BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management will host a virtual public meeting of the BLM Central California Resource Advisory Council (RAC) on Thursday, May 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The business meeting will be held via Microsoft Teams and will include a public comment period scheduled at 1:30 p.m. The business meeting agenda can be reviewed online.

The RAC will be updated on BLM programs and activities from the BLM Central California District and field offices. In addition, the RAC will receive presentations and make recommendations on fee proposals from the USDA Forest Service in the Inyo National Forest, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and the Los Padres National Forest.

“We are looking forward to sharing ongoing projects and priorities throughout the district. In addition, we welcome the National Forests and their business plan proposals,” said Central California District Manager Gabe Garcia. “By getting involved in these efforts, we all can help shape the future management of our public lands.”

Meeting participants must register through Microsoft Teams to attend. Upon registering, participants will receive an email including the meeting link and dial-in numbers. Participants may need to download the Teams app if joining via phone prior to the meeting. Here are some tips on how to use Microsoft Teams.

Public comments will be accepted during scheduled agenda items and public comments will be accepted at 1:30 p.m. Time for individual public comments may be limited due to the number of persons wishing to speak. Written statements to address the council maybe sent prior to the meeting to the BLM Central California District Office, Attention: RAC meeting comments, 35126 McMurtrey Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93308.

The 12-member council advises the Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM, on a variety of planning and management issues associated with BLM public lands in central California. The BLM maintains 38 chartered advisory committees throughout the West. Each citizen-based council consists of members from diverse interests in local communities, who assist in the development of committee recommendations by sharing their unique perspectives.

To learn more about the Central California RAC, visit online. Please contact the BLM for reasonable accommodations to participate. For specific questions, please contact BLM Central California District Public Affairs Officer Philip Oviatt at poviatt@blm.gov or 661-432-4252.
 

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Civil Procedure

BigLaw attorneys who are ‘frequent practitioners’ in federal district can’t be admitted pro hac vice, judge says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 5, 2025, 3:45 pm CST

Two Baker & Hostetler lawyers won’t be able to represent a compounding pharmacy in a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at least for now, after a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas denied their application to appear pro hac vice.

Partner Andrew M. Grossman and associate Marc N. Wagner cannot be admitted pro hac vice because they are “frequent practitioners” in cases filed in the Northern District of Texas, said U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman of the Northern District of Texas in a March 3 order.

Law360 covered the decision, noting that pro hac vice motions “are common and usually regarded as an afterthought. They are rarely denied.”

A pro hac vice admission means that a lawyer has been admitted to practice in a jurisdiction in only one particular case, Pittman said. In the past year, however, Grossman submitted three such applications, while Wagner submitted four of them in the Northern District of Texas, including the applications in the case before Pittman.

The lawyers, Pittman said, are encouraged “to file applications to be admitted to practice in this court, and [this court] would happily welcome them as members of the bar.”

Grossman is licensed in Washington, D.C., and admitted to practice before nearly every federal appeals court. Wagner is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Wagner and Grossman did not immediately respond to an ABA Journal email seeking comment. They are among six Baker & Hostetler lawyers who signed the Feb. 24 suit and among four who planned to seek pro hac vice admission in the case.

The suit challenges an FDA decision to remove the weight loss drug semaglutide from a shortage list, which meant that compounding pharmacies were no longer allowed to help satisfy demand. The plaintiffs in the suit are a compounding pharmacy and a trade association that represents compounding facilities.

Pittman appears to be a stickler for the rules. He previously dismissed a suit because of a missed deadline to file a certificate of interested persons and sanctioned two lawyers in a different suit for submitting declarations instead of notarized affidavits as he had directed.

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3. Judge apologizes to slain jogger Ahmaud Arbery’s…

Criminal Justice

Judge apologizes to slain jogger Ahmaud Arbery’s family after tossing charges against district attorney

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 10, 2025, 9:21 am CST

A Georgia judge has tossed the charges against a prosecutor accused of favoring a former white investigator in her office before he was charged in the 2020 death of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery.

