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SAN FRANCISCO – On Thursday, May 1, 2014, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced a $3.75 million settlement with eBay over allegations the company violated state anticompetitive laws by making a “no-poach” agreement with Intuit between 2006 and 2009.
If you lived in California between January 1, 2005 and May 1, 2014 and were employed by eBay or Intuit during that time, you may be eligible for payment from a parens patriae settlement negotiated on your behalf by the attorney general of California.
Eligible employees, current and former employees of eBay and Intuit have until Feb. 25, 2015, to submit a claim for restitution.
If you believe you are eligible but did not receive a notice, please visit the claims website for more information.
Claims submitted after Feb. 25, 2015, will not be processed, so eligible individuals should submit claims through the claims website or by mail as soon as possible.
A portion of the settlement fund is being used to pay restitution to individuals employed in California by eBay or Intuit since 2005.
Restitution payments will be made to three distinct pools of current and former employees. The first pool of approximately forty individuals who were employed by Intuit and considered for but not offered a position at eBay, will receive between $5,000 and $10,000 each.
The second pool of approximately 950 individuals who were employed by Intuit and applied for but were not offered a position at eBay, will receive between $1,000 and $1,500 each.
The third pool includes current and former employees who fall within the terms of the settlement but are not included in the first or second pool.
While these individuals did not apply for jobs at the other company, they may have been indirectly affected by the anticompetitive conduct and will receive a maximum payment of $150.
For more information, please visit the claims Web site at http://www.agtechemploymentsettlement.com/ where claims can be submitted either electronically or by downloading and printing a paper form.
This statement is a followup to the initial settlement announcement available at http://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-kamala-d-harris-reaches-4-million-settlement-ebay-over .
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LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lake County Regional Economic Development Committee announces that, due to unforeseen circumstances, it is postponing its first mini-Summit Seminar event, “Speed Date Your Business,” originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, at Marymount California University’s Lakeside campus.
An April reschedule date is anticipated.
When a new date for the “Speed Date” event is determined, additional Summit mini-seminar series dates will also be announced.
Anticipated seminars include a hands-on social media tutorial, a “Show Me the Money” financial resources seminar, and an entrepreneurship event.
The Summit events are created and produced by the Lake County Regional Economic Development Committee, a countywide group whose members include leaders from Lakeport and Clearlake city governments, the county of Lake, representatives from a variety of community organizations, chambers of commerce, educational and health institutions, and workforce development offices.
This group presented the sold-out Lake Leadership Summit in late 2014, an event that gathered local business owners, community leaders, and entrepreneurs for a dynamic program of speakers, break-out sessions, and film clips that encouraged attendees to expand their respective enterprises and help grow Lake County.
The committee was also the mastermind behind the “I Love Lake County” chalkboard wall that appeared in downtown Lakeport preceding the Summit.
The forthcoming mini-Summit Seminars are a spin-off of the 2014 Lake Leadership Summit and aim to provide existing Lake County businesses with the tools that they need to thrive in our community.
The “Speed Date Your Business” seminar will offer participants the opportunity to interact with a variety of motivated people from a range of different backgrounds and businesses who crave more than conventional networking.
The event is highly-structured – just like speed dating – with the sole purpose of sparking creative collaborations between businesses.
“While we have no other option but to postpone our ‘Speed Date’ session, we look forward to introducing a whole new slate of activities and events to Lake County when we reschedule,” said Summit co-creator, Michelle Scully, executive director of Marymount California University’s Lakeside campus.
“Our committee constantly receives feedback from Summit attendees and from the business community who convey that they’re craving novel ways to relate with one another,” Scully said. “We believe that the best ambassadors to attract new businesses to Lake County are existing, flourishing businesses, so we want to do everything that we can to provide our industries with what they need.”
The “Speed Date” event will be limited to 75 participants. For more details, send an email to
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Chamber of Commerce will showcase 18 of its members in an event on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
The showcase will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Theater Building at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.
This event is open to the public; it is free of charge and each visitor to the event will receive a free drawing ticket for prizes to be awarded during the evening.
“This is an opportunity for members of the public to become acquainted with businesses they may not have been aware of,” said Chamber President Ted Mandrones.
A feature of the chamber showcases is an appetizer competition between the showcase businesses.
All attendees will vote for their favorite appetizer and the business which wins the competition will be refunded their space rent.
A no-host bar will be available for visitors to the showcase.
Music will be provided by DJ Tony Barthel, owner of the Featherbed Railroad B&B in Nice.
The chamber also will have an information booth at which nonmember businesses can gain insights on what benefits are available to them should they decide to join the Lake County Chamber.
For further information contact the chamber office at 707-263-5092.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that rural agricultural producers and small business owners can now apply for resources to purchase and install renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements.
These efforts help farmers, ranchers and other small business owners save money on their energy bills, reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, support America's clean energy economy, and cut carbon pollution.
The resources announced are made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill.
"Developing renewable energy presents an enormous economic opportunity for rural America," Vilsack said. "The funding we are making available will help farmers, ranchers, business owners, tribal organizations and other entities incorporate renewable energy and energy efficiency technology into their operations. Doing so can help a business reduce energy use and costs while improving its bottom line. While saving producers money and creating jobs, these investments reduce dependence on foreign oil and cut carbon pollution as well."
USDA is making more than $280 million available to eligible applicants through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
Application deadlines vary by project type and the type of assistance requested.
Details on how to apply are on page 78029 of the Dec. 29, 2014, Federal Register or are available at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-energy-america-program-renewable-energy-systems-energy-efficiency .
USDA is offering grants for up to 25 percent of total project costs and loan guarantees for up to 75 percent of total project costs for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.
The REAP application window has been expanded. USDA will now accept and review loan and grant applications year-round.
Eligible renewable energy projects must incorporate commercially available technology. This includes renewable energy from wind, solar, ocean, small hydropower, hydrogen, geothermal and renewable biomass (including anaerobic digesters).
The maximum grant amount is $500,000, and the maximum loan amount is $25 million per applicant.
Energy efficiency improvement projects eligible for REAP funding include lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, fans, automated controls and insulation upgrades that reduce energy consumption.
The maximum grant amount is $250,000, and the maximum loan amount is $25 million per applicant.
The REAP program was created in the 2002 Farm Bill. Because of the success of the program, Congress reauthorized it in the 2014 Farm Bill with guaranteed funding of no less than $50 million in annual funding for the duration of the five-year bill.
The 2014 Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past six years while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.
Since 2009, USDA has awarded $545 million for more than 8,800 REAP projects nationwide. This includes $361 million in REAP grants and loans for more than 2,900 renewable energy systems. When fully operational, these systems are expected to generate more than 6 billion kilowatt hours annually – enough to power more than 5.5 million homes for a year.
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