San Diego County Public Law Library E-Newsletter

Law Library Online Survey We want to hear from you! We are extending the deadline to respond to our online survey to December 15th in order to give more folks the opportunity to provide us with input. You are invited to participate in the Law Library's first online survey! Go to www.sdcpll.org and complete our Survey for a chance to win a $50.00 Amazon gift card.* Your opinion matters to us! Both members and non-members of the Law Library, as well as regular library users and those who visit or use our services less frequently are encouraged to participate. *Survey participants who complete the survey and provide their contact information for follow-up purposes (for example, receiving an invitation to participate in a focus group) will be entered into a drawing for one of fifty - $50 Amazon.com gift certificates. For more information and to participate in the survey, go to the library website at www.sdcpll.org and click on "Library Survey."

December & January MCLE News The days are quickly passing for State Bar members whose last names begin with the letters A-G to fulfill their MCLE requirements as their compliance period ends January 31, 2007. We have put together an exciting mix of new DVD titles on the three required subject areas: ethics, bias and substance abuse/emotional distress. The Library is also excited to offer several live programs including presentations from Lexis and Westlaw. Featured speakers include David Demergian, the San Diego area coordinator for The Other Bar, covering the topic of substance abuse. Attorney/Psychologist Kenneth Lynch will speak at the North County branch on "Substance Abuse: Signs, Impact, and Treatment." Carolina Rose of Legislative Research Incorporated will give two presentations at the Main branch on California legislative history. We are also pleased to have Edward Pscheidt, CEO of SurEmail, speaking on "Forensic Evaluation of Emails," and Attorney David Carr, ethics expert, who will be speaking on "Client Trust Accounts Demystified." This year we will be offering MCLE classes starting in early December and continuing throughout January. Once again, Wednesday, January 31, 2007, will be "cram" day at the Main Library with DVD programs running from 8:30 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. As one of the benefits of SDCPLL membership for attorney and paralegal members, the Library offers these FREE participatory credit programs at both the Main Library and the North County Branch. Registration is limited, so please call early to reserve your place. Sign up and bring your lunch as the Library lifts its usual "no food" rule for these programs. To register for programs at the Main Library, please call 619-531-3900. For North County Branch registration, please call 760-940-4386. For more information and to see the complete calendar of MCLE programs planned for December and January, go to www.sdcpll.org and click on the "MCLE Information" page under "Other Content."

Holiday Toy Drive to Benefit the Children's Waiting Rooms at the Courts Did you know that there are seven Children's Waiting Rooms in court buildings around the county, providing a safe place for children while their parents attend to court business? People who come to the Law Library may also check their children into the waiting rooms while they are doing research. The Law Library is sponsoring a toy drive during the month of December to help stock the waiting rooms with new toys. You are invited to bring a new unwrapped toy to one of the four law library locations during December. Donors will have the opportunity to decorate our trees with special ornaments which recognize their generous donations. Some suggestions for types of toys include board games, computer games, puzzles, blocks, and other "hands on" toys for eager young minds. Stuffed animals are not appropriate due to health concerns. We appreciate your participation in making this toy drive a success. Happy Holidays!

Holiday Hours and Closures The Main Library and all Branches will be closed on the following dates: December 23rd & 25th, 2006 - In observance of Christmas December 30th, 2006 and January 1, 2007 - In observance of New Year's January 15, 2007 - In observance of Martin Luther King's Birthday Please note that all Branches will be closing at 3:00pm on Friday, December 1st. Library hours from Dec. 26 to Dec. 28 at the Main branch are 8:00am to 5:00pm.

New California Laws Listed below is a small selection of laws which were enacted during last year's legislative session and will be of interest to both the legal community and consumers. If the law does not take effect on January 1, 2007, the effective date is listed. To see other notable California legislation go to: http://www.legintent.com/legislation/legislation2006.pdf For more information and to see where a Bill is codified in the California State Codes go to: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html , select the 2005-2006 Session, the House and enter the Bill number. Once you retrieve your search, click on the "Chaptered" link. AB 68: Car Buyer's Bill of Rights - effective July 1, 2006. requires a car dealer selling a used vehicle under $40,000 to offer the buyer a two-day contract cancellation option agreement. This bill also puts restrictions on using the term "Certified" used car and imposes other restrictions on dealers who provide financing. AB 2415: Network Security - requires manufacturers of wireless access points to integrate measures into the product to provide consumers an opportunity to place security protections on the access point before using the product. AB 333: Civil Discovery - states that a deposition of an organization will be treated as a single deposition for purposes of limited civil cases, even when more than one person may be designated or required to testify. This bill also provides that a deposition is admissible in California if it was taken under the provisions of the Civil Discovery Act or under comparable provisions of another state, federal court or foreign nation. AB 1363: Omnibus Conservatorship & Guardianship Reform Act of 2006 - significantly restructures the courts' review of conservatorships, imposing new duties on court investigators, and requires the Judicial Council of California to implement new rules, forms and notices. SB 1827: Taxation of Domestic Partners - requires registered domestic partners to file personal income tax returns, as either married filing joint or married filing separate. AB 1098: Common Interest Developments - requires common interest development associations to make available all association records, as opposed to just accounting books, records and meeting minutes. AB 2126: Enforcement of Family Law Judgments - provides that enforcement of a money judgment or judgment for possession or sale of property under the Family Code would be enforceable until satisfied in full.

