SMW Attorney Teaches Land Use Law at UC Berkeley School of Law
SMW Partner Andrew Schwartz taught Land Use Law at UC Berkeley School of Law for the Spring Semester 2021-2022 and will repeat the class Spring Semester 2022-2023. Mr. Schwartz also teaches Land Use Law at Stanford Law School.
SMW Attorney Updates Land Use Law Treatise
Andrew Schwartz and his co-author updated their chapter on Exactions in the California Land Use Practice treatise published by the California Continuing Education of the Bar.
SMW Attorneys Revise and Update Environmental Law Treatise
Matthew Zinn and Andrew Schwartz, partners at SMW, with the assistance of associate attorneys Ben Gonzalez and Orran Balagopalan, revised and updated the Takings Chapter of California Environmental Law and Land Use Law, a treatise co-edited by Loyola Law Professor and SMW Of Counsel Dan Selmi.
SMW Attorney Presents at League of California Cities’ Annual City Attorneys’ Spring Conference in Carlsbad
Shute Mihaly & Weinberger partner Seph Petta moderated a panel discussion at the annual League of California Cities (CalCities) City Attorneys’ Spring Conference in Carlsbad, California. The presentation, titled “Staffing a Public Meeting: From War Stories to Your Story,” featured members of the League’s Attorney Development and Succession Committee, which is tasked with helping develop […]
With FPPC Enforcement on the Rise, Public Agencies Navigate Gray Area in Use of Public Funds for Election Communications
Local agencies walk a fine line when producing effective informative materials for ballot measures without inadvertently ‘campaigning’. This article reviews current FPPC rules around spending public money to inform the electorate, how to steer clear of enforcement gray areas, and opportunities for the Legislature to authorize limited public agency electoral campaigns.
SB 244: Focus on Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities in Land Use Planning
Systemic issues in land use planning have historically plagued small, low-income, unincorporated communities on the urban fringe. SB 244 took a first step to address the legal, financial, and political barriers affecting disadvantaged unincorporated communities in California. This article describes SB 244 requirements and looks at implementation progress.
How Public Agencies Can Support Beneficial Fire Use
California’s recent fire seasons have been staggeringly destructive, and are poised to worsen over upcoming decades as the impacts of climate change increase. Yet, we are not helpless. The use of beneficial fire—at the right times and in the right locations—can increase forest resiliency and reduce wildfire risk. California’s pending Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire points public agencies in the right direction.
Speaker Pelosi Celebrates the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal at Salesforce Transit Center Event; SMW Supports TJPA’s Application for Federal Funds
SMW client the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) hosted Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the Bay Area delegation at an event at the Salesforce Transit Center, celebrating the federal commitment to fund public transit under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.
SMW Attorney Teaches Land Use Law at Stanford Law School
SMW partner Andrew Schwartz is once again teaching Land Use Law at Stanford Law School for the fall quarter 2021-2022. The course focuses on the pragmatic (more than theoretical) aspects of contemporary land use law and policy, including the tools and historical/legal foundation of modern land use law; zoning and General Plans; the process of land development; affordable housing; growth […]
Black Lives Matter as Government Speech
In June 2020, communities across California and the world protested and mourned the nationally recognized acts of violence against Black lives.