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Appeals City Councils

Perkins Coie

Council Resolution Approving an Amendment to a Disposition and Development Agreement Was Subject to Referendum

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The court of appeal held that a City Council resolution approving a development agreement that included policy decisions regarding development of a public park was a legislative act subject to referendum. Move Eden Housing v....more

Cozen O'Connor

Policy Alert: Bill Would Provide Legal Protection for RCOs to Sue Developers

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Last week, legislation was introduced in Philadelphia City Council that, if passed, would secure Registered Community Organizations (RCOs) legal protection from the city for their involvement in zoning matters. The bill was...more

Perkins Coie

Denial of Affordable Housing Project Violated Both Streamlining Statute and Housing Accountability Act

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A trial court had jurisdiction to find that a denial of a permit application violated the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) on remand, even though the Court of Appeal did not expressly instruct the trial court to address the...more

Perkins Coie

City of Davis Did Not Err in Finding Mixed-Use Project Consistent With General Plan

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The court of appeal held that the City’s determination that a mixed-use development project was consistent with applicable general plans policies and standards was supported by substantial evidence. Old East Davis...more

Best Best & Krieger LLP

Court Provides Guidance in Applying “Racially Polarized Voting” Analysis to a California Voting Rights Act Challenge

Court of Appeal Decision in Yumori-Kaku et al. v. City of Santa Clara - The City of Santa Clara’s method of electing city council members at-large — in which each council member is elected by all City voters — violated the...more

Downey Brand LLP

Third Appellate District Voids City Council Vote Based on Legislative Member’s Bias

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On May 8, 2020, the Third Appellate District, certified for publication its earlier decision in Petrovich Development Co. LLC v. City of Sacramento (C087283), where the Court, in a rare decision, voided a city council’s...more

Perkins Coie

Project Denial Invalidated Where Councilmember’s Actions Crossed the Line Into Advocacy Against the Project

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The Court of Appeal held that where a city councilmember’s actions evinced bias toward the project, the applicant did not receive a fair hearing and the City Council’s denial of a conditional use permit would be set aside....more

Rosenberg Martin Greenberg LLP

My Deal Was Approved By High-Ranking Government Officials; How Can I Not Have a Binding Contract?

Parties entering into contracts with corporations, limited liability companies, and other legal entities often require proof, in the form of resolutions by the board of directors or members authorizing an identified officer...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Seven New Appeals Will Be Heard by the Supreme Court of Canada

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Although the Supreme Court has suspended hearing appeals, the Court continues to issue judgments both on appeals and applications for leave to appeal. Hearings scheduled for March, April and May were adjourned on March 25,...more

Perkins Coie

“Whole of the Council” Meant All City Councilmembers, Not Just Those Present and Voting

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A court of appeal upheld the City of Madera’s interpretation of a municipal code provision requiring “a five-sevenths vote of the whole of the [City] Council” as mandating the approval of five councilmembers, rather than a...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

Appointment of a Nuisance Abatement Receiver: No “Financially Viable” Plan for Rehabilitation Needed

Under California law, receivers can be appointed for many purposes. Sometimes a “general equity” receiver is appointed to take control of a business entity and its assets where the decision-makers are deadlocked in...more

Best Best & Krieger LLP

Determining a “Super Majority” When Council Members are Missing

California Appellate Court Looks to Local Ordinance’s Intention for Determination - In determining what makes a “super majority” of a governing body, a California appellate court said the entire number of seats on the body...more

Perkins Coie

Court May Order City to Remedy Inconsistencies in its General Plan Created by Initiative

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A court could properly direct a city council to correct internal inconsistencies in its general plan resulting from adoption of an initiative. Denham, LLC v. City of Richmond, 41 Cal. App. 5th 340 (2019). The Richmond City...more

Conn Kavanaugh

Special Permit Applicants Must Prove That Proposed Use Complies With Bylaws

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If you’re seeking a special permit for a project, be prepared to prove that your proposal complies with the town’s bylaws. First things first. What is a special permit? Generally, a special permit allows an applicant to...more

Perkins Coie

City’s Agreement to Extend Life of Billboards Violated Initiative Measure Prohibiting New Billboards

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The Second District Court of Appeal held that the purported amendment of an agreement to extend the period in which billboards were permitted within the City constituted a new agreement and hence violated the terms of a...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Supreme Court Decides Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, Florida

On June 18, 2018, the Supreme Court decided Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, No. 17-21, holding in a 8-1 decision that the petitioner need not prove the absence of probable cause to maintain a § 1983 claim of retaliatory...more

Robinson+Cole RLUIPA Defense

Floating Home Owner Scores Second Supreme Court Victory Against Riviera Beach, FL

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued an important decision in Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, Florida, 585 U.S. ___ (2018). The case does not involve land use or even free exercise of religion. ...more

Perkins Coie

City’s Bifurcated Procedure For Appealing Approval of Entitlements Separately From CEQA Determinations Upheld

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The Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a mitigated negative declaration where the project opponent correctly appealed the approval of entitlements but failed to properly appeal the CEQA determination under the City of San...more

Perkins Coie

Size Limit on Retail Tenants Not Likely to Cause Urban Decay

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A general plan policy that limited the size of retail tenants in certain areas of a city was not likely to cause urban decay and was not inconsistent with other general plan policies encouraging infill development, the court...more

Downey Brand LLP

Clean Sweep for City of San Diego in Challenge to Approval of Private School

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On December 20, 2017, the Fourth District Court of Appeal delivered a solid win for the City of San Diego in a multi-faceted challenge to its approval of a private school pursuant to a Mitigated Negative Declaration (“MND”)....more

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC

Portland Comprehensive Plan Effective Date Likely Delayed to May 2018

The effective date of the new Portland Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code has been delayed to at least May 24, 2018. These two related planning projects, begun a number of years ago, were subject to review and approval by the...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

For Any Lawful Reason: Firing an at-will employee under dubious circumstances need not lead to liability if the reason for the...

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A recent decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals highlights the distinction between firing an employee for personal or politically expedient reasons (which may be entirely legal) and firing an employee because of his...more

Downey Brand LLP

Fourth Appellate District Upholds City of San Diego’s Rejection of Subdivision Project and Related MND

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CEQA decisions usually arise in the context of a challenge to a lead agency’s approval of a project and a related CEQA document. However, in a recent decision, Kutzke v. City of San Diego (2017) 11 Cal.App.5th 1034...more

Best Best & Krieger LLP

Billboard Regulations: Cities and Counties

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No State Preemption of Local Billboard Regulations, California Appellate Court Finds - The Outdoor Advertising Act does not preempt local regulation of billboards, a California appellate court has ruled. In a decision...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

N.C. Court of Appeals Affirms Local Government Board's Recusal of One of Its Own Members In Quasi-Judicial Proceeding

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A quasi-judicial land use proceeding requires an impartial decisionmaker, like any courtroom proceeding. State law does its best to spell out what constitutes an "impermissible violation[] of due process"...more

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