Recent News - Olson Hagel & Fishburn LLP

1/21/2010
Citizens United Case
The United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in a rare special public session which reflects the gravity of the decision particularly with respect to Federal elections. The major holding in the Citizens United case is that the Court invalidated the Federal law which prohibits corporations from making independent expenditures in Federal campaigns. The practical effect of the decision is that both labor unions and corporations are not prohibited from making independent expenditures in Federal elections, something they were not permitted to do prior to the decision.

Given that it is so recent, it will take some time to fully digest the implications of the decision. However, there is no doubt that the Court's decision will significantly impact Congressional and Presidential campaigns. Given that Senator Boxer is up for re-election in California this year, it may very well be that we will witness the effect of the Citizens United opinion here first-hand.

12/28/2009
Deborah Caplan certified as Appellate Law Specialist
Olson, Hagel & Fishburn partner Deborah Caplan was recently certified as an appellate law specialist by the California Bar Association Board of Legal Specialization. In order to obtain certification as an appellate specialist, an attorney must demonstrate substantial experience in handling appellate briefs and oral arguments and must pass a challenging written examination. There are less than 300 appellate specialists in the State.

12/17/2009
"Enhancing Public Retiree Pension Plan Security: Best Practice Policies for
Trustees and Pension Systems"
Chris Waddell, head of Olson Hagel & Fishburn's Public Retirement Law practice, has authored a report on public pension fund governance best practices for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (AFSCME), a longstanding client of the firm. The report, entitled: "Enhancing Public Retiree Pension Plan Security: Best Practice Policies for Trustees and Pension Systems," serves as a roadmap for improving public pension plan governance. The report reviews best practice policies and recommends policy language for pension systems to adopt with a focus on trustee responsibilities, education, core competencies and ethical and fiduciary conduct. A copy of the report is available at www.afscme.org/pensions.

12/1/2009
Suit Challenges Constitutionality of Sacramento's Strong Mayor Initiative
Olson, Hagel & Fishburn is representing Bill Camp, a resident of Sacramento and current Executive Secretary of Sacramento’s Central Labor Council, in a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the process used to change the Sacramento city charter. Lance Olson, managing partner of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn, explained the lawsuit at a press conference where labor leaders, two former Sacramento mayors, and other members of the public expressed their opposition to the closed process used to put the Strong Mayor Initiative on the June 2010 ballot. The complaint argues that the effort to transform Sacramento into a strong-mayor form of government constitutes a “revision” in the city charter and that the proponents failed to follow the process the California Constitution prescribes for such changes.

11/11/2008
Election Day Revisited – One Week Later and Multiple Elections Still Up for Grabs
by Chris Meagher

Olson, Hagel attorney Richard Rios participates in Santa Barbara vote canvass.

Most of Santa Barbara County's offices were closed for Veterans' Day. But at only 8:45 a.m. today, the county's election ballot-counting headquarters at the corner of Anacapa and Figueroa streets was bustling.

Three men sat outside with a stack of boxes of ballots, waiting to take them to the second-floor space filled with counting machines, computers, and yet more ballots. Upstairs, County Clerk-Recorder Joe Holland was giving a tour to a school field trip on one side near a handful of workers who were removing vote-by-mail ballots from their green envelopes. On the other side of the warm, stuffy room, one man was running ballots through a counting machine while three workers were duplicating ballots for people who had submitted ballots from overseas. There would be no holiday for these people.

