Legal Alert

Second District Court of Appeal Affirms Judgment in California’s First Comprehensive Groundwater Adjudication

On March 5, 2026, the Second District Court of Appeal issued an opinion in Las Posas Valley Water Rights Coalition v. Ventura County Water Works District No. 1, et al., Case No. B330837, affirming the trial court’s judgment in California’s first comprehensive groundwater adjudication since the adoption of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Downey…

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Blogs

March 17, 2026
How to Kill a Will (Legally)
Trust on Trial
February 24, 2025
Court of Appeal Upholds EIR’s Water Supply Analysis for American Canyon Warehouse Project
CEQA Chronicles
February 23, 2026
Court of Appeal Affirms Categorical Exemption for Playground Relocation in Davis, Rejects Unusual Circumstances Argument
CEQA Chronicles
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Legal Alerts

November 19, 2025
California Public Utilities Commission Stretches Out the Reimbursement Period for Data Center’s Energization Costs to Reduce Ratepayer Risk
August 15, 2025
California Supreme Court Overrules Chevron-like Deference For Review of Decisions of California Public Utilities Commission
June 27, 2025
Employers May See an Increase in Title VII Discrimination Claims
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Publications

January 2026
U.S. EPA and The Department of the Army Offer Proposed Rule Redefining ‘Waters of the United States’
California Water Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 36, Number 4
January 2026
California State Water Board Recirculates Revised Draft Staff Report and Substitute Environmental Document for Proposed Update to Bay Delta Plan
California Water Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 36, Number 4
December 2025
Suisun City Accepts California Forever’s Application for the Suisun Expansion Project
California Water Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 36, Number 3
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Announcements

April 15, 2026
Downey Brand Welcomes Max Thiele to the Firm’s Environmental and Natural Resources Team
April 1, 2026
Downey Brand Supports Local Literacy Through Reading With Your Reporter
DB In the Community
March 21, 2026
Together We Build: Women Build 2026
DB In the Community
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In the News

June 2, 2025
Life after the Potter Valley Project: Making New Alliances to Ensure Water For the Future
Ukiah Daily Journal
May 5, 2025
If Trump Really Wants to Reopen Alcatraz, He’ll Go Up Against Environmental Laws
The Mercury News
April 30, 2025
Take It to the Bank: Session at Annual Western Conference to Discuss Water Banking, Leasing
National Agricultural Law Center - University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
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Speaking Engagements/Events

May 21, 2026
Emerging Developments in Surface and Groundwater Management
Speaker, Sacramento County Bar Association - Environmental Law Section, MCLE Webinar
May 6, 2026
Attorney Program – Groundwater Adjudications Past & Present: Lessons from Watermaster Counsel
Moderator, ACWA 2026 Spring Conference
May 16, 2026
Practice Development and Networking
Speaker, 38th Annual Insolvency Conference
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