A new development project called "Esmeralda," resembling a rustic Italian village, is proposed for a 267-acre site near Cloverdale in Sonoma County

The small North Coast city is seeing an expensive battle over whether to develop downtown parking lots are required by the Housing Element and try to shift housing elsewhere and retain current downtown parking.

California wildlife officials have designated the Western burrowing owl as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act

Local governments, property owners, and environmental justice advocates all have issues with AB 98. It could invite more litigation over warehouses.

Fallout from Supreme Court case on is still unclear, but there's no question that cities and counties will have to make "individualized determinations" more often, bulletproof their nexus studies, and allow more appeals. 

A recent Superior Court ruling requires a developer to pause construction on a contentious warehouse project in San Bernardino County

Appellate court rules that bill exempting project from CEQA does not violate state constitution. Preservationists made the unsuccessful argument that the state cannot be trusted to implement the law constitutionally.

Director of Community Development 
City of Santa Monica, CA

Governor Gavin Newsom called out Norwalk's recent decision to extend its ban on new homeless shelters, and the state has imposed the "builder's remedy" 

Populations change even if they don't grow. That's why California needs more housing even though the population is stagnant. 

Cities are moving aggressively to adopt objective design standards, now required in reviewing housing projects. But developers can use the Density Bonus Law to end-run some of the standards. 

The Bay Area introduced its first plan to address the challenges of sea-level rise, which could lead to severe flooding and infrastructure damage