ADA lawsuits continue to take a toll on businesses especially small businesses in San Francisco and across the state. It seems public officials are beginning to take action on behalf of the businesses to address this issue. San Francisco Supervisor David Chiu and Representative, Duncan Hunter of 52nd District in California are both working on legislation to address the rise in ADA lawsuits especially affecting small businesses all over California. Supervisor Chiu's legislation would require city agencies to speed up the permit process for small businesses needing to come into compliance with the ADA law. The legislation would also mandate that commercial landlords make tenants signing or renewing a lease aware of potential ADA issues. "The goal is to improve both ADA compliance and accessibility, and help small businesses avoid costly lawsuits," Article Regarding Chiu's Legislation.

Representative Hunter's legislation is H.R. 881, the ADA Notification Act. The legislation stipulates that before legal action can begin, a claimant is required to first notify a business of any potential violation. The business would then have 90 days to evaluate and correct the problem if necessary. If the complaint is ignored, then the business owner goes to court and the process resumes. Article Regarding HR 881.

Additional article about ADA: WTSP Channel 10.

GGRA has a program in place to assist businesses to identify potential ADA issues either in existing properties or during the planning process. We have partnered with Bassam Altwal of Cal Accessibility. Bassam is a Certified Access Specialist (CASp). Cal Accessibility will provide a general check on drawings for renovation or new construction; provide a free, one-time 45 minute consultation with you at the GGRA office or on site. Cal Accessibility will also do a general check on drawings at a discounted rate of $90/hour. This is half the normal rate for this service. For more information about this program contact either Bassam Altwal at (415) 310-3010 or Associate Director, Donnalyn Murphy at the GGRA at email or (415) 781-5348 ext 2.