Plains All American Pipeline’s corroded Line 901 ruptured on May 19, 2015 and spilled an estimated 123,000 gallons of oil along the Gaviota Coast, 21,000 gallons of which seeped into the ocean, fisheries were closed, oil Read More →
Capps honored for work on safe rental car law
U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, was honored Aug. 19 by Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety for her leadership in helping pass the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2015. Since 2012, Capps has been working with Ventura County resident Cally Houck, whose daughters Raechel and Jacqueline Houck were killed in Read More →
Minimum wage and salary increases — a ripple effect or a tsunami?
By Jon Light You may have heard that California will have a minimum wage of $15 by 2022. But there are ramifications beyond that gradual increase that employers may not have considered. In April, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, phased in over five years between 2017 Read More →
