Confirms Reduction in Parking Considered Social Impact Rather Than Environmental -
The Second Appellate District Court of Appeal has upheld approval of a recreational improvements/ecological restoration project despite the...more
California’s AB 168 Adds Requirements to Approval Process -
Assembly Bill 168, now in effect, adds new requirements to the streamlined ministerial approval process for multi-family housing mandated in Senate Bill 35, which...more
Union of Medical Marijuana Patients, Inc. v. City of San Diego -
In a long-awaited decision, the California Supreme Court held this week that whether an activity is a “project” subject to environmental review under the...more
8/22/2019
/ CA Supreme Court ,
CEQA ,
Dispensaries ,
Environmental Liability ,
Environmental Policies ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Municipalities ,
Public Agencies ,
Retail Market ,
State and Local Government ,
Zoning Laws
Following several years of public involvement, the California Natural Resources Agency approved a Comprehensive Update to the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines....more
In a highly anticipated decision, the California Supreme Court found in Sierra Club v. County of Fresno that the environmental impact report was inadequate because it failed to sufficiently connect the project’s air quality...more
In a victory for public agencies, a California appellate court ruled that, when an agency has prepared an environmental impact report for a project under the California Environmental Quality Act that is relevant to a...more
In a decision that could have significant implications for California’s high-speed rail project, the California Supreme Court recently held in Friends of the Eel River v. North Coast Railroad Authority that the federal...more
In a highly anticipated decision, Cleveland National Forest Foundation v. San Diego Association of Governments, the California Supreme Court held recently that an environmental impact report for a regional transportation plan...more
7/18/2017
/ CA Supreme Court ,
CEQA ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Jerry Brown ,
Public Agencies ,
Regulatory Standards ,
San Diego Assoc of Governments (SANDAG) ,
Transportation Industry
The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently released its CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Draft Program Environmental Impact Report. The intent of the PEIR is to conduct environmental review of the regulations...more
Substantial Evidence Proving “Exacerbation” Required, California Appellate Court Says -
A significant decision interpreting the scope of the California Supreme Court’s ruling in California Building Industry Association...more
Gov. Brown Expected to Sign Laws that Will Have CEQA Implications -
In the final days of its session, the California Legislature passed two climate change bills that expand existing laws aimed at reducing statewide...more
Court Upholds Public-Private Groundwater Conservation and Recovery Project That Will Serve Customers Throughout Southern California -
A proposed public-private partnership project to pump fresh groundwater, which would...more
CEQA Does Not Require Agencies to Consider the Impact of Existing Conditions on Future Project Users — Except in Certain Circumstances -
Under what circumstances, if any, does the California Environmental Quality Act...more
California Supreme Court Overturns Environmental Impact Report Related to Proposed Residential Development -
In a much-anticipated decision, Center for Biological Diversity v. California Department of Fish and Wildlife,...more
New Standards Could be Costly for California’s Public Agencies -
The United States Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule earlier this month strengthening the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for...more
Law Sets Standards Aimed at Addressing Climate Change -
Today, Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 350 into law, setting two ambitious climate change-related goals: a 50 percent increase in building energy efficiency, and a...more
10/12/2015
/ CEQA ,
Clean Tech ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Governor Brown ,
Incentive Awards ,
Jerry Brown ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Technology
Comments Due to Office of Planning and Research by Oct. 12 -
The California Office of Planning and Research has issued a preliminary discussion draft of revisions to nearly 30 different sections of the CEQA Guidelines....more
Projects statewide will now be subject to further examination to ensure potentially significant impacts to California’s Native American historic, cultural and sacred sites are mitigated. Assembly Bill 52 adds new requirements...more
Comments on the Draft Advisory due by June 1 -
The Office of Planning and Research released a Draft Advisory earlier this month entitled “Discussion Draft Technical Advisory: AB 52 and Tribal Cultural Resources in CEQA”...more
Court Clarifies the Unusual Circumstances Exception -
In a victory for public agencies and developers, the California Supreme Court issued its heavily anticipated ruling in Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. City of...more
3/5/2015
Agencies Must, Upon Request, Consult With Tribes About “Tribal Cultural Resources” -
Assembly Bill 52, signed yesterday by Gov. Jerry Brown, seeks to protect a new class of resources under CEQA: “tribal cultural...more
As discussed by the California Planning and Development Report, Chris Calfee, counsel at the Governor’s Office of Planning & Research, has indicated that lead agencies will no longer be able to use General Plan congestion...more
An editorial published this weekend by the Los Angeles Daily News asks why California lost the Tesla battery factory to Nevada, and concludes that one of the reasons is the California Environmental Quality Act....more
In published reports, Gov. Jerry Brown discussed that he has had a spiritual conversion, of sorts, on his plans for CEQA reform. He strongly telegraphed that, if he wins a second term, he will not be making a push for CEQA...more
The proposed expansion of a Wal-Mart store into a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the City of Tuolumne, Calif. yielded a California Supreme Court decision that says city councils need not comply with CEQA before adopting a...more