• Tax Alert: Employer Reporting Requirements

    Employer Reporting Requirements: Incentive Stock Options & Employee Stock Purchase Plans

    Time is running out for corporate employers to provide employees and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) certain statements regarding the exercise of incentive stock options (“ISOs”) and the transfer of shares at a discount under employee stock purchase plans (“ESPPs”).  This alert summarizes the filing requirements, deadlines and penalties.

  • Real Estate Alert: New San Francisco CEQA Procedures

    After months of negotiations, the City and County of San Francisco (“City”) Board of Supervisors recently approved an ordinance amending local CEQA procedures, which are codified in Chapter 31 of the City Administrative Code. The ordinance is expected to be operative this month. This alert summarizes the main changes.

    Categories: Publications
  • Business Alert: SEC Lifts General Solicitation Ban on Certain Private Offerings

    On July 10, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted final rules that will allow advertising and other methods of general solicitation in connection with certain private offerings of securities under Rule 506 of Regulation D and Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).  The new rules also prohibit issuers from relying on Rule 506 for any offering in which “bad actors” affiliated with the issuer are involved.  The disqualifying events include certain criminal convictions, SEC orders, and other administrative or regulatory actions.

    Click here to read the full alert.

  • Real Estate Alert: San Francisco Gross Receipts Tax

    In an attempt to promote hiring in San Francisco, in November 2012 San Francisco voters elected to implement a new gross receipts tax (“GRT”).  Beginning January 1, 2014, San Francisco will phase in the GRT on all business activities attributable to San Francisco, and will phase out, over a five-year period, San Francisco’s current 1.5% tax on payroll expense.  This means that for the next four years, businesses with gross receipts attributable to San Francisco must calculate their liability under both the gross receipts tax and the payroll tax and report and pay a percentage of each tax. “Gross Receipts” is broadly defined to include total amounts received or accrued from any source, such as sales, services, dealings in property, interest, rent, fees, and commissions.  Thus, the GRT will be applicable to receipts from rentals of San Francisco real estate and payments for services that are part of a lease, as well as sales of San Francisco real estate, but only if transfer tax is not paid on the sale.

    Click here to read the full alert.

  • Tax Alert: San Francisco Gross Receipts Tax

    In November 2012 San Francisco voters elected to implement a new gross receipts tax (“GRT”).  This tax is intended to encourage hiring in San Francisco by shifting from a payroll-based tax to a gross receipts-based tax.  The San Francisco Controller estimates that the GRT will increase revenue by $28.5 million per year and broaden the number of businesses subject to the tax from 7,500 to 33,000 businesses.  Industries with relatively low payroll and high gross receipts allocable to San Francisco will be affected most by the GRT.

    Click here to read the full alert.

  • Business Alert: Universal Adoption of Ad-ID Required For All Commercials

    There is an important new requirement for every television, radio and digital commercial using SAG-AFTRA members.  In April 2013, commercials negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (“SAG-AFTRA”) and the Joint Policy Committee (“JPC”) of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (“4A’s”) and the Association of National Advertisers (“ANA”), representing the advertising industry, mandated universal adoption of Ad-ID.  Click here to read the full alert.

  • Intellectual Property Alert: New Trademark Clearinghouse Helps Trademark Owners Police Domain Names

    As Internet use grows exponentially, the Internet is soon to be opened up to more than a thousand new “top level domains.”  These will be in addition to the current 22 top level domains, such as .com, .org, .net, and others.  The new top level domains range from generic terms, such as lawyer and auction, to company names.  To help trademark owners police the possibility of their marks being used in domain names across these many new top level domains and domain name registries, a centralized Trademark Clearinghouse  (“TMCH”) has been created to be a single central registry for registered trademarks.  Click here to read the alert.

  • Real Estate Alert: Proposition C

    There has been a lot of confusion about the effects on inclusionary housing costs under Proposition C, the recently approved ballot measure that amends San Francisco’s  Charter  to create a new Housing Trust Fund.  For qualifying projects, Proposition C also includes a reduction in on-site inclusionary housing requirements and cost stabilization provisions regarding affordable housing-related fees. The Charter amendment is effective until July 1, 2043.  This alert summarizes the basic changes related to the on-site and cost stabilization requirements.  Click here for the alert.

    Categories: Publications