The relationship between tenants and their landlords can be complicated. Often what one person in the relationship thinks of as fair, the other considers the short end of the stick. It’s not unusual for tenants to get so fed up with a landlord, that they decide to force the landlord into taking action by withholding rent. While withholding rent until repairs have been made is allowed, in California, the laws surrounding the decision are complicated.

When can a Tenant Withhold Rent

H&S §17920.3 which is also called California’s State Housing Law, is a law that has been adopted by nearly all of California’s cities as well as the state’s legislators.

The law clearly stipulates the minimum requirements the landlords must do with regards to things like:

• Overall condition of the st...

Very few of us even carry a map in the car with us. Why would we when GPS is so much more accurate and gives us directions while we actually drive. As wonderful as GPS devices are, if you’re driving in California and using one, you need to be careful.

Like most states, California has clear rules about doing things like calling a friend up while you’re driving or sending text messages. Getting caught doing either of those things can result in a hefty ticket. Until January 2017, GPS’s devices were different. You were free to key in all sorts of information into them even while you were zipping down the highway. That’s no longer the case.

In January 2017, laws about the legal use of GPS devices went into effect...

Last year, California had a rash of wildfires that resulted in the police ordering a large number of mandatory evacuations. The idea of these mandatory evacuations is that it keeps people safe and allows emergency crews to focus on handling problems rather than saving people’s lives.

The problem is that there are several people who seem to think that a mandatory evacuation is actually a voluntary thing, so they stay at home. The Journal of Transportation Engineering did one study and was surprised to learn that when an evacuation became mandatory, the number of people who left their homes only increased by 6%.

Some of the reasons people give for not obeying the order to evacuate their homes include:

• They didn’t want to leave their pets behind
• A disability made it impossible for t...

A recent string of hit and run accidents has shaken the Los Angeles community to its core. In April there were four fatal hit and run accidents that are particularly troubling. These accidents took place on the 110 Freeway and were within a three-mile section. The hit and run accidents involved the deaths of one pedestrian, two cyclists, and one man who was in his wheelchair when he was struck.

Los Angeles’s Vision Zero Called to Task

Vision Zero is a program that was created in 2015 by the Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti after he became aware that more than 200 people who are either walking or biking near streets are struck and killed each year...

One of the first things an officer often does when they pull you over for a traffic infraction is taking a peek inside your car. In some cases, they’ll ask you to get out of the vehicle while they do a thorough search of the interior. Watching them go through the items you have tucked in your vehicle is enough to make anyone wonder whether the search is actually legal.

Your Rights and Your Car

The letter of the law is clear when it comes to the police searching both your person or your home, but they become vaguer when the search involves your vehicle, which makes it difficult to know whether the officer who pulled you over has overstepped.

When the founding fathers started arguing about the constitution and later about the amendments they needed, they never dreamt about things like c...

Congratulations to the State of California for being the Most Fun State in 2018. According to Wallet Hub, the Golden State takes the cake when it comes to having fun. If you’ve been in California for a while, this makes complete sense to you. Of course California is a fun state to live in. There are so many activities for locals and tourist to do.

Wallet Hub put together their list by gathering information about each state’s entertainment and nightlife.

The entertainment category had several sub-sections such as:

• Number of Attractions
• Variety of Arts
• Ideal Weather
• Restaurants
• Amusement Parks
• Golf Courses
• Movie Theaters
• Arcades
• Fitness Centers
• Marinas
• Shoreline
• Beach Quality
• Access to Scenery
• Number of State Fairs
• Access to National Parks
• Personal Spending of Recrea...

Nothing is worse than someone in a hurry tailgating you. You try to let them pass, but they seem adamant about following directly behind you. You get mad, and then think to yourself you’ll just slow down a little by more. Maybe then they’ll pass you and you can continue on your drive. The next thing you know you’re driving below the speed limit, and the guy passes you. Then you see some red and blue lights in your rearview mirror. You certainly can’t be in trouble, can you?

California actually has a Basic Speed Law. This means that you can’t drive faster then what is posted but you also can’t drive so slow that you’re impeding traffic. Other states like Texas and Oklahoma have minimum speed limits posted, as well as a maximum. However, California does not...

It’s almost that time of year for family vacations. The warmer weather brings out the outdoorsy side of some people. It’s the perfect time to let those people be outdoorsy and it would be fun for you to tag along too. The trip itself can be very relaxing.

Camping can be a fun experience, you get to try a different way of living. Of course, everyone is way more comfortable in their own beds and climate controlled homes. However camping is a chance to rough it, and live with nature. You can feel at one with the world around you because there are far less distractions. Being out with nature can be a really humbling experience. It is a chance to see how far humans have come.

Camping provides us with unique, delicious meals that can only be found outdoors...

If you’re an outdoorsy kind of person you’re, probably itching to go outside right now. You’ve been waiting for the weather to be perfect and with the approach of summer, it’s finally happening. You’re ready to grab your camping equipment, fishing gear, and food for a picnic or two. This is the opportunity to breathe in fresh air and take in the scenic views. Fishing is one of the leisure activities that you think you can just go out and do.

As simple as fishing may sound, it is a bit more complicated. You have to know what kind of fish you’re fishing for, which determines what hook, bait, and weights to use. Trying to understand just the basics of fishing is a lot to handle, yet the sport itself seems so peaceful...

As a business owner, you might think that you have the right to say whether dogs are allowed to enter, but the law often has a different opinion. This is something one restaurant owner discovered the hard way.

A Sign Is Ignored

The evening was going smoothly in the Seafood World restaurant. The food tasted great, the diners were happy, the employees were smoothly doing their jobs, but things quickly fell apart when one woman entered the establishment, walking right past the “No Dogs” sign the owner had posted near the door, and leading her dog into the dining room.

Irritated that his obvious sign had been so blatantly ignored, the owner walked over to her and asked that she take her dog outside...