Given the decline in many sectors of the real estate market, property owners have suffered a decline in property values due to lower rental rates and depressed sales prices. Owners have the right to a temporary decrease in real property taxes reflecting the decline in value, if such value can be shown by an appraisal or other permitted documentation. In order to exercise this right, a property tax appeal must be timely filed. The deadline for such appeals in Alameda and San Francisco counties (and many other counties) is Monday, September 15, 2025. Some counties have other deadlines and each
Many property owners are unaware of where their property legally begins and ends which can lead to property line disputes. In residential areas, owners often rely on historical use or the location of fences, especially when surveys are not conducted during property transactions. In Wang v. Peletta (112 Cal.App.5th 478 (2025)), a survey revealed that a large portion of Peletta’s neighbor’s (Wang) retaining wall encroached onto Peletta’s property. Further investigation revealed the wall was built without permits, violating county code, and Peletta refused to allow Wang access to make necessary repairs. Wang claimed that they had an easement for the
Last week, Supervisor Mandelman introduced all-electric legislation that would require many buildings undergoing “major renovations” to convert to all-electric. The legislation would expand the City’s current prohibition on new construction of mixed-fuel buildings, which has been in place since 2021. Under the proposed ordinance, after January 1, 2026, the Building Official can only accept permit applications to conduct major renovations for all-electric buildings or buildings that will be converted to all-electric. Should this legislation be approved, those seeking to perform major renovations that do not fall under one of the five exceptions below have until January 1, 2026 to submit
San Francisco has adopted a significant ordinance implementing Assembly Bill 1033 (Ting, 2023) that opens the door to a new form of homeownership: allowing certain accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and their associated primary residences to be sold separately as condominiums. Unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 8, 2025, the ordinance (File No. 241069) amends the Planning and Subdivision Codes to allow subdivision and separate conveyance of eligible ADUs—primarily new or detached units on small lots—marking a major shift in local land use policy. The ordinance is now pending the Mayor’s signature. Expanding Housing Access Through ADU Ownership
The big news this week is the signing of the California budget, which includes an important reform of CEQA as it applies to infill housing projects. In recent years, the California legislature has been slowly chipping away at CEQA by creating a variety of streamlining programs that make certain types of housing approvals ministerial and therefore exempt from environmental review (ex: SB 423 / SB 2243 / AB 2162 / SB 684). While these new laws were a great starting point in removing the CEQA barriers that have stymied housing production for decades (and provide useful project streamlining and other
If you own an electric vehicle, one main concern is finding a public charging station. While California has lead the nation with the number of electric vehicles sold (25.1% of all vehicle sales as of January 2025), and also leads with the number of chargers in the state (178,549 public & shared chargers as of March 2025), getting an electric vehicle (“EV”) charging station approved has proven to be a challenge. The biggest roadblock EV charging station companies face are local jurisdictions and their Planning-Zoning codes. As a refresher, the state legislature passed laws that mandated local jurisdictions create a
