Client Spotlight: Victory for Moraga-Orinda Fire District in CEQA Challenge

Stoel Rives, working alongside Renne Public Law Group, secured a favorable decision on behalf of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District in a legal challenge brought under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The case involved the district’s fuel break ordinance, adopted as part of its broader strategy to reduce wildfire risk through proactive vegetation management. The petitioner argued that the ordinance required environmental review under CEQA. The Contra Costa County Superior Court upheld the ordinance, concluding that it is exempt from CEQA and that no exceptions to the exemption applied.

This ruling allows the district to proceed with its fuel break program and affirms the ability of local agencies to implement wildfire prevention measures that protect public safety and the environment.

Serving a high-risk area of Contra Costa County, the Moraga-Orinda Fire District provides fire protection, emergency medical services, and vegetation management across communities increasingly vulnerable to wildfire.

Stoel’s legal team included Kathryn Oehlschlager and Sam Bacal-Graves.

For more information, read the press release here.