Yearly Archives: 2022

General Plan vs. Zoning

All property has an underlying or specific zone wherein the City or County has outlined in its General Plan for all zones within its jurisdiction. These zones indicate what the general, current, or future use of the land in a particular area will be. The purpose of this is to maintain continuity throughout the city while providing for the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of its residents. In short, it prevents things such as a steel mill from taking place in the middle of a neighborhood. Notwithstanding, the underlying […]

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Endowments

Per Investopedia, “an endowment is a donation of money or property to a nonprofit organization, which uses the resulting investment income for a specific purpose. An endowment can also refer to the total of a nonprofit institution’s investable assets, also known as its “principal” or “corpus,” which is meant to be used for operations or programs that are consistent with the wishes of the donor(s). Most endowments are designed to keep the principal amount intact while using the investment income for charitable efforts. Taxation: When the donated endowment accrues dividends, […]

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ADA Deficiencies in Churches

As per the United State Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the Americans with Disabilities Act, (“ADA”), was modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin – and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 — the ADA is an “equal opportunity” law for people with disabilities. To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or […]

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Clergy-Penitent Privilege

Although informally referred to as the Priest-Penitent Privilege, the following applies to all clergy, i.e. a priest, minister, religious practitioner, or similar functionary of a church or of a religious denomination or religious organization. In general, any conversation had with or amongst religious leaders (assuming that they are acting in their religious capacity) cannot be brought into court. Each religion may have its own internal governance concerning the preservation of confidence which goes beyond that of the California Evidence Code. Confidential Communications: California defines a “penitential communication” as a communication made […]

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