Critical Wildlife Corridor Established
The firm advises Laguna Greenbelt in successful negotiations leading to the 2019 opening of the Orange County Great Park Wildlife Corridor in Irvine to connect the Cleveland National Forest to the coast.
SMW Advises Cupertino on New Apple Campus
Assisted by the firm, the City of Cupertino in 2013 approves Apple Campus 2 (Apple Park), the first AB 900 project approved in California, involving the redevelopment of a 1960s business park site.
Historic Settlement Saves Open Space in Solano County
In response to litigation challenging an estate subdivision in rural Solano County, in 2012 a developer sells the 1,500-acre “Rockville Trails” property to the Solano Land Trust, preserving some of the most precious open space in the County. (Green Valley Landowners Assn. v. Solano County.)
SMW Works With StopWaste.Org to Draft One of First Countywide Plastic Bag Bans
In 2012, the firm assists the Alameda County Waste Management Authority in drafting, preparing the EIR for, and implementing a countywide ban on single-use plastic bags in grocery stores. The ban is later expanded to include all retail establishments as well.
SMW Protects Parks and Greenbelt Along San Joaquin River
The firm successfully challenges in court Fresno County’s approval of 5,000 homes adjacent to the San Joaquin River Parkway. The firm is then able to negotiate a settlement that forces the developer to mitigate its project’s impacts on the parks and other public resources within the Parkway. (San Joaquin Parkway and Conservation Trust v. County […]
Settlement Protects Foresthill Community in Placer County
Photo Credit: jen, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 After filing litigation, the firm negotiates a settlement for the Foresthill community in Placer County that limits sprawl development on sensitive rural lands in a high fire risk area and provides protection for the American River. (Foresthill Residents for Responsible Growth v. Placer County (2011).)
SMW Defends Program for Protection of Farmland
The court of appeal upholds the authority of local governments to require dedication of conservation easements to mitigate the loss of farmland caused by new development. (Building Industry Assn. of Central California v. County of Stanislaus, 190 Cal. App. 4th 582 (2010).)
SMW and California Trout Secure Greater Flows for Endangered Steelhead
As a result of litigation filed by the firm on behalf of California Trout, the owner of the Vern Freeman Diversion Dam agrees to allow greater water flows into the Santa Clara River to protect steelhead, an endangered migratory fish species. (California Trout, Inc. v. Bureau of Reclamation (2009).)
SMW Litigation Stops Rezoning of Timberland in Lassen County
Following a CEQA suit filed by the firm, Lassen County rescinds its approval of a proposal by Sierra Pacific Industries to rezone 5,000 acres of timberland for urban development. (Friends of Lassen Forest v. Lassen County (2009).)
Stockton General Plan Litigation Leads to Adoption of Landmark Climate Action Plan
Photo credit: Eric Sonstroem, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 As a result of litigation filed by the firm challenging the City of Stockton’s General Plan update, and pressure from the state Attorney General’s office, the City agrees to prepare a Climate Action Plan, one of the earliest such plans in California. (Sierra Club v. City of Stockton […]