North Bay Business Journal

A Sonoma County-based nonprofit and several others with ties in the North Bay are among 48 organizations across the state to share in $37 million in outreach and education grants from Covered California, the state’s online health exchange developed under health care reform.

Petaluma-based Redwood Community Health Coalition received $830,000. Catholic Charities of California, which has a presence in Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties, received $859,000. California Rural Indian Health Board, which has a presence in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, was given $300,000. The California NAACP, which has locations in Sonoma and Solono counties, received $600,000 and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Solano County received $100,00.

NORTH BAY — Legislation has been introduced that could significantly help grape growers and other farmers in the region utilize an additional resource for securing water during the dry season.

Assembly Bill 1200, introduced by Mark Levine (D-San Rafael) and sponsored by the Sonoma County Water Agency, would establish a pilot project that would permit the agency to study the impacts of using recycled rain water for use in watering crops.

A bill recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown seeks to eliminate a two-month long delay on the state level in processing business applications. Assembly Bill 113, authored by John Pérez, D-Los Angeles, grants $2 million to the Secretary of State’s office in attempt to eliminate a backlog of 122,000 business entity filings that currently take 65 calendar days to be processed, causing businesses to wait months to hire and finalize plans, according to the California Chamber of Commerce, which supported the bill.

CALIFORNIA — Proposed changes to California’s statute governing limited liability corporations, or LLCs, could be advantageous for new businesses — and it may nudge the state in a more business-friendly direction — but both new and existing companies will need to look at the terms closely in order to benefit, attorneys said.

Health insurance brokers, employers and individuals are all eagerly awaiting full-scale implementation of the California Health Benefits Exchange, a centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act, but it’s still anyone’s guess as to what it will look.

While details of what the exchange, also known as Covered California, will look like have emerged recently, a key piece of just how effective it will has not yet been determined: the monthly premiums for plans that will be offered to individuals and employers.

Voting began last week in the long-running battle for union control at Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout California, with some 45,000 workers set to choose — for the second time in nearly three years — between rivals Service Employees International Union’ United Healthcare Workers West and the National Union of Healthcare Workers.

PETALUMA — Hydrofarm Inc. agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a $316,000 settlement and to stop selling two unregistered pesticides, the agency announced this morning.

As investigators continue to aggressively pursue allegations of business embezzlement in Sonoma County, regional fraud experts warn that many North Bay companies and nonprofits still lack the basic internal practices needed to catch and prevent those crimes.

State water-quality regulators this afternoon announced the withdrawal of a proposed conditional waiver program for vineyards in the Napa River and Sonoma Creek watersheds from state-set limits on erosion and plans to regulate vineyard water runoff under more general requirements.

Spotlight on law firm managing partners, listed alphabetically by law firm name: Patrick Emery of Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery, Wendy Whitson of Anderson, Zeigler, Disharoon, Gallagher & Gray, Michael Garcia of Beyers Costin, Arthur Curley of Bradley, Curley, Asiano, Barrabee & Gale, Alan Brayton of Brayton Purcell, John Mackie of Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross, Clay Clement of Clement, Fitzpatrick & Kenworthy, Cynthia Smith of Coombs & Dunlap, Scott Gerien of Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty, Katherine Ohlandt of Farella Braun + Martel, Peter Kleinbrodt of Freitas, McCarthy, McMahon & Keating, John Friedemann of Friedemann Goldberg, Dave Gaw of Gaw Van Male, Michael Carlson of Geary, Shea, O’Donnell, Grattan & Mitchell, Andrew Giacomini of Hanson Bridgett, Jessica Karner of Keegin Harrison Schoppert Smith & Karner, Bill Arnone of Merrill, Arnone & Jones, Anne Hernandez of Mullen & Filippi, James Parrinello of Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor, Michael Watters of O’Brien Watters & Davis, James Sell of Parton Sell Rhoades, Leslie Perry of Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz, David Feingold of Ragghianti Freitas, Glenn Smith of Smith Dollar, Gregory Spaulding of Spaulding McCullough & Tansil, and Michael Vasquez of Vasquez, Estrada & Conway.

The battle between local and state governments over redevelopment funds earmarked for construction projects is intensifying as Santa Rosa, Petaluma and the county of Sonoma take legal action after state finance officials repeatedly rejected claims that the funds are legitimately committed to projects in advanced stages of progress.

