California has enacted several anti-deficiency statutes to protect borrowers in real estate transactions. A “deficiency” is the liability of a borrower to the lender for the difference between the amount of the loan and the value of the real property. Existing California anti-deficiency laws protect a borrower on an original purchase-money loan (a loan acquired at the time the property was purchased and never refinanced) on an owner-occupied residential unit (up [...]

Below is a brief summary of the employment-related legislation that will become law on January 1, 2013:

• Written Commission Agreement Required. Labor Code §2751 is amended to provide that except in limited circumstances, employers must provide their employees who receive any part of their compensation via a commission with a written employment contract that specifies numerous items. For more information, see Written Employment Contracts Required For California Employees Paid Commissions. See also, Employers May Be Able To Claw Back Advances On Commissions.
• Employee [...]

Update: In September of 2012, The California Supreme Court granted review of the Court of Appeals' Decision in Paratransit, Inc. v. Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, 206 Cal.App.4th 1319 (2012) so this case is presently not citable. [...]

Beginning July 1, 2013, AB 1775 amends California Code of Civil Procedure sections 706.011 and 706.050 to increase the amount of wages protected from garnishment from 30-times the federal minimum wage to 40-times the California minimum wage ($320 per week– 40 x $8.00, the California minimum wage). Wages exceeding $320 per week may be garnished up to a limit of 25% of the debtor's "disposable earnings" (the portion of an individual's earnings that remain after making all legally required deductions). AB 1775 also [...]

California Labor Code §510 generally requires the payment of overtime to nonexempt employees for hours worked over 8 hours in a day, 40 hours in a workweek, and all hours on the seventh consecutive day of work. Calculating the overtime owed is relatively simple for nonexempt employees paid an hourly wage (1/40th of the employee's weekly salary); but not so easily computed for nonexempt employees paid a fixed salary. Consequently, many employers have entered into agreements with their salaried employees to the [...]