Thomas Law Group is pleased to announce that it is merging with Downey Brand, a leading full-service law firm highly regarded for its expertise in natural resources, water, energy, land use, and environmental matters (in addition to litigation and corporate law) effective January 1, 2023. Joining Downey Brand’s Sacramento office will be veteran attorney and
2022’s New State Housing Laws
This week Governor Newsom signed a series of bills intended to accelerate housing development in California. Two bills – AB 2011 and SB 6 – seek to facilitate residential redevelopment of commercially zoned areas, though they contain stringent requirements that may put their benefits out of reach for many developers. AB 2097 largely eliminates local
Trial Court Decision Indicates that Housing Must be Permitted at General Plan Density, Regardless of More Restrictive Zoning
In YIMBY v. City of Los Angeles (Super. Ct. L.A. County, 2022, No. 21STCP03883), a Los Angeles County trial court decided a number of issues under California housing laws. Though the trial court decision carries neither precedential nor persuasive value, it may portend the direction in which courts will interpret these relatively new laws. In
Supreme Court Declines to Stay Court-Imposed Enrollment Cap at UC Berkeley
On March 3, 2022 the California Supreme Court denied UC Berkeley’s (UC’s) request to stay enforcement of a trial court order capping its enrollment for the upcoming year. The denial is the latest development in ongoing CEQA litigation filed by Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods (SBN) over the UC’s enrollment levels (see TLG’s coverage of related cases
AB 819 Expands Requirements for Electronic Filing and Posting of CEQA Notices and Environmental Documents
Effective January 1, 2022, Assembly Bill 819 (AB 819), signed by Governor Newsom earlier this year, imposes expanded requirements on lead agencies when posting CEQA notices and documents.
Under the bill, lead agencies must post the following documents and notices to their websites, if they have one:
DEIRs, negative declarations, mitigated negative declarations, notices of availability, notices of preparation, notices of scoping meetings; notices of determination, notices of exemption, and notices of completion.
Lead agencies must also submit the following documents and notices to the State Clearinghouse online portal:
DEIRs, proposed negative declarations, proposed mitigated negative declarations, and notices of completion.
Additionally, state lead agencies must also submit notices of determination (NOD) and notices of exemption (NOE), if filed, to the State Clearinghouse online portal. Local lead agencies must submit NODs and NOEs to the applicable County Clerk, electronically if possible.
Center for Biological Diversity v. Department of Conservation, etc. (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th 210
Center for Biological Diversity v. Department of Conservation, etc. (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th 210
The Legislature passed Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) in 2013, requiring the Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (Department) to study the environmental effects of fracking and other types of oil and gas well stimulation in California. Specifically,
Thomas Law Group Receives “High 5 Award” at First 5 Sacramento 20th Anniversary Event
Thomas Law Group is honored to accept the High 5 Award at the Rise Up Sacramento event on January 8, 2019 at the Golden 1 Center’s Assembly Lounge. This award, granted on behalf of First 5 Sacramento and Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, recognizes a business that incorporates family-friendly policies into the workplace. Hope to
Tina Thomas Hosts CEQA 2018: A Year In Review Panel at 33rd Annual Land Use Law and Planning Conference
On Friday, January 18, 2019 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, Thomas Law Group founder Tina Thomas will host the panel CEQA 2018: A Year in Review as part of UCLA Extension’s 33rd Annual Land Use Law and Planning Conference.
The conference it presented by UCLA Extension’s Public Policy Program. It focuses
Thomas Law Group Annual Retreat
In October 2018, Thomas Law Group team members and guests gathered for the firm retreat in the San Francisco Bay Area, including a tour of the Bay by sea in the Osprey, a 50 foot sailing yacht. This annual trip provided all participants an opportunity to relax and socialize together as well as strategize for
Tina Thomas and Thomas Law Group Attorneys Named Top Environmental and Land Use/Zoning Lawyers
Tina Thomas and Thomas Law Group attorneys have been recognized anew in 2018 as top attorneys in environmental, land use, and zoning law and litigation.
Sacramento Magazine named a number of Thomas Law Group attorneys as “Top Lawyers,” an honor given only to a handful of attorneys with the highest number of peers’ votes. Tina