Updates and Articles
Legislation Will Enable Affordable Housing on San Francisco Port Property
The state legislature in 2012 enacts legislation (AB 2649) drafted by the firm on behalf of the Port of San Francisco, paving the way for development of the 88 Broadway project, which will convert a former parking lot into 125 units of affordable housing.
Read MoreHistoric 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.)
Read MoreConservation Victory for the California Gnatcatcher in the West Coyote Hills, City of Fullerton
Blue-gray gnatcatcher, a closely related species to the California gnatcatcher. Photo credit: Becky Matsubara, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 Voters in Fullerton pass a referendum, drafted by the firm, that overturns the City's approval of a development agreement for a sprawling subdivision in the West Coyote Hills, home to the threatened California gnatcatcher. Following subsequent litigation filed by the firm challenging the...
Read MoreCutting Edge Recycling and Composting Requirements
Photo Credit: Lisa Fotios, Pexels Years before state law requirements, the firm assists the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (WMA) in 2009 to pass an ordinance encouraging composting by prohibiting the disposal of plant debris in containers with garbage. In 2012, the firm assists the WMA in drafting and implementing an ordinance requiring recycling and composting at commercial multi-family residential...
Read MoreSMW 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.
Read MoreSMW 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 of Fresno (2012).)
Read MoreLocal Land Use Rules Upheld
The firm obtains an appellate ruling upholding the City of Morgan Hill's land use restrictions against a claim they unconstitutionally discriminated against an individual property owner. (Arcadia v. City of Morgan Hill, 197 Cal.App.4th 1526 (2011).)
Read MoreProtecting California’s Redwood Forests
In 2011 the firm begins representing Save the Redwoods League, the premier organization that has protected California redwood forests for more than a century. SMW assists the League in purchasing forests and surrounding lands and conservation easements. SMW is working with the League and its partners to acquire permits for a new National and State Park Visitor Center in Northern California.
Read MoreNinth Circuit Upholds Tribal Court Jurisdiction over Non-Indian Trespassers
The firm represents the Colorado River Indian Tribes in tribal court actions to regain lands from non-Indian holdover tenants, resulting in a watershed Ninth Circuit ruling upholding tribal court jurisdiction. (Water Wheel Camp Recreation Area, Inc. v. LaRance, 642 F.3d 802 (9th Cir. 2011).)
Read MoreDefending the Public Purse Against Unfair Claims
On appeal, the firm secures the reversal of a potentially devastating attorneys' fee award against the Silverado Modjeska Recreation and Parks District. (Silverado Modjeska Recreation and Parks District v. County of Orange, 197 Cal.App.4th 282 (2011).)
Read MoreSMW Sues to Force County to Implement Voter Initiative
The firm prevails in a lawsuit forcing Solano County to comply with Measure E, an initiative that prohibits the importation of solid waste into the County's landfills. (Sierra Club v. Solano County (2011).)
Read MoreQuarry Transformed into Park
The firm advises the City of Saratoga in acquiring a former quarry to be redeveloped as a park subject to a conservation easement and in subsequent park planning and operations. The park opens in 2015 and in 2020 the City opens a trail providing access to Sanborn County Park and, from there, to open space and trails leading to the Pacific Ocean.
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