Patty McMillen's Blog

I was just informed of these 2 new laws and wanted to share… please tell your friends and family, the fines can be as much as $500. These laws came info effect January 1, 2010. The basic gist is that you have to move over or slow down on the highway when there is a CHP or other authorized vehicle with warning lights flashing.

I pulled the actual Jargon from www.chp.ca.gov website, it is below:

Move Over/Slow Down (SB 159, Simitian) The new law removes the January 1, 2010, sunset
date on Sections 21809 VC and 25253 VC. Section 21809 VC requires a person driving a
vehicle on a freeway and approaching in a lane immediately adjacent to a stationary, authorized
emergency vehicle that displays emergency lights, or a stationary tow truck that displays flashing
amber warning lights, to safely make a lane change from that lane, or slow to a reasonable speed.
Section 25253 VC requires tow trucks used to tow disabled vehicles to be equipped with flashing
amber warning lamps and authorizes tow trucks to display flashing amber warning lamps while
providing service to a disabled vehicle. However, this section prohibits tow trucks from
displaying flashing amber warning lamps on a freeway except when an unusual traffic hazard or
extreme hazard exists.

Department of Transportation Vehicles (SB 240 Wright) Currently as section 21809 VC
(Move Over, Slow Down Law) requires a person who is driving a vehicle on a freeway and
approaching in a lane immediately adjacent to a stationary, authorized emergency vehicle that
displays emergency lights, or a stationary tow truck that displays flashing amber warning lights,
to safely make a lane change from that lane, or slow to a reasonable speed. This new law adds a
stationary, marked Caltrans vehicle displaying flashing amber warning lights to the “Move Over,
Slow Down Law.”

If you would like to read all the 1/1/10 laws go to http://www.chp.ca.gov/pdf/media/09-44.pd….

Be aware of your surroundings and be safe!

~Patty

Our office has been a supporter of Cell Phones for Soldiers as a designated drop site for about 6 months and the outpouring of support from our community has once again been terrific! We have collected approximately 300 cell phones so far, 5 large boxes! Wow! Below is a brief history from the Cell Phones for Soldiers website of the program and how it was started… Bravo! Please bring in your old cell phones and chargers; our office address is 350 East Gobbi Street, Ukiah CA 95482.

Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas in 2008. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.

The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.

“Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, “with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer. Most people don’t realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers.”

Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”

Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones with prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.

Education deductins allowed for Spanish lessons…Spanish lessons are allowed for a deduction if you work in a community with a lot of Spanish-speaking people. If it enhances your ability to perform your job then it is allowed as a tax deduction..

Deficiency judgment are only in certain circumstances.  A deficiency judgment may not be obtained when a property in foreclosure is sold through a non-judicial public sale or if the foreclosure relates to a purchase money mortgage.  The reason I’m giving this explanation is that.. beware if your seller has refinanced their loan or done a modification on their loan. The loan is now not purchase money.

I personally loved President Obama’s speech on clean energy.  He is committed to passing a energy and climate bill that lead’s clean energy and will be productive for the job industry…reducing our dependence on foreign oil will definitely keep our planet healthier! There were so many things that I loved about his speech…he seemed to talk from the heart with true conviction that we all need to work together to make things happen, wouldn’t this be a nice concept for once.

If your going to be purchasing a home this year, time is of the essence!  The deadline for Home Buyer Tax Credit is April 30, 2010. FHA guidelines are changing, seller will soon be able to give only 3% credits to buyers instead of the 6% credit.  I recommend anyone thinking of purchasing to do so before the April 30th deadline.

The 203K fix up loan is back…we use to do these loans about 10 years ago and they seem to be popular again now that we have so many foreclosures that need work.  A buyer (owner occupied) can get into a house with three and half percent down and add into the loan the cost to fix it up.  Your loan amount is based on the increased value of the home after improvements are made.  What a great way to get into a fixer upper and have the house look brand new before you move in.  If your interested in finding more about this process give me a call.

Great News!  If you were unemployed in 2009 but go a new job, moving expenses may be deductible, if you moved more than 50 miles away-and you don’t have to itemize to get it.  For the year of 2009, you can deduct the cost of getting yourself and your household good to that new area 50+ miles away, this includes 24 cents per mile for driving your own vehicle, plus parking fees and tolls.  Every tax break helps!

I have been really moved by the fast aid of our country when sa country is in need of help.  Everyone wants to help out but we all can’t just jump in a plane and head that direction.  I chose to donate on my phone..easy and it makes you feel good.  I urge all Ukiah to dial Haiti on their phones and donate to a good cause.

Question:  If a tenant calls you on a Sunday and leaves a message on your work line that their drain is clogged and you don’t get the message until Monday and find out they went and rented a hotel for the night and now ask you to pay for it, what is the answer to this?