Nor would there be a holiday for a group in the middle of the room - representatives dispatched by both the California Democratic and Republican parties who were ready to resume overseeing signature inspections on vote-by-mail ballots to make sure their candidates for the 19th Senate District, Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson and Republican Tony Strickland, were getting a fair shake. The already tedious process has been considerably slowed by the observers-one team of two election workers verifying signatures had only gotten through four ballots in roughly 30 minutes of work. Two of those were challenged. In fact, dozens of votes have thus far been challenged, Holland said.




news publications	1/21/2010 Citizens United Case The United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in a rare special public session which reflects the gravity of the decision particularly with respect to Federal elections. The major holding in the Citizens United case is that the Court invalidated the Federal law which prohibits corporations from making independent expenditures in Federal campaigns. The practical effect of the decision is that both labor unions and corporations are not prohibited from making independent expenditures in Federal elections, something they were not permitted to do prior to the decision. Given that it is so recent, it will take some time to fully digest the implications of the decision. However, there is no doubt that the Court's decision will significantly impact Congressional and Presidential campaigns. Given that Senator Boxer is up for re-election in California this year, it may very well be that we will witness the effect of the Citizens United opinion here first-hand. 12/28/2009 Deborah Caplan certified as Appellate Law Specialist Olson, Hagel & Fishburn partner Deborah Caplan was recently certified as an appellate law specialist by the California Bar Association Board of Legal Specialization. In order to obtain certification as an appellate specialist, an attorney must demonstrate substantial experience in handling appellate briefs and oral arguments and must pass a challenging written examination. There are less than 300 appellate specialists in the State. 12/17/2009 "Enhancing Public Retiree Pension Plan Security: Best Practice Policies for Trustees and Pension Systems" Chris Waddell, head of Olson Hagel & Fishburn's Public Retirement Law practice, has authored a report on public pension fund governance best practices for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (AFSCME), a longstanding client of the firm. The report, entitled: "Enhancing Public Retiree Pension Plan Security: Best Practice Policies for Trustees and Pension Systems," serves as a roadmap for improving public pension plan governance. The report reviews best practice policies and recommends policy language for pension systems to adopt with a focus on trustee responsibilities, education, core competencies and ethical and fiduciary conduct. A copy of the report is available at www.afscme.org/pensions. 12/1/2009 Suit Challenges Constitutionality of Sacramento's Strong Mayor Initiative Olson, Hagel & Fishburn is representing Bill Camp, a resident of Sacramento and current Executive Secretary of Sacramento’s Central Labor Council, in a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the process used to change the Sacramento city charter. Lance Olson, managing partner of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn, explained the lawsuit at a press conference where labor leaders, two former Sacramento mayors, and other members of the public expressed their opposition to the closed process used to put the Strong Mayor Initiative on the June 2010 ballot. The complaint argues that the effort to transform Sacramento into a strong-mayor form of government constitutes a “revision” in the city charter and that the proponents failed to follow the process the California Constitution prescribes for such changes. 11/11/2008 Election Day Revisited – One Week Later and Multiple Elections Still Up for Grabs by Chris Meagher Olson, Hagel attorney Richard Rios participates in Santa Barbara vote canvass. Most of Santa Barbara County's offices were closed for Veterans' Day. But at only 8:45 a.m. today, the county's election ballot-counting headquarters at the corner of Anacapa and Figueroa streets was bustling. Three men sat outside with a stack of boxes of ballots, waiting to take them to the second-floor space filled with counting machines, computers, and yet more ballots. Upstairs, County Clerk-Recorder Joe Holland was giving a tour to a school field trip on one side near a handful of workers who were removing vote-by-mail ballots from their green envelopes. On the other side of the warm, stuffy room, one man was running ballots through a counting machine while three workers were duplicating ballots for people who had submitted ballots from overseas. There would be no holiday for these people. Nor would there be a holiday for a group in the middle of the room - representatives dispatched by both the California Democratic and Republican parties who were ready to resume overseeing signature inspections on vote-by-mail ballots to make sure their candidates for the 19th Senate District, Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson and Republican Tony Strickland, were getting a fair shake. The already tedious process has been considerably slowed by the observers-one team of two election workers verifying signatures had only gotten through four ballots in roughly 30 minutes of work. Two of those were challenged. In fact, dozens of votes have thus far been challenged, Holland said.