Updates and Articles
Court Blocks Rezoning of Agricultural Lands in San Diego Backcountry
The firm wins a CEQA case challenging San Diego County's rezoning of 200,000 acres of farmland in the County's backcountry. The court states: “You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.” (Save Our Forest and Ranchlands v. San Diego County (2000).)
Read MoreSMW Litigation Leads to Permanent Preservation of Barham Ranch in Orange County.
The firm prevails in litigation to preserve Barham Ranch, a wilderness area of 526 acres in northeastern Orange County. The Ranch is now a regional park. (Orange Park Association v. Serrano Water District (2000).)
Read MoreSMW Clients Prevent Development of Nuclear Waste Dump in the Mojave Desert
The firm represents the County of San Bernardino and Committee to Bridge the Gap, an anti-nuclear organization, in challenging the development of a dump for radioactive waste in Ward Valley in the Eastern Mojave Desert. The Ward Valley project was never built.
Read MoreSMW Protects Historic District
The firm stops a developer from constructing an upscale high-rise in Oakland's historic Waterfront Warehouse District. A court finds alternatives existed to provide the needed housing without harming the environment. (JLNA v. City of Oakland (1999).)
Read MoreSMW Drafts Ground-Breaking Ordinances Diverting Construction Debris from Landfill
In 1999, the firm drafts one of the country's first model ordinances to divert construction and demolition debris from landfills. It later assists the Alameda County Waste Management Authority in drafting one of the first model green building ordinances in the state.
Read MoreSMW Becomes Saratoga City Attorney
In 1999 the firm is designated as the City Attorney of Saratoga, located in the “Valley of the Heart's Delight.”
Read MoreHeadwaters Forest Preserved
In 1999 the firm represents the State of California in negotiations over the purchase and protection of the Headwaters Forest in Humboldt County. The deal ends one of the most bitter environmental conflicts in California history.
Read MoreTahoe Jet Ski Ban Upheld
The firm defeats a federal court challenge to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's imposition of a ban on jet skis. As a result, U.S. manufacturers cease producing 2-stroke polluting engines. (Lake Tahoe Watercraft Recreation Assn. v. TRPA, 24 F.Supp.2d 1062 (1998).)
Read MoreProtected: Appellate Court Rejects Takings Challenge to Denial of Hillside Subdivision
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Read MoreLand Exchange Agreements Pave the Way for Creation of New Neighborhood at Mission Bay
The City of San Francisco and the San Francisco Port Commission in 1998 enter into land exchange agreements, negotiated with the assistance of the Firm, that enable the redevelopment of Mission Bay with housing, a medical center, and an array of other uses.
Read MorePreservation of Piazzoni Murals With Asian Art Museum’s Move to Civic Center’s Old Main Library
In 1998 the firm advises the Asian Art Museum Foundation regarding local, state, and federal historic preservation laws during its renovation of the Old Main Library and relocation of the Piazzoni murals to the De Young Museum.
Read MoreSettlement Protects Thousands of Acres of Viticulture and Open Space, Leading to Plan that Ensures City Centered Growth
The firm helps the City of Livermore negotiate a complex settlement agreement that results in 1998 in the award-winning South Livermore Valley Specific Plan. The Plan allows focused development, curbs urban sprawl, and protects over 5,000 acres of viticulture and open space.
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