Legal Notes

Referendum is a power granted to voters, essentially allowing the electorate to put statutes adopted by legislative bodies to a vote of the people. However, the recent California Supreme Court decision in Wilde v. City of Dunsmuir held that water rates are not subject to referendum, making this an important win for public utilities and local governments, and boosting stability in local finance.

By waiving environmental review for qualifying projects and incentivizing investments, SB 450 may aid cities’ efforts to combat homelessness.

Taking proactive steps is the key to preventing or recovering from a cyberattack. Cities should implement preventive measures with an emphasis on best practices.

Because not all potential code violations can be investigated from the public right of way, code enforcement investigations may require access to enclosed or shielded areas of private property. In these settings, code enforcement staff may be strongly tempted to rely on emerging drone technology.

A new law will help bridge the tax collection gap for online sales.

This new law affects cities in several significant ways.

During the past decade, California has experienced a surge in the volume of public trust cases and recent court decisions.

Even though hateful speech is generally protected under the First Amendment, some hate speech does not receive protection.

The case involves a challenge to South Dakota’s “remote seller compliance law” that imposes sales and use tax collection duties on retailers without a physical presence in the jurisdiction. If the court upholds the state’s scheme, the case could establish sweeping changes to how sales and use taxes are collected in the e-commerce age.