New Look-Up Table

By now, you should have received your tax materials and you are getting ready to file your 2011 personal income tax returns. The Board of Equalization  reminds you not to forget to include the “use tax” owed on purchases made from out-of-state online and mail order retailers, or purchased from an out-of-state retailer and brought back into California.

To help make the reporting process more convenient, the BOE, working with the California Franchise Tax Board, has made available an easy-to-read reference guide, the Use Tax Lookup Table (PDF).

The table is also included in the instructions accompanying tax Forms 540, 540A, and 540 2EZ. It provides a simple way to estimate use tax, based on California Adjusted Gross Income, on any number of non-business purchases less than $1,000 each.

What is “use tax”?
In its simplest form, it is tax due on any item bought from an out-of-state retailer that will be “used” in California that if purchased in the state would have been subject to sales tax. Generally, the use tax rate is equal to your local sales tax rate.

While all Californians have an obligation to pay use tax, the revenue it generates for the state and local communities helps to fund important services all Californians enjoy, such as public safety, education, and transportation.

Use tax is not an “internet tax”. It has been on the books since 1935 to protect in-state retailers from the competitive price disadvantage held by out-of-state retailers who do not collect California tax.

Popularity: 8% [?]

OCCUPY SACRAMENTO ANNOUNCES
BEGINNING OF SACRAMENTO OCCUPATION
AT CESAR CHAVEZ PARK THURSDAY MORNING

SACRAMENTO, Ca. – OccupySacramento has confirmed it will hold its first occupation beginning
THURSDAY, Oct. 6, at 10 a.m. at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento. People will start gathering at 9 a.m.

In less than a week of planning, OccupySacramento said it has more than 900 confirmations and thousands of others who may attend.

Details of actions by OccupySacramento will be announced Thursday onsite.

The goals and focus of the OccupySacramento remain the same as scores of other Occupy groups throughout the country, including OccupyWallstreet in NYC.

In a statement, OccupySacramento said:

“Occupywallstreet is a leaderless resistance movement made up of the 99% of Americans that can no longer take the greed and corruption of the wealthy 1%. For those of us in the Northern California region that cannot be physically present in NYC to protest with our fellow 99%, the only way we can show support  is to stand in solidarity… WE ARE THE 99%.

“We are the 99%.  We are getting kicked out of our homes.  We are forced to choose between groceries and rent.  We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution.  We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we’re working at all.  We are getting nothing while the other 1% is getting everything.  We are the 99%.”

Popularity: 4% [?]

Car Donation Charities in California

Oct., 2011 - The act of donating a car to charity is one of the most rewarding things you can do.  When you donate your car, you do more than just support a charity. You actually help to improve someone’s life.  To help a needy person, please donate car to one of these respected charities in California.

Established in 1946 in Davis, California, Freedom From Hunger has been fighting chronic hunger and poverty in the world through innovative programs designed to help families achieve long term food security. Their programs are serving over 18 million people in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Teach for America works to ensure that children in low income areas get an excellent education. Less than half of the children in California are on grade level for reading and math, and it ranks 48^th in academic performance. Teach for America works to recruit leaders who work to expand educational opportunities in low income areas in Los Angeles and the Bay area, they then teach for two years in those areas.

The Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation is dedicated to the treatment and a cure for neuromyelitis optica. NMO is a very rare disease that can affect the optic nerve and spinal cord. People with this horrible disease can develop vision loss, or weakness, numbness, and sometimes paralysis of the arms and legs along with sensory disturbances and loss bladder and bowel control. Although there are some treatments available a lot more research is needed to find better ones and a cure.

A Home Away From Homelessness is dedicated to supporting and nurturing the needs of homeless and formerly homeless children and families in San Francisco and Marin. Their homes provide a physical, emotional and spiritual break for children along with educational, social and recreational opportunities.

Family Builders believes that every child has the right to grow up in a permanent, nurturing family regardless of the child’s age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or medical, physical or emotional condition

Cars4Charities is quite proud that each of these fine California charities has asked us to handle their car donations. The process is easy and the pickup is free. You can donate your car even it no longer runs or is in poor shape. In return, you will get a tax deduction and a sense of pride knowing you have done a really good thing. For complete details on how to donate car, please go to our website; http://www.cars4charities.org/ or call us toll free at 1-866-448-3487.

