City of Los Angeles

RMM serves as outside CEQA and land-use counsel, typically defending planning-related challenges involving projects ranging from small infill housing and school facilities to major downtown redevelopment efforts. Occasionally, RMM has represented the City as a petitioner.

City of Los Angeles v. Federal Aviation Administration

• RMM filed a successful lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the EIS certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the passenger terminal improvement project at the Bob Hope “Hollywood Burbank” Airport. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the petition in part, requiring the FAA to revisit its noise analysis, including long-haul truck routes traveling through predominantly underserved communities.

Venice Dell Affordable Housing Project

• RMM successfully defended the City Council’s 2021 approval of the Venice Dell project, a 136–unit affordable housing development approved for a City-owned parking lot located one block inland from Venice Beach. The development was designed to expand affordable housing opportunities in Venice while preserving beach access and public parking.

Martin Expo Town Center

• RMM successfully defended approvals for the Martin Expo Town Center project, a transit-oriented mixed-use redevelopment located one block from Metro’s Expo/Bundy Station in West Los Angeles. The project delivers 516 new apartments—more than 100 of which are reserved for workforce-level and very-low-income households—along with neighborhood-serving commercial uses.

Archer School for Girls

• RMM successfully represented the City, defending its approval of the Archer School for Girls campus improvement project. The Archer project included the construction of three new buildings and an underground parking structure, among other features. The Second District Court of Appeal upheld the trial court’s denial of all the petitioners’ claims in favor of the City and Archer.

Main Street Tower

• RMM successfully defended approvals for the Main Street Tower Project, a mixed-use Transit Priority Project in downtown Los Angeles. The project involves the construction of 363 new apartments and ground-floor commercial/retail uses, advancing high-density housing near major transit. Because the Project satisfied CEQA’s statutory criteria for a Transit Priority Project, the City prepared a Sustainable Communities Environmental Assessment, a streamlined environmental review pathway that facilitates transit-oriented infill development consistent with regional greenhouse gas emissions reductions.