California Corporate & Securities Law

Given the importance of venture capital to California's economy, one might expect that state lawmakers would be keen to nurture the industry rather than enact laws that encourage venture capital companies to avoid the Golden State.   Last year, I ...

California generally requires that persons engaged in the business of making loans be licensed. If not licensed under some other statute (such as the banking, credit union or residential mortgage lending laws), a lender will generally be subject to...

Last year, the California legislature enacted two bills, SB 253 and SB 261 that purport to impose burdensome disclosure mandates on businesses. The legislature did so in spite of obvious constitutional infirmities. It was no surprise that the laws...

In California, some things are not what they seem.  Here, a bumblebee, a crab or snail can be a fish, but a goldfish may not be a fish.  See California Believes Clams, Crabs and Bumblebees Are Fish, Does It Now Believe That Joshua Trees Are A Type Of...

In February, I noted that the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America and several others filed suit in the Central District Court challenging two laws passed last year.  See As Foretold, California's New Forced Speech Laws Are Being...

In February of this year, California Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel introduced a bill making certain technical, nonsubstantive changes to a provision of the Penal Code concerning the removal of prison inmates for court appearances. Last Thursday, he...

Last month, California State Senator Monique Limón introduced a bill, SB 1168, that would endow the California Secretary of State with the power to cancel the articles of a domestic corporation or the filing of a statement and designation by a...

Last year, I commented on the likely unconstitutionality of two California laws compelling forced speech:

Article IV, Section 9 of the California Constitution provides "A statute shall embrace but one subject, which shall be expressed in its title". This rather simple notion, absent from the United States Constitution, dates back over two millenia to...