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Media contact:

Karen Campese

karenc@cars4charities.org

Phone: 1-866-448-3487

Popularity: 7% [?]

Next week, there is a free educational workshop on Wildfire Preparedness and Protection.

Tonya Hoover, Acting State Fire Marshal will open the program at 9:30 a.m. and State Senator Ted Gaines, Roseville, Chair of the State Senate Insurance Committee will speak at 11:00 a.m. The program is presented by the California Fire Safe Council and Farmers Insurance. All Fire Safe Council members, homeowners, business owners, renters and media are invited.

Other Speakers Include:

A panel of experts will discuss fire insurance and state laws.

Popularity: 9% [?]

For National Electrical Safety Month, Southern California Edison and the Electrical Safety Foundation International urge Californians to have a healthy respect for electricity and to be aware of electrical hazards.

Around 51,000 home fires each year involving electrical failure or malfunction injure more than 1,400 people in the US. These cause around $1.3 billion in property damage. Close to 400 people are electrocuted.

Southern California Edison recommends seven simple safety rules:

• Put plastic safety caps in unused wall outlets to prevent children from pushing objects into outlet openings.
• Never remove the third prong from a three-pronged plug. The third prong grounds electricity. If you don’t have three-hole outlets, adapters are available at the hardware store.
• Repair or replace damaged or brittle electrical cords. They can cause shorts, shocks or electrical fires. Check appliances to make sure cords are in good condition.
• Use electrical cords properly. To avoid damaging cords, remove them from outlets by pulling the plug, not the cord. Never attach a cord to another surface with nails or staples, which can break the insulation. Avoid kinking, twisting, binding or walking on cords.
• Use ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs, to protect yourself from shock. These special outlets prevent electric shock by detecting electrical faults and shutting off electricity to the outlet when necessary. They are especially important in kitchens, bathrooms and other places where water is present.
• Keep water away from electricity and electrical appliances.
• Know how to safely care for and replace fuses and how to reset circuit breakers.

Get more electrical safety information at www.sce.com/safety

Popularity: 9% [?]

California Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency  will sign into operation a plan designed for responding to and recovering from a catastrophic earthquake in Southern California.

FEMA Regional Administrator Nancy Ward and Cal EMA Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen will officially launch the Southern California Catastrophic Earthquake Plan in a signing ceremony at the Pasadena Convention Center followed by a press conference.  First responders, emergency managers, private sector, non-governmental and faith-based organizations, and catastrophic planners at the local, state and federal level will attend the event.

The signing of this plan is the result of two years of diligent work with the goal of helping Southern CA residents in the event of a catastrophe.

Media are invited to the Pasadena Convention Center located at 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 14 and should report to Ballroom A in the Exhibit Hall. They will then be escorted to the venue for the signing ceremony and the opportunity to capture b-roll.  Following  the signing, Ward and Bettenhausen will participate in a press conference.

Parking is available at  Euclid Avenue behind the Pasadena Convention Center.

Popularity: 22% [?]

reminded

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers should complete the new provider enrollment process before the end of the year or lose eligibility for the program, according to California Department of Social Services Director, John Wagner.

Wagner says most providers have already completed background check requirements, and around 27,000 in-home supportive service workers still need to complete that process by the end of the year.

There are more than 400,000 providers, 380,000 of whom have completed the state requirements enacted in 2009. The requirements include fingerprinting, a criminal background check and taking part in a provider orientation.

The number of successful enrollments and re-enrollments increased significantly in recent months due to the action steps and outreach by CDSS, counties officials, Public Authorities, and provider organizations.

The IHSS program provides in-home care to more than 421,000 low-income seniors as well as blind or disabled adults or children who need assistance to remain in their homes. IHSS providers perform household tasks and provide personal care services based on an individual’s need, such as bathing, grooming, meal preparation, and feeding.