Former Brunswick, Georgia, District Attorney Jackie Johnson had been charged with violating her oath of office and obstructing a police officer in the investigation that followed Arbery’s death. Her trial began in January, according to PBS News.

Judge John R. Turner of Glynn County, Georgia, granted a directed verdict on the obstruction charge Feb. 3 after concluding that prosecutors failed to present sufficient evidence that Johnson obstructed the death investigation. Turner tossed the oath-violation charge two days later after defense lawyers argued that the indictment didn’t accuse Johnson of crimes in connection with the charge and listed the wrong oath of office.

Publications covering the tossed charges are Courthouse News Service, Law360 and the Associated Press.

Arbery, 25, was shot and killed after two white men pursued him in a pickup truck because they thought that he was a suspect in several break-ins in the area. A white neighbor who joined the pursuit in his truck recorded the incident on video. No arrests were made for more than two months.

The leaked video later showed that the shooter was Travis McMichael. His father, Gregory McMichael, a former police office who once worked for Johnson, had joined the chase. The man who shot the video was William “Roddie” Bryan. All three were convicted in November 2021, when jurors rejected arguments that they were making a citizen’s arrest and that Arbery was shot in self-defense when Arbery tried to grab a gun. They were also convicted of federal hate crimes in August 2022.

Several witnesses had testified that Johnson never directed anyone to refrain from arresting the McMichaels, according to Courthouse News Service. Johnson testified that she immediately recused herself from the case when she found out that her former employee was involved. When she saw the video, Johnson said, she thought that the slaying “looked like murder,” and she informed the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about calls that she had received from Gregory McMichael.

Turner apologized to Arbery’s family members after tossing the final charge, according to Courthouse News Service.

“This is not a decision I wanted to make, but feel like I must,” he said.

Turner also said he feels “sadness for the death of this young man and what his family has gone through.”

Johnson was represented by lawyer Brian Steel, who also represented rapper Young Thug in a high-profile criminal trial. Steel said Johnson should not have been charged.

“It’s a sad day. Ahmaud Arbery was slaughtered for no reason, and then-Attorney General Chris Carr piggybacked one of the greatest tragedies in our state and nation and indicted an innocent woman,” Steel told Courthouse News Service.

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A Florida judge ruled in favor of a school district that prevented a mom who modeled for the adult website OnlyFans from volunteering at her kids’ elementary school after it learned what she did for a living.

Victoria Triece sued Orange County Public Schools for $1 million in 2023 after the school district said she would no longer volunteer Sand Lake Elementary School because of her occupation. The principal received an anonymous email in 2021 from a “concerned parent” along with two explicit photos of Triece.

“It has come to several parents at Sand Lake Elementary that one of the room mothers that spends time at the school is publically (sic) posting pornography thru various sources on the internet. This woman is constantly around our children and her public profiles are well known. This is the not the content or subject matter that our children need to be exposed to,” the email read.

The school’s principal, Kathleen Phillips, alerted her boss. Ultimately, the school said she could no longer volunteer. Triece sued, arguing that she was robbed of her due process and privacy rights.

After filing the lawsuit, Triece spoke to the media at attorney Mark NeJame’s office, saying she felt “humiliated.”

“Nobody has the right to judge what other people do for a living. I feel judged, and so isolated,” she said, according to Orlando NBC affiliate WESH.

But Orange County Circuit Judge Brian S. Sandor wrote in a 22-page opinion filed Jan. 29 that Triece does not have a “substantive due process right” to volunteer in the program. Sandor also noted that Triece never appealed the decision with the school district itself. There’s nothing in the district’s policy that says parents have a right to volunteer, the judge argued.

“That policy … does not include any language that confers any right or benefit upon an individual to participate in the program, to remain in the program, or to appeal a removal decision. On these points, the policy is silent,” Sandor wrote.

