It is time to dust off the employee handbook, review your policies and procedures, and make sure they comply with all the new laws, regulations, and interpretations that went into effect during 2025, became effective in late 2025, or January 1, 2026. Below, we have identified our “top 10” changes.  Please keep in mind there were hundreds of laws, regulations, and changes implemented at the local, state, and federal levels throughout 2025. This summary highlights selected changes most likely to impact California employers and is not intended to be exhaustive. So, if you need a handbook/policy review or have any questions, please call us! 1 – Minimum Wage Update: Updates happen every year.  It’s best to put a calendar reminder in November, to make sure your payroll is ready! Action: Review your payroll to ensure all employees are being paid the new minimum wage, send written notice of the wage change to affected hourly employees, and be sure your salari

The Sonoma County airport is named for him, so is a museum and ice rink. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz spent 42 years living and working in Sonoma County, with “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” one of his most famous works. Schultz, during his lifetime, kept an airplane at the airport and was an avid aviator. Snoopy, of course, loved flying too. Schultz was born in 1922 in Minnesota and given the nickname Sparky at a young age. In 1929 the family moved west to Needles, California. The move was said to be prompted by a young cousin’s tuberculosis, which would fare better in a desert climate. Schultz later incorporated Needles into many of his comic strips, particularly those built around Snoopy’s brother Spike, who lived alone in the desert with coyotes and cactus. Their time in the desert was alas short-lived, and Schultz moved back to Minnesota in time for elementary school. This is also where he developed his lifelong passion for ice hockey.

We’re on site with one of our longest‑standing partners—Pacheco Ranch Winery—right in our own backyard of Novato. Today we’re removing their RS130 telemetry node & data logger and replacing it with the RS330: an advanced cellular telemetry node, data logger and equipment controller. Here it's monitoring and uploading real‑time data from their weather station. The RS330, our most expandable unit, can monitor weather, soil data, water level data, flowmeter rates, and provide irrigation control all in one package. The RS130 served faithfully for over a decade, but even the toughest hardware eventually wears out—and when it does, Ranch Systems has your back. We’re ready to troubleshoot any issue and can be on site at a moment’s notice to make repairs or swap equipment—so your system stays online and your vines get the care they deserve.

WSC, the premier wine industry fulfillment and logistics company, has selected the FORT technology platform to help ensure continued growth and leadership. ST. HELENA, CA, UNITED STATES, November 25, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Wine Service Cooperative (WSC), the wine industry’s long-established, premier provider of specialized wine storage and shipping solutions, today announced a multi-year partnership with FORT Systems, a leader in logistics software solutions for the wine industry. As WSC continues to expand its operational footprint in the US, this best-in-class partnership is designed to further improve the efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of wine fulfillment operations, setting a new industry standard for professionalism and customer satisfaction. By leveraging FORT’s state-of-the-art software platform, WSC will optimize its supply chain operations with advanced features such as real-time inventory tracking, predictive analytics, and seamless integrations and o

August 7, 2024 - El Dorado, AR – First Financial Bank has been recognized for the second year in a row as the Independent Community Bankers Association (ICBA) Top Lender of 2024 in Agriculture: More than $1 billion in assets category. This prestigious recognition is given annually to honor banks that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to serving their agricultural customers. First Financial Bank has a long history of supporting the agricultural community. The bank offers farmers and ranchers a wide range of products and services, including financing for new farms, real estate purchases, equipment and building leasing options, expanding existing operations, equipment, supplies, and more. First Financial Bank is a Farmer Mac approved lender, FSA Preferred Lender in all 50 states, and approved to offer SBA 7(a) loan products under SBA’s Preferred Lender Program. The bank also has a team of experienced agribusiness lenders who provide personalized service to its agr

Most of us are aware that something is going on with Google Analytics. But we sense this is months away, so putting it on the back burner won’t hurt, right? Not necessarily. If you’re like most wineries, your website has been on Google Analytics for 10+ years, and during all that time, Universal Analytics, or GA3, has faithfully logged your customer activities for free. If you want to continue this level of support from Google, you must get the next version – GA4 – set up as soon as possible. Google will officially stop supporting GA3 on July 1st, 2023. Don’t care about the “why” or “how”? Just want it to work? Book a call with us and we’ll take care of it for you. What Is Involved? Step One: Create A GA4 Property Google calls a website a “property.” If you have an existing GA3 set up, you have a property that looks like UA-55894432. You will need a new “property” for the new GA4. If you are capable

AIRPlan offers a convenient option for getting compressed air on terms that fit your business goals. We have all been there, you go into the compressor room and you know that your faithful air compressor is on its last legs… It has never let you down but now it’s becoming a huge burden on the energy bill and you are worried about maintenance and if it might actually go ‘grind to a shuddering halt! However replacing the old faithful compressor is not in the capital investment budget for this year and so it may feel like hope is the only strategy you have… But did you know there is a superb solution for this scenario in the form of AIRPlan? To take a step back for a second, Atlas Copco offers three different options for acquiring a new compressor and our job is all about finding the right one for you: Buying Equipment. You purchase the equipment, either outright or through our multiple finance programs! Learn more. Lease Equipment. You lease the equipment for a

By Susan DeMatei In the September/October issue of Grapevine Magazine, I wrote an article entitled “The four reasons you should care about online reviews.” As a quick recap, the four reasons were: We are at the precipice of a cultural shift from Baby Boomer values (externally showing luxury as validation, including professional and published reviews and scores) to Millennial values (internal and self-validation, including being part of a community that shares your beliefs). The internet and modern eCommerce train us to look for the most popular brands and rank the highest among people (we assume) are peers. Google evaluates reviews when delivering search engine responses and ranking. Your customers care about review sites. 92% to 97% of customers look for or read a review before doing business with a company. 80% of us trust reviews by strangers just as highly as a reference from our friends. 72% of us look for only positive reviews, and 86% will not do business with those

You Have a Choice! If you're still not able to even accept EMV chip cards yet, your customers could be losing faith in you. Apple Pay, Google Wallet, tap-to-pay cards all work with Activ8's integrated payment interfaces. Activ8 Commerce has offered modern, secure payments options for years.  Stop waiting on empty promises.