[WEBINAR] Who Does What? Defining Proper Roles for Staff and Elected Officials
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously this Tuesday to make permanent Mayor Bass’ Housing Streamlining Ordinance, cutting project approval times from six to nine months to 60 days....more
On December 4, 2025, the New York City Council voted—by more than a two-thirds majority—to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of two bills requiring certain businesses to annually report pay data and directing New York City to...more
We are publishing our Newsletter early this month so that our readers will be alerted to an upcoming City Council hearing, scheduled for December 2, 2025, at which proposed legislation having a seriously detrimental effect on...more
Impact fee increases are on the horizon for development in the City of Apopka. On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the City of Apopka presented, for the second time, a proposal to increase municipal impact fees during an...more
On November 12, 2025, the New York City Council approved the city-led OneLIC Neighborhood Plan (OneLIC), rezoning 54 full or partial blocks in Long Island City, Queens. The city projects that OneLIC will result in the...more
On November 12, 2025, the New York City Council approved the city-led Long Island City Neighborhood Plan known as OneLIC. OneLIC is designed to create significantly more housing, including the introduction of Mandatory...more
The San Diego Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal last week to accelerate homebuilding in the city by softening historic preservation rules. Developers praised the new proposal as a sensible policy change that...more
As the nation followed higher-profile elections in Virginia, New York City, and California on Tuesday, November 4, Ohio held its 2025 election. There were no statewide ballot issues, so all contests were local elections. ...more
On November 4, 2025, New Yorkers voted to approve three amendments to the New York City Charter that aim to increase housing production, with a focus on development of affordable housing. The approved charter amendments,...more
On October 29, 2025, the New York City Council approved the city-led Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, rezoning an approximately 230-block area in Southeast Queens and creating the city’s largest Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH)...more
The First District Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Move Eden Housing v. City of Livermore, ___ Cal. App. 5th ___, 2025 WL 2837353 (Oct. 7, 2025) (Move Eden II), illustrates how California cities and developers should...more
On October 9, 2025, the New York City Council passed amendments to local laws that, if passed, would impose new pay equity reporting obligations on certain private employers and require the city to conduct annual pay equity...more
California's housing department says the Stanislaus County city of Patterson may have violated state law when it blocked a 700-home subdivision earlier this year, warning the city it could face action from the state attorney...more
Mayor Parker Reaffirms Use of Project Labor Agreements on City Projects - Mayor Cherelle Parker (D) signed an executive order requiring City agencies to consider project labor agreements for publicly funded work, reinforcing...more
The Virginia Court of Appeals has reversed a 2024 Arlington Circuit Court ruling that struck down Arlington County’s 2023 “Expanded Housing Option” (EHO) zoning amendment and enjoined the County from issuing permits under it....more
This past Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams ended his re-election campaign, saying he could no longer see a path forward amid low poll numbers, denied public matching funds, and mounting pressure from the press and public. In a video...more
Councilmember Introduces Bill to Stop Philly from Burning Trash - City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (D-District 3) introduced legislation to ban Philadelphia from signing new waste disposal contracts with companies that...more
Despite Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) authorization of the use of infrastructure dollars to provide transit agencies with short-term operating support, which removed a major point of contention in negotiations, the budget...more
City Council to Consider Requiring Retailers to Charge Fee for Paper Bags -During Thursday’s meeting, City Councilmember Mark Squilla (D-District 1) reintroduced a bill that would require retailers to charge a fee for paper...more
Gov. JB Pritzker says President Donald Trump is ‘losing it’ after latest Chicago National Guard threat - “President Donald Trump again vowed to deploy the National Guard to Chicago ‘against’ the opposition of Gov. JB...more
Illinois lawmakers contemplating new delivery fee proposal, fare increase to close transit funding gap- “With a little more than a month to go until the General Assembly’s fall veto session begins, lawmakers are continuing...more
State Budget Deal “Close” But Elusive as Talks Drag Into Third Month- Lawmakers from both parties say a budget agreement is close but are offering few details, leaving state payments to schools and social services frozen...more
What separates communities that succeed in economic development from those that fail to win opportunities? This session will highlight real-world case studies of successful economic development projects – both large and...more
Trump's threat to deploy troops to Chicago draws criticism from city and state officials - “Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who plans to hold a news conference Monday afternoon about Trump’s threats, blasted the president’s...more
BOSTON—City Deploys Sensors to Combat Rat Infestations - Boston officials announced the implementation of a new rodent-tracking sensor system throughout the city to provide data on hotspots and measure the effectiveness of...more