Latest News
Zoned Out! Court Strikes Down Housing Element Overlay Zone
The California Court of Appeal, in a 97-page decision published on April 7, 2023, held that the City of Clovis' housing element did not substantially comply with state law even though it had been...
Ethics Spotlight: ‘Implied Consent’ Under the No Contact Rule
By Dianne Jackson McLean for the California Lawyers Association In the context of the No-Contact rule[1], an attorney sending an email or text which includes her client to another attorney may...
ABAG Summary of AB 2011 and SB 6
AB 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022, and SB 6, the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, are intended to permit residential development on sites currently zoned and designated...
Law Alert – Single-Family Homes are Not Subject to the Housing Accountability Act
The Court of Appeal in Reznitskiy v. County of Marin (June 15, 2022, No. A161813) ___Cal.App.5th___ resolved a question that had plagued planners and developers: Does the Housing Accountability Act...
Law Alert – Summary of 2021 Legislative Session Housing Bills
Below is a summary of significant housing legislation that was passed in the 2021 legislative session and subsequently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Click here to read more.
New State Housing Legislation
Goldfarb and Lipman has been retained by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to prepare materials to assist local jurisdictions in complying with SB 9, which allows up to four units on...
Law Alert – California Court of Appeal Weighs in on Approval and Denial of Density Bonus Concessions
The Second District Court of Appeal has issued the first published case on the standards that cities and counties must follow when an application is made for a “concession or incentive” under...
Law Alert – SB 10 Provides a New Tool for Residential Upzoning
On September 16, 2021, the Governor signed Senate Bill No. 10, which allows a city or county to more easily upzone multifamily parcels to permit up to ten residential units. Click here to read more.
Law Alert – SB 9 Mandates Ministerial Approval of Urban Lot Splits & Two-Unit Developments
Senate Bill 9, which adds sections 65851.21 and 66411.7 to the California Government Code, goes into effect January 1, 2022. This law requires public agencies to grant ministerial, or by-right,...
Law Alert – Treasury Announces New Markets Tax Credits Allocation Awards
On September 1, 2021, the United States Department of Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund ("CDFI Fund") announced the awardees of New Markets Tax Credits ("NMTC") for the...
Law Alert – Got Credit? New Law Gives Tenants the Right to Elect to Have Their Rent Payments Reported to Credit Agencies
SB 1157, which adds section 1954.06 to the California Civil Code, goes into effect July 1, 2021 and continues until July 1, 2025. This law requires landlords of "assisted housing developments" to...
Law Alert – New Foreclosure Rules: One- to Four-Unit Properties
In anticipation of a heightened housing crisis in the wake of COVID-19, Senate Bill 1079 went into effect on January 1, 2021, with the stated goal of promoting owner-occupied homeownership,...
Law Alert – Community Land Trusts: New Property Tax Exemption
California law has established a property tax exemption for property that is owned by a community land trust and that is being—or will be—developed or rehabilitated as rental housing, limited equity...
Law Alert – Shelter From The Storm: California Extends Pandemic Eviction Protections and Rental Assistance Program
On January 29, 2021 Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 91 (SB 91), extending residential eviction protections and implementing the State’s rental assistance program to address the impacts...
Law Alert – Expanding the Right to Rent Our Under Davis-Stirling; AB 3182 Eliminates Grandfathered Rental Restrictions for Common Interest Developments
“We must marshal all available resources to address the housing and homeless crisis,” said Assembly Member Phil Ting in his call-to-arms for AB 3182. Click here to read more.