Triece also stated in her suit that the sexually explicit images attached to the email were distributed among staff within the school and district. The images also were disseminated to media organizations who filed public records requests. The images were public record, according to Sandor.

“Finding that the images are public records that are subject to public disclosure, the Court also finds that on the record presented, Plaintiff cannot prevail on her claim that OCPS invaded her right to privacy by disclosing the images within OCPS, to those OCPS employees who needed the information to respond to public records requests,” Sandor wrote.

Sandor granted the school district’s motion for summary judgement on all accounts.

NeJame did not respond to a request for comment from local CBS affiliate WKMG.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is hosting several in-person and virtual public and stakeholder meetings to gather input to develop off-highway vehicle grant proposals for submission to the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. Grants support off-highway vehicle management activities, including visitor services, law enforcement, resource protection, planning and monitoring, and maintenance on BLM-managed public lands.

“The BLM uses these important grant funds to help manage, operate, and maintain the many BLM-managed off-highway vehicle recreation areas in the District,” said Acting California Desert District Manager Brandon Anderson.

Grant applications are being prepared for the 2025 grant cycle. Public comments will be most helpful to the field offices if received prior to the grant submission deadline of March 3.

Stakeholders and members of the public are invited to attend any of the meetings below. Participants are invited to join meetings virtually, by phone using the dial-in information, or attend in-person. The meeting schedule is as follows with options for participation below:

Needles Field Office: Tuesday, Feb. 11

9 – 10 a.m. public meeting and 10 -11 a.m. stakeholder meeting
Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/NzFQ50UONeb

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 868 2430 / Passcode: 948817

 

Ridgecrest Field Office: Tuesday, Feb. 18

4:30 – 5:15 p.m. stakeholder meeting and 5:15 – 6 p.m. public meeting
In-person: BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 S Richmond Rd, Ridgecrest, CA 93555

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/LXuX50UNZo0

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 544 4745 / Passcode: 408376

 

Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office: Tuesday, Feb. 18

5 – 6 p.m. public meeting and 6 – 6:30 p.m. stakeholder meeting

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/EAxb50UOMNW

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 160 146 2122 / Passcode: 245615

 

Barstow Field Office: Wednesday, Feb. 19

5 – 6 p.m. public meeting

In person: BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/OJIl50UNZhl

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 710 5577 / Passcode: 693916

 

El Centro Field Office: Monday, Feb. 24

3 – 4 p.m. public meeting and 4 – 4:30 p.m. stakeholder meeting

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/xVqF50UNZn2

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 973 9827 / Passcode: 776862

 

After the proposals are submitted to the state, preliminary applications are available for review and comment from March 4 to May 5, by visiting the OHV grants web page  at https://ohv.parks.ca.gov, or by submitting written comments to the field offices by mail or email:

• BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, 92311, ATTN: Caleb Scruggs; cscruggs@blm.gov
• BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S 4th Street, 92243, ATTN: Michael Mujica; mmujica@blm.gov
• BLM Needles Field Office, 1303 S Highway 95, 92363, ATTN: Sabrina Bice; sbice@blm.gov
• BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, 92262, ATTN: Caroline Gish; cgish@blm.gov
• BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 S Richmond Road, 93555, ATTN: Katrina Meyer; kmeyer@blm.gov

The California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division state program supports off-highway vehicle recreation in California by distributing funds collected from gas tax, entrance fees and off-highway vehicle registration. For information on the OHV grant program, past grant allocations, program regulations, and more, please visit the website.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is hosting several in-person and virtual public and stakeholder meetings to gather input to develop off-highway vehicle grant proposals for submission to the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. Grants support off-highway vehicle management activities, including visitor services, law enforcement, resource protection, planning and monitoring, and maintenance on BLM-managed public lands.

