The California Supreme Court ruled that water rates and other local utility charges are considered “taxes” for the purpose of California Constitution Article II, Section 9 and therefore exempt from the referendum process....more
Effective January 20, 2020, eviction controls under the San Francisco Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Ordinance (Administrative Code Chapter 37) (the “Rent Ordinance”) apply to any residential units constructed after June...more
The First District Court of Appeal held that the San Francisco County Transportation Authority is a state agency and thus did not need to comply with local public access rules. SF Urban Forest Coalition v. City and County of...more
If a referendum petition includes the full text of the subject land use measure, documents referenced in such measure need not be attached to the petition unless they are attached to the measure or expressly incorporated into...more
The San Francisco Jobs Housing Linkage Fee (JHLF) is set to more than double under the “Housing for SF Workers” ordinance recently passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (Ordinance). Mayor London Breed refused to...more
Operators of an unlicensed an alcohol and drug treatment facility in violation of a city’s zoning ordinance could not avail themselves of the California Health and Safety Code’s section safe harbor provisions. City of Dana...more
A plaintiff challenging a city council’s interpretation of a local ballot measure was entitled to recover costs and attorney fees when successful on only one cause of action because the primary relief sought was granted....more
10/10/2019
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Ballot Measures ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Conditional Use Permit ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Local Ordinance ,
Prevailing Party ,
Property Owners ,
Public Interest ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Repeal ,
Reversal ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Zoning Laws
Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482, (now California Civil Code Section 1946.2 and 1947.12), on October 8, 2019, joining only Oregon in enacting a statewide rent control law....more
10/9/2019
/ Eviction ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Landlords ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Residential Leases ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
Tenants
A municipality’s approval of a permit amendment allowing a quarry to import asphalt for recycling improperly expanded the quarry’s nonconforming use, the First District Court of Appeal ruled in Point San Pedro Road Coalition...more
The Second District Court of Appeal upheld the City of Los Angeles’s General Plan amendment, which changed the land use designation of a proposed project site for a mixed-use development against challenges the decision was...more