Articles

11.15.13

Zero Net Energy In High Rise, Lofty Goal?

Let's start with the premise that according to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial buildings account for 35% of US (and 40% of Global) electricity consumption.  Then, add on a regulatory structure in which the President is calling for a 20% reduction in energy consumption and a state ...


11.12.13

Planning California's Clean Electric Power Future

Over the next several years, California's power system will undergo major changes. As renewable portfolio standards (RPS) increase, larger quantities of renewable generation resources will be required. Simultaneously, the unplanned retirement of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station ...


11.01.13

Meaningful Physician Payment Reform in Oncology

Cancer care suffers from many of the well-known flaws in the American health care delivery system. Most of the care delivery shortfalls and inefficiencies can be tied, in part, back to payment systems that support high-cost procedures rather than focusing on assisting providers in improving the ...


10.16.13

New Swap Rules Bring New Risks

In secured lending transactions, "swaps" have allowed borrowers to hedge against fluctuations in interest rates and currencies. Earlier this year, new swap rules under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) have come into effect, resulting in new and ...


10.08.13

Landmark Green Chemistry Regulations Take Effect in California

California's groundbreaking Safer Consumer Product regulations took effect October 1, 2013. The long-in-the-making green chemistry regulations establish a process for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to identify consumer products containing chemicals of concern that ...


10.04.13

Return Tracking and The Consumer Privacy Issue

A recent string of media reports has focused on major retailers that track customers who return merchandise. While the plaintiffs' bar and the media are seeking to transform return monitoring into a headline-grabbing consumer privacy issue, the practice is hardly new, it is certainly justified ...


10.04.13

How Bank Boards Should Handle Regulatory Change

Bank directors should not think grimly about their service as a board member, even in the light of increased regulatory and shareholder pressure. While laws and regulations are constantly evolving, bank directors who approach their director work with clear focus, open lines of communication with ...


09.12.13

Assets Held By Charitable Organizations Are Safe From Claims or Creditors In Bankruptcy Cases … Or ...

A charity, fulfilling its charitable mission, is successful in raising money for a variety of worthy projects—rebuilding after a natural disaster, medical education and care, summer camp experiences for disadvantaged children, or financial support for senior centers. Everyone agrees that ...


09.04.13

Infrastructure Projects Drive Private Builds

Unless you have literally been living under a rock, anyone who lives or works in the San Francisco Bay Area recognizes that the development of new commercial real estate projects is booming. According to various industry sources, construction starts in Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco ...


08.27.13

Who Is in Charge of Our Hospitals?

Literally, no one wants to "go there." We just want to know that physicians and hospitals are providing quality care. For decades, however, a debate has raged within hospitals for primacy over responsibility for deciding whether a physician's privileges to treat hospital patients ...