The Climate Change Business Journal, a business research publication which provides high-value strategic business intelligence to the climate change industry, honored Marin Clean Energy among 34 companies and organizations for business achievement on criteria such as revenue growth, smart grid and energy management, low-carbon and renewable power, energy-efficiency innovation, renewable-energy integration, climate change adaptation projects, NGO activity. …

A proposal by Homeward Bound of Marin to create 14 small rental homes for formerly homeless working families has received a $600,000 grant from the Marin Community Foundation. …

The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties announced its decision to award URJ Camp Newman a $1 million grant to support the redevelopment of the 65-year old camp located in Sonoma County. …

Farella Braun + Martel LLP celebrated its 50th anniversary with community service, including $500,000 in gifts and 5,000 hours of volunteering. …

SANTA ROSA — A Southern California judge invalidated actions at a contested year-end board meeting of ZAP (OTC: ZAAP), a manufacturer of electric and ultra-fuel-efficient vehicles, according to a new company regulatory filing.

College of Marin hired Jonathan Eldridge as new vice president of Student Services. …

Attorney Michael Pfeifer has joined Santa Rosa-based law firm Smith Dollar PC. Mr. Pfeifer will head the firm’s office in Orange. … Also joining the firm’s Orange County office are attorneys Annabelle de la Mora and Libby Wong. …

Buckelew Programs named Steve Eckert, LCSW, as the organization’s new executive director. …

Kim Kaselionis has been named to the governing board of the Women’s Inititative for Self-Employment, a national organization headquartered in Novato, and elected to the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame. …

The Press Democrat appointed Jennifer Williams as director of advertising. …

Blu Homes, Inc. announced that Gary Martell has joined the company as chief financial officer, based in Vallejo. …

Visit Napa Valley promoted Sonyia Grabski to vice president, consumer direct marketing. …

Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards promoted Keith Morris to vice president and national sales manager. …

[Updated Wednesday, Jan. 16, 3:30 p.m.] GREENBRAE — Roughly a year after being dismissed from the long-running legal dispute between Marin General Hospital and Sutter Health, former hospital board chair Robert Heller was awarded $848,202 in legal fees and costs from the suit brought forth by the Marin Healthcare District, his attorneys said Tuesday.

Marin General, meanwhile, revealed Wednesday that it was awarded roughly $11 million in legal fees and costs as a result of being declared the prevailing party over Sutter Health.

Securing enough North Coast grapes to supply growing consumer demand for wine is spurring growth in staffing and services among some North Bay law firms that serve the industry, all of which is helping the legal industry rebound after several years of static business.

Geostellar, a startup that coordinates the process for a solar photovoltaic system installation, partnered with Real Goods Solar, which has Marin offices, in the rollout of an online marketplace in the Mid-Atlantic, New England and West Coast, including the San Francisco Bay Area. …

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund has agreed to administer a litigation fund to be used to help finance Drakes Bay Oyster Company’s lawsuit against the National Park Service. …

Ghilotti Bros., Inc. was recently recognized as award recipients in partnership with Caltrans and Liberty Mutual for the Lost Control Silver Safety Award for US Highway 101 Wilfred Avenue, Rohnert Park project. …

Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp., signed a $50 million loan agreement with HealthCare Royalty Partners to help fund the commercialization of Procysbi. …

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc., a Petaluma-based health care company that designs, produces and markets anti-infective products and medical devices and drug candidates, was issued a U.S. patent for the use of Microcyn technology in the treatment of skin ulcers. …

SAN RAFAEL — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BRMN) today said it has acquired San Diego-based Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, a private biotechnology company focused on developing small molecules targeting pathways of glycan and glycolipid metabolism.

SACRAMENTO — The California Chamber of Commerce issued an updated list of new laws that will impact California employers.  The list, which appears below, includes recent changes to the pregnancy disability regulations and the disability discrimination and accommodation regulations.  Other significant changes for 2013 include anti-discrimination protections, employee access to personnel records and employer access [...]

As the dust settles from the congressional wrangling over a set of tax provisions to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff,” North Bay financial planners said one thing is clear — few will escape the impact, but those fearing economic Apocalypse in 2013 can breathe a sigh of relief.