A billboard company has lost a lawsuit seeking damages from the City of Los Angeles for planting trees that obstructed visibility of six billboards. >>read more
A lawsuit filed by Malibu property owners while the City of Malibu was suing the Coastal Commission was not a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled. >>read more
The meetings of two Malibu City Council members whom the council had charged with reviewing and negotiating over a land use plan prepared by the Coastal Commission were not subject to the state's open meeting law, an appellate court panel has ruled. >>read more
The forests of the Sierra Nevada have long been a landscape of controversy, a battleground for conflict over logging, wildlife protection, water diversion, and the accelerating encroachment of vacation homes and subdivisions into flammable scenery.
In a March referendum election, El Dorado County voters upheld a revised county general plan and rejected a growth-control measure that would have tied growth to Highway 50 improvements. The election was another step toward a new general plan, as the county has been without a legal general plan for six years.
State prison officials are moving forward with plans to build a new death row at San Quentin, but elected officials and business interests in Marin County are urging the state to reconsider.
This month's selection of In Brief includes: Los Angeles County Supervisors approve revised Santa Clarita Valley EIR; agreement reached on environmental dispute at Northstar Ski Resort; San Joaquin County lobbyist is convicted on 17 counts over involvement with Stockton power plant proposal; Yolo County sues the City of Woodland over retail power center and auto mall; and more.
The Third District Court of Appeal has published its decision in a case involving the environmental impact report for the 6,000-acre Sunrise Douglas community plan in the City of Rancho Cordova.
In a rather harsh opinion, the Third District ruled against the Environmental Council of Sacramento and Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth. The court found that the project opponents failed to state the facts fairly and did not address the evidence in the record (see CP&DR Legal Digest, March 2005).
As has become customary for at least the last five years, the state Capitol is awash in legislation concerning housing. And, as usual, much of the legislation deals with small pieces of California's housing puzzle. This year, though, the cast of characters is different, and there is serious talk about major policy changes.
The scenes we see when strolling around the periphery of River Park, a master-planned development in Oxnard, tell us a lot about the history of Ventura County.
I've just read the Places article about Santa Monica in the February CP&DR. Morris Newman wrote, "Seeking to maximize its public investment, the city wants to build one or two 12-story residential buildings along the avenue."
The news reports about Measure 37 come blasting out of Oregon almost every day now. Faced with 75 land use claims totaling more than $100 million, Clackamas County in suburban Portland decided to settle the easy ones first - permitting small landowners to subdivide their property into a few additional lots. The City of Eugene is considering an ordinance that would require some development to be torn down after a property changes hands. >>read more
WASHINGTON _ The Supreme Court has spared municipalities from the threat of paying attorneys fees awards for improperly blocking construction of cellphone towers.
