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Ever since the Los Angeles wildfires erupted in January, there’s been a lot of debate about whether, when and how to rebuild after a community suffers from one of California’s increasingly intense conflagrations.

The era of “Swiss cheese” CEQA may be over – at least if Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks are successful in the Legislature this year.

Last week, President Donald Trump issued an executive order clearly targeting California’s climate laws.

A legal battle is brewing in Silicon Valley over how much time builder’s remedy applicants have to submit a complete application.

The Trump Administration has proposed eliminating protection of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act, which is the foundation of the longstanding system of habitat conservation plans that California has put into place over the last 30 years.

Major land use-related housing bills are moving forward in Sacramento. But signs are weariness are showing.

In an unpublished ruling, an appellate court has found fault with the environmental impact report for the proposed aerial gondola from Los Angeles Union Station to Dodger Stadium and has ordered LA Metro to redo the EIR. The court found that LA Metro had not sufficiently analyzed noise impacts during the construction period and had failed to adequately consult with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which has jurisdiction over the natural resources in several parks that would be affected by the gondola. But the 119-page ruling was not all bad news for LA Metro, however. The court ruled that a land use inconsistency with the Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown was easily resolved with an amendment to the park’s general plan. The court also said Metro had properly analyzed alternatives, including increased bus service from Union Station to the stadium.

Opponents of downtown affordable housing in Eureka may have lost a ballot measure last fall, but they are continuing a barrage of litigation to try to stop conversion of three downtown parking lots to housing.

Reversing a lower court ruling, an appellate court has thrown out the City of Mount Shasta’s mitigated negative declaration for a charter school and ordered the city to do an environmental impact report. The ruling would seem to run counter to the current trend – at least in the legislature – to minimize the use of EIRs.

In his “May revise” budget for next year, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed creating the long-awaited state vehicle miles traveled mitigation program, with mitigation to be allocated on a region-by-region basis.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling involving the National Environmental Policy Act does not directly affect California’s environmental review process. But the NEPA ruling is likely, some lawyers say, to expand the gulf between NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act.

Under fierce pressure from environmentalists and labor unions, the Senate has gutted Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 607, a major California Environmental Quality Act reform bill, subject to additional negotiations.