Raymond Sham, PC

If you're driving less than before due to COVID-19, here is an article that might help you negotiate lower auto insurance rates. https://finance.yahoo.com//negotiate-auto-insurance-rates-

"Jacob van Cleef, U.S PIRG's consumer watchdog associate, told Car and Driver that the insurance companies have disappointed their customers. 'They had an opportunity to use a significant portion of their billions of dollars in profits to genuinely help their struggling customers," he said. "Instead, most companies gave less than a month's worth of premiums back while making a big public to-do about doing a great service for their customers. Americans making sacrifices and staying at home deserve better, and these insurers should do more.' Those profits came from the dramatic reduction in payouts the insurance companies issued this year since there were fewer cars on the road and thus fewer crashes." https://www.caranddriver.com//car-insurance-refund-corona/

New traffic laws taking effect in 2021 include points on license for distracted driving (ex. holding and using mobile phone while driving); liability exemption for rescuing unattended children in vehicles when danger is immediate; and extension of "Move over, Slow down" to local streets. Please see this short article for more. https://www.actionnewsnow.com//New-traffic-laws-take-effec

"Statistics gathered between Feb. 3 and April 27 during the early pandemic shutdowns found a 19% drop in vehicles miles traveled (VMT) in California. . . . found a 29% drop in the rate of minor injury vehicle crashes per 100 million VMT from March 23 through June 8. . . . However, [t]he rate of fatal and severe traffic crashes in the state went up by 15%." https://www.dailybulletin.com//pandemic-road-conditions-le

Scammers are targeting utility customers with fraudulent postcards like this one. If you are suspicious about any COVID-19-related postcards, emails or calls from people claiming to be with SCE, call us at 1-800-655-4555 or visit sce.com/scamalert

"The Pasadena Police Department will soon buy three new automatic license plate readers to replace several aging counterparts . . . . The move comes despite some opposition from the ACLU, which has been trying to get the city to enact a blanket ban on surveillance technology, which they say includes facial recognition systems and automatic license plate readers." https://www.sgvtribune.com//pasadena-police-to-get-new-li/

Stay Housed L.A. County is a comprehensive initiative to provide L.A. County residents with important information about their rights as tenants, free legal repr...esentation, short-term rental assistance, and referrals to wraparound services to prevent eviction and displacement during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that will increase the region’s homelessness. Features of the program include a website connecting tenants with useful information about their rights, workshops for residents who need legal assistance, and connections to legal services and tenant advocates. Stay Housed L.A. County is a partnership between the County of Los Angeles, legal aid groups and community-based organizations to provide emergency support to tenants in need. County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs Learn more here: https://www.stayhousedla.org/

"People with scheduled hearings beginning Monday, Sept. 14, involving traffic and non-traffic infractions in Los Angeles County may be eligible to appear by telephone for hearings." https://www.sgvtribune.com//la-county-court-offering-remot

"The presiding judge of Los Angeles County’s court system has announced a new 90-day grace period on all traffic and non-traffic infraction matters that had been set to expire on Oct. 14." https://www.pasadenanow.com//la-county-courts-announce-90/

Know your landlord/tenant rights. Join LA County DCBA tomorrow for a free webinar to learn about resources available to renters and property owners. More info: http://bit.ly/LACountyRent

"When the coronavirus pandemic hit in the spring, Southern Californians could point to a silver lining of free-flowing freeways and near-empty thoroughfares. Not anymore." https://www.dailybulletin.com/freeway-gridlock-is-back-and-

The license plate readers are cameras that will be placed throughout the city, said Azusa Police Chief Mike Bertelsen at the meeting. As cars drive by, the readers scan license plates and if the vehicle is wanted or stolen, it will notify the police department’s dispatch center." https://www.sgvtribune.com//automated-license-plate-reader

"Thousands more vehicles already have been stolen in the city this year compared to years past, and police are puzzling over why. . . . Lt. Bruce Hosea, an LAPD detective who works on a county-wide task force tracking vehicle thefts, said no neighborhood has been spared. . . . . 'There’s no rhyme or reason to it they’re stealing more cars, and it’s just everywhere. . . . It’s not like they’re stripping them and doing it to make money off of them,' he said. 'It seems they’re just using them for transportation.' " https://www.dailynews.com//lapd-more-cars-being-stolen-th/

Scam Alert: Contact Tracing Scams! It may not be a surprise, but scammers are posing as contact tracers to get your personal identifying information during the ...COVID-19 health crisis. They're looking for social security numbers or financial information, such as your bank account number. If someone contacts you and asks for this personal information - they're posing! HANG UP immediately. Help your friends, parents or grandparents know legitimate contact tracers will contact you if you've: 1) tested positive for COVID-19 or 2) if you've been identified as a close contact of someone who's tested positive. And when they ask you for information, they'll ask for: 1.Your name. 2.Your date of birth. 3.Places you've been. 4.How you're feeling. 5.The people you've been in contact with for more than 15 min., up to 48 hours before you had symptoms - OR - they'll let you know if you may have been exposed to the virus & what you can do. Help us keep LA County communities safe by sharing this alert. To learn more about this scam, click here. For social media content on what contact tracers DO ask, check out our COVID-19 Social Media Toolkit located at the end of our Daily Update (or here).

Join Bet Tzedek - The House of Justice, Chinatown Service Center, and Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (APISBP) for a FREE Employment Rights Webina...r on 8/14! Topics will include unemployment/disability insurance, minimum wage, paid leave, and more. RSVP at https://bit.ly/2X73Vj1 to attend the workshop. See more

Join our partner Chinatown Service Center to learn the basics of starting a new business. Learn about permits & licenses, market research, federal resources & more. The free webinar is on Tues Aug 4 at 3 pm, and will be offered Mandarin/Cantonese California WBC Network #californiawbc