As does every year, 2011 included a wide range of published appeals court cases, some setting major precedents and others tinkering with the arcana of land use law. Here are some highlights from CP&DR's Legal Digest compiled over the course of the year, organized by area of law.
This compilation draws on a presentation given by CP&DR contributor and Sacramento-based land use lawyer Bill Abbott, of Abbott & Kindermann, at the UCLA Land Use Law and Planning Conference earlier this month.
Billboards
Hill v. San Jose Family Housing Partners
Density Bonuses
First Amendment
Alameda Books et al. v. City of Los Angeles
Medical Marijuana
Religious Land Uses (RLUIPA)
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel v. City of San Leandro
Variances
West Chandler Boulevard Neighborhood Association v. City of Los Angeles
California Environmental Quality Act
Statutory and Categorical Exemptions
South Orange County Wastewater Authority v. City of Dana Point
Negative Declarations
Citizens for Responsible Equitable Environmental Development v. City of Chula Vista
Save Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach
EIR Baselines
Citizens for East Shore Parks v. California State Lands Commission
EIRs
Oakland Heritage Alliance v. City of Oakland
Santa Monica Baykeeper v. City of Malibu
Valley Foundation v. City of Rocklin
Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment v. City of Santa Clarita
LandValue 77, LLC v. Board of Trustees of the California State University
Ballona Wetlands Land Trust v. City of Los Angeles
Flanders v. City of Carmel-By-The-Sea
CEQA Litigation