News From The North MCLE-Attorneys, if your last name begins with letters A-G, your MCLE compliance is due January 31, 2007. The North County branch is presenting an MCLE program on Thursday, December 7th from Noon to 1 p.m. Attorney/Psychologist Kenneth Lynch will be speaking on the signs, impact and treatment of substance abuse. One hour detection/prevention of substance abuse participatory credit is available. The program is free for current Law Library attorney members. To register, call (760) 940-4386. In addition to the live presentation, we will again be sponsoring free screenings of MCLE videos. Participants will be eligible for participatory credit. The schedule has not yet been finalized, so be sure to check our website for dates and times. The North County branch also has several self-study CDs available. Titles include How to Collect Your Fee and Avoid a State Bar Complaint, California Domestic Partner Registration Act: Tax Issues, and Dealing with Difficult People. New titles have been ordered and should arrive before the end of the year. For more information on MCLE compliance, visit the State Bar website at: www.calbar.ca.gov

Pet Owners Beware: Animals Have Rights Too In September, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved Senate Bill 1806 which added section 597.7 to the Penal Code. Beginning January 1, 2007, it will be a misdemeanor crime to leave a pet unattended in a locked motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well being of an animal. Such conditions include, but are not limited to "heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water." Violation of Penal Code § 597.7 is punishable by fines up $100 per animal for a first conviction. If the animal suffers great bodily injury, fines can go up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both. Penalties for subsequent violations are assessed as if the animal had received great bodily injury. Penal Code §597.7 also authorizes peace officers, humane officers and animal control officers to "take all steps that are reasonably necessary" to remove animals from the motor vehicle if the animal's safety appears to be in danger. In other recently enacted animal related legislation, the Governor also approved Senate Bill 1349 which amended sections 597b and 597j and repealed and added section 597c of the Penal Code relating to animal fighting exhibitions. Citing concerns about the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, the legislature has increased penalties for animal fighting exhibitions, such as cockfighting, to county jail time for up to one year, $5,000 fine or both. Second or subsequent convictions can be classified as either a misdemeanor or felony punishable by county jail time of up to one year, or state prison time from 16 months up to three (3) years, a fine up to $25,000, or both. To read more about Penal Code § 597.7, or other California State Codes, visit www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

Reference Question Of The Month When an Employer receives a Child Support withholding Order who do they pay? An Employer received an order to withhold child support from an employee's earnings. Who should he send the payments to? Should he ignore the order and rely on his employee to make the ordered payments, should he send the payments directly to the employee's spouse, or should he send the payments to the new State Disbursement Unit? If an employer receives an Order to withhold income for child support, the employer must comply with the Order. Effective September 1, 2006, all child support payments must be made to the State Disbursement Unit. Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 651 et seq.) requires states to provide services relating to child and spousal support enforcement in return for federal public assistance funding. The Department of Child Support Services has been created within the California Health and Human Services Agency as the unit for administering the Title IV-D state plan. For more information you can go to the County of San Diego Department of Child Support Services at www.sandiegochildsupport.org or the California Child Support Automated Payment System at www.casdu.com.

New Books Added to the Collection Nahmod, Sheldon H., 1940- CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES LITIGATION / SHELDON H. NAHMOD. 4th ed., [2006 revision].[Eagan, Minn.] : Thomson/West, c2006- KF1325.C58 N34 2006. Main Library Only Wagner, Marcia Beth Stairman, 1962- ERISA : LITIGATION, PROCEDURE, PREEMPTION AND OTHER TITLE I ISSUES / BY MARCIA BETH STAIRMAN WAGNER, ALDEN J. BIANCHI, AND PETER J. MARATHAS. Washington, D.C. : Tax Management, c2006. KF6289.A1 T33 no.374-3rd. Main Library Only FEDERAL POSTCONVICTION REMEDIES AND RELIEF: : WITH FORMS. Norcross, GA : Harrison Co. KF9690.Z95 W572. Main Library Only Mather, Steven R., 1957- FEDERAL TAX COLLECTION PROCEDURE : LIENS, LEVIES, SUITS AND THIRD PARTY LIABILITY / BY STEVEN R. MATHER AND PAUL H. WEISMAN. Washington, D.C. : Tax Management Inc., c2006- KF6289.A1 T33 no. 637. Main Library Only Hunt, Gordon, 1934- HANDLING MECHANICS' LIENS AND RELATED REMEDIES (PRIVATE WORKS) : HERE'S HOW AND WHEN TO DO IT / GORDON HUNT. Oakland, Calif. : CEB, California., c2006. KFC229.Z9 H86 2006. Main Library and East County Library Eades, Ronald W. JURY INSTRUCTIONS ON PRODUCTS LIABILITY / RONALD W. EADES. 4th ed. Newark, NJ : LexisNexis, 2006- KF1296.A65 D6 2006. Main Library Only Smolla, Rodney A. LAW OF DEFAMATION / BY RODNEY A. SMOLLA. 2nd ed. [St. Paul, MN] : West Group, 1999- KF1266 .S56 1999. Main Library Only Rundlett, Ellsworth T. MAXIMIZING DAMAGES IN SMALL PERSONAL INJURY CASES / ELLSWORTH T. RUNDLETT III ; EDITED BY RACHEL ROBINSON, AND KRISTEN SACHS. Costa Mesa, CA : James Publishing, Inc., c2006- KF8925.P4 R86 2006. Main Library Only Wren, Harold G., 1921- THE OF COUNSEL AGREEMENT : A GUIDE FOR LAW FIRM AND PRACTITIONER / HAROLD G. WREN, BEVERLY J. GLASCOCK. Chicago, Ill. : Senior Lawyers Division, American Bar Association, c1991. KF300 .W73 1991. Main Library Only TRANSNATIONAL JOINT VENTURES Eagan, MN : Thomson/West, c2006- K1309 .T73 2006. Main Library Only

We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter! If you are a guest and would like to subscribe, please click here. We're hard at work on the next edition. In the meantime, please see us online at www.sdcpll.org or visit us at one of our four locations. For more information, or to send comments about this newsletter, contact Gina Catalano, Reference Librarian.