Orange County Reporter
Thursday, January 15, 2026
GUEST COLUMNS

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

A series of antitrust defeats has left the NCAA unable to enforce its own eligibility rules, fueling a bidding war for top athletes that threatens to destroy non-revenue sports programs. Federal legislation may be the only way to preserve college athletics.
As multimillion-dollar payouts for police violence, infrastructure failures and civil rights violations surge, California's public liability funds are straining under risks their original designs never envisioned.

Monday, January 12, 2026

Federal contractors are supposed to give hiring preferences to veterans, but the Department of Labor lets them off the hook.
After years of attempts, California has amended the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act to let judges lower the evidentiary bar in cases involving spoliation.

Friday, January 9, 2026

The Trump administration is already deploying GenAI to second-guess physicians' determinations of medical necessity for seniors' treatments, shifting Medicare toward cost-driven care over clinician judgment.
California's 2026 carryout bag law closes the thick plastic loophole but still relies on outdated material categories instead of lifecycle performance metrics to guide sustainable packaging policy.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

California's bail system crisis isn't the result of recent reforms--it stems from courts refusing to follow constitutional requirements that have existed since 1849.
Netflix's $72 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery tests the limits of antitrust enforcement in the streaming era--and reveals how media giants are adapting to regulatory scrutiny.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Friday, January 2, 2026

Alford and Pena expose a split over emergency takings: One court says the Fifth Amendment always requires compensation, the other leans on history, leaving the Supreme Court to resolve the clash.
As states wage an escalating redistricting arms race, the only way to stop politicians from handpicking their voters is a national ban on partisan gerrymandering that puts independent mapmakers -- not self-interested lawmakers--in charge.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Witnesses tell your client's story but mishandling them can write them out of your case entirely. From who you can contact to what documents you can accept, here's what California lawyers need to know about witness communication ethics.
Enlarging the House by 150 members and the Senate by 21 could make Congress more representative, reduce district distortion and restore closer connections between lawmakers and constituents.

Monday, December 29, 2025

Combat veterans carry invisible battlefields of trauma; while the justice system once punished their symptoms, veteran treatment courts now prioritize healing, restore dignity, reduce recidivism and offer paths to redemption.
To counterbalance a federal judiciary dominated by former executive branch lawyers who defer to presidential power, the Senate should require that for every judge nominated with senior executive experience, another must have substantive legislative branch experience.

Friday, December 26, 2025

In 2025, NIL rights transformed college sports, boosting athlete pay, fueling school revenue and reshaping recruitment--benefiting all divisions while normalizing a market worth more than $2 billion.
As the Supreme Court moves to expand presidential power by subordinating independent agencies to executive prerogatives, a proposed statute would restore congressional authority by creating expert advisory agencies that develop bipartisan legislation for fast-track congressional votes.

Monday, December 22, 2025

A new Second District Court of Appeal decision dismantles the Patterson exception, easing the burden on defendants and restoring common sense to the workers' comp treatment authorization process.
Two recent federal actions--one administrative, one judicial--highlight the sharp limits of executive and court-based cannabis reform, reinforcing that only Congress can resolve the deep constitutional conflicts at play.

Friday, December 19, 2025

California's housing crisis has become a tale of two cities--with San Francisco charging ahead and Los Angeles backpedaling--offering a stark look at how local leaders navigate state pressure and housing need.
California has long flirted with a wealth tax, but a new ballot measure targeting the state's billionaires could finally break through where past efforts have failed.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Government coercion of private platforms to suppress apps like ICEBlock exemplifies "censorship by proxy," raising urgent First Amendment concerns about protecting speech, transparency and public safety against overreach.
When powerful interests redefine accountability through public narratives, perception can begin to outweigh evidence in shaping the law.

NEWS

General News

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Plaintiffs' attorneys are seeking court approval of a $100 million settlement resolving securities claims that PG&E misled investors about its wildfire safety practices, following a sharp stock decline tied to major California fires.
General News

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

AB 1554 would pave the way for sweeping changes to how wildfire losses are paid, based on a state report due this spring.
General News

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Most Americans say they have a financial resolution for 2026, according to a survey from the investment firm Vanguard, even though about three-quarters conceded that they fell short of their saving and spending goals last year.
General News

Monday, January 12, 2026

A subset of autonomous car users recognized that taxis devoid of strangers could offer an even more revolutionary service: chauffeuring teens and tweens in place of their harried parents.
General News

