Legal Digest

The law says it's supposed to promote "affordable housing," but L.A. judge throws the lot-split law out because it doesn't guarantee deed-restricted below-market rate units.

U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that California's unique exactions rule is unconstitutional. But will it really require California cities and counties to scale back on exactions?

Locals officials are agents of the state when they are adopting an SB 10 ordinance, thus allowing them to overrule density caps imposed by voters, judges say.

A private gun club leasing land from the City of Ukiah in Mendocino County expanded -- with ministerial review from the city and no review at all from the county. An appellate court has decided that's not okay.

Concluding that the Attorney General's Office is likely to win its case against the recalcitrant city, the judge granted both temporary relief and a preliminary injunction while the case moves forward.

CEQA lawsuit claims county's mitigation measures on land use, agricultural mitigation and other issues are vague, unenforceable and will induce sprawl.

Appellate court says revised disposition and development agreement was not merely a "quasi-judicial action" under the redevelopment wind-down law.

In the latest ruling against a municipality, a Los Angeles judge said La Cañada Flintridge must move forward with a builder's remedy project because -- in his judgment -- the city did not have a compliant housing element when it refused to process the project. It's one of two

After losing in appellate court and with a trial looming, the Fresno-area city reaches a wide-ranging settlement agreement including upzoning, inclusionary housing, a housing trust fund, and more.

Four lots in Los Osos were already on local water and sewer. San Luis Obispo County approved creating three new lots that already had sewer laterals and water meters. But the Coastal Commission said no and, in an unpublished ruling, an appellate court has agreed.

City agrees to move project forward without required vote, while developer agrees to increase affordable housing from 20% to 25% of project and agree to an EIR.

The City of Berkeley got hammered in court for violating SB 35 and the HAA by denying a project to be built on a parking lot on Native American shellmound property. Now the city has to pay the developer $2.6 million -- plus attorneys fees.