Earlier this month the California Supreme Court issued its opinion in Romero v. Shih (Feb. 1, 2024, No. S275023), holding courts must recognize implied easements where there is "clear evidence" the parties to a real estate transaction ...

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act introduces significant restrictions on large institutional investors purchasing single-family homes, alongside reforms to environmental review processes and new grant programs incentivizing local governments to increase housing production. What do these sweeping changes mean for real estate developers, investors, and lenders navigating the evolving landscape of residential housing development in America?

Construction insurance coverage requirements often fail to align with market realities as carriers tighten capacity and withdraw legacy endorsements.

Authored by Senator Scott Wiener and signed into law on October 11 by Governor Newsom, Senate Bill ("SB") 423 amends Senator Wiener's 2017 landmark housing bill SB 35.

The Governor has signed AB 1050 into law, extending to market rate housing developers the ability to invalidate or modify restrictive covenants within CC&Rs...

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (the "OBBB") into law. The OBBB introduced several amendments to the Internal Revenue Code...

An important new CEQA statutory exemption for urban infill residential and mixed-use projects went into effect on June 30, 2025 after Governor Newsom signed the budget trailer bill, Assembly Bill (AB) 130.

Authored by Senator Scott Wiener, and signed into law on October 11 by Governor Newsom, Senate Bill ("SB") 423 amends Senator Wiener's 2017 landmark housing bill SB 35. In Part I of this Client Alert, we reported on SB 423's...

In a study on battery energy storage last year, the California Independent System Operator ("CAISO") estimated that California is projected to need 50 gigawatts of energy storage...

Commercial litigation in California faces significant challenges including congested court calendars, unpredictable jury verdicts, and the limitations of arbitration. This article examines judicial reference as an underutilized alternative dispute resolution mechanism that combines the benefits of court trials with the efficiency of private proceedings, while exploring how parties can preserve their contractual rights to this process.

On October 11, 2023, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 1633, an innovative bill that gives the developer of a qualified infill project the ability to challenge a local government's decision...

On July 23, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled "Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure" ("Order"), announcing an Administration priority...

The City of San Diego is in the process of updating its General Plan and five of its 52 total community plans, which will provide significant development opportunities in Clairemont Mesa...

Signed by the Governor on Friday October 10th, Senate Bill 79 will upzone and accelerate development of transit-oriented housing projects in specified urban counties starting in July 2026.

For those who have lost their homes and businesses in the historic Palisades and Eaton wildfires, the additional burden of navigating a layered, inefficient and uncertain governmental bureaucracy...

New commercial buildings and multifamily residential buildings over three stories in California are now required to install a system of photovoltaic/solar panels as part of initial construction.

AB 1156 (Wicks), the “Farm to Solar” bill, was approved by the Legislature last week and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Newsom. The bill makes it easier for farmers to turn water-constrained farmland into solar energy projects by providing relief from Williamson Act contract requirements, both regular 10-year contracts and 20-year Farmland Security Zone contracts.

Los Angeles County has published draft amendments to its Renewable Energy Ordinance that would significantly restrict utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems, green hydrogen projects, and solar development through extensive geographic prohibitions and heightened regulatory requirements. The proposed changes would prohibit development in significant ecological areas, high fire hazard zones, and near sensitive uses, while continuing the ban on utility-scale wind projects throughout the County.

Despite the numerous housing law reforms adopted over the past few years, many cities refuse to comply, leaving applicants with litigation as the only remedy.

In today's retail environment, landlords have been faced with a growing number of tenants who either choose not to open for business, or who open initially...