Senate Bill (SB) 1227, introduced by Senator Scott Wiener on February 15, 2024, would help speed the recovery of downtown San Francisco by creating a new CEQA exemption for qualifying commercial, institutional, student...more
3/7/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Community Development ,
County Planning Commissions ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Homeless Issues ,
Mobile Homes ,
Natural Gas ,
Office Space ,
State Bans ,
Tax Exemptions
Senate Bill (SB) 1227, introduced by Senator Scott Wiener on February 15, 2024, would help speed the recovery of downtown San Francisco by creating a new CEQA exemption for qualifying commercial, institutional, student...more
On December 14, 2023, Mayor Breed approved “Housing Constraints Legislation” passed by the City and County of San Francisco (City) Board of Supervisors, which is intended to streamline housing production, as required by the...more
The Biden administration is launching a multi-agency effort to encourage states and cities to convert more empty office buildings into housing units, with billions of federal dollars available to help spur such transitions....more
11/10/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Biden Administration ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
HUD ,
Office Space ,
Property Tax ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties
Governor Newsom recently approved multiple state housing bills passed by the State Assembly and Senate. The following is a summary of a few of the key bills that are expected to benefit multi-family, mixed-income housing...more
10/13/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
CEQA ,
Commercial Buildings ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Low Income Housing ,
Multi-Family Housing ,
Office Space ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Rental Property ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties
With the state facing a severe housing crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that will make it easier for universities and other housing developers to build housing and overcome lawsuits from local residents...more
9/21/2023
/ Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) ,
Affordable Housing ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Community Development ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans
The California Coastal Commission approved a landmark settlement Wednesday with San Diego’s Paradise Point resort aimed at remedying years of Coastal Act violations that have long inhibited public access to the waterfront on...more
In a sweeping effort to expand affordable housing and combat homelessness, Representative Maxine Waters of California introduced a package of three bills on June 21 aimed at narrowing the country’s racial wealth gap....more
There are multiple proposed bills under consideration by the State Assembly and Senate that would affect new housing developments. The following is a summary of a few of the key bills, which is current as of the date of this...more
AB 2011 (Wicks) provides for “by right” streamlined ministerial (i.e., no CEQA) approval of qualifying mixed-income and affordable housing projects along commercial corridors in commercial zoning districts. This new law is...more
In last year’s update, we provided an overview of federal and California regulatory actions designed to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These actions...more
5/2/2023
/ California ,
CEQA ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Site Assessment ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Housing Developers ,
Office Space ,
Offshore Wind ,
PFAS ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
State and Local Government
A federal appeals court on Monday overturned Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction, agreeing with restaurant owners who argued the city bypassed federal energy regulations when it approved the...more
There has been a flurry of recent legislation to encourage the repurposing of underutilized office buildings, both on the state and local level. New legislation recently proposed in San Francisco would facilitate the...more
On April 19, 2023 the California Supreme Court denied the petition for review of the Save Livermore Downtown v. City of Livermore decision issued by the California First District Court of Appeal, which was filed by opponents...more
State Supreme Court decision could complicate CEQA review of certain housing projects - San Francisco Chronicle – July 14 - The state Supreme Court has left intact a ruling by the First District Court of Appeal that rejected...more
Judge rejects lawsuit over California housing density bill (SB 10) Bullet Courthouse News Service – May 12 Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant held last week that the California Legislature has the...more
Legislature passes enrollment cap reprieve for UC Berkeley in CEQA dispute - Courthouse News Service – March 14 - State legislators voted Monday to amend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to specify that...more
The California Legislature and Governor approved three key housing bills in 2021, to facilitate housing production in California. SB 8 (Senator Skinner) extends and expands the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330). SB 9...more
UC Berkeley ordered to freeze enrollment due to CEQA lawsuit Associated Press – March 3 The California Supreme Court ordered UC Berkeley last Thursday to freeze its undergraduate enrollment at 2020-21 levels...more
Critical housing bills signed by Governor Newsom -
Allen Matkins – September 17 -
As the State of California battles through a housing crisis, lawmakers are seeking creative ways to enable local governments to meet...more
As the State of California battles through a housing crisis, lawmakers are seeking creative ways to enable local governments to meet their long-term housing needs and produce housing more quickly. On September 16, 2021,...more
Pandemic-related suspension of CEQA noticing, posting, filing, and tribal consultation requirements and Brown Act meeting requirements set to expire September 30 -
Allen Matkins – July 16 -
On September 30, 2021,...more
On May 20, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 7 into law, which reenacts the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act (the Act) and extends the date of repeal to January 1, 2026. The Act...more