Rob Taboada is a California land use and environmental attorney who helps private and public clients navigate the complex world of land use regulation. He counsels on everything from state and local planning and zoning laws to the Subdivision Map Act, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), State Density Bonus Law, the Housing Accountability Act, and the Housing Crisis Act. Rob regularly partners with life science, residential, and industrial developers to secure entitlements, build strong administrative records, and defend projects against challenges before agencies and in court.
Beyond entitlements, Rob is skilled at negotiating, drafting, and interpreting a wide range of transactional land use agreements—affordable housing agreements, development agreements, easements, covenants, and more. He draws on this experience to guide clients seamlessly through diligence, entitlement, and project build-out, always with an eye toward practical solutions that align with both legal requirements and business goals.
Rob’s legal practice is grounded in more than a decade of hands-on construction experience. Before becoming an attorney, he spent 12 years as a general contractor and custom cabinetmaker, earning certification as a Green Building Professional. This background gives him a unique perspective: he understands not only the regulatory landscape but also the realities of development on the ground.
In addition to his practice, Rob teaches Land Use Regulation as an adjunct professor at U.C. Law SF. He has served on the advisory council for the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, was an editor for the California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, and gained experience at both large and boutique law firms, the California Attorney General’s Office, and the state and federal judiciary. Rob is also active in his community, volunteering as the Advancement Chair for Troop 1 of Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America).
Licenses and Memberships
- General Building Contractor, California, #B955318 (inactive)
- Certified Green Building Professional (CGBP)
- California Bar Association – Environmental Law Section, Real Property Law Section
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2024-2026
- Thurston Society
- Albert G. Evans Award for Legal Writing on Private Enterprise
- Judge Robert J. Shnacke Scholarship
- CALI/Witkin Award in Land Use Regulation and State and Local Government
Education
- University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly U.C. Hastings Law) J.D. Magna Cum Laude, Environmental Law Concentration
- California College of the Arts, M.F.A., Wood/Furniture
- Middlebury College, B.A., English Literature and Studio Art
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- All State Courts in California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
Publications
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The Supreme Court’s NEPA Spring Clean Up: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, Jun. 2025 (co-author)
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Judicial Counsel Clarifies Emergency Statutes of Limitations for CEQA and Land Use Challenges, Lexology, Jun. 2020
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Streamlined CEQA Review of Housing Project at Greater Height and Density than Allowed by Zoning Upheld in Sacramentans for Fair Planning v. City of Sacramento, Aug. 2019 (co-author)
- The Governor’s Plan to Convert Vacant State-Owned Land to Housing Begins to Take Shape, Lexology, Apr. 2019
- California Courts Refine the Limits of Ballot Power in Land Use Decisions, Lexology, Sep. 2018
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Issues New Guidance on Trigger for Incidental Take Permit Under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act, __ Cal. Land Use L. & Pol’y Rep. ___ (2018)
- Early Returns on State Housing Bills: Cities See the First SB 35 Applications and SB 827 Fails in Committee, 27 Cal. Land Use L. & Pol’y Rep. 251 (2018)
- California Court of Appeal Rejects CEQA Challenge to Proposed Planned Parenthood Clinic, Lexology, Sep. 2017
- Interlocutory Remand Can Be Used to Supplement Agency Findings Prior to Judgment, JD Supra, Sep. 2017
- California Court of Appeal Strikes Down CARB’s Second Review of Low Carbon Fuel Standards, 17 Pratt’s Energy L. Rep. 220 (2017) (Co-author)
- California Proposes Changes to CEQA Guidelines Incorporating Tribal Cultural Resources, Holland & Knight Alert, Dec. 2015 (Co-author)
- How Buildings Will Save the World: An Analysis of the Use of Building Energy Regulation and Energy Use Disclosure Requirements to Target Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the United States, 66 Hastings L.J. 519 (2015)