Abbott & Kindermann, LLP is pleased to announce that Diane Kindermann will be a member of the faculty for “Wetland Regulation in California,” a continuing education seminar to be held in Sacramento, CA by Lorman Education Services.  As Ms. Kindermann’s guest, you are eligible for 20% off the registration fee!
Continue Reading Please Join Diane Kindermann on May 7, 2014, for a Seminar on Wetland Regulation in California

What: American Planning Association’s 2014 National Planning Conference

When: April 28, 2014 – Takings Law Day
            April 26-30, 2014 – Entire Conference

Where:            Georgia World Congress Center
            285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW
            Atlanta, GA 30313

The Takings Law Day (April 28) is for planners, attorneys, and local government officials and covers…

By William W. Abbott

The debate over local regulation of plastic bags has triggered three published appellate court decisions. Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach (2011) 52 Cal.4th 155, Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. County of Marin (2013) 218 Cal.App.4th 209 and Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City and County of San Francisco (2014) 222 Cal.App.4th 863. The current state of environmental politics in Sacramento indicate that an accord has been reached on plastic bags, the result will likely be a set of uniform laws statewide to level the playing field (SB 270). However, an unexpected backlash has developed. With an almost Tea Party like fervor, a series of loose knit groups, callings themselves the Friends of Plastic Bags have surfaced around the state with purpose of qualifying local initiatives preserving the right to use non-reusable plastic bags free from state regulation (and state imposed expense.) A professor specializing in California politics, H. W. Johnson (coincidentally the great grandson of California’s champion of the initiative process, Hiram Johnson) of the University of California Riverside, has been studying this latest political movement. "The motives behind this are very mixed. There is no one simple explanation for what is driving this. For some, the thought of having vegetables in close contact with fruits strikes people as unhealthy, almost like some exotic foreign custom. They just can’t get their heads around it. For others, it’s a backlash against an all-knowing government. For a very small but measureable minority, they think Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer are behind the state legislation, which in my opinion puts them in the same league as the Flat Earth Society. However, this is not some wack job movement running rampant in California’s hinterlands, but it is happening in well educated, high income communities like Playa Blanco, Park Terrace, and San Remo. It defies conventional political wisdom. We may be witnessing a significant political sea change in California."Continue Reading “Pro-Plastic Bag Initiatives Headed to the Ballot? Possible End Run to Pending Legislation.”

Abbott & Kindermann, LLP is pleased to announce that Diane Kindermann will be a member of the faculty for “Proactive Subdivision Map and Entitlement Strategies Post-Recession in California,” a continuing education seminar to be held in Palm Desert, CA by Lorman Education Services. As Ms. Kindermann’s guest, you are eligible for 20% off the registration …

Join William Abbott and Kate Hart of Abbott & Kindermann, LLP in a new class which ties together best practices for land development projects. This is an advanced class aimed primarily at project managers, engineers, and development consultants. This intense, three hour class interprets and applies:

• CEQA
• Permit Streamlining Act
•  Subdivision Map Act
• Clean Water Act
• Endangered Species Act
• Updating Existing Entitlements

Continue Reading Register Today – Proactive Land Use Entitlement Strategies For Raw Land And Updates To Existing Entitlements Class

What: "8th Annual Best Practices in Winery Operations: Risks and Rewards" Seminar
When: March 27 & 28, 2014
Where: Napa River Inn – Napa, CA

This seminar will cover the legal, regulatory, technical and operational issues involved in the successful management of wineries big and small.

For more information click here.

Join William Abbott and Kate Hart of Abbott & Kindermann, LLP in a new class which ties together best practices for land development projects. This is an advanced class aimed primarily at project managers, engineers, and development consultants. This intense, three hour class interprets and applies:

• CEQA
• Permit Streamlining Act
•  Subdivision Map Act
• Clean Water Act
• Endangered Species Act
• Updating Existing Entitlements

Continue Reading 2nd Annual Class – Proactive Land Use Entitlement Strategies For Raw Land And Updates To Existing Entitlements