New California laws
PART 1 CUSTOMER Service Dashboard: The goal is provide tools and resources in resolving tax matters. The “Customer Service Dashboard” was launched in March 1, 2017 with estimated time frames…
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Did Trump commit an impeachable offense when he asked FBI Director Comey to drop the Flynn investigation?
“HE is a good guy. I hope you can let this go,” was what President Donald Trump told his sacked FBI Director James Comey. This was documented by Comey in…
Determined
“SUFFICIENT in form but insufficient in substance,” the House of Representatives’ justice committee declared on Monday, May 15, as it formally dismissed the impeachment complaint filed against Pres. Rodrigo Duterte….
Abandoned wife, Uber driver seek Chapter 7 for credit card debt
FIRST client is 48 and married in the last 4 years. Husband was a foreigner who professed his love for her in so many ways. Unfortunately, his love for her…
Grounds for annulling a marriage
“ There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage voided rather than dissolved.” MOST couples that want out of a marriage in California usually file for…
Winners under the Trump tax plan
“ Trump’s plan will help more low-income workers to avoid taxes, not to pay income taxes.” ACCORDING to the Tax Foundation’s Taxes and Growth Model, the Trump tax plan would…
Bankruptcy: Why suffer in debt when the law provides a remedy?
HAVE you heard the story of a poor, old beggar who died one day- and to everyone’s amazement, a money belt found wrapped around his waist contained thousands of dollars…
Fil-Am teen killed in car crash after prom
Mother sustains non-life threatening injuries A FILIPINO-American teenage girl was killed in a car crash in the Bay Area on Sunday morning, May 14, as she and her mother were…
God’s love in Jesus
JESUS shows his concern and cares for us this Sunday by telling us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me….
A Mother’s Day tribute
This Sunday, we are going to honor God’s wonderful gift to us, our mother. A mother is truly a special woman and deserves much praise and gratitude. I can’t help…
The June 2017 priority dates
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A…
Petitioning children of your spouse from a previous marriage
A STEPPARENT may file an immigrant petition for a stepchild even without the stepparent having to legally adopt the stepchild. However, before a stepparent may be able to file an…
Seeking asylum
(Part 2 of 2) Asylum applications are filed to avail of protection in the United States due to persecution or fear of persecution “due to race, religion, political opinion,…
Depression is great risk factor in suicide
Depression is a most significant risk factor in suicide. In today’s busy, impatient, materialistic, and fast-paced society, people are subjected to various stressors in life everyday. Encumbered by their personal…
Single moms in their multi-tasking, complicated world: The struggles and joys of doing it alone
ONE of my very close friends is a single mother. After a failed marriage, she had an affair with a married man and unexpectedly got pregnant. I didn’t know…
Tips to protect your company from worker classification audits
PART 1 THE focus of an audit is whether independent contractors should actually be treated as employees. The unpaid taxes for misclassified employees include income taxes, federal unemployment, and FICA…
The ‘war on drugs’: Saying too much is saying nothing
Social media have been abuzz over a tweet attributed to Dr. Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was recently…
The PDAF queen is back
AFTER managing to stay under the radar while being incarcerated for one of the biggest scandals in Philippine politics, pork barrel or Philippine Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam mastermind Janet…
On leading future shepherds
I TOLD a friend one day that I probably have one of the best jobs in the seminary. I get to teach and observe seminarians on parish internship engage in…
Store manager needs bankruptcy relief
“ The Chapter 13 trustee, unlike the Chapter 7 trustee, does not have the power to sell debtor’s house. So, in Chapter 13, there is no risk of losing debtor’s…
Provisional waiver available even with deportation order
QUESTION: I have heard that the provisional waivers have expanded. I have a prior deportation order and have been so afraid to have my spouse petition me because I thought…
Bifurcation and status only divorce
“ Under the Family Code, a spouse can “bifurcate” the issue of marital status and terminate the marriage without having to wait until the issues pertaining to property, support, and…
Business tax changes under Trump tax plan
A MAJOR thrust of the Trump Tax Plan is to bring back jobs to America. Large multi-nationals left and set up operations in foreign countries to avoid our corporate tax…
Bankruptcy can offer hope when life doesn’t seem fair
WE’VE all been there. Those moments when almost anything that could go wrong DOES go wrong in our finances. As human beings, we all want to be safe and secure…
A personal account of the 1992 Los Angeles riots
The Los Angeles riots of 1992 are among a few moments that are seared in my memory. It was mid afternoon on Wednesday April 29, when I got a call…
The beautiful world of Camille Agbayani
Her positive energy radiates across the room. Her disarming beauty makes it hard to believe that beyond her imperial persona is a beautiful person who makes a living by making…
Angels of mercy in the medical arena
Nursing is most certainly a world in itself. Even as the American health care debate rages, these remarkable men and women quietly continue to provide the day to day grit…
Dr. Joven P. Dungo unbolts his munificent heart so that others may live
Choosing a career path puts one in a thorny, unfathomable crossroad hard to decide… or deal with it pragmatically and face the consequences brought about by an erroneous pursuit. Like…
I came to the US under a different name; is there hope for me?
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I came to the US under a different name on a visitor’s visa. The passport and visa had my picture, but somebody else’s name. I still have…
California divorce frequently asked questions
I JUST moved to California last month, and I’d like to file for divorce. Can I file now? To file for divorce in the State of California, the person filing…