Updates and Articles
2017 Housing Law Update
It is no secret that California is in the grips of a serious housing crisis. According to one study, less than 50% of households in the state can afford housing.* Real estate prices have risen 15% since 2009, while median incomes have risen just 5%. And California has well over 100,000 residents without homes; 25% of the nation’s entire homeless population lives in California. A significant factor contributing to this...
Read MoreTribal Participation Results in Revised Solar Project
When initially proposed, the Palen Solar Project would have involved scraping thousands of acres of the Mojave Desert to make a perfectly level site suitable for solar thermal technology. A later iteration would have involved 700-foot solar power towers, a technology known to harm birds, bats, and insects, including those of cultural significance. Throughout these proceedings, SMW assisted the Colorado River Indian Tribes...
Read MoreSelection of Asset Manager for Public Facility
The firm assisted the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) in the procurement for an asset manager to manage the Salesforce Transit Center operations, public spaces, and retail leasing in San Francisco.
Read MoreStreamlining Agency Operations with Electronic Signatures
Does your agency require “wet-ink” signatures on contracts, resolutions, or permit applications? In California, use of electronic signatures has been valid since 2000. With public agencies increasingly conducting business electronically during the COVID-19 pandemic, more are accepting and using e-signatures for certain official documents. Read on for an overview of the laws surrounding electronic signatures and for...
Read MoreThe Public Doctrine, Climate Change, and the Coast
A new report from Stanford University's Center for Ocean Solutions discusses the impact of sea level rise on the increasingly constrained California coast, and how the public trust doctrine can provide a framework for coastal adaptation through long-term planning and decision making. Authored by a working group of authorities on coastal land use and public trust, including SMW attorney Bill White, the report recommends...
Read MoreStopping A Fire Trap at the Wildland-Urban Interface
Pressing claims under CEQA and the city's own Code, the firm obtains an appellate victory in its challenge to the City of Brea's approval of a residential subdivision in a fire-prone canyon abutting Chino Hills State Park. (Hills For Everyone v. OSLIC Holdings LLC (2017).)
Read MoreSMW Defends Cap and Trade Auction
The firm represents the Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council as intervenors in successfully defending the state's auction of greenhouse gas emission allowances under AB 32's cap and trade program. (California Chamber of Commerce v. State Air Resources Board, 10 Cal. App. 5th 604 (2017).)
Read MoreSMW Enforces Fairfield’s Urban Growth Boundary
On behalf of the Solano County Orderly Growth Committee, the firm successfully challenges Solano County's approval of a large subdivision development proposed on lands serving as an important buffer between urban development and working farms and natural open space. The Project would have required water and sewer services from the City of Fairfield in contravention of the City's urban limit line adopted by voter...
Read MoreResources to Help Local Jurisdictions Encourage Multifamily Solar Installations
Interested in promoting multifamily rooftop solar in your community? Check out this website: MultifamilySolarCA.com. Supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, it offers resources and assistance to property owners, contractors, and local governments interested in undertaking or encouraging multifamily rooftop solar. It includes a Solar Marketplace that can help property owners easily gather...
Read MoreSan Onofre State Beach Permanently Saved From Toll Road
After years of challenging the 16-mile Foothill-South Toll Road in court and administrative proceedings, including the largest public hearing in the Coastal Commission's history, the firm helps a dozen environmental groups negotiate a settlement that permanently protects San Onofre State Beach and adjoining open space. (Calif. State Parks Fdn. v. Transportation Corridor Agency, 150 Cal.App.4th 826 (2017).)
Read MoreSMW Authors Community Solar Policy Scorecard
The firm helps the Interstate Renewable Energy Council launch a Scorecard in 2017 to rank state policies for Community Solar, providing states with a guide for how to adopt progressive policies to ensure that all customers, including those in disadvantaged communities, have access to clean energy cost savings.
Read MoreSMW Authors Report on Energy Storage Policies
On behalf of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, the firm drafts Charging Ahead, a major policy report that provides valuable guidance to state policymakers who are looking to encourage and enable the adoption of energy storage, which is key to achieving 100% clean energy goals.
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