Brigit S. Barnes & Associates, Inc.

THANKSGIVING NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 24, 2020 NO JOKEWHAT DOES PROP 19’S PASSING MEAN FOR YOU? Autumn of course is a time of change, and this year more than most. I had planned a carefully considered item with emphasis on living through these changing times, and info about new faces here at our firm. That will have to wait until December. The election nationally and in California changed all that and, given the very short time period property owners will have to evaluate the ...Continue reading

Why We Added Estate Planning To The Real Estate Land Use And Development Services We Already Offer When folks ask about "Estate Planning," they usually mean preparing wills and a trust or trust documents. But Estate Planning is just one of the tools attorneys can use to protect a client's assets and help them design long term ownership and asset plans. When I talk about Estate Planning, I think of all the aspects of our real estate practice, which undergird the preparation ...Continue reading

UPDATE FOR ALL PROPERTY OWNERS AND LANDLORDS, LARGE AND SMALL: September has brought activity on both the Foreclosure Moratorium and Rent/Eviction Moratorium fronts. Foreclosures: Effective September 1, the Judicial Council Votes to End Temporary Emergency Rules on Evictions, Foreclosures. This will mean that where appropriate residential foreclosures and evictions can be processed through the courts. Be extremely careful to follow all guidelines that are permitted. ... Evictions: On September 3, Governor Newsom signed AB 3088 the Covid-19 Tenant Relief Act. The Act describes the conditions under which continued rent deferrals can occur, and when deferrals will terminate. The bill also extends the protections for small owners of one-to-four family residential to prevent foreclosures of these units where tenants have continued to defer rent due to COVID hardships. The California Apartment Association has prepared a one-page "cheat sheet" for the bill, which is attached. Please review this information carefully. The reader will see that the legislation assumes that prior arrangements between the landlord and tenant to defer rent may be in place. In all matters involving possible deferrals of rents or mortgage payments, and these recent changes in effective dates, you should consult your attorneys to make sure that you properly apply the most recent legislative applications. This office is happy to review these matters with you, so please contact us.

Attention Commercial Property Owners: SB 939 Alert SB 939 (Weiner), is a huge problem for commercial property owners. This bill, if passed, would allow in-state commercial renters to be allowed to pay no rent for an extended amount of time, and would enable commercial renters to nullify lease contracts. This bill is so dangerous that an enormous coalition of businesses is openly opposing this bill. Attached is an "Oppose" Notification letter which includes more details. Please lend your name to the opposition to this bill by writing the Senate Judiciary Committee or Senator Weiner directly.

PROPERTY TAX ALERT: Despite full press attempts by the California Business Properties Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' Association, so far only FOUR Counties have agreed to postpone the 10% late fee on property taxes. These postponements only apply to May 1 through May 4, but it is better than nothing. The Counties that agreed to a delay in enforcement of late fees are currently: Imperial County, Kern County, San Mateo County and San Francisco County. If you own property in any other county and you do not make your property tax payments by April 10, the penalty applies. Please see the letter from Rex Hime, California Business Properties Association attached to this post.