Once a worker suffers an occupational injury while working for you, he or she becomes your responsibility for life. If the injury recurs or flares up, the employer remains responsible for providing the necessary medical treatment. This holds true even years after a relatively minor accident. Some workers’ compensation claims remain open for years, or even decades. Using a structured settlement can help both your organization and the injured employee move forward.

Mercer Industries supplies a full line of technologically advanced, superior quality, long-lasting bonded and coated abrasives and diamond blades as well as industrial files. The Mercer commitment to serving its customers and providing quality products spans over 50 years. Quality, performance, delivery, service, and value are the focal points for this third generation family business.

Little Beaver’s largest drill, the Big Beaver, offers an efficient solution for completing residential foundation repairs. The powerful rig is designed for one-person operation and its compact size allows users to maneuver it through yards and tight spaces to drill foundation piers beneath homes. While upright, operators can position the drill next to the structure and use the simple crank mechanism to tilt it as far as 15 degrees from vertical. The Big Beaver works with Little Beaver’s D-Series augers,which range in diameter from 4 to 18 inches.

EIA expects Brent crude oil prices to average $73 per barrel in the second half of 2018, then fall to $69 per barrel in 2019. In the July 2018 update of its Short–Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that Brent crude oil prices will average $73 per barrel (b) in the second half of 2018 and $69/b in 2019. EIA expects West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices will average $7/b lower than Brent prices in the second half of 2018 and $7/b lower in 2019.

A review of action on major legislation for business before the Legislature began its summer recess last week shows both good and disappointing outcomes for the employer community. On the plus side was the passage of California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator education and film tax credit bills as part of the state budget package (see June 29 Alert), as well as a CalChamber-sponsored job creator that enables businesses to avoid hiring repeat sexual harassment offenders.

Tom Manzo, President of Timely Prefinished Steel Door Frames and President and Chairman of the Board at California Business and Industrial Alliance, recently expressed his opinion of the "PAGA" law in an article on foxandhoundsdaily. He stated that on "October 12, 2003, Gray Davis signed a new law SB 796 referred to as PAGA, and I am not sure if anyone really knew what the outcome would really be. In the first seven months of PAGA, 65 cases were filed, and the first 9 suits totaled 336 million in penalties. AMGEN was sued over technical violations totaling 170 million dollars in the opening months. To put this in perspective, last year close to 8,000 PAGA Lawsuits were filed, so that number could easily hit the billions. Let’s not forget this has been going on for 15 years."

Susan Shelley, columnist and member of the editorial board of the Southern California News Group and the author of the book, "How Trump Won," commented on California's water crisis in a recent article on Fox&Hounds. She states, "It’s not new that most of the rainfall in California is in the north and most of the people and farms using water are further south. It’s not new that California has wet years and dry years, or that the state is at risk of both flooding and drought, sometimes simultaneously. What’s new is that earlier generations of California politicians solved water problems, while the current generation intentionally creates them. We are the beneficiaries of monumental achievements in water infrastructure that made modern California possible. And yet we are living under a government that believes it’s a good idea to withhold water that is readily available to sustain farming and human life."

Thank you to all those who take time to participate in our surveys. CRA utilizes the information we gather to better serve you. If you have an idea for a survey for CRA members, please send your request to CRA at Info@CalRental.org. This month, we surveyed members about their correspondence with customers.

Rick Meier from Power Trip Rentals in Signal Hill, CA, the winner of the July Survey Raffle. Congratulations, Rick!