California’s love affair with unmerited lawsuits targeted at small and minority small business owners is alive and well. So much so that the California Assembly failed to even schedule a hearing on Senate Bill 84, a much-needed reform measure to protect against abusive shakedown Americans with Disabilities Lawsuits (ADA). Once again leaving businesses vulnerable to lawsuit abuse.
Senator Roger Nielo, [R-Fair Oaks], authored Senate Bill 84, which would have allowed small businesses, the right to cure or a short period of 120 days, to correct ADA violations before being sued. The legislation was a wonderfully simple idea that drew an impressive bipartisan coalition of legislative co-authors. It passed the State Senate 34 to 2.
The Americans with Disabilities Act reform measure was enthusiastically supported. The bill’s author personally met with and recruited Democrat members to co-author the legislation. Some Senate members even crossed the legislative aisle to co-author SB 84, notably including: Senators Angelique Ashby, Anna Caballero, Ben Allen and Tom Umberg. Assembly co-authors included Assemblymembers Jacqui Irwin, Stephanie Nguyen, Blanca Pacheco, and Rhodesia Ransom.