The environmental impact report for a proposed Highway 50 interchange that would serve an El Dorado County Indian casino has been invalidated by the Third District Court of Appeal. >>read more
The First District Court of Appeal has rejected a property owner's claim that an Alameda County ballot measure rendered any application for development futile and, therefore, effected an unconstitutional taking. >>read more
A nonprofit corporation created by the City of San Diego to carry out downtown redevelopment may not meet in closed session with legal counsel for the city's redevelopment agency, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled. >>read more
A 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the Army Corps of Engineers' regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act does not limit the Corps' jurisdiction over wetlands adjacent to "waters of the United States," the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. >>read more
Property rights activists and redevelopment opponents are preparing statewide ballot measures that could greatly limit the use of eminent domain. >>read more
It has now been two years since Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California under perhaps the most peculiar circumstances in American history. His political stock has been dropping rapidly for almost a year, culminating in his across-the-board loss in the November special election on which he had laid all his political chips. >>read more
People wanting to buy their own place in San Diego for less than $300,000 have essentially one option: apartments that have been converted to condominiums. Owners of approximately 15,000 apartment units have converted them into for-sale condominiums or filed applications for conversions in recent years. >>read more
Davis adopts inclusionary housing ordinance for moderate incomes. San Diego considers military land for airport and selects proposal for port redevelopment. Los Angeles settles airport controversy while a county planner is sentenced to jail. Santa Clarita votes on open space and continues 15-year fight over a quarry. >>read more
The state Supreme Court has rejected most claims of a development company fighting building permit fees in the City of Rancho Cucamonga. However, the court did decide that the builder, Barratt American, could contest the validity of a city fee ordinance adopted in 2002 — a reversal of a lower court ruling.
Southern California "lifestyle" center developer Rick Caruso won two recent rounds against the owners of traditional shopping malls. The rulings, one published and the other unpublished, both came from the Second District Court of Appeal. >>read more