Corruption runs deep in Los Angeles.  It appears that the investigation into Tom Girardi is starting to peel back the layers of inside involvement by a government official and private individuals who conspired with Girardi and his law firm.  Last week, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office formally recused himself from the federal investigation into fraud and corruption by Tom Girardi and others at his now defunct law firm.

The system wonders why the public does not trust lawyers.  Case in point—the California bar’s abject failure to stop corrupt and disbarred attorney Tom Girardi.  The State Bar of California has failed to discipline corrupt attorneys, allowing lawyers to repeatedly violate professional standards and harm members of the public, according to a long-awaited audit the agency recently released.

It is just another day in America where a mass shooting occurs.  This last mass shooting took place in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24th.  Americans were faced with the grim reality that the local police delayed its response to the gunman.  Inquiry comes amid anger over why officers waited over an hour outside the classroom where the gunman killed twenty-one people.

May 25th marked the one-year date of George Floyd’s murder.  Floyd's death sparked a massive movement for police reform and racial justice.  Though many were relieved that Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder, it is impossible to celebrate the killing of a person who died under the knee of a police officer while three other officers stood guard, ignoring the pleas of several concerned bystanders.  And yet, it took this shocking public display of police violence to get the attention of most Americans.

New York is now the first city in the country to end qualified immunity for police officers.  The measure was passed as part of a package of police reform bills.  The decades-old protection has prevented officers from being sued or liable for misconduct.

As of today’s date, there have been 102 mass shootings in the United States just this year, and it’s only March.  The recent horrific mass shootings in both Atlanta and Boulder have again brought up the discussion advocating for gun reforms.  A once in a century pandemic cannot be the only thing that slows mass shootings in this country.  In many ways, our lives are starting to feel normal again after a long, difficult year filled with so much loss.  Sadly, the return to mass shootings is also a sign of a return to “normal” in the United States.

With a new year come new rules and regulations across the country.  A plethora of new laws that went into effect on January 1, 2021, reflect the issues of the last year when employment, the pandemic, and criminal justice reform was top of mind for many Americans.

Here are some of the biggest changes that went into effect on January 1.