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California Courts Refine the Limits of Ballot Power in Land Use Decisions

Hand Of A Person Casting A Ballot At A Polling Station

A pair of recent decisions have added new detail to the possibilities and limitations of ballot measures. In City of Morgan Hill v. Bushey, the California Supreme Court held that voters may use a referendum to invalidate a jurisdiction’s zoning amendment – even where it creates an inconsistency between the zoning ordinance and the general plan. In Ctr. For Community Action and Environ. Justice v. City of Moreno Valley, the 4th District restricted the scope of initiatives, holding that development…

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We’ve Grown!

Monchamp Meldrum Team Photo 2018

Monchamp Meldrum LLP welcomes new members - partner Paula Kirlin and counsel Rob Taboada. We look forward to adding Paula's and Rob's breadth of experience and expanding on the excellent legal services we provide to our clients on our new platform. To read more about Paula and Rob, see our Team Page

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OPR Releases List of CEQA Exemptions Not Included Within CEQA

Governor's Office Of Planning And Research Technical Advisory

OPR released a useful technical advisory yesterday (June 6).  It  includes a list of all the projects that are statutorily exempt from review under CEQA based code provisions that are outside of the CEQA statute itself. Check it out here:  http://opr.ca.gov/docs/20180606-Tech_Advisory_CEQA_Exemptions.pdf

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CEQA Negative Declaration Case – Jensen v. City of Santa Rosa

Council Of Infill Builders Logo

On behalf of the Council of Infill Builders, Monchamp Meldrum LLP submitted a request for publication of Jensen v. City of Santa Rosa (Case No. A144782) – a classic NIMBY case that opposed conversion of a defunct hospital into the ‘Dream Center’ so that Social Advocates for Youth could provide housing and supportive services for 63 youth. Requests for publication were submitted by a host of organizations and were granted by the First District Court of Appeal on May 24. The…

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