State AG Pulse | The Laboratories of Democracy
The Washington Supreme Court recently denied review of a key decision from the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II, upholding the authority of local governments to regulate solid waste generated and collected within...more
On April 24, 2024, a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled that Senate Bill (SB) 9 does not apply to charter cities because it violates the authority granted to charter cities by the California Constitution to manage their...more
As Holland & Knight has previously reported, California courts have consistently enforced state housing laws that preempt land use and planning decisions by local governments. (See previous Holland & Knight alerts, "Court of...more
On February 25, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for preliminary injunction brought by the California Grocers Association (CGA) against the City of Long Beach. In California...more
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic a number of local jurisdictions throughout the country adopted ordinances freezing rents and prohibiting or limiting evictions. Not surprisingly, some landlords were not particularly...more
This 14th edition of Unprecedented, our weekly update on COVID-19-related litigation, showcases new and evolving trends. Employers are facing claims for both doing too much and too little in response to the COVID-19 pandemic....more
The Arkansas Supreme Court in a February 6th opinion addressed whether a $5.00 fee assessed by the City of Blytheville, Arkansas (“Blytheville”) constituted an illegal exaction in violation of the Arkansas Constitution. See...more
Following a prolonged legal challenge brought by a group of Pittsburgh businesses, Pittsburgh’s paid sick leave ordinance will finally take effect on March 15, 2020. . As we previously reported, in August 2015, the City of...more
The statewide concerns underlying the affordable housing provisions of the Surplus Lands Act superseded municipal home rule authority on the same subject and hence required charter cities to comply with the affordable housing...more
In recent years, online platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway have made it easier for property owners to enter into the short-term rental market, which allows property owners to generate supplemental income and defray the cost...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On Friday, November 22, 2019, the trial court presiding over the San Antonio paid sick leave (“PSL”) lawsuit enjoined the City of San Antonio’s amended Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance (“SSLO”). While the SSLO...more
The City of San Antonio’s Sick and Safe Leave ordinance has been enjoined. The ordinance was originally scheduled to go into effect on August 1, 2019, but on July 24, 2019, a Texas state court delayed implementation until...more
In response to a lawsuit filed by a number of San Antonio business groups, the San Antonio City Council approved certain revisions to the city’s paid sick leave (PSL) ordinance, including renaming it the Sick and Safe Leave...more
An interesting legal battle is playing out in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio over whether the City of Toledo’s establishment of a “Lake Erie Bill of Rights” passes constitutional muster. ...more
Ohio local hiring laws affecting contractors are destroyed, for now. Municipalities will no longer be able to force local hiring upon contractors for various jobs. This especially impacts large cities and their citizens...more
On September 24, 2019, the Ohio Supreme Court announced the General Assembly has broad authority to regulate public-works contracts that subject Ohio’s workers to residency preferences or restrictions. In The City of...more
Earlier this month, a challenge to the Town of Shelter Island (“Shelter Island”) short term rental law ordinance enacted in April 2017, amended May 2019 (“STRL”), came to an end – for now. ...more
Initiatives that Would Change County Government Structure Not Allowed, Calif. Appellate Court Rules - Proponents of a series of initiatives that would dramatically impact San Bernardino County submitted notices of intent...more
More than 10,000 bills were filed during the 86th Texas legislative session. Some of the bills that were filed and ultimately signed into law specifically impact the real estate and construction industries. Below is a...more
Austin, San Antonio and now Dallas have joined an ever-growing number of American cities passing paid sick leave ordinances. Though Austin was the first to adopt such an ordinance, in November 2018 Texas’ Third Court of...more
Despite broad-based support, the Texas Legislature failed to pass a law preempting the type of paid sick leave ordinances enacted in Austin, San Antonio, and most recently Dallas before the end of its regular session on May...more
The Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, has ruled that the Arizona State Legislature overstepped its authority in 2016, when it prohibited Arizona cities and other municipalities from enacting their own employee benefits...more
The Florida Supreme Court declined to hear the City of Miami Beach’s appeal of a lower court’s decision upholding a Florida law barring local minimum wage ordinances. ...more
The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Miami Beach law that would have raised the minimum wage in the city. This ends a lengthy legal battle over whether cities could set their own minimum wages that do not correspond...more
On November 16, 2018, the Third Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas, entered a temporary injunction blocking the implementation of the paid sick leave ordinance that the Austin City Council passed in February 2018. The court of...more