our news!

Balboa Park Petition Granted Re Precommitment

San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes has granted the Petition for Writ of Mandate filed by Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) last summer to challenge the City of San Diego�s precommitment to a new bridge and parking structure in historic Balboa Park. The project is opposed by local, state, and national preservationists as well as thousands of San Diego residents. The ruling filed on January 20th agrees with SOHO that a Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the City and the Plaza de Panama Committee before completion of the project EIR �constitutes an approval of the proposed project without prior environmental review as required by CEQA. The MOU constitutes action that effectively forecloses due consideration of project alternatives or mitigation measures that are essential parts of CEQA review.�

Balboa Park, San Diego

Preliminary Injunction Stops Demolition at Leuzinger High School

On January 16, 2012, Judge John Torribio of the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction as requested by the Friends and Alumni of Leuzinger High School. The Court stayed demolitions at the high school campus buildings in Lawndale, finding a likelihood of success on the merits of the Friends' CEQA case. Friends have "established that the building(s) have architectural significance and have a close association with the 1932 Olympic Games...The destruction or alteration of such structures would be irreparable." Settlement discussions are pending.

Leuzinger High School

Flanders Mansion Appeal Won

The Sixth District Court of Appeal on January 4, 2012, affirmed the ruling of Judge Kay Kingsley of the Monterey County Superior Court in significant part. The published decision agreed that the EIR challenged by the Flanders Foundation regarding the sale of the historic Flanders Mansion was inadequate and that the form of judgment was proper. The Court disagreed that the EIR was inadequate in addressing impacts relating to the Surplus Lands Act. The Foundation is hopeful that the Court ruling will lead to a cooperative solution preserving the mansion for an appropriate use without cost to the City of Carmel.

Flanders Mansion
Carmel-by-the-Sea

AT&T Utility Boxes Enjoined

On November 14, 2011, Judge Harold Kahn of the San Francisco Superior Court enjoined construction of 726 new AT&T utility boxes proposed citywide. A coalition of San Francisco organizations contends that the utility boxes impact pedestrian safety and aesthetics and require environmental review. The coalition suggests undergrounding the boxes or placing them on private property. Judge Kahn has preliminarily agreed that �there is a reasonable possibility that the AT&T utility boxes will have a significant effect on the environment ..." The hearing on the merits of the case will be on May 31st.

Typical AT&T Utility Box in Oakland

Northern California Super Lawyers

Susan Brandt-Hawley was named again to the Super Lawyers list in July 2011.

Whittier Conservancy success

In May 2011, the California Domestic Water Company sucessfully moved its 1934 Art Deco office building to prepare it for rehabilitation on another portion of its historic site on Whittier Boulevard, as required by settlement in Whittier Conservancy v. City of Whittier in 2008. The building had initially been approved for demolition. The relocation will allow commercial use of the center of the water district site.

California Domestic Water Company, Whittier

Lacy Historic Neighborhood Case Settled, April 2011

Friends of the Lacy Historic Neighborhood challenged violations of CEQA in the proposed demolition of 18 vintage buildings in Santa Ana. Alleged violations included an inadequate EIR and failure to adopt feasible preservation alternatives. Following full briefing, the case settled a few days before the scheduled writ hearing. The settlement provides for rehabilitation of 10 out of 18 threatened vintage homes to provide affordable housing, establishment of a $1 million, 5-year Lacy neighborhood loan fund for historic property rehabilitation, and a survey of area vintage homes to determine historic status.

Judgment in favor of Pasadenans for a Liveable City and Pasadena Heritage

On October 22, 2010, Judge Thomas McKnew of the Los Angeles Superior Court overturned approval of the Playhouse Plaza project proposed opposite the historic Pasadena Playhouse. The Court found inadequacies in the project EIR relating to historic resource impacts, failure to consider reduced-size project alternatives, and failure to address pedestrian safety.

Pasadena Playhouse

National Preservation Award

Susan Brandt-Hawley was honored with the John H. Chafee Trustees' award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Policy at the annual conference of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Austin, Texas, on October 29, 2010.

http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/awards/2010-national-preservation-awards/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUYdRxun2cU

Northern California Super Lawyers

Susan Brandt-Hawley was named to the Super Lawyers list in July 2010.

Lincoln Place Settlement! May 2010

After years of tireless effort by tenants and preservationists, and many lawsuits, the threats to demolish the mid-century garden apartments at Lincoln Place in Venice Beach have ended, the amazingly perseverant tenants are finally returning, and restoration is in sight. See the LA Times article, URL below. We are proud of our involvement in the early litigation that stopped the escalating demolitions, working with our friends and colleagues at Chatten-Brown and Carstens in Santa Monica. (Lincoln Place Tenants Association v. City of Los Angeles (2005) 130 Cal.App.4th 1491.)

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/26/local/la-me-0526-lincoln-place-20100526

Lincoln Place Apartments