April 29, 2011 By Dakota Smith “As we’ve repeatedly covered over the last two years, Hollywood is ground zero for lawsuits over development. Consider what’s happened with the proposed Target, Emerson College, Bvld 6200, or Sunset and Gordon projects. “Everyone sues in Hollywood,” is what lobbyists will warn their clients. More often than not, locals … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: July 2012
“Sierra Club Sues on Calico Project”
January 4, 2011 – On December 30, 2010 the Sierra Club filed a petition with the California Supreme Court over violations of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Warren Alquist Act over the Calico Solar Project. Tessera Solar had developed the project as a Stirling dish/engine solar thermal power plant, yet due to financial … Continue reading
“Million Dollar Tortoises a Symbol of Environmental Schizophrenia”
By BC Upham | April 7th, 2010 This may not be a very popular post with some readers, but I feel it is my duty to present the other side of an issue, and maybe help Greens understand why business people and even average Joes sometimes think they’re completely crazy. The Mojave Desert Tortoise is a threatened species that … Continue reading
“Bad Environment For Development?”
July 18, 2011 By Howard Fine “Local business groups have launched a campaign to reform one of the state’s major environmental laws because they believe it stifles development and slows job creation. They want to reform the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires developers and government agencies to conduct environmental reviews for major projects and explicitly gives citizens the right to … Continue reading
“Builders seeking speedier process”
September 18, 2011 By Dakota Smith “When distressed neighbors learned the city of Los Angeles was planning a trucking academy at the old Lopez Canyon landfill site, it wasn’t a City Council change of heart or a petition drive that rescued them from the feared influx of noisy, diesel-spewing big rigs. It was CEQA. The … Continue reading
“CEQA lawsuit can’t block infill”
July 2nd, 2004 by Katherine Conrad “Berkeley is known for many things, but fighting affordable, senior housing wouldn’t seem to be one of them.Yet that’s exactly what happened to the home-grown nonprofit group, Affordable Housing Associates, when they tried to build a 40-unit housing project on the site of an abandoned storefront on Sacramento Avenue. The housing … Continue reading
“3rd Strike for General Growth Properties in Trying to Stop Competitive Entertainment/Retail Destination”
January 20, 2005 “Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien today upheld the City of Glendale’s approval of a town center to be developed by Caruso Affiliated and ruled that the Environmental Impact Report on which the city’s decision was based fully meets all requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Specifically the judge denied all … Continue reading
“Pocket Protectors Protest Proposed Project; Prevail”
Posted on June 1, 2005 by Janell Bogue “Lately, infill projects have become a hot-topic development strategy, especially in established neighborhoods. In Pocket Protectors v. City of Sacramento (2004) 124 Cal.App.4th 903, the developer proposed an infill project on a long, narrow strip of vacant land subject to a PUD zoning designation. The PUD called for the … Continue reading
CEQA from 1997-February 2012, Litigation History
According to research done by the Thomas Law Group on CEQA cases dated from 1997 – February 2012: Regarding Court decisions addressing the adequacy of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the plaintiff won 49% of the time and the public agency won 51% of the time–amounting to little better odds than a coin toss. … Continue reading
“What Are the Best Alternatives for the 710 Gap Closure?”
March 2, 2012 By Kristen Lepore Locals gathered Thursday night to discuss 710 gap closure options—some of which will be researched in-depth through an environmental study that Metro awarded to CH2MHill in October for $37.3 million. To continue reading, visit here. Continue reading
CEQA Today 