Covering the week’s most noteworthy business news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Virus cases reach over 8K, with 500 Asians testing positive LOS ANGELES County officials on Friday, April 10 announced that the stay-at-home order will be extended until at least May 15 as new incidences of the novel coronavirus continue to be reported in the region. The previous directive, which was announced a month ago, was…
Garcetti expresses support for AAPI community, condemns uptick in COVID-19-related discrimination The City of Los Angeles has increased worker protections and requirements for “non-medical essential” employees across the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a press briefing on Tuesday, April 7. Effective Friday, April 10, the new order requires employees at grocery stores, drug stores,…
THE dangerous coronavirus has brought the economy to a screeching halt. With no work and no paychecks, millions of homeowners are now wondering how they’re going to be able to keep their homes. It’s beginning to feel like 2008 all over again. If there’s any comfort in all this madness, everyone is in the same…
INSTACART is one of the largest grocery delivery services in the United States. Instacart allows its customers to shop their local grocery using a mobile app or the website. The virtual shopping cart is filled out by an Instacart worker, called a “personal shopper,” who goes out to buy the groceries at the grocery store…
BOTH Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 trustees are now implementing the new procedure required by the U.S. Trustee for social distancing to avoid spreading the virus. The lockdown and social distancing certainly make a lot of sense. Wearing face masks also makes a lot of sense. I now ask clients to wear a mask and…
FIFTEEN Filipino tycoons landed on Forbes’ 31st annual ranking of the world’s billionaires, with former Senator and real estate tycoon Manuel Villar leading the pack. Forbes said this year’s roster was made up of 2,095 billionaires across the globe, noting that it was 58 fewer than those recorded in 2019, and 226 fewer than just…
WE are back to work. The Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) updated its list of essential services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and expressly included residential real estate. Since Governor Newsom’s order incorporates this list, the order now includes residential and commercial real estate, including settlement services, as essential services…
FIVE Filipinos made it onto Forbes’s “30 Under 30 Asia” list for “challenging conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next generation.” The 2020 roster, released on Thursday, April 2, includes skateboarder Margielyn Didal, The Cacao Project founder Louise Mabulo, PayMongo founder Francis Plaza, gymnast Carlos Yulo, and multimedia artist Breech Asher Harani. “This year’s…
PRESIDENT Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18 to bring much needed relief to employees and small to midsize businesses. Small and midsize employers can begin taking advantage of two new refundable payroll tax credits designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing Coronavirus-related leave to…
THESE are challenging times for California small businesses. Restaurants, retail stores, and other services sustained (and continue to sustain) coronavirus-related losses. Their damages resulted from severe business interruption, event cancellation, loss of supply chains, and loss of customers among other damages. However, business owners may seek to obtain payments for losses if their business insurance…
A LOT of people in debt often already know what they need to do once they realize that bankruptcy is their only way out. But they usually delay the decision to file because they try their best to avoid it if at all possible and will only rush to act when they face an immediate…
THE U.S. Trustee has recently instructed bankruptcy trustees to conduct debtor hearings telephonically to comply with social distancing guidelines to fight the coronavirus. The Chapter 13 trustee in Riverside, California has just informed counsel about how that will be implemented in his jurisdiction. Appearances will be done telephonically and/or with video for hearings starting mid-April….
Trump signs off on sweeping spending bill to provide taxpayers with financial relief, businesses with a special lending program On the same day that the House approved the plan, President Donald Trump signed into law the $2.2 trillion relief plan, the largest economic stimulus package in modern American history, to help address the ramifications of…
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, March 26 announced that financial institutions will provide major financial relief for millions of Californians suffering financially as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. “Millions of California families will be able to take a sigh of relief,” said Newsom. “These new financial protections will provide relief to California families…
IRS extends the Federal income tax deadline from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. This new due date applies to both filings and payments due April 15, 2020. This extension is automatic. There’s no need to file additional forms. If you need additional time beyond July 15, 2020 (which I suspect most of you…
Q: I read about severe cases of COVID-19 infections requiring several weeks of recovery. Can the employer fire me while being on leave due to this illness? Do I have remedies? A: The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) protects employees’ rights to take a leave of absence due to the serious health condition of the…
I MUST admit that the $2 trillion stimulus package to counter the virus-induced slowdown is noteworthy. In the next three weeks, 93% of Americans will be receiving $1,200 each, according to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. The Senate has just approved this bill. President Donald Trump is all for it, and it goes to Congress for its…
99 RANCH Market, via a public announcement signed by CEO Alice Chen, recently shared a public announcement on how the company and its stores are addressing shoppers’ needs during the coronavirus crisis. Here’s the announcement in full: To our valued customers and the 99 Ranch Market community: As we continue to monitor the novel coronavirus…
A LOT of people who are contemplating bankruptcy as a solution to their debt problems often wonder if it can be avoided at all. They fear that they might be making the biggest mistake of their lives. If you are struggling with debt problems and are starting to feel hopeless about your situation because you…
Panic-buying, school closures and, of course, contracting the novel coronavirus itself are not the only things to watch out for as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in the United States. According to separate warnings from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the public ought to watch out for scammers…
Taxpayers in the United States will have three additional months to file their federal taxes, the U.S. treasury secretary announced on Friday, March 20. Tax Day will now be moved from April 15 to July 15 to give taxpayers more time amid the coronavirus pandemic. “All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to…
Q: I work for a company that provides 40 hours of paid sick leave. This is about five days of work. If I ever need to take leave due to COVID-19, five days may not be enough. What are my options? A: As of this writing, the recorded cases of COVID-19 is approaching 11,000 in…
THESE are trying times indeed. We have been advised to self-isolate in the meantime that we are waging a war against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Sure, social distancing makes a whole lot of sense. But what happens to all those new bankruptcy cases I just filed on behalf of my clients with 341A hearings coming…
FILIPINO restaurants in New York are feeling the pinch as the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic forced them to drastically cut their operations, doing away with dine-in and focusing only on pick up, to go or delivery. Restaurants in the city are among the particularly hard-hit and the restrictions made by the governors of…
SAN FRANCISCO Mayor London N. Breed on Tuesday, March 17 announced a moratorium on commercial evictions for small and medium-sized businesses related to financial impacts caused by COVID-19. The moratorium will prevent any small- to medium-sized business from being evicted due to a loss of income related to lost revenue or other economic impacts caused…
NEVADA Governor Steve Sisolak has announced the closure of ‘nonessential’ businesses, including casinos, throughout the state for at least 30 days to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), beginning on Wednesday, March 18. Businesses ordered for closure include all casinos and gaming machines, clubs and bars, hair and nail salons, gyms and shopping…
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday, March 18 announced an $11 million economic relief package for small businesses impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we’ll do everything possible to help them survive this crisis,” said Garcetti. “This program will offer the support they urgently need…
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Monday night, March 16 halting evictions and foreclosures as the coronavirus pandemic threatens the livelihoods of the state’s renters and homeowners. The executive order comes as Californians are experiencing substantial loss of hours or wages, or layoffs related to COVID-19, affecting their ability to keep up with…
THE Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector will not be accepting in-person payments or providing in-person tax or business license services until further notice, following the closure of all County buildings to the public beginning Monday, March 16. The facilities that are now closed include the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, where the department’s…
EVENT cancellations, work from home, no dining in restaurants, doors shuttering — these are a few ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic that businesses across the country are facing. Here in Southern California, new guidelines have caused Filipino American business owners to change the way they operate or even, close temporarily. Following California Governor Gavin Newsom’s…
