Whether it's something as big as the State Water Project or as small as tree stumps in Los Angeles, environmentalists aren't winning CEQA cases at the appellate level.
In third unpublished appellate court ruling, justices reject argument that affordable housing will not result and that an alternative site in Marina, 40 miles away, should ahve been considered.
Mining interests challenged Ventura County's new ordinance. But an appellate court said projects subject to CEQA exemptions 7 and 8 don't have to protect the entire environment, only specific natural resources.
In an unpublished case, an appellate court strikes down an environmental group's challenge to parking reform in San Diego. The court relied partly on SB 743 to uphold a CEQA exemption for the ordinance.
In a new lawsuit, the developer claims the city stalled the application so long it amounted to a denial. The city claims it is processing the developer's builder's remedy application.
In latest Fanita Ranch skirmish, appellate court says conservation easements and better land management are sufficient mitigation for lost gnatcatcher habitat.
Some important bills passed this year. But unless the Legislature is willing to take on CEQA directly, there may not be a whole lot more to do on the land use front to encourage more housing production.
