Municipal
Open Government laws- As part of many of our cases, CBC frequently advises clients about Open Government laws such as the Brown Act, the California Public Records Act, and the federal Freedom of Information Act that ensure governmental agencies at all level operate transparently and with accountability to the public.
Initiatives and Referenda- The firm advises clients on the use of initiative and referenda to manage growth and protect communities. Examples of our work with initiatives and referenda include:- The Firm advised Hermosa Beach Stop Oil Coalition in drafting and defending Proposition E, which prohibits oil drilling in the coastal city of Hermosa Beach. After the City failed to enforce Proposition E, on behalf of our clients we obtained a court ruling declaring the initiative to be valid and requiring the City to enforce the ban on oil drilling. Hermosa Beach Stop Oil Coalition v. Hermosa Beach (2001) 86 Cal.App.4th 534.
- The Firm represented Coalition for a Better Inglewood in opposing an effort by Walmart to pass an initiative that would allow them to circumvent normal city environmental review when constructing a supercenter in the City of Inglewood. We sued over the validity of the initiative, but prior to a ruling on the merits in the litigation, the initiative was defeated 2-1 at the ballot box, thus mooting the lawsuit.
- The Firm advised the Newport Beach Greenlight Steering Committee in ensuring the city adopted appropriate guidelines to implement the Greenlight Initiative (a smart growth initiative that the Greenlight Steering Committee had earlier helped to pass). The Greenlight Steering Committee sought to ensure that the adopted guidelines accurately reflected the intent of the voters to control growth when they overwhelmingly voted to adopt the initiative. Through our client’s efforts and with CBC’s assistance, the city adopted satisfactory guidelines.
Practicing in these areas, the Firm helps its clients protect California’s natural environment, cultural and historic resources, and the quality of life in communities throughout California.
