Updates and Articles
Innovative Clean Fleet Rules Upheld
From the district court to the U.S. Supreme Court, the firm defends the South Coast Air Quality Management District's innovative “Clean Fleet Rules” against...
Read MoreQuarry Expansion Requires Thorough Environmental Review
The firm prevails in litigation challenging Sonoma County's environmental review of a rock quarry expansion project near the small town of Forestville....
Read MoreA New Home For Redwood National and State Park Visitor Center
Working closely with the State Coastal Conservancy and environmental consultants, the firm in 2020 helps secure the approval of the Redwood National and...
Read MoreSMW Represents CFROG Through General Plan Update Process
With the Firm's help, Climate First: Replacing Oil and Gas (CFROG) successfully advocates in 2020 for Ventura County General Plan policies establishing some...
Read MoreProtecting Urban Public Lands & Elevating Community Voices
The firm represents Orange County Communities for Responsible Development, a community-labor alliance, in a challenge to the City of Santa Ana's sale of...
Read MoreSMW Defends Sign Ordinance
The Ninth Circuit rejects a billboard developer's challenge to Alameda County's sign ordinance and upholds a rare award of attorneys' fees to a prevailing...
Read MoreIs local control of affordable housing development dead? The answer is unclear.
In the early 1980s, the Legislature enacted the Housing Element Law (Gov. Code § 65580 et seq.) and the Housing Accountability Act (“HAA”, Gov. Code §...
Read MoreNavigating the Challenges Posed by SB 35
Since its passage in 2017, Senate Bill 35 (SB 35)—a state law requiring local jurisdictions to streamline approval of certain affordable housing...
Read MoreDown Payment Assistance Programs: Building a Bridge to Home Ownership
Costly down payments are a major barrier to home ownership for many Americans. Medium and even some low-income workers and their families may earn enough to...
Read MoreStreamlining Agency Operations with Electronic Signatures
Does your agency require “wet-ink” signatures on contracts, resolutions, or permit applications? In California, use of electronic signatures has been valid...
Read MoreAgencies Bear Costs of Redacting Electronic Records, But Questions Remain in Recent PRA Decision
The California Supreme Court recently issued a ruling on the seemingly mundane issue of whether public agencies may charge Public Records Act (PRA)...
Read MoreShifting Coastlines: Managed Retreat Strategies for Cities Addressing Coastal Erosion
As climate change and sea-level rise accelerate erosion, cities and counties along the California coast must act to protect coastal resources and property...
Read More