Law Library Newsletter: August 2008

Letter from the Director I am pleased to announce that I will be contributing to this column on a monthly basis. I hope this new feature will provide a different perspective for our readers and offer the opportunity to develop a dialog between the Law Library and its users. My theme for this month is the collaboration between the Law Library and other legal service providers for the betterment of our community. The Law Library was featured in an article in the July 2008 issue of the San Diego Lawyer entitled "Book 'Em", by Claude Walbert. The article focused on the future of county law libraries and the potential funding issues facing them. The subject has already attracted attention, and there have been requests to post the article on the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) State, Court and County Listserv for national access and discussion. The ABA Publication, Bar Leader, in its recent issue showcases opportunities for law libraries to collaborate with their local Bar Associations to produce journal articles. A representative from our Library will be attending the next editorial meeting of the San Diego Lawyer to brainstorm on ideas for future topics and to assist the Bar with its legal information needs. The Law Library will once again be partnering with USD Law School during the fall semester to provide free legal clinics to the public at the downtown branch. Clinic schedules will be announced shortly. We are also continuing our collaborative program with the Lawyer Referral & Information Service of the San Diego County Bar and San Diego County Libraries to offer free "Lawyer @ Your Library" programs at County Library branches. The programs at the County branches offer opportunities to provide assistance to those living in underserved areas of San Diego. The Law Library will continue to explore partnering opportunities during the remainder of the summer and looks forward to partnering with the First Courthouse of San Diego on a joint fundraiser in October. More on this to come!

Astronaut Sally Ride is Guest Speaker at Law Library Fundraiser "Legal Roots" The Law Library Justice Foundation and the First San Diego Courthouse museum are hosting a "Legal Roots" fundraising event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Law Library's main branch building, the American Board of Trial Advocates and Law Day. The event will be held at the San Diego Air and Space Museum with special guest speaker, former NASA Astronaut Sally Ride, Ph.D. Dr. Ride, the first American woman in space, made her journey 25 years ago this year. The event will be hosted by Fox News Anchor Heather Myers. The festivities will be on Friday, October 10, 2008, at the San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park from 5-9pm. Tickets are $125 per person for attorneys and the general public and $95 for paralegals and legal secretaries. Ticket price includes dinner, admission to the Air and Space Museum and its newest exhibit, "Star-Trek The Exhibition," music by the Jeff Carver band, comedic skit by the Bar News Alive group, and a silent auction. To RSVP or for more information, you may contact Joy Placek at 619-531-4449 or visit website www.legalroots.com.

Lower Your California Property Taxes Did you know that California Proposition 8, passed in 1978 amending California's Constitution Article XIII A, could help you lower your property taxes when real estate prices fall? With declining real estate values across California, this is a good proposition to know about. Proposition 13 prevents the County from raising your property value from the "base value" (generally the purchase price) by more than 2% per year. Prop. 8 is an amendment to Prop. 13 and allows a temporary reduction in assessed value when a property declines in value. A decline in value occurs when the market value of your property is less than the current assessed value as of January 1. Your current assessed value can be found on the upper right hand corner of your most recent tax bill. Property owners who believe their property's market value has fallen below its previously-assessed value may file an "Application for Review of Assessment" with the Assessor's Office, and also should provide their opinion of their property's value and any supporting documentation, such as comparable sales, current listings, or a recent appraisal. Once the assessed value is reduced, the county will re-assess the property each year, and raise (or lower) it as the market values change. Unlike the Prop. 13 value, the Prop. 8 value may go up by more than 2%, but the Prop. 13 value is still the cap. If you think you qualify for re-assessment, contact your county assessor's office. Each county has slightly different procedures. The San Diego County Assessor's Office was accepting applications for review until May 30, 2008. If you have property in San Diego and have not filed your application for review this year keep Prop. 8 in mind for next year or contact the San Diego County Assessor's Office at (858) 505-6262 for more information. Proposition 8 can be found in the California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 51.