Monday, January 12, 2026

A California appeals court ruled Amazon Flex last-mile drivers are transportation workers under federal law, exempting them from mandatory arbitration and strengthening wage law protections for gig delivery drivers statewide.
General News

Friday, January 9, 2026

A federal judge ordered Los Angeles to pay $1.8 million in attorney fees, faulting the city for failing to provide accurate homelessness data and comply with a landmark settlement agreement.
General News

Friday, January 9, 2026

Federal prosecutors say Orange County Superior Court Judge Israel Claustro defrauded California's workers' compensation system by secretly operating a medical group and using a previously convicted physician to generate fraudulent claims.
General News

Friday, January 9, 2026

It's been one year since the fires. California has raised wages for incarcerated firefighters and made the Growlersburg Fire Camp program permanent.
General News

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

President Donald Trump raised the taxes that the United States charges on imports last year to levels not seen in a century.
General News

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer denied Uber's request to delay bellwether trials and challenge a political ad campaign, siding with plaintiffs who argued the ads are protected speech.
General News

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Arguing a motion to dismiss, Prager University contended that Facebook ID data cannot be decoded by an ordinary person, but Judge Mark C. Scarsi questioned how that standard holds up in an era of artificial intelligence.
General News

Monday, January 5, 2026

Elon Musk's xAI sued the state of California, arguing AB 2013 forces disclosure of proprietary AI training data, violating trade secret protections, free speech rights and the Fifth Amendment.
General News

Monday, January 5, 2026

Legal analysts warn the initiative could face challenges under U.S. and California Constitutions.
General News

Monday, January 5, 2026

Millions of borrowers have fallen behind on their federal student loans, and the government is preparing to take aggressive steps to collect in 2026.
General News

Friday, January 2, 2026

Parents allege the school, Campbell Hall, ignored repeated warnings about pickup-area design, leading to a 15-year-old's death.
General News

Friday, January 2, 2026

Few life milestones are as emotionally and financially transformative as becoming a parent. While this chapter is often filled with deep joy, it can also bring new worries as each stage of parenthood can present fresh challenges.
General News

Friday, January 2, 2026

Company says that claims implicate military firefighting foam made under federal contracts.
General News

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

The artificial intelligence boom has turned high-profile billionaires into even richer billionaires.
General News

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass staked her political future on a promise: As a candidate in 2022, she vowed to make homelessness her top priority and to make dramatic reductions in the city's population of unhoused people.
General News

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Government attempts to break up large Silicon Valley tech giants Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.-owned Google LLC hit significant hurdles this year, as one lawsuit was defeated and a request for a major divestiture was blocked in another.
General News

Monday, December 29, 2025

Jury sides with former behavioral health medical director who was fired after reporting alleged misconduct.
General News

Monday, December 29, 2025

The United States routinely tops the list of foreign travelers' dream destinations.
General News

Monday, December 29, 2025

Eaton and Palisades wildfire lawsuits involve tens of thousands of plaintiffs, novel immunity defenses, utility liability disputes, and unprecedented strain on California courts and coordinated litigation systems.
General News

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

A court-appointed monitor testified that Los Angeles failed to provide complete, verifiable data required under a federal homelessness settlement, as city officials defended their reporting methods during heated contempt hearings.
General News

Monday, January 12, 2026

A Los Angeles judge said she will limit discovery into Southern California Edison's rate base and executive compensation, questioning its relevance to Eaton Fire claims while allowing targeted production tied to transmission assets.
General News

Friday, January 9, 2026

The deal brings nine attorneys and nine support staff to Manning Kass and establishes a permanent Riverside office
General News

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

CAOC-backed committees report massive fundraising totals as title and summary approvals allow competing ballot measures to move toward signature gathering.
General News

Monday, January 5, 2026

Saks Global said Friday that its CEO, Marc Metrick, had stepped down after the beleaguered luxury department store group missed a loan payment and as it weighed filing for bankruptcy protection.
General News

Friday, January 2, 2026

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would abandon, for now, efforts to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon.
General News

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Housing First provides chronically homeless people long-term subsidized housing and offers, but does not require, treatment for mental illness or addiction.
General News

Monday, December 29, 2025

Attorneys say Tesla's aggressive litigation tactics, intense discovery disputes and frequent counsel changes strain Alameda County courts, while the court disputes overload claims as major employment, injury and discrimination cases against the automaker continue.