“The BLM uses these important grant funds to help manage, operate, and maintain the many BLM-managed off-highway vehicle recreation areas in the District,” said Acting California Desert District Manager Brandon Anderson.

Grant applications are being prepared for the 2025 grant cycle. Public comments will be most helpful to the field offices if received prior to the grant submission deadline of March 3.

Stakeholders and members of the public are invited to attend any of the meetings below. Participants are invited to join meetings virtually, by phone using the dial-in information, or attend in-person. The meeting schedule is as follows with options for participation below:

Needles Field Office: Tuesday, Feb. 11

9 – 10 a.m. public meeting and 10 -11 a.m. stakeholder meeting
Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/NzFQ50UONeb

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 868 2430 / Passcode: 948817

 

Ridgecrest Field Office: Tuesday, Feb. 18

4:30 – 5:15 p.m. stakeholder meeting and 5:15 – 6 p.m. public meeting
In-person: BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 S Richmond Rd, Ridgecrest, CA 93555

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/LXuX50UNZo0

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 544 4745 / Passcode: 408376

 

Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office: Tuesday, Feb. 18

5 – 6 p.m. public meeting and 6 – 6:30 p.m. stakeholder meeting

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/EAxb50UOMNW

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 160 146 2122 / Passcode: 245615

 

Barstow Field Office: Wednesday, Feb. 19

5 – 6 p.m. public meeting

In person: BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/OJIl50UNZhl

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 710 5577 / Passcode: 693916

 

El Centro Field Office: Monday, Feb. 24

3 – 4 p.m. public meeting and 4 – 4:30 p.m. stakeholder meeting

Virtual via Zoom: https://ow.ly/xVqF50UNZn2

Phone: 833-568-8864 / Meeting ID: 161 973 9827 / Passcode: 776862

 

After the proposals are submitted to the state, preliminary applications are available for review and comment from March 4 to May 5, by visiting the OHV grants web page  at https://ohv.parks.ca.gov, or by submitting written comments to the field offices by mail or email:

• BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, 92311, ATTN: Caleb Scruggs; cscruggs@blm.gov
• BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S 4th Street, 92243, ATTN: Michael Mujica; mmujica@blm.gov
• BLM Needles Field Office, 1303 S Highway 95, 92363, ATTN: Sabrina Bice; sbice@blm.gov
• BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, 92262, ATTN: Caroline Gish; cgish@blm.gov
• BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 S Richmond Road, 93555, ATTN: Katrina Meyer; kmeyer@blm.gov

The California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division state program supports off-highway vehicle recreation in California by distributing funds collected from gas tax, entrance fees and off-highway vehicle registration. For information on the OHV grant program, past grant allocations, program regulations, and more, please visit the website.

REDDING, Calif.  —  The Bureau of Land Management Northern California District Resource Advisory Council will discuss a range of public land management topics in a meeting to be held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 5, beginning at 9 a.m. The council will hear public comments at 11 a.m. 

Agenda topics include a presentation from the Forest Service on their administration of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, a status report on implantation of provisions in the BLM Northwest California Integrated Resource Management Plan, a discussion about wild horse management within the BLM Northern California District, suggestions about increasing wild horse adoption numbers and a status report on recent land acquisitions into public ownership. The council will also hear a report from the BLM California state director and from managers of the Arcata, Applegate, Eagle Lake and Redding field offices. 

Members of the public can participate via Zoom. Meeting ID: 161 071 4713, passcode 446400.  Participants can also telephone into the meeting by dialing 669-254-5252.   

The 15-member council is composed of varied public land interests including recreation, livestock grazing, timber and forest products, environmental organizations, wild horse and burro management, local government, the academic sector, state natural resource agencies and the public at large. It focuses on lands managed by the Northern California District, which includes land in far northwest Nevada. 

More information is available from BLM Public Affairs Officer Jeff Fontana, 530-260-0189.   

Northern California District Office, 6640 Lockheed Drive, Redding, CA 96002