FREE Credit Monitoring A class action lawsuit, In re Trans Union Corporation Privacy Litigation, has been preliminarily approved for settlement, and you could be the winner. Trans Union will provide (at least) six months of their credit monitoring services for free to "all consumers who had an open credit account or open line of credit" from any U.S. creditor from January 1, 1987 to May 28, 2008. That means virtually everyone qualifies. The deadline to register for free credit monitoring is September 24, 2008. For more information and to register for benefits, visit the settlement website at: www.listclassaction.com, or call their toll free number: 1-866-416-3470. Remember, everyone can get free annual credit reports from all three credit bureaus through www.annualcreditreport.com, whether or not you register for the settlement.

Attorneys as Authors Annual Event Mark your calendars for our annual Attorneys as Authors program. This year's event will run September 15-18, 2008, from 12-1pm daily. Scheduled speakers include: Monday, Sept. 15: Aaron Schwabach - "Harry Potter & the Rule of Law" Tuesday, Sept. 16: William Aceves - "The Anatomy of Torture: A Documentary History of Filartiga v. Pena-Irala" Wednesday, Sept. 17: Judge Norbert Ehrenfreund - "You Be the Judge: 20 True Crimes to Solve" Thursday, Sept. 18: Wendy Patrick Mazzarella -"Reading People: How to Better Understand People & Predict Their Behavior - Anytime, Anyplace" More information to follow soon.

Featured New Resource & New Materials Added to the Collection Our featured resource this month is: California Easements and Boundaries: Law and Litigation This CEB practice guide offers practical solutions for resolving boundary disputes. It also covers Title, Survey, and Title Insurance issues, and provides sample forms for the most commonly used easements. Litigation and transactional attorneys will find this resource invaluable when drafting or litigating easements and preparing settlement agreements for commercial or residential properties. This resource is currently accessible only on CEB OnLaw database available from any library patron computer. New Materials Added to the Collection The Law Library adds numerous new materials to its collection on an ongoing basis. To see new books added to the collection in the last month, CLICK HERE.

FREE Legal Clinic in Imperial Beach on Employment Law The San Diego Bar and the San Diego County Library partners with the San Diego County Public Law Library in offering "Lawyer @ Your Library" programs to public libraries. A free legal clinic will be held on: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 2:00pm - 4:00pm San Diego County Library Imperial Beach Branch 810 Imperial Beach Blvd. Imperial Beach, CA 91932 619-424-6981 Lawyers will be available for free consultations on Employment Law issues. The consultation is to provide general legal advice and referrals only. Volunteer lawyers will not provide on-going representation. Consultations are given on a first come, first serve basis and will only be provided on employment law issues.

Upcoming Classes for August & September Members of the general public may sign up for these classes by calling (619) 531-3900. The classes are free to Law Library members and are $5 for non-members. Participants may bring lunch. Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. All classes are held at the Main Branch. For a complete description of the classes and the most up-to-date information, go to: www.sdcpll.org/calendar/calendar.html. August What Women Need to Know about Social Security* Wednesday, August 6th, 12-1 pm Using Lexis* Thursday, August 7th, 12-1 pm Intellectual Property: An Overview* Wednesday, August 20th, 12-1 pm Law Made Public Saturday, August 23rd, 2-3 pm September Practical Legal Research Saturday, September 6th, 2-4 pm Elder Abuse: Top Ten Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim Monday, September 8th, 12-1 pm The Elder Abuse class is free to Law Library Members and people over 60. $5 to nonmembers under 60. Using Westlaw* Monday, September 29th, 12-1 pm *MCLE Credit is available for these classes. The San Diego County Public Law Library is a State Bar approved MCLE provider.

CORRECTION In last month's e-newsletter article, SDCPLL's Victoria Williamson Receives Prestigious "Rohan Chapter Service Award", Frank Houdek was inadvertently credited as SCALL's "current" President. Mr. Houdek is, in fact, a SCALL "past" president. We apologize for this error.

Cartoon by Stu Rees Stu's Views are "Cartoons About Law and Lawyers." Stu Rees is a local entertainment lawyer who represents mostly visual arts creators.

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