Latest News
LAW ALERT – Homebuyer Lending Reform: Local Governments and Non-Profits Must Abide By The New Trid Rule
Public agencies and non-profits making affordable homeownership loans may be subject to the new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule, often referred to as the "TRID Rule". Click here to read more.
LAW ALERT – AB 2: The Rising Community Revitalization Phoenix
Simply put, AB 2 reintroduces tax increment financing to the economic development toolkit of California's communities, by a different name. This law alert provides a brief summary of AB 2 and the...
Juliet Cox to Become Administrative Law Judge
It is with a mixture of sadness and delight (sadness for us, delight for her) that we announce the departure of our friend and colleague Juliet Cox from the firm. Juliet has accepted a position as...
LAW ALERT – You Can’t Always Get (Or Keep) What You Want: Court Upholds Massive Mitigation Fee Refund
In Walker v. City of San Clemente, a California court of appeal upheld a judgment against San Clemente requiring it to refund more than $10 million in unspent mitigation fees to homeowners because...
A Brief Summary of an Important Summary Judgment
Goldfarb and Lipman successfully represented two San Francisco affordable housing nonprofit corporations and the seven individual members of the Boards of Directors of the nonprofits in defense of a...
LAW ALERT – The (Sometimes) Sleeping Giant Stirs… HUD Publishes Final Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
HUD released its final rule last month for the implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) provisions. Click here to read more.
LAW ALERT – Fair is Fair: State Agencies Must Consider Fair Share Mitigation Payments Apart From Legislative Earmarks
In City of San Diego v. Board of Trustees of the California State University (San Diego v. CSU), the California Supreme Court rejected CSU's contention that the University could not pay off-site...
LAW ALERT – Federal Fair Housing Disparate Impact Claims Survive Scotus
In Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court held that disparate impact claims are a valid basis for lawsuits under the Federal...
SCOTUS Keeps the “Fair” in the Fair Housing Act
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a local housing policy that has a “disparate impact” on minorities is actionable under the federal Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), even if the impact was...
LAW ALERT – HUD Updates RAD Program Rules
On June 15, 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development updated and clarified the rules governing the Rental Assistance Demonstration ("RAD") program. Click here for more information.
LAW ALERT – California Supreme Court Gives The Green Light to Affordable Housing Ordinances
The California Supreme Court on June 15, 2015, in California Building Industry Ass’n (“BIA”) v. City of San Jose, held that local ordinances requiring a proportion of new housing to be affordable...
LAW ALERT – Treasury Announces New Markets Tax Credit Allocation Awards
On June 15, 2015, the United States Department of Treasury ("Treasury") announced the awardees of New Markets Tax Credits ("NMTC") for the 2014 NMTC round. The Treasury awarded a total of $3.5...
Groundbreaking! Grand Tour! Architect’s Tour! Three Oakland Housing Authority Projects Featured as Part of Affordable Housing Week.
Lakeside Senior Housing, a 92-unit affordable senior housing development just off Lake Merritt in Oakland developed by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, AveVista, a 68-unit affordable project...
LAW ALERT – It’s Not Unusual: Supreme Court Defines CEQA’s “Unusual Circumstances” Exception to Categorical Exemptions
On March 2, 2015, in Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. City of Berkeley, the California Supreme Court held that the potential to cause a significant environmental effect was not an "unusual...
Joshua Mason Joins G&L
Goldfarb & Lipman is pleased to welcome Josh Mason. He joins us from HUD, where he served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of General Counsel. Josh is based in G&L’s Los Angeles...