Historic preservation and housing development often come into conflict in California. Cities use historic rules to protect buildings and neighborhoods they view as culturally or architecturally significant, while developers focus on meeting housing demand in a state facing a long-standing shortage. In practice, that conflict shows up during project review. A historic designation, landmark finding,… Read more »
Developers in California often encounter a common condition during project approvals. Before moving forward, the city requires them to sign an indemnity agreement. If someone files a lawsuit to challenge the project, the developer must defend the city and cover legal costs. At first glance, this may seem like a routine requirement. In practice, however,… Read more »
Office vacancies remain high across Los Angeles, while the demand for housing continues to grow. In response, the city has expanded its Adaptive Reuse Ordinance in 2026 to make it easier to convert older commercial buildings into residential units. This shift gives property owners and developers a faster path to bring housing to market without… Read more »
Plan Bay Area is a monumental land use document prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), for the ostensible purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by the year 2035, as required by former Governor Schwarzenegger’s Senate Bill 375. Kassouni Law is currently litigating the legality of… Read more »
To say that the situation in Nevada between federal officials and cattle rancher Clive Bundy has gotten out of hand would be an understatement. As of this morning, armed federal officials have seized Mr. Bundy’s cattle, forcibly arrested his son, and surrounded his ranch with armed federal agents. The Bundy’s, for their part, have assembled… Read more »
The United States Constitution provides that the government may not take your property without due process of law. In the criminal law context that usually means that you cannot be punished, or have your property taken unless the government can prove that you committed a crime. Yet, in states and cities across the country, property… Read more »
Kassouni Law’s recent landmark property rights victory is featured in the news: Alameda County pays almost $2 million to Castro Valley company after losing lawsuit By Rebecca Parr The Daily Review Posted: 12/16/2013 03:35:11 PM PST Updated: 12/16/2013 04:46:27 PM PST CASTRO VALLEY — Alameda County has been ordered to pay almost… Read more »
Under the “Rails to Trails” program, the Federal government has begun converting abandoned railroad tracks into hiking and biking trails for the public. While this may seem like a noble endeavor, there is one major problem: the land the trails run through doesn’t belong to the federal government. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century when… Read more »
This term the US Supreme Court will have the opportunity to decide whether the state can force private home assistants to join a public employee union. Recently, the Court agreed to hear arguments from appeal lawyers in Harris v Quinn. That case challenges the constitutionality of an Illinois executive order that declared personal home assistants (i.e…. Read more »
Land Use & Regulatory Takings Seminar: August 19, 2013 4-5 pm EST Owner and Managing partner at Kassouni Law, Timothy Kassouni has been chosen to speak for Law Seminars International on the topic of Land Use Law and Regulatory Takings. To register for the Regulatory Takings Seminar click here. A Synopsis of the Speaking Engagement:… Read more »
