Use of a "Naked" or "Barebones" checklist as the basis for an initial CEQA study is not legally defensible, according to land use attorney Kevin Kozal.
"The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires public agencies to be fully aware of the potential environmental impacts of their decisions before voting on proposed projects. After an agency makes the initial determination that CEQA applies to a particular application, the agency must then predict whether there are risks that significant environmental impacts may result from the project. This determination is typically made through use of an initial study. The initial study is a means for gathering information useful to assess whether to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) or a negative declaration. Often a checklist procedure is utilized to make this assessment.
...[R]eliance on a 'naked' or 'barebones' checklist to support a determination that an EIR is not necessary and that a negative declaration instead can be prepared is suspect. A naked checklist is one in which only the boxes on the list are checked "yes" or "no" and little or no evidence or data is included to explain the basis on which judgments about potential impacts were made. Use of such a checklist as a way to defend the decision to adopt a negative declaration on the basis that no significant environmental impacts exist is rarely, if ever, legally defensible."
FULL STORY: Use of a "Naked" or "Barebones" checklist as the basis for an initial study is not legally defensible

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie