Blog

What matters to me today are CEQA and species. California law is clear: the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) must comply with CEQA before issuing an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for a protected species — including candidate species. Problems arise when a city or county previously served as...

What matters to me today is the [NOT] 40th Annual [NOT] UCLA Land Use Law and Planning Conference. One of the most personally impactful milestones of my legal career was three icon mentors in my legal practice inviting me to co-Chair what I considered the preeminent conference in my...

What matters to me today is California Development at a Crossroads in 2026. As California heads into 2026, land use and environmental regulation sit at an unusually volatile intersection of law, politics, and uncertainty. First, CEQA is on the ballot. After years of incremental legislative tweaks...

What matters to me today is the future of CDFW without Director Bonham. Governor Gavin Newsom’s selection of the next Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) may prove one of the most consequential appointments of his remaining term—and perhaps of a likely 2028 presidential run....

What matters to me today is CEQA on the ballot. For decades, Sacramento has promised meaningful, comprehensive reform of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Yet each legislative session ends the same way: a patchwork of exemptions for politically favored projects, no structural fixes, and growing frustration from communities...

What matters to me today is regulatory déjà vu . . . again. If it feels like we’re reliving the same regulatory battles every administration, it’s because we are. The latest wave of proposed rules from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

What matters to me today are climate-related regulatory fits and starts. Climate policy continues to unfold in fits and starts, this week offering a vivid illustration of California’s chaotic regulatory landscape. Just hours after California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff held a workshop outlining implementation plans for SB 261...

What matters to me today are CESA and CEQA. I’m excited for the privilege of presenting this weekend at my favorite legal conference.  Decades-long colleagues, friends, and competitors come together to collaborate, critique, strategize, and encourage.   My topic: the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and...

What matters to me today is another year around the sun, this one like none before. It’s my birthday.  I usually don’t broadcast that, but it has been quite a year.  Among other things, my departure from big law to sole practitioner has been a remarkable transition in both...

What matters to me today is reaction versus innovation and what constitutes true leadership. As a life-long Californian, I like to think of the Golden State, the fourth largest economy in the world, as a source of leadership, innovation, and enterprise.  But it seems of late, our model for...

What matters to me today are more CARB climate disclosure “maybe” ‘s. Tic toc . . . statutory deadlines for the public are running out even as the legislative mandates for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) itself have been missed with impunity.  Nonetheless, those subject to unprecedented climate...

What matters to me today is an incoming infestation of protected species. California shortly will likely be infested with an unprecedented swarm of protected species.  Overriding constitutionally required public notice and hearing provisions and substituting the judgment of staff over appointed and accountable Commission members, AB 1319, signed by...