In Save Our Capitol! v. Dept. of Gen Servs. (2024) 105 Cal.App.5th 828—the third appeal challenging renovations and additions to the State Capitol (Project) under CEQA—the Third District Court of Appeal rejected petitioner’s challenges to the revised EIR for the Project on the grounds that newly enacted Senate Bill No. 174 (2023-2024 Reg. Sess.) (SB
In Nassiri v. City of Lafayette (2024) 103 Cal.App.5th 910, the First District Court of Appeal (Court) held that a proposed 12-unit condo (Project) in the City of Lafayette (City) was exempt from CEQA because it qualified for the Class 32 Infill Exemption, upholding the trial court’s determination. In doing so, the Court rejected arguments
In early April there were two major leaps forward in offshore wind development in California. On April 6, 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a bureau within the U.S. Interior Department, released a Draft Environmental Assessment for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA) off California’s Central Coast. The next day, the California
In Duarte Nursery, Inc. v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76037, the Eastern District of California granted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (“Corps”) motion for summary judgment, finding that Duarte Nursery (“Nursery”) had violated the federal Clean Water Act (“Act”) by moving dirt around its property as part
In United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes, 578 U.S. __ (2016), the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Eighth Circuit and held that an approved jurisdictional determination (“JD”) issued under the federal Clean Water Act (“Act”) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (“Corps”) is a final agency action that can be challenged in
In Presidio Historical Association v. Presidio Trust, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 1287, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgement in favor of the Presidio Trust and rejected challenges to a planned “lodge” adjacent to the Presidio’s Main Parade Ground.
The Presidio is managed by the Presidio Trust (“Trust”), a federal
The action in County of Humboldt v. McKee, 2015 Cal. Unpub. LEXIS 4177, began when plaintiffs Humboldt County (County) sued Robert McKee and Buck Mountain Ranch Limited Partnership (collectively McKee). The original litigation (McKee I) involved McKee’s purchase of a property in Humboldt County which he then subdivided and sold. The property
In Save Our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego 2015 Cal. App. LEXIS 462, Plaintiffs challenged the City of San Diego’s (City) approval of a revitalization project that would result in significant impacts to a bridge that has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Fourth District Court of Appeal denied all of
In Banning Ranch Conservancy v. City of Newport Beach 2015 Cal. App. LEXIS 436, the Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld an approval by the City of Newport Beach (City) of a development project on 400 acres of undeveloped coastal property with active oilfield operations (Project). The Project consisted of developing one-fourth of the area
In Engine Manufacturers Association v. State Air Resources Board, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 1075, the California Third District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s judgment on the pleadings and upheld the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) authority to adopt regulations requiring the testing and recall of in-use heavy-duty engines to protect air quality.