A week ago, Congress left town for the Presidents’ Day recess (another recess!) after funding most of the government except the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division (ICE). The reason: An impasse over ICE’s operations, following developments in Minneapolis as well as other cities. As always, this issue devolved into the blame game: Democrats said Republicans are putting the nation at risk by refusing reasonable changes to ICE’s behavior, while Republicans faulted Democrats for being unreasonable themselves by their willingness to shut down DHS, even though ICE already has $75 billion, and the Department also includes other important agencies like the Coast Guard, FEMA (disaster relief), and TSA (screeners and air traffic controllers), meaning air travel will be affected. Forget about who’s right or wrong. The bigger issue is that shutdowns may become the new normal. The longest one in history (43 d

There is a lot of talk and a lot of questions right now about the new administration’s policies and statements on immigration. ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) is the Federal enforcement agency that focuses on immigrant status. They have recently been assisted by the FBI, DHS and other law enforcement agencies when they conduct “raids” to locate and detain suspected offenders. California employers face additional legal requirements due to state laws passed between 2017 and 2021. Employers must, for example, notify employees within 72 hours of receiving an audit notice. Employers are also prohibited from voluntarily allowing ICE to enter non-public areas unless the agent shows an appropriate warrant that authorizes access. Employers and employees are legitimately concerned about their rights and responsibilities. In this article, we will attempt to address some of these concerns. There are two different occasions when an employer might be required to interac

Each Family Has Continuously Farmed Land for More than 100 Years The image of vibrant farms and rugged ranches set among Sonoma County’s beautiful landscapes has long been sought after by tourists, painters and photographers. The sheer beauty has always stood out, but, given that the area’s first vineyards date back to 1812, it is the region’s agrarian roots and family legacy that makes Sonoma County unique. Today, twenty-two local families, all winegrape growers, were recognized as the original members of the “Century Club” in honor of their continuously farming their family’s original land for more than one hundred years. Sonoma County Winegrowers created the Century Club to mark the unique legacies of farm families in the region and it will recognize new families with the honor as they hit the one-hundred-year mark in the years ahead. Each of these farms – and the families behind them – have endured the ups and downs of the cyclical

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ of 2019/20, which saw bushfires destroy swathes of vineyard land across the country was a dramatic reminder of the growing challenges facing winemakers around the world. We spoke to leading Australian winemakers and lab technicians to find out how agile decision-making is helping to deal with the consequences of global warming. Offering alarming proof of the escalating effects of climate change, in November 2019 bushfires blazed through New South Wales, scorching more than five million hectares of land following Australia’s hottest and driest year on record. In December 2019, the fires swept through the Adelaide Hills, destroying 650 ha of vines in the region, and wiping out entire vineyards. Making matters worse, the smoke from the fires was far-reaching, rendering vineyard plots from Canberra to the Hunter Valley useless. Ravaging an estimated 24.3 million hectares of land in total and destroying over 3,000 buildings, the September 2019

According to U.S. Travel Association, travel spending is ⬆ 5.5% year-to-date through May 2023. Hop on the inspiration train and use this momentum to suggest your wines as the perfect escape. Maybe they evoke memories of a trip to their homeland, or perhaps they just offer the taste of new landscapes. Shop for travel-vibe Lifestyle Images and appeal to your wanderlust fans.  Get yours now. #travel #wine #vineyards #winebusiness #wineindustry 

On Friday, July 21, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that an updated I-9 form will be available on August 1, and employers can begin using the form at that time.  The revised form has been streamlined and consolidated into one page, with instructions that are easier to understand. Employers may continue to use the older Form I-9 (Rev. 10/21/19) through October 31, 2023. After that date, employers will be subject to penalties if they use the older form. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) final rule allows for (but doesn’t require) a remote alternative to the physical examination of Form I-9 documentation. Employers may continue to conduct physical examinations. The revised form has a checkbox to indicate when an employee’s Form I-9 documentation was examined using a DHS-authorized alternative procedure. However, at this time, the final rule only allows employers using E-Verify to use alternative verification method. T

In March 2020, with many employers moving to remote work due to COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced COVID-19 certain more flexible ways to complete I-9 document verification requirements. These flexibilities allowed for the temporary use of video link, fax, or email confirmation of document validity. Prior to that, it was required that all verification be done in person. Recently, DHS has announced that COVID-19 allowances for non-physical verification of I-9 documents expire on July 31, 2023. DHS is also requiring employers to reverify identification documents by in-person inspection for all employees who were verified remotely between March 1, 2020 and today. This must be completed by August 30, 2023. There are several options for physical examination of COVID-19 era completed I-9 documents. If the same company representative (person who did the first inspection) is doing the physical verification of the docu

The federal government has warned that a newly discovered computer software vulnerability poses a major threat to the security of computer networks around the country. Cybercriminals are exploiting holes in open-source code software commonly used in computer applications, websites, and cloud services. This can allow cybercriminals to seize control of a business’s computer network if preventative measures are not taken. This is not a threat that businesses should take lightly as it could cripple your organization if your network is affected. If your firm is large enough to have dedicated IT staff, it should be their immediate focus. The Danger of the Log4j Vulnerability The vulnerability lies in the Log4j software library, written in the Java programming language and created by the Apache Software Foundation. Many software vendors incorporate the Log4j software library into products such as websites, applications, and cloud services to record network security and performance info