Our Cases
City of San Diego v. Board of Trustees of the California State University
(2011) 201 Cal.App.4th 1134 The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled the California State University violated CEQA by considering an appropriation from the State Legislature as the only means of making “fair share” payments for …
Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach
(2011) 52 Cal.4th 155 The California Supreme Court upheld the City of Manhattan Beach’s decision to ban plastic bags on the basis of a negative declaration. In its opinion, the court dealt with two issues …
Stockton Citizens for Sensible Planning v. City of Stockton
(2010) 48 Cal.4th 481 The California Supreme Court reversed a Court of Appeal decision holding that, despite alleged flaws in the decision-making process, a facially valid and properly filed notice of exemption (NOE) triggered the …
Committee for Green Foothills v. Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
(2010) 48 Cal.4th 32 The California Supreme Court held that the filing of a notice of determination (NOD) triggers the 30-day statute of limitations for all CEQA challenges to the decision announced in the notice, …
Planning & Conservation League v. Castaic Lake Water Agency
(2009) 180 Cal.App.4th 210 The Second District Court of Appeal upheld the adequacy of an EIR certified by the Castaic Lake Water Agency analyzing the impacts of transferring 41,000 acre-feet of water to Castaic from …
Sustainable Transportation Advocates of Santa Barbara v. Santa Barbara County Association of Governments
(2009) 179 Cal.App.4th 113 The Second District Court of Appeal upheld the Santa Barbara Association of Governments (SBCAG) approval of a transportation sales tax measure without conducting CEQA review. SBCAG developed and approved its sales …
California Native Plant Society v. City of Santa Cruz
(2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 957 The Sixth District Court of Appeal upheld the City of Santa Cruz’s approval of a master plan for Arana Gulch, a City-owned greenbelt property. The EIR for the master plan acknowledged …
California Native Plant Society v. City of Rancho Cordova
(2009) 172 Cal.App.4th 603 The Third Appellate District Court of Appeal held that the City of Rancho Cordova approved a project that was inconsistent with one mandatory policy of its General Plan concerning wetland mitigation. …
California Native Plant Society v. County of El Dorado
(2009) 170 Cal.App.4th 1026 The Court of Appeal held that the payment of a rare plant impact fee did not presumptively establish full mitigation for the potential impacts of a senior assisted living and Alzheimers’ …
St. Vincent’s School for Boys, Catholic Charities CYO v. City of San Rafael
(2008) 161 Cal.App.4th 989 The Court of Appeal upheld San Rafael’s general plan against a challenge from a landowner. St. Vincent’s School for Boys’ property is located outside the city limits, but within the city’s …
Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth v. City of Rancho Cordova
(2007) 40 Cal.4th 412 The Supreme Court held that the EIR prepared for a 6,000-acre community plan and its first phase of development contained an adequate analysis of the near-term water supplies but did not …
Friends of the Sierra Railroad v. Tuolumne Park and Recreation District
(2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 643 The Court of Appeal held that a transfer of land between Tuolumne Park and Recreation District (TPRD) and the Me-Wuk Tribe was not a “project” requiring environmental review under CEQA. At …
Save Our Neighborhood v. Lishman
(2006) 140 Cal.App.4th 1288 The Court of Appeal held that the City of Placerville should have prepared an EIR for the proposed construction of a hotel, gas station, and convenience store complex, rather than relying …
The Pocket Protectors v. City of Sacramento
(2005) 124 Cal.App.4th 903 The Court of Appeal held that the City of Sacramento should prepare an EIR for a proposed 139-unit, single-family residential project in the Pocket neighborhood in southern Sacramento, finding that the …