CEB Contributor
Norman Valera
Legal Content Specialist at N/A
Norman Valera’s work as a legal content specialist encompasses all of CEB's content areas, focusing on estate planning and real property. His work primarily involves legal research, cite & statute checking, legal editing, and project management for CEB titles. Additionally, Mr. Valera’s work includes updating case treatments in CEB's primary law citator TrueCite, contributing articles to CEB DailyNews, and both creating and updating CEB's Practitioner content.
Mr. Valera is a graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law and the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked at CEB since 2012 and as a Legal Editor/Legal Content Specialist since 2019. Prior to law school, he worked at the city of Oakland's Planning and Zoning Division, and also as a caseworker at the office of Congressman Pete Stark.
Content by Norman Valera
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First District Upholds Ruling Striking Down San Francisco Residential Vacancy Tax
October 6, 2026
Norman Valera
Constitutional Law, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Use Regulation, Due Process, Exactions, Takings & Other Constitutional Issues, Housing, Real Property, Residential Landlord-Tenant, State & Local Government, Tax Law
California's First District Court of Appeal has
Blocking Redondo Beach Condo Project, Second District Rejects Developer's Attempt To 'Harmonize' Coastal Act and Housing Accountability Act
August 18, 2026
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Development & Subdivision, Land Use Regulation, Housing, Coastal Zone, Permitting, Entitlements & Project Approval, Real Property, State & Local Government
California's Second District Court of Appeal has
Second District Finds Trust’s Survivor Provision Did Not Express 'Contrary Intention' To Override Antilapse Statute
July 7, 2026
Norman Valera
Family Law, Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Trust & Probate Litigation
A recent Second District Court of Appeal opinion
Fourth District Grants Orange County’s Anti-SLAPP Motion to Strike Claim for Declaratory Relief From Property Taxes
May 26, 2026
Norman Valera
Litigation Practice & Procedure, Real Property, Tax Considerations, State & Local Government, Tax Law
A recent Fourth District opinion
California's Third District Affirms County’s Powers to Declare Unpermitted ADU a Nuisance Per Se
April 7, 2026
Norman Valera
Administrative Law, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Use Regulation, Housing, Real Property, Nuisance & Trespass, State & Local Government
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Second District Expands Prohibition on Waiving Past Due Child Support to Include Children Who Have Turned 18
March 2, 2026
Norman Valera
Appellate Law, Family Law
In a recent opinion, the Second District Court of Appeal
First District Puts Final Nail in the Coffin of CEQA Challenge to Berkeley Student Housing Project
January 22, 2026
Norman Valera
Appellate Law, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Real Property
Almost a year and a half after the California Supreme Court
Appeals Court Upholds Ruling for UC in Dispute Over Retirement Provision Forfeiting Unclaimed Pension Benefits
November 25, 2025
Norman Valera
Employment Law, State & Local Government, Trusts & Estates
California's First District Court of Appeal recently
State Public Healthcare Employment Law Doesn't Apply to Charter Cities, First District Rules
October 14, 2025
Norman Valera
Employment Law, State & Local Government
A claim by nurses employed by the City and County of San Francisco that they were denied meal and rest breaks to which they were entitled under state law was
Ninth Circuit Upholds Royalties Agreement Against Former Supertramp Band Members’ Attempt To Terminate at Will
September 2, 2025
Norman Valera
Business Litigation, Breach of Contract, Business Transactions, Contract Law and Drafting Principles, Business Contract Provisions, Intellectual Property, Copyright, Rights of Copyright Holder
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently
Riverside County Fee for Preparing Separate Tax Bill for Timeshare Owners Struck Down as Unconstitutional
July 22, 2025
Norman Valera
Constitutional Law, Real Property, Tax Considerations, State & Local Government, Tax Law
In a case of first impression regarding statutory authority for counties to charge a fee for preparing separate property tax bills for timeshares, California's Fourth District Court of Appeal
No Class Actions Under the California Public Records Act
May 27, 2025
Norman Valera
Constitutional Law, State & Local Government
The California Court of Appeal has reaffirmed that class actions are not permitted under the California Public Records Act (CPRA). The March 2025 ruling arose from a dispute over allegedly unanswered public records requests submitted to the City of Burbank through a city website. While the court allowed the plaintiff’s individual CPRA claim to proceed, it firmly rejected the broader class-based claims, emphasizing that enforcement rights under the CPRA are personal and not subject to collective action.
