California Case Summaries

Administrative Law

Secondary practice area

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Rinnai America Corp. v. South Coast Air Quality Management District — Federal Energy Law Does Not Preempt SCAQMD’s Zero-NOx Gas Appliance Rule

automatic / July 2, 2026

The Ninth Circuit, 2-1, holds that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) does not preempt the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Rule 1146.2, which phases in zero-NOx emission standards for gas water heaters and boilers to bring the Los Angeles Basin into compliance with federal ozone standards under the Clean Air Act.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Environmental Law

Rinnai America Corp. v. South Coast Air Quality Management District — Federal Energy Law Does Not Block California’s Zero-Emission Appliance Rules

automatic / July 2, 2026

The Ninth Circuit ruled 2-1 that the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) does not preempt SCAQMD's Rule 1146.2, which phases out gas-fired water heaters and boilers across Southern California to achieve compliance with federal ozone standards — dealing a major setback to appliance manufacturers challenging the ban.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Tax (non-estate)

Garst v. Tehama County Flood Control District — Countywide Groundwater Registration Charge Is an Unconstitutional Tax

automatic / June 29, 2026

The Third District struck down a Tehama County groundwater district's per-acre annual charge as an unconstitutional tax rather than a valid regulatory fee, ruling that Proposition 26 bars a fee imposed on parcels with no groundwater wells for a well-registration program that provides no direct service to those parcels.

4th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Litigation

Protect Our Communities Foundation v. City of San Diego — SDG&E Franchise Upheld; CEQA, Prop. 26, and Charter Bidding Challenges Rejected

automatic / June 26, 2026

The Fourth District upholds the City of San Diego's 20-year gas and electric franchise agreements with SDG&E, rejecting challenges under CEQA, Proposition 26, and the City Charter's competitive bidding rules, while striking a supermajority termination clause as inconsistent with the Charter.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Sunflower Alliance v. Department of Conservation — California Supreme Court Clarifies CEQA Class 1 Exemption Turns on Change in Use, Not Environmental Risk

automatic / June 25, 2026

The California Supreme Court holds that CEQA's class 1 categorical exemption — covering 'negligible or no expansion of existing or former use' — asks whether the change in use is negligible, not whether the project poses negligible environmental risk.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

City and County of San Francisco v. PERB — San Francisco Charter Excludes City Attorneys’ At-Will Status from Binding Interest Arbitration

automatic / June 22, 2026

San Francisco's First Appellate District reversed a PERB order requiring the City to submit its attorneys' at-will status to binding interest arbitration, holding that the San Francisco Charter's civil service provisions place that question outside the scope of the MMBA's interest arbitration process.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Div. of Occupational Safety & Health v. Uber Technologies, Inc. — Court of Appeal Upholds Cal/OSHA’s Power to Subpoena Uber Over Gig Worker’s On-the-Job Death

automatic / June 18, 2026

California's Second Appellate District held that Cal/OSHA can compel Uber to produce records about a deceased Uber Eats driver's employment status even without first proving the driver was an employee, but remanded for narrowing of overbroad document requests.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Yurok Tribe v. Klamath Water Users Association — Ninth Circuit Holds Endangered Species Act Applies to Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Project Operations

automatic / June 17, 2026

The Ninth Circuit affirmed that the Endangered Species Act's mandatory consultation requirements apply to the Bureau of Reclamation's operation of the Klamath Project, a major federal water management initiative in Northern California and Southern Oregon, rejecting the Klamath irrigation districts' argument that the ESA cannot limit water releases already required by contract.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Labor & Employment Law

American Federation of Government Employees v. Trump — Ninth Circuit Vacates Injunction Against Executive Order Stripping Federal Agency Unions of Collective Bargaining Rights

automatic / June 17, 2026

The Ninth Circuit vacated a district court injunction that had blocked President Trump's Executive Order 14,251 — which stripped roughly 800,000 federal employees across multiple agencies of collective bargaining rights on national security grounds — holding that the unions failed to show a likelihood of success on their First Amendment retaliation claim.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Sable Offshore Corp. v. California Coastal Commission — Coastal Commission May Issue Cease-and-Desist Order When County Declines Enforcement

automatic / June 17, 2026

The Second District affirmed a preliminary injunction upholding the Coastal Commission's cease-and-desist order against Sable Offshore's Las Flores Pipeline repairs, holding that a county's decision not to require permits qualifies as 'declining to act' under the Coastal Act — triggering the Commission's independent enforcement authority.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Healthcare Law, Personal Injury & Tort

Sgaraglino v. County of Ventura — LPS Act Immunizes Hospital From Wrongful Death Suit After Psychiatric Patient’s Post-Discharge Suicide

automatic / June 9, 2026

California's Second District confirms that Welfare and Institutions Code section 5113 grants absolute immunity to psychiatric hospitals for any action taken by a patient after a 5150 hold is released — including the patient's own suicide — with no exception for gross negligence.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

People of California v. FMCSA — Ninth Circuit Upholds Federal Preemption of California Meal and Rest Break Rules for Bus Drivers

automatic / June 4, 2026

The Ninth Circuit denied California's petition for review of the FMCSA's determination that California's meal and rest break rules are preempted as applied to drivers of passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles, extending the preemption previously upheld for property-carrying vehicles.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Real Estate Law

Hiller v. Marin Municipal Water District — Ratepayer’s Proposition 218 Challenge Barred by Validation Statutes After Failure to Respond to District’s Validation Action

automatic / June 2, 2026

First District holds that a ratepayer’s Proposition 218 challenge to water rates is permanently barred after she failed to participate in the water district’s validation action within the 120-day window set by Government Code section 53759.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Litigation

Thakur v. Trump — Ninth Circuit Rules Terminating Research Grants Over DEI Viewpoints Likely Violates the First Amendment

automatic / May 26, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that federal agencies likely violated the First Amendment by terminating University of California research grants based on recipients' perceived viewpoints on DEI and environmental justice, while ruling that a separate class of grant termination challenges falls outside district court jurisdiction under the Tucker Act.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

Dept. of Human Resources v. CCPOA — Court of Appeal Upholds Arbitrator’s Award Reversing Union Rep’s 60-Day Suspension

automatic / May 15, 2026

The Third District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court and upheld an arbitrator’s award that set aside a correctional officer’s 60-day suspension, holding that the award did not contravene any explicit public policy despite conflicting with the State Personnel Board’s earlier ruling.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Gibbs v. County of Humboldt — County Liable for Failing to Enroll Employee in CalPERS and Losing Personnel Records

automatic / May 13, 2026

California appeals court holds that Humboldt County can be sued for failing to enroll a 40-year court reporter in CalPERS and losing her personnel records, establishing that pension enrollment and record-keeping are mandatory duties enforceable under Government Code section 815.6.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Business Transactions

Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians v. Blanche — Ninth Circuit Holds California Cigarette Tax and Licensing Laws Apply to a Tribe’s Cigarette Sales to Other California Tribes

automatic / May 6, 2026

The Ninth Circuit affirms placement of a southern-California tribe on ATF's PACT Act non-compliant list, holding that the tribe's remote cigarette sales to other California tribes are off-reservation activities subject to California's licensing and excise-tax laws.

Scroll to Top