Law Firm

UCLA Clinic Submits Amicus Brief in Kern Oil Ordinance Case

Kern County’s efforts to increase drilling could jeopardize the survival of the Temblor legless lizard. The case demonstrates why environmental review must keep pace with emerging science and new information.

The UCLA Environmental Law Clinic has submitted an amicus brief in a case that challenges Kern County’s (the “County”) repeated efforts to streamline oil and gas development without proper regard for myriad environmental harms. The Clinic filed its amicus brief on behalf of Professor H. Bradley Shaffer, Ph. D., one of California’s leading experts on the evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles. He has published a book entitled California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern that focuses on amphibians and reptiles determined by the state of California to be a Species of Special Concern, like the Templor legless

On 12 July, the Professional Standards Committee formed under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW) issued its decision on allegations of unsatisfactory professional conduct against neurosurgeon Professor Charles Theo.

The hearings, held in February and March 2023, attracted significant public attention. This attention stemmed from Professor Teo’s prominence as a highly skilled neurosurgeon, his reported willingness to perform surgeries involving significant risks based on patient choices, and the controversies surrounding his charges and patient interaction.

Supporters and detractors offered comments to the media, while several individuals were present outside the hearing venue every day. Media reporting varied between objective coverage and agenda-driven narratives. The initial criticisms of Professor Teo’s conduct were raised and amplified through media reports, and this tone continued in many headlines and editorials about the hearings.

Professor Teo was found to have engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct, specifically related to his decision-making process regarding certain

Emergency? Part 2

Renewable Sites and Transmission

We give lots of lip service describing climate change as an emergency or existential threat. According to the Climate Emergency Declaration Organization, 2336 jurisdictions around the world have declared it to be an emergency, but we are not really acting like it. There are many possible emergency actions. I’m looking at 6 that could make a significant difference, are doable, but require real sacrifice and hard choices:

1. Ending financing of fossil fuel projects
2. Accelerating renewable sites on- and offshore
3. Fast tracking transmission
4. Requiring large-scale carbon capture
5. International agreement and focus on methane
6. Ending deforestation

Today, it’s accelerating renewable sites and fast tracking transmission. (Here’s Part 1)

Estimates vary, but California, the US, and the world will need a lot of new solar and energy storage facilities and a lot of land to put them on. In California alone, it may require 500,000 acres.

This case is concerned with the extent to which a doctor is required, under the duty of care owed to a patient, to inform the patient about alternative possible treatments to the one that is being recommended.

In Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] UKSC 11 (“Montgomery”), the Supreme Court held that a doctor is under a duty to take reasonable care to ensure that the patient is aware of any material risks involved in any recommended treatment, and of any reasonable alternative or variant treatments. Following that decision, the main issue in this case is what test should be applied when assessing whether an alternative treatment is reasonable and requires to be discussed with the patient. More specifically, does a doctor fall below the required standard of reasonable care by failing to make a patient aware of an alternative treatment in a situation where the doctor’s opinion was that

DuBOIS — DuBois resident Debbie Mechling asked the city council, at their meeting Monday evening, to take “a wait and see” approach to spending money on several proposed projects in the city park.

“After reading about the proposed projects being considered in the DuBois City Park — new fields for ball, basketball court updates, pickle ball (courts), etc. – in light of current investigations which are not completed, in regards to our former city manager, at this time, new projects should not be considered, and take a wait-and-see approach to spending money,” Mechling said during the public comment portion of the meeting.

“Questions remain as to what we will need to do to move forward,” said Mechling. “Will more legal fees be paid out of city accounts for the defense of our former city manager? Are we paying for two city manager positions at this time? Is a tax increase

Emergency?

What If We Really Acted as if Climate Change is an Emergency

The world’s scientists warn of massive disruption to the planet in report after report. The leading edge of that disruption is already here. Wildfires in Canada, smoke in NYC, heat domes in Texas, massive heat in the Atlantic ocean are just some of this month’s news.

We provide lots of lip service describing climate change as an emergency or existential threat. According to the Climate Emergency Declaration Organization, 2336 jurisdictions around the world have declared it to be an emergency.

In acute emergencies, such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, wildfires, even pandemics, we often take action to cut red tape, accept some risks to move things more quickly, and find compromises that result quickly. But climate change is different. It is a slower moving and more massive emergency, with acute events. We respond to acute events, but rarely

OTTAWA, Canada — A law that props up the news industry has turned Canada into the latest battleground for global tech giants that are pushing back against governments trying to curb their dominance.

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The Online News Act, passed into law last month by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, requires companies including Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google to negotiate commercial deals with local news organizations for featuring news on their platforms. It’s meant to help outlets that have seen their advertising revenue decimated in the digital era.

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But strong opposition from tech firms — including Meta’s intention to permanently end the availability of news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada, and Google’s plan to remove links to Canadian news — is more than just a reaction to the law itself. The platforms may see it as a precedent-setter for jurisdictions from California to Indonesia that are trying

W80, an armed police officer, shot Jermaine Baker dead in a police operation. Mr Baker was implicated in a plot to snatch two individuals from custody. The police had intelligence that the plotters would be in possession of firearms. W80’s account was that during the intervention, Mr Baker’s hands moved quickly up to a shoulder bag on his chest. Fearing for his life and those of his colleagues, W80 fired one shot. No firearm was found in the bag, but an imitation firearm was in the rear of the car.

An investigation was conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (the “IOPC”)’s predecessor, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (the “IPCC”). The IPCC concluded that W80’s belief that he was in imminent danger was honestly held, but unreasonable, and that W80 therefore had a case to answer for gross misconduct on the basis of the civil law test that any