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SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, R- Rocklin, announced Jan. 29 that the nation’s top advocate for small businesses and job creation, the National Federation of Independent Business has recognized her, for the second consecutive year, with a 100 percent pro-business rating based on her 2012 voting record. “Receiving high marks on the NFIB scorecard, for [...]
A blitz of threatened lawsuits and demands for money for alleged Americans With Disabilites violations by attorney and quadriplegic Scott Johnson blanketed the Tahoe/ Camino/Pollock Pines/Placerville businesses toward the end of 2011. By the winter of 2012, small businesses faced the choice of paying up and fixing up. Some of them, like Pony Espresso in [...]
Congressman Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, celebrated his big victory over opponent Jack Uppal, D-Lincoln, Tuesday night at the Serrano Country Club with the Tea Party Patriots of El Dorado Hills and guests. Early returns gave McClintock a big lead and the congressman said he wasn’t worried about his race. “I’m doing all right,” he said, [...]
EDITOR: A critical time in the health of the American people-has arrived. Are you willing to let big chemical companies continue to manipulate the political process to keep you from knowing that the food you eat has been genetically altered? That the foreign bacteria, viruses, antibiotic-resistant genes and synthetic DNA contaminating your food — that have nothing to [...]
Within the space of a few hours on Wednesday, Sept. 26, the Mountain Democrat had received well over 100 e-mails — copies of letters sent to each of the five members of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors. Most in a similar format, the writers pleaded, asked politely, urged, cajoled and begged supervisors not to move ahead with planned maintenance on the Rubicon Trail scheduled for Friday, Sept. 28.
Many of the letters came from off-roading clubs and residents of Northern California, but a significant number were sent by folks from Utah, Georgia and parts in between.
Businesses all over California might breathe a little easier, especially small businesses, since Governor Brown signed SB 1186 on Sept. 19., but they still need to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. SB 1186, a bill introduced by state senators Darrell Steinberg and Bob Dutton, is designed to reduce predatory lawsuits and increase [...]
A bill to curb disability access shakedown lawsuits is awaiting the governor’s signature. Originally promoted by Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, Senate President pro tem Darrell Steinberg put the final legislation together and pushed it through after U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote, urging him to do it. But even more credit goes to the people of Pollock [...]
Do you run a home based business that requires clients or customers to access specific areas of your home on a regular basis? If so, you could be required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and be subject to a civil rights lawsuit. Maybe you run a small day care facility from your [...]
I don’t want to fly the friendly skies with a monkey. I like monkeys, but air travel is challenging enough with unexplained flight delays, needles in the sandwiches and a dearth of pillows, blankets, food and space on domestic flights. And now, I might have to share the cabin with a monkey, a pot-bellied pig, [...]
Kudos to Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, for being a co-sponsor along with Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Inland Empire, of Senate Bill 1186 that will rein in the ADA abusive lawsuits. Also cosponsoring it are Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, and Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres. The bill, passed 36-0 in the state Senate, requires a private [...]
Senate Bill 1186, introduced by state Senator Bob Dutton and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg passed the Senate with a 36-0 vote May 29 and will move on to the Assembly. The bill is an attempt to curb predatory lawsuits with regard to disability access. It was co-authored by state Senators Anthony Cannella and [...]
EDITOR: Imagine … Dad is driving up this summer to take the family to its favorite spot in the Eldorado National Forest, the truck is loaded up with camping gear and bicycles and fishing poles, just like they have done every so often to enjoy the outdoors and get away from the day-to-day grind. They [...]
Speaking to an audience of approximately 100 people, Congressman Tom McClintock held a Town Hall meeting in Pollock Pines Monday night. Saying that the government was the problem, McClintock fielded a series of questions from residents who appeared worried and unhappy about the direction of the country and our current economic problems. The problem of [...]
Changes need to be made to both federal and state Americans with Disabilities Act legislation in order to stop abusive lawsuits and provide access to buildings, businesses and services for all. And it’s up to the public to make it happen. But changing state access legislation is an uphill battle. California legislators have turned down [...]
Business and property owners from Placerville and beyond filled Town Hall on Tuesday. The 7 a.m. start time of the workshop on “How to Avoid or Resolve ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Lawsuits,” sponsored by state Sen. Ted Gaines and Assemblywoman Beth Gaines. Every seat was filled as David Peters, CEO of Lawyers Against Lawsuit [...]
EDITOR: We sincerely thank the Mountain Democrat for its excellent coverage of the challenges our local, small businesses are having with predatory ADA lawsuits. Because of your reporting, Mayor Mark Acuna received a phone call from the Senior Aide to Senator Feinstein who has been entrusted with researching the devasting effects these lawsuits are having on small business in California. (The [...]
SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, R-Rocklin, April 10 announced that a portion of her Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) legislation reform package has unanimously cleared the Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee with bi-partisan support. Assembly Bill 1879, requires the State Architect to compile a list of all federal and state disability access regulations [...]
A recent string of federal lawsuits against Placerville’s small businesses for non-compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act standards was the subject of a presentation by City Manager Cleve Morris to the Placerville City Council March 27. “What can the city do to help small businesses?” was Morris’ rhetorical question.” It’s a difficult issue to resolve, [...]
Senator Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin, gave thanks to the more than 120 business owners and constituents who attended his first two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Workshops in Placer and Sacramento Counties. There are two more workshops left. If you are a business owner, you can’t miss out on this opportunity to get an update [...]
The El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors will hear public comment on four more years of proposed rate increases on March 26, immediately following a 6 p.m. rate hearing at the Cameron Park Community Center. The four-year rate package, in combination with three years of increases approved in 2010, would more than double water [...]