- within Real Estate and Construction topic(s)
- within Real Estate and Construction, Corporate/Commercial Law and Energy and Natural Resources topic(s)
- with readers working within the Aerospace & Defence industries
Focus
Palo Alto nixes ‘urgency’ measure to limit impact of housing law
Palo Alto Online – June 16
Senate Bill 79, a contentious state bill allowing for greater height and housing density near qualifying public transit stations, will become effective on July 1, 2026. The Palo Alto City Council on June 15 voted against an ordinance that would have taken effect immediately to blunt the majority of the bill’s impacts once it goes into effect, with officials citing concerns about the legality of doing so via an urgency ordinance. Instead, the City Council passed ordinances to temporarily exclude certain properties from SB 79, but those ordinances will not go into effect until July 16, 2026.
As discussed in our recent legal alert, the City of Los Angeles is considering two ordinances that would delay SB 79 citywide until likely 2030, permanently exclude other parcels, upzone certain properties now, and buy the city time to prepare an alternative plan.
Please see our SB 79 legal alert for more information about the bill.
News
Pending state law: New labor requirements for pharmaceutical research, development, and production facilities
Allen Matkins – June 11
The State Legislature is considering legislation that would extend skilled workforce, prevailing wage, and labor reporting requirements to privately owned facilities used for pharmaceutical research, development, or production (Covered Facilities). If approved, SB 1185 (Cortese, Arreguín, Becker, Grayson, and Bryan) would not only apply to Covered Facilities during construction, but would also affect subsequent tenant improvements, equipment installation, repairs, and maintenance work.
Proposed bill would pause density laws in fire-scarred Altadena
Pasadena Now – June 14
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez this week unveiled amendments to a wildfire recovery bill that would temporarily block California’s state housing density laws in Altadena. SB 1090 would impose a five-year moratorium on the ministerial approvals required by Senate Bills 9 and 1123 for projects in Altadena ZIP codes 91001 and 91003, covering applications filed from Jan. 7, 2025 through Jan. 7, 2030.
Controversial coastal development bill washes ashore with radically reduced scope and impact
Santa Monica Daily Press – June 16
A state bill that once threatened to strip the California Coastal Commission of significant permitting authority over Santa Monica has been fundamentally rewritten into a narrower measure designed to hold the commission accountable to a defined timeline for certifying the city’s long-delayed Local Coastal Program (LCP). Assembly Bill 1740 requires Santa Monica to submit a complete proposed LCP to the commission by Jan. 1, 2029.
Humboldt group files ballot measure to restrict large warehouses in Coastal Zone
Times-Standard – June 15
Humboldt County residents have filed a ballot initiative that would ban large industrial warehouses and distribution centers from the county’s Coastal Zone. The county has two weeks from the filing date to determine whether the initiative meets legal standards and to assign it a ballot title and measure letter.
San Francisco supervisor proposes ballot measure fighting food deserts, zombie stores
SFGate – June 16
San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood this week announced plans for a November ballot measure seeking to tackle the city’s growing grocery access crisis. One component of the ballot measure would reward businesses that reopen vacant storefronts as groceries or pharmacies through tax credits and a permitting process that cuts more than six months off the timeline.
*This article may require a subscription to read.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
[View Source]
