There is a housing problem in California. The state has more people who need a home than there are affordable rental options available. The shortage of available housing is likely why there seems to have been an increase in “squatting” cases.

What is Squatting?

Squatting is a slang term that’s used to describe the practice of moving into a living space, such as an empty apartment, and using it as a residence. Squatting is the common term. The formal term the California court system likes to use is adverse possession.

While it’s usually easy to determine that the person who has taken up residence is a squatter, figuring out both the squatter’s and property owner’s actual legal rights is complicated.

The interesting thing about squatting is that it’s not an actual crime...

One second,you’re going about your regular life, the next you’re dealing with the legal fallout from being falsely accused of a crime you didn’t commit. Just like that, you’re living everyones’ worst nightmare. It’s difficult to know what you should do or who you should turn to.

Stay Calm

The most important thing you can do in this situation is to stay calm. Resist the urge to panic. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that as long as you keep a cool head and stay on the straight and narrow, you have the ability to remove yourself from this horrible situation.

Don’t make any accusations. Don’t threaten anyone. Don’t lose your temper. Doing any of these things could result in you getting into even bigger trouble and potentially having some real charges filed ag...

Teenagers are full of two things. Hormones and emotions. The combination causes them to make questionable life choices, which includes engaging in sex. When parents learn that their teenage child has become sexually active they often find themselves worrying if their child can be charged with statutory rape.

Recent changes to California’s laws about sex with minors have made the issue even more confusing than it is in some other states.

What is Statutory Rape?

Strictly speaking, statutory rape has nothing to do about sexual consent. In statutory rape cases, both parties are usually willing. These cases aren’t about the willingness of both partners but whether they’re able to cope with the emotional and physical ramifications that go hand in hand with a sexual relationship.

Accor...

Halloween is right around the corner. It’s one of those holidays that kids look forward to all year long. It’s not uncommon for kids to spend months working on a Halloween costume and planning their trick-or-treating route.

Safety and Halloween

Every single year, the news is always full of stories about people wondering if traditional trick-or-treating is safe. Concerning issues include the potential to bring poisoned candy into the house, getting hit by a car, or getting kidnapped. This year has the added complication of COVID-19.

Is it Safe to Trick-or-Treat?

The good news is that Halloween hasn’t been officially canceled in California, but lawmakers and members of the medical community are concerned...

Being falsely accused of a crime is many people’s biggest fears. The chances of false accusations increase when relationships end. Too often, one person feels betrayed or hurt and decides that the best way to get back at their former lover is lying about criminal activity or abuse. In many situations, these types of cases also involve a custody dispute with children.

If you are considering falsely accusing someone of a crime, there are some things you should understand beforehand.

The Court will Look at Intent

If you’re caught making false criminal accusations against someone, the first thing the prosecutor does is look at what you were thinking when you originally filed the charges.

In a vast majority of the cases, the person filing the charges doesn’t hold any malice towards the pe...

Buying and selling property is a way of life in California. People are constantly moving. Most of the time, the process goes smoothly and everything is kept above board, but every once in awhile a deal goes sour. The challenge many buyers (and even sellers) struggle with is knowing when a real estate deal simply doesn’t go as planned and when they’ve been the victim of real estate fraud.

According to California lawmakers, real estate fraud takes place when one of the parties involved in a real estate transaction knowingly commits fraud while conducting some sort of real estate transaction.

In California, real estate fraud includes:

✦ Forged deeds
✦ Breaking foreclosure fraud statutes
✦ Falsely representing a property
✦ Breaking rent skimming laws

In California, the most common forms...

Signs warning drivers about the dangers of picking up hitchhikers litter the sides of California’s highways. Upon seeing these signs, most of us assume that we’re close to one of the state’s prisons and that cops are worried that a hitchhiker could be an escaped convict. Few of us know that the reason there are so many signs warning about hitchhikers scattered along California’s immense span network of highways is because hitchhiking is actually illegal.

The issue of hitchhiking is addressed in CA Veh Code § 21957 (2018)21957. The law states that “No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any vehicle.”

Clearly, the law doesn’t want anyone hitchhiking, but what if you’re vehicle has broken down and you need a ride into town? ...

It’s not uncommon to look up a crime, such as disturbing the peace, and see that it is one of California’s wobbler laws. If you’re confused by the use of the word wobbler, you’re not alone. Few people who aren’t directly involved with California’s judicial process understand exactly what wobbler laws are.

How California’s Wobbler Laws Work

Wobbler laws aren’t complicated. Seeing the word wobbler attached to an offense simply means that the prosecution has an option. They have the luxury of charging the defendant with either a felony or a misdemeanor.

In most cases, the amount of damage the defendant has done determines which way the charge wobbles. For example, if you’re charged with a hit and run accident that only involved property damage, you’ll face misdemeanor cha...

If you’re confused by the idea that in California has two different types of assault, simple and aggravated, you’re not alone. The state is full of people who don’t know the difference between these two criminal charges.

Throwing a punch at a guy who was irritating you while you were trying to enjoy a beer at your favorite bar is usually a simple assault. However, if you grabbed a knife or started swinging a pool stick, the charge will likely be bumped up to aggravated assault.

Aggravated assault is covered in California’s Penal Code Section 245. The way the law is written, aggravated assault takes place when an assault involves the use of a deadly weapon (including a gun...

Social media is a great thing. Social media sites let you stay in contact with friends and family you wouldn’t otherwise see. You can connect with your community, join groups, play games, and simply shoot the breeze. It’s great.

There is a dark side to social media. The same social media sites you like to visit when you want to unwind create the perfect environment for a cyberbully to launch an attack against your child.

While it might not be possible to prevent your child from using social media sites, you can learn what signs you should watch for that will help you identify if they’re the victim of cyberbullying.

They’re Suddenly Withdrawn

Kids are always changing. They’re prone to mood swings. What they don’t normally do is completely turn their personality inside out...