It is undeniable that social media – be it Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, what have you – is changing the way we manage our personal and professional relationships. An increasing area of concern over the past few years has been the detrimental effect that our online presence can have on Read more…
Steven L. Simas, owner and founder of Simas & Associates, Ltd., was recently interviewed for an article on Medscape.com. The article touched upon a central theme of Simas & Associates, Ltd – retaining competent counsel and representation when dealing with investigations by professional licensing agencies in the state of California. Read more…
In California, all persons aged 18 years and older that operate or work in a Community Care Facility must obtain a fingerprint clearance. The California Health and Safety Code requires a background check of all applicants, licensees, adult residents, volunteers under certain conditions and employees of community care facilities who Read more…
On January 23, 2013, Steven L. Simas, Founder and Owner of Simas & Associates, Ltd., providing an in-person training to the San Luis Obispo County Civil Service Commission (SLO CCS Commission) The training was regarding the history, purpose, process, and procedures of the SLO CCS Commission. Simas & Associates, Ltd. Read more…
One of the great mysteries of administrative law is how to challenge a decision or action by an administrative agency once the agency has completed the administrative process or refused to act. Whether the agency has completed an administrative hearing or simply refuses to follow one of its legal obligations, Read more…
The tradeoff between civil liberties and security presents complex, difficult issues for our courts, which must attempt to apply long-standing constitutional and precedential principles to rapidly changing technology and contemporary realities. In “Rights at Risk,” Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author David Shipler discusses some examples of these complex issues, Read more…
The state of California offers the Partnership for Long Term Care (“Partnership”) as a statewide program dealing specifically with issues of long term health care. It is “dedicated to educating Californians on the need to plan ahead for their future long-term care and to consider private insurance as a vehicle Read more…
The California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) recently sent out an Initial Statement of Reasons regarding its proposed changes to the California Code of Regulations affecting Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) School approval. Specifically, the proposed changes would specify that all California and out-of-state RVT schools or degree programs already accredited by Read more…
California, like most other states, has an “implied consent” rule for its licensed drivers. That means that if you accept a California driver’s license, you agreed to adhere to the state’s traffic laws, such as following the speed limit and obeying traffic signals. One of the rules is to never Read more…
California law requires certain peer review organizations responsible for reviewing the medical care of physicians to make reports regarding physicians to the Medical Board of California (“Board”). And these reports can trigger Board investigations and even license discipline. This is the often misunderstood – but almost always detrimental – “805 Read more…