Court Upholds CEQA Baseline that Recognizes Fluctuating Economic Conditions

COURT UPHOLDS CEQA BASELINE THAT RECOGNIZES FLUCTUATING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS North County Advocates v. City of Carlsbad (2015) — Cal.App.4th — In 2010, the California Supreme Court’s opinion in Communities for a Better Environment v. Sou… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

California Supreme Court Clarifies "Unusual Circumstance" Exception to Categorical Exemptions under CEQA

Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. City of Berkeley 2015 WL 855725 In a widely anticipated decision, the California Supreme Court has overturned the First District Court of Appeals decision in Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. City of Berkeley (2012)… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA, Land Use

California Appellate Court Holds That Governor is Not a "Public Agency" Under CEQA

California’s Third District Court of Appeal confirmed – perhaps to no-one’s great surprise – that California’s Governor is not a “public agency” whose decisions are subject to CEQA review. Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

CEQA Notice of Determination Omitting Material Change in Project Does Not Trigger Statute of Limitation Period

The Second District Court of Appeal held recently that the County of Ventura abused its discretion when it failed to prepare a supplemental EIR for a project that was built materially different than described in the EIR. This case highlights the pitf… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

Court Orders 2050 Emissions to be Cut by 80% below 1990 Levels

Cleveland National Forest Foundation v. San Diego Association of Governments (2014) ___ Cal.App.4th ___ In a case of first impression, the Fourth Appellate District has determined that CEQA requires greenhouse gas reduction of eighty percent below 19… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

EIR Addendum vs. Supplemental EIR

Citizens against Airport Pollution v. City of San Jose (2014) 27 Cal.App.4th 788 Where an EIR has already been prepared, California Public Resources Code section 21166 provides for deferential review and only requires preparation of a subsequent or s… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

AB 52 Establishes Tribal Consultation Rights for the First Time under CEQA & Recognizes "Tribal Cultural Resources" as a New Category of Resources

On September 25, 2014, Governor Brown signed AB 52 into law. For the first time under CEQA, AB 52 establishes a new consultation process with California Native American tribes for proposed projects in geographic areas that are traditionally and cultu… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

CEQA: Program vs. Project EIR

CEQA: PROGRAM VS. PROJECT EIR Citizens for a Sustainable Treasure Island v. City and County of San Francisco (2014) 227 Cal.App.4th 1036 Recently, a California Appellate Court took the opportunity to explore the difference between a “project” and… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

Court Sanctions FAA Review as Mitigation for Wind Energy Project

COURT SANCTIONS FAA REVIEW AS MITIGATION FOR WIND ENERGY PROJECT In a partially published decision, the Court of Appeal for California’s Fifth District upheld Kern County’s approval of a major wind energy generation project against a challenge by… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA

CEQA Inapplicable to Voter Initiatives

CEQA INAPPLICABLE TO VOTER INITIATIVES In a decision published on August 7, the California Supreme Court decided that CEQA review does not apply to a voter initiative presented to a local government and approved by that body without an election. The… Read More
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Categories: Articles, CEQA