The following PRESS RELEASE was issued today (12/20/18) by the RANCHO SANTA FE ASSOCIATION (www.rsfassociation.org): On Wednesday, December 19, 2018, after several years of unsuccessful attempts to work informally and in good faith with the Santa Fe Irrigation District (“SFID” or “District”) to ...
Blog
Hot Off The Press: With A Trial Victory In Hand, Dr. Benumof's Clients Successfully Challenge The Water Rate Structure Of Foresthill Public Utility District
Hot of the press... Yesterday, in Placer County Superior Court, in a trial before Commissioner Michael A. Jacques after two years of intensive litigation, Dr. Benumof's client, Miner's Camp LLC (GO TO: http://foresthillminerscamp.com/ for more information about Miner's Camp), prevailed on its p...
GEO-LAW OPENS LOCAL OFFICE IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA TO BETTER SERVE WATER LAW, REAL ESTATE AND LAND USE CLIENTS IN SOUTHWEST
It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that the GEO-LAW team announces today the opening of a local office in Scottsdale, AZ to better serve our clients living in, and/or owning property in-and-around, the Phoenix Metropolitan area, which includes Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler and other surrounding cities...
Dr. Benumof Selected By UC Santa Barbara Earth Sciences Department Faculty As "Distinguished Alumnus of 2018"
Dr. Benumof Selected As UCSB Earth Science "Distinguished Alumnus of 2018"
Beach Nourishment, Oceanfront Bluff-Top Development, and Mitigation of Shoreline Erosion From Future Potential Sea Level Rise In Southern California
It is widely accepted in the coastal science community that for any given stretch of beach, a wider beach fronting adjacent coastal bluffs will provide those bluffs more protection from wave attack than will a narrower beach. In other words, the wider the beach, the less chance for wave run-up, ...
Another Win For Dr. Benumof's Proposition 218 Clients and the Water Ratepayers of the City of Lincoln
Dr. Benumof, in conjunction with his colleague and co-cousel, Erik Benink, Esq., recently settled another highly publicized Proposition 218 water rate lawsuit against the City of Lincoln. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the Citys ratepayers that have been overcharged through the Citys t...
Dr. Benumof Retained As Coastal Erosion / Bluff Stability Expert For New Resort Project On The Bluff-Top In Del Mar, California
Renowned Encinitas-based Zephyr, a housing developer, recently hosted two public outreach events at its stunning Resort project site on the bluff-top at the very northern end of the Del Mar, CA coastline. The events were well attended by neighbors, visitors, and beachgoers alike, with Zephyr and...
Class Action For Proposition 218 Violations Filed Against City of Lincoln, CA
On April 25, 2017, Dr. Benumof's clients Jerry Jackson and Chuck Schmidt filed a class-action Proposition 218 lawsuit against the City of Lincoln, CA over the City's use of tiered water rates. The suit was filed in Placer County Superior Court. The Lincoln News Messenger reported on the lawsuit...
Water Wars Attorney Ben Benumof on victory for Glendale ratepayers
In a return interview with the John & Ken Show (KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles), "Water Wars" Attorney Ben Benumof summarizes another big Proposition 218 victory for his client, The Glendale Coalition for Better Government, and all California water ratepayers in general. A link to the full inter...
Welcome To The Newly Redesigned GEO-LAW.COM
GEO-LAW.COM is new and improved. Come inside and take a look!
ABA Journal: A tax ruling could complicate California's effort to battle the drought
Water conservation is so important to California that it's in the state constitution. Article X, Section 2, says that "the waste ... of water [should] be prevented, and that the conservation of such waters is to be exercised." That's especially so this year, when Gov. Jerry Brown called for urba...
ABC 10 News: Sweetwater Authority raises water rates by five percent
Nearly 200,000 people in the South Bay are about to pay more for their water. Monday night the Sweetwater Authority voted to increase water rates by five percent. The state ordered the district to cut back on water use by 12 percent. Residents exceeded that goal leading to a drop in revenue for...
L.A. Daily Journal; State High Court Rejects Bid to Depublish Appellate Water Ruling
State High Court Rejects Bid to Depublish Appellate Water Ruling (California drought)By America Hernandez The state's highest court on Wednesday stood behind a 4th District Court of Appeal decision striking down arbitrary tiered water rates as unconstitutional, denying requests from Gov. Jerry B...
Cal WatchDog: Court strikes down tiered water pricing in San Juan Capistrano
Cal Watchdog article, on April 22, 2015, titled, "Court strikes down tiered water pricing in San Juan Capistrano" states that the 4th District Court of Appeal struck down San Juan Capistrano's tiered water fee plan because it violated Prop. 218's restriction that any fee must be for the cost of ...
Appelate Court affirms Trial Court's Decision, City of San Juan Capistrano violated Proposition 218.
Fourth Appelate Dirstrict Court victory for a Non-Profit taxpayer association against the City of San Juan Capistrano for Proposition 218 water rate violations. To read the Fourth Appellate District Opinion, click here.
Radio Interview "Attorney Fights City Hall and Wins" on KFI AM 640 on John and Ken Show
Radio Interview entitled "Attorney Fights City Hall and Wins" on KFI AM 640 on the John and Ken Show. Listen to the entire podcast here.
Radio Interview on 89.9 KCRW; Press Play with Madeline Brand
Interview with Madeline Brand on KCRW's show "Press Play with Madeline Brand" entitled Big Water Fight with Small Town. Click here for more information.
Glendale Coalition for Better Government: City of Glendage Sued for Violating Prop 218
The Glendale Coalition for Better Government (GCBG) has retained Attorney Benjamin Benumof to challenge the 2014 water rate increase adopted by the Glendale City Council by the narrow vote of 3 to 2. The Coalition has yet again been compelled to seek legal recourse in its fight to advocate for a...
Cal Watchdog: Do Tiered Water Rates Save Water?
Cal Watchdog posted an article, on October 14, 2014, titled, "Do Tiered Water Rates Save Water?" says empirical studies show that tiered rates to spur conservation does not result in water conservation in many states.
Daily Journal: Appelate Court Considers Legality of Water Pricing Scheme
Recent article from the Daily Journal: Appelate Court Considers Legaility of Water Pricing Scheme
Water Rate Pricing Under Proposition 218: The State of the Problem or the Problem of the State
Benumof, B.T. and Hensley, W.M. (2014). `Water Rate Pricing Under Proposition 218: The State of the Problem or the Problem of the State'. Orange County Lawyer, Water Rights Special Issue, Vol. 56, No 8, pg. 25-26. To read the complete article please click here.
Water District Switching to Flat Rate
Newhall County Water District officials have pulled the plug on a tiered water rate structure initially designed to encourage ratepayers to conserve water. To read full article, please click here.
Associated Press: Water flows uphill? Maybe, in state drought
Water has flowed from Northern California's snow-capped peaks to the south's parched cities ever since the California Aqueduct was built in the 1960s. Now, amid one of the worst droughts in history, state officials are considering an audacious plan to send some of the water back uphill.
University of Denver Water Law Review: California's Drought: A Metered Solution
University of Denver Water Law Review: California's Drought: A Metered Solution; posted April 10, 2014
California Water Law Journal: Upgrading Conservation Pricing Proposition 218, Smart Meters, And The Step Beyond Tiered Rates
Recent article from California Water Law Journal: Upgrading Conservation Pricing Proposition 218, Smart Meters, And The Step Beyond Tiered Rates , January 3, 2014