On March 6, 2024, the First Appellate District held that a city council resolution approving an agreement between the City of Livermore and an affordable housing developer was legislative in nature and thus subject to a...more
On September 28, 2021, Governor Newsom signed SB 290, which amends certain provisions of the Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code § 65915). Senator Skinner’s SB 290 essentially replicates SB 1085 from 2020, which died, along with...more
California's First District Court of Appeal recently issued a lengthy and consequential decision reaffirming the State's ability to pass housing legislation limiting local governments' discretion to deny housing projects. In...more
Multi-family market expectations have improved in Silicon Valley, Orange County, and San Diego, while in the other markets surveyed, panelists do not see 2023 as having higher occupancy and rental rates compared to today,...more
On June 25, 2020, the Fifth Appellate District decided Honchariw v. County of Stanislaus, holding that an applicant's challenge to a local agency's interpretation of a project condition of approval was not barred by the...more
On October 9, 2019, as part of an 18-bill housing package, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 330, also known as the "Housing Crisis Act of 2019." SB 330 addresses the statewide housing crisis by restricting local rules that...more
In Sacramentans for Fair Planning v. City of Sacramento, published on July 18, 2019, the California Court of Appeal rejected challenges to a project based on the principle of zoning uniformity, limiting its application to...more
The California Supreme Court held last week that a referendum petition may be used to challenge a zoning ordinance amendment intended to make a city's zoning consistent with its general plan. In City of Morgan Hill v. Bushey...more
On September 28, 2016, Governor Brown signed new legislation relating to the construction of affordable and market-rate housing. Although AB 2501 has drawn the most attention from commentators and the media, AB 2442 and AB...more
On September 27, 2014, Governor Brown signed AB 2222, which amended sections of the State Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code §§ 65915, 65915.5 ["DBL"]). The main purpose of the bill is to require developers to replace all of a...more
On July 11, 2013, in Latinos Unidos del Valle de Napa y Solano v. County of Napa (A135094), the First District reversed and remanded a trial court's decision that Napa County's restrictive density bonus ordinance did not...more