California’s New Price Transparency Law May Reshape Pricing Practices in Broad Range of Industries

Effective July 1, 2024, new California Senate Bill 478 (SB 478)[1] bans the practice of “drip pricing,” where the price for product or service is advertised without including all mandatory fees and charges that consumers must pay.[2] This law applies to nearly all businesses that sell or lease goods and services to California consumers[3], excluding only commercial transactions and certain industries that are already subject to pricing regulations. The ramifications of SB 478 are likely to significantly impact advertising and pricing … Read the rest

Settlement Portends Broad Failure in Attempts to Ban Natural Gas

The City of Berkeley is going to repeal its regulation that prohibits the installation of natural gas piping within newly constructed buildings.

Last week the California Restaurant Association announced that the group and the City of Berkeley entered into a settlement agreement immediately halting enforcement of the City’s ‘first in the nation’ ban on natural gas piping as the City Council takes steps to repeal the 2019 ordinance after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit refused to … Read the rest

NYC Council Proposes Broad Non-Compete Ban

Seyfarth Synopsis: While New York State failed to pass a non-compete ban last year, a new bill in the New York City Council would eliminate non-compete agreements entirely, presenting new challenges and considerations for employers in the Big Apple.

On December 12, 2023, the New York State Legislature delivered a bill for the Governor’s signature that would have banned “any agreement, or clause contained in any agreement, between an employer and a covered individual that prohibits or restricts such covered individual from … Read the rest