As of November 22, 2010, more than 27,000 working providers have not completed the re-enrollment process. The four requirements of the new provider enrollment process include: a new provider enrollment form with a declaration signed under penalty of perjury; a new provider form acknowledging their understanding of the IHSS program requirements; fingerprinting and a criminal background check; and participation in a program orientation.

The process, designed to ensure the integrity of the IHSS program and protect client safety, was put into action when the Legislature passed and Governor Schwarzenegger signed the 2009 Budget Act. All new IHSS provider applicants are required to complete all four requirements to be eligible to receive payment for services provided to IHSS recipients.

In addition, a new law, (Assembly Bill 1612) enacted as part of the budget process in 2010 expands the list of crimes for which providers may be disqualified from participating in the program. That new law means that starting on February 1, 2011, individuals convicted of specified felonies are not eligible in many cases from becoming care givers in the IHSS program.

IHSS providers needing to take steps to re-enroll in the program should contact their county IHSS program or public authority to learn more about how to re-enroll. A list of IHSS contacts by counties can be found at http://www.cdss.ca.gov/agedblinddisabled/PG1785.htm.

For a complete list of major action items undertaken to date, please visit: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG16.htm.

For a breakdown of provider enrollment counts by county updated weekly, please visit: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/agedblinddisabled/PG2196.htm.

Popularity: 20% [?]

The members of Soroptimist International are always on the lookout for ways to help raise money for agencies which provide services to “at-risk” children and women in our area. Again, this year, Loehmann’s Plaza is donating the use of a vacant building in their shopping center to provide the Soroptimists with a space to sell See’s Candy to raise money for Soroptimist charitable projects.

Some of the projects supported by the Candy profits are programs to help Stop Human Trafficking provided by “My Sister’s House”, and assistance to Foster Youth through the Independent Living Program at Sacramento County.

The public is invited to visit the temporary See’s candy store at 2527 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Loehmann’s Plaza (the corner of Fair Oaks Blvd. and Fulton Ave.) The store is located between the European WaxCenter and the Briar Patch. Everyone is welcome to come and do their Holiday Candy shopping and at the same time help out some very worthwhile Soroptimist projects. The store is open December first thru December 24^th between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., staffed entirely by volunteer Soroptimist members.

This year, the members of two Soroptimist International clubs will be participating. The Not-for-Profit, 501(c)(3) clubs of Soroptimist International of Sacramento and Soroptimist International of Sacramento South will join together to operate the Holiday Candy store, and will share the proceeds to fund their charitable projects. More information about Soroptimist can be found at www.soroptimistsacramento.com and at http://facebook.com/SacSoroptimist and http://twitter.com/SacSoroptimist.

Popularity: 22% [?]

The American Council of Engineering Companies of California has applauded the signing into law by Governor Schwarzenegger of SB 1008.

Sponsored by ACEC California, and authored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-San Fernando Valley), SB 1008 allows licensed engineers and land surveyors to organize and operate as limited liability partnerships (LLPs) putting them on the same footing as firms in other professions such as law and accounting as well as design professionals such as architects.

“This legislation will allow many of California’s smaller engineering and surveying firms to partner up in order to better compete for projects, creating more jobs and more economic opportunities,” said Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). “This ability comes at an ideal time with federal and state funds being invested to help stimulate economic recovery,” Padilla added.

Paul Meyer, Executive Director of ACEC California, said: “This important bill helps California compete in the national marketplace for engineering and surveying services. Nearly all other states already have this law in place. We thank Senator Padilla for authoring the bill and guiding it through the legislature, and we also thank California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) and California Business Properties Association for supporting this needed legislation.”

About ACEC California: ACEC California is a statewide association representing more than 1,000 private consulting engineering and land-surveying firms that average 20 employees each. ACEC California is dedicated to enhancing the consulting engineering and land surveying professions, protecting the general public and promoting the use of the private sector in the growth and development of our state. Our members provide services for all phases of planning, designing and constructing projects. For more information, visit www.acec-ca.org.

Popularity: 27% [?]

From teaching a little girl to fly to awarding scholarships to youth with aviation dreams, the Airshow is honored to give back to its community

California Capital Air Show Revving Up to Go

Read more at California Capital Airshow Rewards Youth That Dream Big

Popularity: 18% [?]