Cal Supremes Bolster Local Zoning Authority
A unanimous California Supreme Court has upheld a local zoning ordinance that regulates who may sell furniture. The decision appears to bolster local zoning decisions that have come under attack from...
View ArticleCEQA Exemption Is 'Common Sense,' Says High Court
The California Supreme Court has ruled that an airport land use compatibility plan qualifies for a “common sense” exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act.Perhaps more importantly, the...
View ArticleRight On Cue, Ballot Measure Confusion Grows While Construction Slows
Wouldn’t you know it? Right when the real estate market slows down, the land use initiative business is picking up. And, as is often the case, the initiatives – rather than clarifying things – are...
View ArticleSunnyvale, Mountain View Provide Different Downtown Stories
This is a story of two downtowns — one that has become a model core for a large suburb, and one where the walls that stalled progress have finally come down. This is also the story of the long-term...
View Article'Green' Power's Drawbacks Becoming More Evident
Californians are relatively thrifty when it comes to electricity consumption, using less on a per-capita basis than residents of any other state. The average Californian consumed 7,032 kilowatt-hours...
View ArticleElection Moves Monterey County To Verge Of Policy Paralysis
Land use politics in Monterey County reached a new level of chaos in early June, when voters cast ballots on four land use measures but apparently resolved nothing. Voters provided conflicting...
View ArticleCapital Market Demands Coastal Exclusivity
I simply adore being in Cannes, with its splendid, high-end hotels, its outdoor cafes, the elegantly turned-out couples strolling on the boulevard, the nearly naked young people frolicking at the...
View ArticleUnderstated Project Description And Impacts Prompt EIR Rejection
The environmental impact report for an aggregate mine expansion in Merced County has been invalidated by an appellate court because the document’s description of the project was “curtailed and...
View ArticleCourt Allows Permit Enforcement Despite No Sanctions For 18 Years
The Coastal Commission had the authority to order removal of a private, three-hole golf course that violated development permit conditions, even though the course was in place for 18 years before the...
View ArticleState Supreme Court Accepts Cases
The California Supreme Court has recently accepted for review three land use cases, including the court’s fifth California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) case since 2003.read more
View ArticleState Supremes Depublish Opinion On Water Analysis Case
The state Supreme Court has depublished a Sixth District Court of Appeal opinion in a case involving the water analysis for a 28-lot subdivision in northern Monterey County.read more
View ArticleU.S. Supremes Decide on Liability
The U.S. Supreme Court has changed course on liability for the cleanup of contaminated properties under the Superfund law. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that a private party undertaking...
View ArticleCoastal Commission Rejects Development in Monterey County
The Coastal Commission has rejected Pebble Beach Company’s Del Monte Forest plan in Monterey County, Placer County Board of Supervisors remove thier panning commissioner after published controversy, a...
View ArticleGlobal Warming Becomes CEQA Issue
Like a blast of hot air from the Santa Ana winds of fall, the push to address global warming in environmental impact reports has come on suddenly and with surprising intensity.read more
View ArticleRiverside County Fights Fire With Zoning
Riverside County is moving toward adopting restrictive zoning and even acquiring private property in high fire hazard areas.read more
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