Whether it's something as big as the State Water Project or as small as tree stumps in Los Angeles, environmentalists aren't winning CEQA cases at the appellate level.

California has always had a lot of planners. But now cities and other agencies are having trouble filling positions for an increasingly stressful and busy job. It's partly because of housing prices -- but there are other reasons too.

In ruling from Los Angeles, appellate court says that "local control has not been abrogated by the HAA.”

In the wake of the pandemic, some California downtowns are stronger than ever. Others resemble the walking dead. Both scenarios have inspired planners to get creative.  

In an unpublished ruling, appellate court uses "noisy Berkeley students" precedent to rule that human noise could be a significant impact under CEQA, thus killing infill exemption for project near USC.

LA Metro's new light rail line runs through the heart of Los Angeles' Black community. Community leaders hope it will serve existing residents without hastening gentrification. 

In a very strongly worded opinion, a Los Angeles appellate court shot down all the neighbors' arguments about an eldercare facility in Pacific Palisades -- and, in the process, reiterated that the role of the courts is to defer to the city’s judgment when substantial evidence exists and not "re-weigh the evidence".