A divided appellate court panel has upheld a 2004 regulation that gives the director of the state Department of Conservation the final say over whether reclamation of a surface mine has fulfilled the mine's reclamation plan. >>read more

A billboard company has won the latest round in a drawn-out conflict with the City of Riverside. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Valley Outdoor Inc. may challenge the city's handling of a permit application but may not contest the city's sign ordinance. >>read more

A city is not required to provide credit against park and recreation fees when it requires a developer to dedicate private open space, the Sixth District Court of Appeal has ruled. >>read more

A San Luis Obispo County businessman who did not attend a California Coastal Commission hearing regarding his proposed project has lost a lawsuit contending that he was not provided adequate notice of the hearing. >>read more

A $1.4-million damages award that a jury granted to the owner of a San Bernardino adult cabaret has been upheld by the Fourth District Court of Appeal. The damages were based on expenses and lost income from a 53-month period when the City of San Bernardino's zoning ordinance - which was eventually ruled unconstitutional - prevented Flesh Night Club from operating. >>read more

A Rohnert Park mobile home park owner's demand that a court grant a rent increase because an unconstitutional city law held down rents has been rejected. >>read more

At a Cupertino City Council meeting in April, Apple Computer guru Steve Jobs announced that the technology giant plans to build a 50-acre campus to complement its existing headquarters across town. >>read more

A thorough study of the San Diego Association of Governments by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) suggests that the organization has taken regional planning as far as possible, and more regionalism will require a change in governance and economics. >>read more

The June election will see the usual collection of local land use ballot measures, including proposals in three counties to hike the sales tax for transportation projects. However, the election may be even more significant because of three measures that are not on the ballot... >>read more

Real estate reporters and doctors share a certain sang froid. Just as doctors are not excited by seeing undressed people all day, real estate reporters are generally inured to the charms of vacation properties. >>read more

It's easy to overlook the San Diego River, especially as it reaches the final stretch of its 52-mile journey from the inland mountains to San Diego's Mission Bay. The river is not a focal point of Mission Valley, as it winds past the parking lots of hotels, shopping centers and Qualcomm Stadium.

The City of Davis, a college town located only 15 miles west of Sacramento, is surrounded by farm fields, orchards and open space. Despite its proximity to the Central Valley's second largest city, Davis has virtually none of the "rural sprawl" that surrounds so many other valley towns. >>read more

Conflict of interest indictments in Placentia while San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission feels the heat from a grand jury. Also in San Luis Obispo, a developer gets strapped with large "mitigation fee" due to grading an Indian archaeology site. Housing development in San Francisco could slow while Sierra Nevada Conservancy releases strategic plan for preservation. >> read more

How much infill can we build in California? This is the big question everybody is trying to answer these days. >>read more