Los Angeles California Civil Rights Law Blog

One of the ballot measures California residents voted on when they visited the polls on Nov. 6 determines whether or not the Golden State will continue to observe daylight saving time. Employers dislike daylight saving time because it causes hours to appear and then disappear as clocks are moved forward and then back. This can create a bookkeeping headache for employers and lead them to run afoul of federal and state wage and hour laws.

Workers who are on duty when the nation's clocks move forward will work one hour less than their timecards indicate, and those who are at their posts when daylight saving time ends will appear to have worked one hour longer than they really did. Laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act require companies to pay their nonexempt workers only for the time that they actually put in, which means that either shifts or wages must be adjusted when the clocks change.

Recreational cannabis is legal in California, but many people may wonder about the impact of legalization on roadway safety. There's little evidence on how cannabis can affect a person's driving abilities, and there has only been limited research to find a legal limit for cannabis consumption before driving that's similar to the blood alcohol concentration used to regulate drunk driving. However, some studies indicate that concerns are legitimate when it comes to the potential for increased car accidents due to cannabis intoxication.

On one level, the concern is far broader and extends to all forms of drug-influenced driving. For example, the National Transportation Safety Board released a report reviewing a Texas motor vehicle crash in which 12 people were killed when a pickup truck rammed into a church bus. The driver was found to be under the influence of drugs, including marijuana as well as sedatives. Some of the most serious accidents involving drugs include cannabis in combination with more powerful substances, and the opiate crisis presents its own threats to safety.

There are many for-hire vehicle options here in the Los Angeles area. One such option that people sometimes chose in connection to parties, celebrations or other special events is a stretch limo. However, there are some safety concerns that come up in relation to such vehicles.

Accidents involving such limos can have devastating results. This is underscored by a tragedy that recently got a lot of coverage nationally. This was a stretch limo crash in New York that led to 20 deaths.