New York City voters ushered in sweeping changes to land use policy in the November mayoral election, approving four major City Charter amendments recommended by the Charter Revision Commission convened by Mayor Eric Adams in December 2024.Continue Reading NYC Charter Amendments Fast-Track Affordable Housing—What Developers Need to Know Now
After months of high drama, California Senate Bill 79 (“SB 79”) was signed by Governor Newsom on October 10—the latest salvo in a year of ambitious legislation to increase housing supply in California. Effective July 1, 2026 (within incorporated cities[1]), the new law opens new residential building opportunities near existing rail and bus stations in California’s most populous metropolitan areas.Continue Reading SB 79 – Major Changes to Transit-Oriented Development in California
California Senate Bill 92 (“SB 92”), introduced in January 2025 by Senator Catherine Blakespear and having been passed by both the California State Assembly and State Senate was approved by the Governor on October 10, 2025. SB 92 amends California’s Density Bonus Law (Government Code Section 65915 et seq.) (“SDBL”) to limit a developer’s ability to apply for concessions, incentives, and waivers of development standards for mixed-use projects that include nonresidential uses.Continue Reading Legislature Adopts Bill to Limit Density Bonus Law Benefits for Mixed-Use Projects
On Friday, September 19, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a package of bills adopted by the California Legislature. Key among these were AB 1207 and SB 840, which extend the state’s Cap-and-Trade — now rebranded as the Cap-and-Invest — Program through 2045 while making modest changes to it.Continue Reading California Extends Carbon Market through 2045 with Modest Changes; Provides Market Stability and Reaffirms the State’s Climate Commitments
The recent wave of executive orders issued under the Trump Administration marks a dramatic shift in the landscape of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policy, sustainability initiatives, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs at the federal level. From rescinding previous climate-related directives to terminating DEI programs and altering federal enforcement priorities, these sweeping changes have far-reaching implications for businesses, contractors, educational institutions and other stakeholders across all sectors.Continue Reading Comprehensive Guide to Trump’s Executive Actions on ESG, DEI & Environmental Policy
California’s Commercial Tenant Protection Act (SB-1103) took effect on January 1, 2025. Conceived as a transparency and displacement prevention measure for small businesses, the new law creates tenant protections for small enterprises and nonprofits leasing commercial property that resemble those more typically found in residential leases. A tenant who self-attests that it is a “Qualified Commercial Tenant” (“QCT”) within the meaning of SB-1103 may receive longer notice periods for rent increases and lease terminations, as well as new rights and remedies with respect to passthroughs of operational costs. Under certain circumstances, the law also requires landlords to provide translations for QCTs who negotiate leases in any of California’s five most common non-English languages.Continue Reading California SB-1103: What Landlords Need to Know About New Rights for Small Business Tenants
On Monday, June 30, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills, AB 130 and SB 131, which provide new exemptions from, and streamlines the process, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). AB 130 creates a statutory exemption for qualifying infill housing projects, streamlines the CEQA review process for residential projects in the coastal zone, and provides procedural changes to the administrative review process to prevent unnecessary delays for new development projects. SB 131 focuses on accelerating public interest projects, such as clean water infrastructure, park and trail projects, and community support facility projects, by creating new exemption categories and streamlines processes for projects that would otherwise be CEQA-exempt but for a single condition. Both bills also include non-CEQA related provisions which seek to further support infill and public interest development.Continue Reading New CEQA Exemptions in 2025: Streamlining Housing & Infrastructure Development in California
On June 16, 2025, the San Diego City Council voted 5-4 to cap the number of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that can be built on single-family lots. The decision reverses the City’s 2020 implementation of a program allowing developers to build a nearly unlimited number of ADUs—a robust incentive previously heralded as a solution to the City’s burgeoning housing affordability crisis. This program rollback reflects local jurisdictions struggles in addressing the lack of affordable housing supply and meeting Housing Element requirements while facing stark community opposition to high-density development.Continue Reading San Diego ADU Incentive Rollback Sheds Light on California Housing Woes
A Federal District Court in California has ruled that Proposition 65 warning requirements for dietary acrylamide are unconstitutional. The California Chamber of Commerce (“CalChamber”) sued five years ago challenging the statewide requirement under Proposition 65 for warning labels on foods containing acrylamide. (California Chamber of Commerce v. Bonta, No. 2:19-cv-02019-DJC-JDP.) This ruling is a major victory for CalChamber and the latest chapter in its long battle with the California Attorney General and private enforcer Council for Education and Research on Toxics (“CERT”) over whether a warning can be required by the State in light of the disputed science around acrylamide.Continue Reading Trial Court Strikes Down California’s Prop 65 Acrylamide Warning Requirements
On May 29, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued an 8-0 opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, et al. v. Eagle County, Colorado, et al. that affirmed agency deference in review of environmental documents prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).[1] This important decision will bring much-needed certainty for project developers and financing agencies that should reduce permitting obstacles resulting in greater time and cost savings to developers.Continue Reading Supreme Court Restores Agency Deference In NEPA Reviews
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a comprehensive set of actions to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination on April 28, 2025, with a focus on preventing PFAS from entering drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and protecting passive receivers. According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, this announcement represents the initial phase of a strategy aimed at tackling PFAS contamination throughout the Trump Administration. Despite the announcement’s emphasis on enforcement, significant questions remain regarding the EPA’s commitment to existing core PFAS regulation.Continue Reading Unpacking EPA’s PFAS Announcement: Addressing Contamination with Ambiguity Ahead