San Francisco Taxi Coalition v. City & County of San Francisco

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court judgment rejecting challenges to San Francisco regulations that dictated which taxi medallion holders could pick up passengers at San Francisco International Airport. Like the district court, the Ninth Circuit rejected an argument that the regulations were a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the rules could impact the environment by increasing “deadhead” trips to and from the airport. The Ninth Circuit found that the complaint “has not plausibly alleged that the 2018 Regulations increase the number of taxis in circulation or authorize more fares.”