With the state facing a severe housing crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that will make it easier for universities and other housing developers to build housing and overcome lawsuits from local residents...more
9/21/2023
/ Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) ,
Affordable Housing ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Community Development ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans
The California Coastal Commission approved a landmark settlement Wednesday with San Diego’s Paradise Point resort aimed at remedying years of Coastal Act violations that have long inhibited public access to the waterfront on...more
The Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously approved its Housing Element, which now must be submitted to the state Department of Housing & Community Development for certification. The state has said Hermosa Beach must build...more
San Diego’s Planning Commission unanimously voted last Thursday against a key part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s housing plan that would have eliminated single-family zoning in much of the city. The commission voted to recommend the...more
The Biden administration last Thursday announced further steps to lower housing costs and boost supply. The administration is looking to incentivize municipalities to lift restrictive land use and zoning policies by...more
Governor Gavin Newsom is releasing more than $300 million dollars in grants to fund housing and infrastructure development around transit hubs across the state. Funded by the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) grants...more
In a sweeping effort to expand affordable housing and combat homelessness, Representative Maxine Waters of California introduced a package of three bills on June 21 aimed at narrowing the country’s racial wealth gap....more
After a three-judge panel ruled that cities do not have the authority to ban the installation of natural gas equipment in newly constructed buildings, Berkeley is now asking for a do-over. Berkeley City Attorney Farimah Faiz...more
As we reported in our prior legal alert, these important new state housing laws will allow for the streamlined approval of qualifying housing development projects on properties where retail, office and/or parking are...more
Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration filed a lawsuit against Elk Grove on Monday, claiming the city discriminated against low-income residents when it denied an affordable housing project last July. California Attorney...more
A federal appeals court on Monday overturned Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction, agreeing with restaurant owners who argued the city bypassed federal energy regulations when it approved the...more
Housing advocates touted the “Builder’s Remedy” as a clever way to circumvent NIMBY politics and get more housing built. But in the two months since the law has been available to Bay Area developers, few have submitted...more
The U.S. Interior Department last Thursday proposed a new program that would allow it to offer leases of public land for conservation purposes, in much the same way as it currently offers acreage for drilling, mining, and...more
San Francisco leaders have a new plan to make it easier for developers to convert office buildings to housing downtown and in swaths of SoMa and Union Square....more
A proposed California bill, Assembly Bill 68, would make it harder to build subdivisions in areas prone to fires or flooding. State Assembly Member Chris Ward, who is carrying the bill, said California has enabled an...more
Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have filed a lawsuit accusing the city of Huntington Beach of violating state housing laws, seeking a preliminary injunction against the city....more
A measure known as the “Builder’s Remedy” added to the state’s Housing Accountability Act in 1990 has suddenly become the focus of developers looking to bypass typical zoning rules and build high-rise apartment projects....more
Governor Gavin Newsom said he will work this year to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says has been weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly-needed housing for students at UC Berkeley....more
A consortium of San Francisco landlords and property owners filed a lawsuit last week challenging the city’s new tax on vacant residences as unconstitutional and a violation of state law. Proposition M, “The Empty Homes Tax,”...more
In response to rent payments soaring across the country in recent years, the Biden administration unveiled new actions last Wednesday to protect tenants, make renting more affordable, and improve fairness in the rental...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has filed a proposal for a new rule to push local communities to take steps to address housing segregation. HUD said in a release that the rule, announced last...more
After years of record budget surpluses, California now faces a projected $22.5 billion budget deficit, Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week. As part of a required adjustment in state spending, Newsom proposed cutting...more
1/20/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Budget Cuts ,
California ,
Commercial Buildings ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Flood Zones ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Homeless Issues ,
Land Developers ,
Multi-Family Housing ,
Shopping Malls ,
State Agencies ,
State Budgets
California’s Second District Court of Appeal recently affirmed that a shorter 90-day statute of limitations, and not a longer three- or four- year statute of limitations, applies to Political Reform Act (PRA) claims that...more
California air regulators voted unanimously last Thursday to approve an ambitious plan to drastically cut reliance on fossil fuels by changing practices in the energy, transportation, and agriculture sectors, but critics say...more
The Mercury News – December 6-
Just one day after the start of the new legislative session, Senator Scott Wiener announced Senate Bill 4 — the “Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act.” The bill would remove red tape for...more
12/14/2022
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
Churches ,
Community Development ,
Eviction ,
Housing Developers ,
Landlords ,
Moratorium ,
Stanford University ,
Wildfires ,
Wildlife Protection