City’s Approval of Proposed Hotel Development Set Aside for Failure to Comply with CEQA’s Tribal Consultation Requirements
April 30, 2025
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Historical & Cultural Resources, State & Local Government
A
Fourth District Seeks to Clarify Scope of Narrow Exception for Appealing Orders on Motions in Limine
February 18, 2025
Norman Valera
Appellate Law, Litigation Practice & Procedure
A recent Fourth District decision
'Pay First, Litigate Later': Fifth District Holds Buyers of Tax-Defaulted Properties Can't Challenge Assessments Liens Through Quiet Title
January 22, 2025
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Real Property, State & Local Government, Tax Law
A
Good Intentions Are Not Enough: Second District Applies Civil Code Section 711 to Strike Down Trust Amendment
December 10, 2024
Norman Valera
Real Property, Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Litigation, Contests of Wills, Trusts & Other Donative Instruments
In a cautionary tale of the road to litigation being paved with good intentions, a
Third District Denies Latest Challenge to California State Capitol Expansion, Following New Legislation Exempting the Project from CEQA
October 23, 2024
Norman Valera
Constitutional Law, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation
In the third and possible final act of an ongoing dispute over a proposed expansion to the California State Capitol building, the Third District Court of Appeal has
Fourth District Calls Out Courts' Widespread Mistaken Application of Statute in Juvenile Dependency Cases
September 4, 2024
Norman Valera
Appellate Law, Family Law
A recent
First District Denies Challenge to City Approval for Proposed Ghost Kitchen in Oakland
July 16, 2024
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, State & Local Government
Regardless of the merits of a claim, failing to follow appropriate procedures can of course prove fatal. A
Court of Appeal Holds San Diego Superior Court Local Rule Regarding Peremptory Challenges Invalid
May 29, 2024
Norman Valera
N/A
A
City of Cerritos Immune from Nuisance Liability for Truck Limitations That Increased Traffic Through Neighboring City
March 26, 2024
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Use Regulation, Real Property, Nuisance & Trespass, State & Local Government
A
Second District Strikes Down LA County Assessor Policy Automatically Reallocating Value of Demolished Structure
February 5, 2024
Norman Valera
Real Property, State & Local Government, Tax Law
A
Culver City Ordinance Reducing Residential Floor Area Ratio Struck Down Under Housing Crisis Act
December 19, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Housing, Real Property
In the wake of
First District Upholds EIR for Proposed Expansion of UCSF Parnassus Heights Campus
October 31, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, CEQA Review Process, Environmental Impact Report, Real Property
In yet another challenge to the expansion plans of a University of California campus (see
Second District Upholds Coastal Commission's Denial of County Permit, Affirming Commission's Authority
September 12, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Use Regulation, Coastal Zone, Real Property, Easements & Boundaries, Conservation Easements, State & Local Government
In a reprise of a previous case involving some of the usual suspects in coastal property disputes, the Second District recently
City of Hesperia's Challenge to Water District’s Proposed Solar Energy Project Barred by Laches, Fourth District Holds
August 16, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
A
Verdict for Employee in Retaliation Case Reversed By Second District Court of Appeal
June 27, 2023
Norman Valera
Employment Law, Retaliation & Whistleblower Issues
In a recent decision, California's Second District Court of Appeal
Court Orders Certificate of Compliance Issued for Lot Predating Subdivision Map Act that Complied with Act’s 'Small Subdivision Provision'
June 2, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Development & Subdivision, Real Property, State & Local Government
Under the Subdivision Map Act, the process of subdividing land in California is comprehensively regulated, precluding most questions about the legality of subdivided lots. However, where land was subdivided prior to the Subdivision Map Act, such questions may require a rather deep dive into both the property record and historical California subdivision law, as evidenced by a recent First District
Homeowners Up a Creek: No Inverse Condemnation for Property Damage Where County Neither Owned Nor Exercised Actual Control Over Failed Drainage Improvements on Adjacent Creek
May 23, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Real Property, State & Local Government
As California
Sufficient Cause of Action Found Against SoCal City Under Coastal Act for Alleged Conspiracy to Harass Non-Locals and Deny Beach Access
April 4, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Coastal Zone, State & Local Government
The California Coastal Act (Coastal Act) states one of its basic goals is to “[m]aximize public access to and along the coast”. (Pub. Resources Code,
Third District Requires Additional Review of California State Capitol Complex Expansion Project
February 21, 2023
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Historical & Cultural Resources
In a peculiar irony that encapsulates some of the complexities of CEQA practice, a recent decision by California's Third District Court of Appeal
First District Rules for Restaurant Over Denial of COVID-Related Insurance Claim, Finding Trial Court Incorrectly Analyzed Policy’s Customized Virus Coverage
January 11, 2023
Norman Valera
Business Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Insurance Law
On the heels of the Ninth Circuit's
Oakland Athletics Strike Out in First District Court of Appeal
November 22, 2022
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Water & Air Quality, Hazardous Waste
Related to
Family Courts Can't Unreasonably Delay Rulings on Family Code Section 2030 Pendente Lite Attorney Fees
October 4, 2022
Norman Valera
Family Law, Litigation Practice & Procedure, Attorney Fees & Costs, Real Property
In re Knox
Second District Criticizes Recent Pattern of Automatically Reversing Juvenile Dependency Cases for Failures to Make ICWA Inquiry of Extended Family
August 16, 2022
Norman Valera
Family Law
The Second District Court of Appeal's recent opinion in
Second District Clarifies Standards for Advertising Displays in Redevelopment Areas Exempt from Outdoor Advertising Act
June 27, 2022
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Use Regulation, State & Local Government
On the heels of a recent U.S. Supreme Court
SCOTUS Upholds City Ordinance Prohibiting Off-Premises Signs As Content-Neutral Restriction Under First Amendment
May 5, 2022
Norman Valera
Constitutional Law, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Land Use Regulation, State & Local Government
The U.S. Supreme Court recently
Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods v. UC Regents: A Novel CEQA Dispute of 'Baseline' v. 'Updated Baseline'
March 15, 2022
Norman Valera
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Land Use Regulation, State & Local Government
Following the California Supreme Court’s recent
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