UCLA Extension’s Annual Land Use Conference This Week

UCLA Extension’s annual Land Use Law and Planning Conference is the leading networking event and source of information on California land use legislation, case law, and the emerging issues that frame land use and development practices in the nation’s most popular state.

The program’s unique cross-disciplinary approach explores the full range of perspectives drawn from land use planning, legal, development, and environmental communities, and demonstrates how these factors influence the day-to-day work of planners, developers, environmental regulators, and attorneys .

Now in its 37th year, the UCLA Extension conference offers a big-picture view of land use law and planning practice,

Lok – Fall 2022 – MJEAL

SEC Focus on Climate Change Risk and Disclosure

Kathleen Lok


As environmental concerns continue to research, investors and companies have continued to contend with how to report the impact of climate related risks on their business. Currently, the SEC does not require any specific environmental risk reporting, and instead bases disclosures on materiality.[1] This lack of a standardized framework gives companies much discretion to decide what environmental and climate-related information they choose to report, which is often done through voluntary sustainability reports.[2] A 2022 survey by Deloitte showed that more than two-thirds of public companies with over $500 million in

Devin Willock’s family to discuss the news conference after the crash

The news conference is expected to be held Thursday at 2 pm in Athens.

ATHENS, Ga. — The family and attorneys for the University of Georgia football player killed in a crash earlier this week are expected to hold a news conference Thursday. According to a news release, the lawyers plan to discuss the accident investigation and the legal actions that Devin Willock’s family is taking.

The family will also express their gratitude for the community support they’ve received in the wake of Willock’s death.

The news conference will be held Thursday at 2 pm in Athens at the Clerk

Noem taps impeachment prosecutor to replace attorney general

PIERRE, SD (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has appointed the lead prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial of former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg to fill the remainder of Ravnsborg’s term.

Noem’s interim appointment of Pennington County State’s Attorney Mark Vargo was effective Tuesday.

She pushed for Ravnsborg, a first-term fellow Republican, to step down days after he was struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in 2020, and later pushed for his impeachment. Ravnsborg was ultimately successful last week of two impeachment counts and was removed from the office.

“Mark Vargo returns integrity, experience and stability to

TX Court of Appeals Finds Alleged Violations of the Texas Public Information Act were Sufficient to Survive Summary Judgment

This post was authored by Matthew Loescher, Esq.

Groba owned property within the City of Gelena Park and applied for a permit to build a quadruplex on that property. The City rejected his application, and Groba was advised that a new City ordinance prevented him from building a multi-family unit on his property. Groba’s attorneys filed an “open records request” with the City seeking “production of all ordinances relevant to the location, placement, and general existence of duplexes within the City of Galena Park.” In October 2019, Groba’s attorneys sent a letter to the Texas Attorney General complaining about the

Alabama woman confesses to fabricating kidnapping

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Alabama said Monday that a woman confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of the interstate.

Hoover Police Department Chief Nicholas Derzis said Carlee Russell’s attorney, Emory Anthony, provided a statement on Monday saying there was no kidnapping.

“There was no kidnapping on Thursday July 13. My client did not see a baby on the side on the road,” the statement read, according to Derzis, who read it at a news conference. She did not leave the city, and

NY Appellate Court Affirms Decision to Grant Area Variances Due To Lack Of Standing and The ZBA’s Proper Consideration of Facts and Alternatives

This post was authored by Tyler Doan, Esq.

Petitioner owns property on one side of a road. Respondent owns roughly 6.8 acres across the road from Petitioner that contains a two-story 97 room hotel. Both properties are located within a Highway Commercial zoning district which exists “to encourage a full range of commercial activity along major highways.” The two properties are surrounded by other commercial properties.

In 2015 Respondent applied to the ZBA for an area variance to construct two new hotels on its property. In a determination dated January 28, 2016, the ZBA granted the variances. In a CPLR

GA Appeals Court Affirms that Board of Commissioners Acted in a Legislative Capacity When Placing Condition on a Rezoning and not in a Quasi-Judicial Capacity

This post was authored by Tyler Doan, Esq.

Cook Communities (Cook) bought roughly 32.6 acres of land in Hall County to build approximately 200 attached townhomes. At the time of purchase, the land was zoned for agricultural housing. Cook sought to have the zoning map changed and the property rezoned as planned residential development. Cook argued that a denial of its request would be “an unconstitutional restriction on the use of the property” and “abolish or damage [its] property rights” without fair and just compensation in violation of both state and federal constitutions. In January of 2022 the local planning