This week environmental groups brought a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its recent support of a company’s plan to pump 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater each year from a Mojave Desert aquifer to developments in South Orange County and other locations. Los Angeles-Based Cadiz Inc. seeks to build a pipeline that pumps the water […]
December 14, 2017 | Category:
California,
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Land Use,
News | Tags:
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Housing,
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Land Use LawIn its latest update to the Housing Opportunity Index (“Index”), the National Association of Home Builders identified Los Angeles to be the most expensive housing market in the nation, overtaking San Francisco, who had held the dubious number ranking for nearly five years. According to the NAHB, just 9% of the homes sold in Los […]
November 10, 2017 | Category:
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CEQA,
Land Use,
Lawsuit | Tags:
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california land use,
CEQA,
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lawsuitIn an unpublished decision filed November 6, 2017, the First district Court of Appeal upheld a County decision to approve a design review application for a market and grocery store renovation project. (Case No. A150043) The petitioner appealed from a trial court decision, which found application of the CEQA exemption proper. Marin County first issued […]
November 4, 2017 | Category:
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CEQA,
Endangered Species,
Land Use,
Lawsuit | Tags:
California,
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Endangered,
endangered species,
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Land Use Law,
lawsuitThis week a group of property owners and developers filed suit against the U.S. Department of Interior, alleging that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) violated federal procedure rules when it repeatedly found that the coastal California gnatcatcher is protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Filed in a D.C. federal court by the […]
November 1, 2017 | Category:
California,
Land Use,
NEPA,
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Oil and Gas | Tags:
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mitchell chadwick llp,
NEPA,
oil,
oil & gas,
oil and gasLast week, California Representative Alan Lowenthal (D) introduced HR 4103 (2017), also known as the “Having Open Access to Relevant Data Act” or the “HOARD Act.” The legislation specifically targets applicants who have obtained Permits to Drill on federal lands, but had not begun timely drilling. The HOARD Act is in response to the Bureau […]
October 31, 2017 | Category:
Air Quality,
California,
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News,
Noise | Tags:
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lawsuitIn an unpublished decision filed on October 24, 2017, the Third District Court of Appeal upheld a trial court’s denial of a CEQA challenge to a freeway interchange and arterial roadway project. The case, Eureka Village Homeowners Association v. City of Rancho Cordova (C082276) considers whether the EIR prepared by the city analyzed a reasonable […]
October 26, 2017 | Category:
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Endangered Species,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
NEPA,
News | Tags:
BLM,
california land use,
court case,
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EPA,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuitOn October 16, 2017, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued an administrative order with the goal of ensuring that the Environmental Protection Agency is transparent when settling lawsuits – particularly those filed by environmental groups seeking to regulate through litigation. A press release accompanying the administrative order explains that the EPA has long been sued by […]
The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (“CMTA”) recently published its annual magazine, California Manufacturers, discussing regulations, laws, and ballot measures that will be considered next year, and profiled companies and individuals that best exemplify the qualities of California manufacturers and supporters. The 2018 edition of the magazine highlights Clif McFarland, acknowledging his advocacy for […]
October 15, 2017 | Category:
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Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News | Tags:
California,
california land use,
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mitchell chadwick llpIn Pesticide Action Network North America v. California Department of Pesticide Regulation (September 19, 2017) Case No. A145632, the First District Court of appeal considered whether the Department of Pesticide Regulation met its CEQA obligations under the Department’s certified regulatory program. Documents prepared pursuant to the regulatory program serve as the functional equivalent of CEQA […]
On Wednesday, federal fisheries regulators approved a controversial plan to allow for increased pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta this fall. Facing opposition from environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) signed off on the proposal that was championed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Southern California water interests. With those […]
