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?

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?

State's water quality law will likely continue to protect wetlands in an expansive way. 

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.

But California backstop will maintain expansive definition of wetlands in the state.

Also: Statute of limitations on the Mitigation Fee Act, a request to depublish the Millenium Hollywood case, and the U.S. Supreme decline to hear a takings case from Massachusetts involving a local wetlands ordinance.

Planners thought strategy to protecting wetlands and promoting development was good enough -- but enviros thought otherwise. >>read more

The Supreme Court nominee takes a narrow view of administrative agencies' power -- but is likely to apply that view in a nonpartisan way. >>read more