Vol. 22 No. 07 Jul 2007

Riverside County is moving toward adopting restrictive zoning and even acquiring private property in high fire hazard areas. » read more | add to cart

Like a blast of hot air from the Santa Ana winds of fall, the push to address global warming in environmental impact reports has come on suddenly and with surprising intensity. » read more | add to cart

The Coastal Commission has rejected Pebble Beach Company’s Del Monte Forest plan in Monterey County, Placer County Board of Supervisors remove thier panning commissioner after published controversy, a superior court judge rejects San Francisco referendum petitions, Napa County begins processing an application for the largest project in county history, and Oregonians will vote on a takings ballot measure. » read more | add to cart

The U.S. Supreme Court has changed course on liability for the cleanup of contaminated properties under the Superfund law. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that a private party undertaking voluntary environmental cleanup can sue another “potentially responsible party” to recover cleanup costs. » read more | add to cart

The state Supreme Court has depublished a Sixth District Court of Appeal opinion in a case involving the water analysis for a 28-lot subdivision in northern Monterey County. » read more | add to cart

The California Supreme Court has recently accepted for review three land use cases, including the court’s fifth California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) case since 2003. » read more | add to cart

The Coastal Commission had the authority to order removal of a private, three-hole golf course that violated development permit conditions, even though the course was in place for 18 years before the Commission took action, the Sixth District Court of Appeal has ruled. » read more | add to cart

The environmental impact report for an aggregate mine expansion in Merced County has been invalidated by an appellate court because the document’s description of the project was “curtailed and shifting,” water and traffic impacts were understated, baseline assumptions were not identified and mitigation measures were deferred. » read more | add to cart

I simply adore being in Cannes, with its splendid, high-end hotels, its outdoor cafes, the elegantly turned-out couples strolling on the boulevard, the nearly naked young people frolicking at the water’s edge, unembarrassed by their perfectly toned bodies and golden skin….What’s that? I am mistaken? We’re not on the Riviera? Oh, naughty carissima, you are trying to fool me with a cruel joke! This couldn’t possibly be…Huntington Beach? » read more | add to cart

Land use politics in Monterey County reached a new level of chaos in early June, when voters cast ballots on four land use measures but apparently resolved nothing. Voters provided conflicting direction on a general plan update adopted by the county, rejected a slow-growth general plan initiative, and overturned county approval of an 1,100-unit housing development. » read more | add to cart