Dear SABA Southern California Community:
Our worlds are rapidly changing each day as information surrounding COVID-19 becomes available. We want to take a minute to wish each of you and your loved ones good health and access to resources in these troubling times.
We are working to formulate actions and policies that will best serve members of the South Asian legal community in Southern California. We invite your feedback: socalsaba@gmail.com.
In the meantime, we wanted to provide you with some important updates and resources that may be of assistance to you:
- For those of you practicing in Los Angeles, please see the following:
- The Administrative Order from Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile with important details regarding court closures, calendaring, continuances, effective March 17, 2020 and through April 16, 2020, subject to amendment as circumstances require.
- A letter from LACBA President Ronald F. Brot.
- The updated LACBA Calendar identifying all event postponements and cancellations.
- For those of you practicing in Orange County, please see the following:
- The County of Orange issued a statement (March 17, 2020 at about 7pm) indicating that the Public Health Order (issued March 17, 2020 at about 3pm), was not an order to shelter in place. The County will be issuing an amended Health Officer’s Order.
The situation remains very unclear as police departments and OC Supervisors continue to issue conflicting messages as recently as 10am on March 18. We will continue to monitor for any developments, as should you. - News Release regarding Court
closures in Orange County (all courts closed at all locations from Tuesday, March 17, 2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020, with very limited exceptions) - OCBA COVID-19 Update Page, with live updates
- Urgent notice from OCBA President Scott Garner
- The County of Orange issued a statement (March 17, 2020 at about 7pm) indicating that the Public Health Order (issued March 17, 2020 at about 3pm), was not an order to shelter in place. The County will be issuing an amended Health Officer’s Order.
- For those of you practicing in other counties, we have limited access to resources. If you have information that may be helpful, please feel free to share by emailing us at socalsaba@gmail.com. What we do know is as follows:
- Riverside: Courts are open March 17, but closures are pending. Find current notices here.
- Santa Barbara: Most Courts are closed through April 3, 2020. Visit the Court website and see the Emergency Order here.
- Ventura: Per the Court website, all Courts closed through March 18, 2020. Beginning March 19, 2020 and up to 30 days thereafter, all Courts will remain closed except for a few limited courtrooms, which will be open for limited hours. Read the full Administrative Order for the Superior Court of Ventura County here.
- All California Courts – Emergency Orders issued by California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye on March 16, 2020.
- Other Resources:
- Know Your Rights Resources:
- Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Resources for Employers and Workers from the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency – Read more
- Guidance for Employers from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health – Read more
- Guide for Employees from the Employment Development Department, State of California, which includes information about filing a disability claim if you are unable to work due to COVID-19 – Read more
- A list of technology companies that are helping small businesses by enabling remote work throughout this period. – Read more
- Navigating the Coronavirus Pandemic: How Firms Are Aiding Clients and Running Their Own Operations – Read more
- LA Times – Coronavirus and labor law: Know your rights, from paid sick leave to working from home – Read more
- 6 Tips For Managing Remote Employees: How To Maintain Productivity And Engagement – Read more
- Fisher & Phillips Comprehensive COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document – Read more
- Workshops, CLE & Webinars:
- The OCBA is offering a webinar on best practices for firms to deal with COVID-19 this Wednesday, March 18 at 12pm. Join the webinar by clicking the following link: https://zoom.us/j/
985661619 The webinar will cover two important issues: (1) How to handle working from home, by panelist Erin Giglia, co-founder of Montage Legal, and (2) Employment Law Considerations, by panelist Michael Gregg, Shareholder at Littler. The panels will be moderated by Dan Robinson of Robinson Calcagnie. - NAPABA’s Wellness Committee is offering a panel on Thursday, March 19 at 2pm ET/11am PT intended to help individuals cultivate practices to stay centered as they manage life during this time of crisis. The program will include a guided self-check-in, tips to create space for oneself, and an interactive discussion on supporting others while supporting oneself in a changing environment. Panelists are Angela Oh and Rudhir Krishtel. To register, click here.
- American Bar Association: Trending CLE Programs on Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Read more
- The OCBA is offering a webinar on best practices for firms to deal with COVID-19 this Wednesday, March 18 at 12pm. Join the webinar by clicking the following link: https://zoom.us/j/
- The South Asian Network (SAN) issued a press release regarding COVID-19, requesting that volunteers reach out to Zainab Syeda, the SAN Manager for Community Outreach & Volunteer Engagement at zainab@sansocal.org.
- Tax Relief – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin publicly announced on March 17, 2020 that individuals who owe the IRS up to $1m can defer payment, interest and penalty free, for up to 90 days. Taxpayers have until July 15, 2020 to pay any under-payment of tax for the 2019 tax year. For a media report of the press conference, see “Treasury and IRS to Delay Tax Season Deadline by 90 Days” (March 17, 2020) on NBC NewYork (online) by clicking here.
- The California Franchise Tax Board is also offering a filing extension for affected taxpayers. As of March 17, 2020, that extension is through June 15, 2020 for individuals, partnerships and LLCs. Read more at the FTB website and review their March 13, 2020 News Release.
- The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance program offers low-interest loans to businesses affected by declared disasters, including COVID-19. To read more about the program, to check to see if your county is included, and to learn how to apply and qualify, check out this resource center. These loans can be used to support payroll, offset sick leave costs, and pay fixed debts as well as other costs incurred as a result of this temporary disruption. For even more information, check out the SBA Loan blog post here, and click here to visit the official SBA Disaster Loan Assistance site.
As the situation continues to evolve, we are dedicated to keeping you informed. Your health and safety is important to us. We invite all feedback, comments, and suggestions on how we can best serve our community and the general public. This Friday, March 20, 2020, we will be transitioning our responsibilities to incoming Co-Presidents Vandana Kapur (Davis Wright Tremaine) and Gopi Panchapakesan (Bird Marella). We are confident that they will lead with courage and compassion, but we remain available to SABA-SC and all of you at all times. Thank you for allowing us to have the honor of guiding SABA-SC over the past year, it has truly been a privilege.
With warm regards,
Janani S. Rana & Shilpa Coorg
SABA-SC Co-Presidents