The second Trump Administration is likely to back off of zoning reform, environmental protection, and transit funding. Will the state's own laws and policies serve as a firewall against these changes?

Listing of insects could make landscape-level conservation planning more difficult because of challenges in identifying habitat.

The state passed a law protecting the species after the Fish & Game Commission deadlocked on listing it. Critics say the mitigation fee of $300 to $2,500 per plant will make housing projects infeasible.

A nearby office-building owner challenged the infill exemption on a condo project, claiming rare species were in the vicinity. In a case of dueling biologists, the Court of Appeal ruled that the species weren't rare enough to qualify.

The state's environmental agencies may be insulated from the new ruling stripping federal administrative agencies of power -- and they're picking up the slack. But do they have the capacity and expertise to do the job?

Enviros' argument that sea-level rise should be considered in EIR also rejected by appellate court.

A lifetime urban dweller, Donald Trump was an anti-city president. Biden is a lifelong Amtrak rider -- and California urban planning is likely to change with him at the helm.

Natural infrastructure projects would repair habitats ruptured by urban sprawl.

With 4-4 ties looming, court will have to decide whether to rehear cases. >>read more