On May 12, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruled that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (“Service”) must reevaluate its determination that two species of Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia [western Joshua tree] Read More

On March 14, CA Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes introduced (pending publication) AB 1000, also known as the Good Neighbor Policy. This legislation, if passed, would alter the siting and expansion of logistics facilities statewide. Read More

A pair of bills introduced last week propose sweeping new authorities for the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) that would increase state oversight of surface water diversions. Read More

On September 29, 2022 Senate Bill 1439 (Glazer) was signed by the Governor to take effect January 1, 2023. The bill broadens the scope of Section 84308 of the Political Reform Act by prohibiting local elected officials from taking part in licensing,… Read More

Farmland Protection Alliance v. County of Yolo Save the Field v. Del Mar Union School District Two recent appellate decisions tackle the question of how a CEQA lead agency may construct an EIR following a successful challenge to a prior negative decl… Read More

The Sixth District Court of Appeals recently upheld a trial court judgment finding that the State Water Resources Control Board (“SWRCB”) exceeded its authority in 2015 by ordering “junior” pre-1914 water rights holders to stop diverting wate… Read More

Tiburon Open Space Committee v. County of Marin (2022) 78 Cal.App.5th 700 In a contentious development case, the first appellate district recently held that a lead agency properly limited the scope of its CEQA review to recognize prior judgments whic… Read More

On April 12th, 2022, the City of Fontana passed Ordinance 1891 (“Ordinance”). The Ordinance implemented new-wave environmental justice policies for industrial commerce centers, and although its reach is limited to Fontana alone, its terms give a… Read More