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Local government

Every story on LexCircuit filed under local government: court orders, regulation, ethics opinions, litigation and research, each summarized across its sources.

16 stories

COLO.Regulation

Colorado adopts election rules requiring clerks to report court-ordered custody transfers and observers to carry authority letters

Colorado's Secretary of State adopted amended Election Rules (8 CCR 1505-1) on Oct. 9, 2026. Under rules effective immediately, a county clerk who transfers election records under a court order must give the order to the Secretary, notify the Secretary immediately and inventory the transferred items. Official observers must hold a Secretary-issued letter of authority, and clerks must admit them. Clerks must also file election plans 120 days before each election.

Text (Colorado Department of State) → · Colorado Secretary of State
S.D.N.Y.Litigation

New York City sues personal injury firm Asher & Associates under RICO over alleged fabricated claims

New York City sued Manhattan personal injury firm Asher & Associates and principals Ryan Asher and Roberta Asher in federal court in Manhattan, alleging the firm falsely blamed clients' injuries on defective city roadways. The complaint, filed on Sunday, October 4, 2026, seeks treble damages under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and penalties under city and state false claims laws.

Filing (Bloomberg Law) → · ABA Journal
CAL.Roundup

State and local law roundup, week ending October 2, 2026: 23 developments

Twenty-three state and local measures dated September 25 to 29, 2026. California enacted laws on prescribed fire, children's meals, added-sugar menu warnings, diaper ingredients, disposable vapes, supplement sales to minors and disability-form fees. North Dakota, Texas, Arkansas and Georgia issued fuel emergency orders. New Jersey and New York signed school, reentry, Rutgers and climate bills, Massachusetts set emergency adult foster care rates, and San Jose paused detention-facility applications.

Entries (California Legislative Information) → · North Dakota Office of the Governor, City of San Jose, Office of the City Clerk (Legistar), Office of the Texas Governor +6
CAL.Regulation

California requires ministerial approval of qualifying townhome subdivisions

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1751, the Missing Middle Townhome Ownership Act, on September 29, 2026. New Government Code sections 66499.45 and following subject qualifying townhome subdivisions to ministerial approval on sites zoned for multifamily use or underutilized single-family-only sites. New parcels must be at least 600 square feet, with units in fee-simple, condominium, community-land-trust, limited-equity-cooperative or tenancy-in-common ownership, and tenant, rent-control and demolition protections apply.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California makes density-bonus approvals nondiscretionary and exempt from CEQA review

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2433 on September 29, 2026, amending the Density Bonus Law, Government Code section 65915. From January 1, 2027, a city or county's grant of a density bonus, incentive or concession, or waiver of development standards is not discretionary and requires no CEQA review. Once an application is deemed complete, the city or county must give the applicant a density-bonus eligibility determination. Applicants filing a base density study may elect a floor-area-ratio bonus.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California requires early estimates of housing-project improvement costs

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1014 on September 29, 2026. New Government Code section 65941.3 lets housing applicants request a preliminary estimate of required onsite and offsite improvements, which the city or county must provide within 30 business days with a good-faith list of improvement types and costs. Within 30 business days of deeming a postentitlement permit application complete, the city must give an itemized list of required improvements and generally may not require unlisted ones.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California bars cities and counties from approving new private detention facilities

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1367 on September 29, 2026. Government Code section 65850.05 prohibits cities and counties from approving a new land use that authorizes construction of a detention facility, or a change of use that lets an existing building serve as one. A detention facility is any structure a private entity operates for a governmental entity to hold people for criminal, civil or administrative purposes. The ban applies to charter cities.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California widens Infill Infrastructure Grant eligibility to streamlined housing sites

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 772 (Ch. 804, Stats. 2026) on September 29, 2026. It amends Health and Safety Code 53559 and 53559.1 to widen the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program of 2019: qualifying infill projects may sit on sites mostly bordered by previously developed urban uses, and qualifying infill areas include sites made ready for streamlined housing under the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022. HCD must rank applications on on-demand transit access and walkability.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California bars treating building-height impacts alone as significant under CEQA

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 958 on September 29, 2026. New Public Resources Code section 21080.82 provides that impacts of increased building height alone, such as shadow, air circulation, light reflection or attracting wildlife, are not significant under CEQA if the project's use and density were analyzed in a certified EIR, the site is previously graded infill without sensitive biological resources, the project is not industrial, and it fits local airport land use plans.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California gives agencies 10 business days to answer public records requests

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1821 on September 30, 2026, amending Government Code section 7922.535 of the California Public Records Act. From January 1, 2027, a state or local agency must decide whether a request seeks disclosable records in its possession, and notify the requester, within 10 business days rather than 10 days. In unusual circumstances it may extend that period by up to 14 business days, rather than 14 days.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Rulings this week

All court orders

CAL.Regulation

California bars using AI to fake public participation before government agencies

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1159 on September 30, 2026. From January 1, 2027, no one may knowingly use AI to falsely represent that a natural person appeared before, submitted information to or engaged with a government agency. Under the Public Records Act, open-meeting laws, the Administrative Procedure Act, CEQA and the Coastal Act, AI systems, autonomous agents and robots are not persons or members of the public.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
CAL.Regulation

California sets emergency-response duties for driverless vehicle makers from July 2028

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246 on September 30, 2026. From July 1, 2028, autonomous vehicle manufacturers must use U.S.-based, California-licensed remote drivers, immediately dispatch local incident technicians after crashes or official requests, notify local jurisdictions of fleetwide failures, and let remote staff move or stop driverless commercial vehicles at an emergency official's direction. They must report response data to the DMV quarterly, and city attorneys may sue for civil penalties.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
CAL.Regulation

California orders performance framework for county veterans service offices

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2219 on September 28, 2026 (Chapter 728, Statutes of 2026). From January 1, 2027, counties must fill a county veterans service officer vacancy within 12 months, and appointees must obtain department accreditation within nine months. The Department of Veterans Affairs must set minimum training requirements, develop a service-capacity and performance framework for county offices, build a statewide work queue by January 1, 2029, and report to the Legislature every three years.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
N.J.Regulation

New Jersey makes EV charger installations at existing buildings a ministerial permit, barring site plan review

Governor Sherrill signed S-3739 (P.L.2026, c.94) on September 28, 2026. Municipal administrative officers must approve applications to install electric vehicle supply equipment at existing gasoline stations, retail establishments and other existing buildings through a non-discretionary permit, without site plan or land use board review or variance relief. Municipal and county review is limited to specific, identifiable public health or safety impacts supported by substantial evidence. The act took effect immediately and applies to pending applications.

Enrolled text (New Jersey Legislature) → · Office of the Governor