New California Laws Affect Small Businesses

By Jodie Carter

A new California law went into effect on January 1, 2004 extending protection for employees who notify a government or law enforcement agency when they believe their employer is violating laws enacted for the protection of investors, employees, corporate shareholders and the general public. While the new law is a response to book-baking and Enron-style deception, the bill also applies to small employers.

Senate Bill 777 has set up a "whistle-blower hotline" within the attorney general?EUR??,,????'???s office to receive call-in reports of employer violations of state or federal statutes, rules, regulations, or fiduciary responsibilities.

The bill also requires employers to prominently display a list of employees' rights and responsibilities under the ?EUR??,,????'??whistleblower?EUR??,,????'?? laws. This display must include the hotline number and be easily read with lettering of 14-point type or larger.

The state of California is in the process of printing the posters In the meantime, several business organizations, including the California Chamber of Commerce, have created posters that comply with the new law. A free poster is available by logging onto the Employers Group website, at www.employersgroup.com, and navigating to the "Legal and Legislation" page.

Non-Licensed Architects?EUR??,,????'??+Beware of these Terms

Senate Bill 1079, which went into effect on January 1, 2004, declares that any person using the terms "landscape architecture," "landscape architectural," or any other words, titles or abbreviations that imply licensure as a landscape architect, without possessing a license from the California Architects Board is guilty of a misdemeanor. The previous law prohibited only using the title "landscape architect."