Environmental Policy & Mediation

From CEQA to AI: Zach Friend on Governing Through Change

Thierry Montoya speaks with former Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend about his experiences in local government, as well as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and how it can be used to impede necessary development. They also analyze the potential impact of recent state-level reforms. Zach talks about the challenge of leading a community through major environmental disasters, including infrastructure damage, long-term recovery, and the ongoing insurance crisis. Thierry and Zach then discuss the need for proactive AI governance in the public sector. Learn more about Zach Friend at https://www.santacruzworks.org/ [https://www.santacruzworks.org/] Watch Zach's TedX Talk, "Big Data's Coming To Your Town": https://youtu.be/VVQdehQzIOU?si=rSEXzSLsRqcPHa2N [https://youtu.be/VVQdehQzIOU?si=rSEXzSLsRqcPHa2N]

Privileged or Discoverable? The Legal Status of Site Assessments in California

Thierry and guest Jay Tufano (of Ring Bender Law [https://ringbenderlaw.com/our-people/jay-a-tufano/]) discuss scenarios that might or might not qualify as privileged or discoverable. Time stamps: 04:08 — Work product doctrine 06:29 — Examples from California case law 15:16 — Crime-fraud exception 19:10 — Privilege logs 20:04 — Practical takeaways Want to get in touch with us? Contact Thierry at tmontoya@fbtlaw.com and visit FrostBrownTodd online at https://www.frostbrowntodd.com [https://www.frostbrowntodd.com/].

Appraising Environmentally Impacted Properties: An In-Depth Discussion with Orell Anderson, MAI, FRICS, ASA

Thierry and Orell discuss how environmentally impacted properties are appraised. Time stamps: 00:07:00 — Define an environmentally impacted property 00:11:37 — Examples of contaminated properties 00:17:23 — How does a site's environmental impact affect its appeal over time? 00:20:56 — Challenges of appraising contaminated properties 00:27:25 — Appraisal methods 00:35:14 — Challenges of appraising contaminated properties 00:39:53 — How do you deal with situations where remediation is underway or future environmental outcomes are uncertain? 00:49:19 — What is your most interesting case study in environmentally impacted property 00:57:54 — How do state/local regulations layer onto federal regulations? 01:09:29 — Industry standards 01:16:36 — How is technology transforming how we assess environmental risk? 01:22:09 — How might the new Trump Administration affect things? 01:28:38 — How does the role of the appraiser evolve in response to climate change? 01:32:41 — Final thoughts Want to get in touch with us? Contact Thierry at tmontoya@fbtlaw.com and visit FrostBrownTodd online at https://www.frostbrowntodd.com [https://www.frostbrowntodd.com/].

Environmental Policy & Mediation

Thierry speaks with mediator Gideon Kracov of ADR Services, Inc. [https://kracovadr.com/] about mediation's role in environmental policy, as well as strategies and approaches to mediation in general. Watch this episode in full: https://vimeo.com/982607532/aa10d33650?share=copy [https://vimeo.com/982607532/aa10d33650?share=copy] Want to get in touch with us? Contact Thierry at tmontoya@fbtlaw.com and visit FrostBrownTodd online at https://www.frostbrowntodd.com [https://www.frostbrowntodd.com/].

The uncertain future of brownfield redevelopment in California

Thierry speaks with Matt Winefield of Winefield & Associates and the Brownfield Braintrust Podcast [https://www.winefieldinc.com/podcasts] about the uncertain future of brownfield redevelopment in California. Watch this episode in full: https://vimeo.com/924769056/15b4489c7f?share=copy Want to get in touch with us? Contact Thierry at tmontoya@fbtlaw.com and visit FrostBrownTodd online at https://www.frostbrowntodd.com [https://www.frostbrowntodd.com/]. The content of this episode reflects the views and opinions of Thierry Montoya and his guests, and does not constitute legal advice.