Vol. 22 No. 11 Nov 2007
Sun Valley: Dumping Ground Or Urban Village?
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 30 October 2007 - 2:57pmIf any part of Los Angeles begs for redevelopment, it would be a 2,600-acre terrain in the northeast San Fernando Valley known as Sun Valley.
Elk Grove: 7-Year-Old City Seeks Land For Expansion
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 30 October 2007 - 2:53pmWhen voters approved the incorporation of Elk Grove in Sacramento County in early 2000, the town had a population of about 54,000. Today, Elk Grove’s population is heading past 140,000, and the city is looking at a 13,900-acre area for potential expansion.
Mitigation, Rather Than Avoidance, Continues To Dominate In Fire-Prone California
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 30 October 2007 - 11:40amShould planning departments in California force developers to steer clear of fire-prone areas? Or should building departments force developers to fireproof their neighborhoods instead?
Cal Supremes Modify CEQA Ruling, Decline Housing Element Case
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 7:53pmThe state Supreme Court has modified its most recent California Environmental Quality Act ruling, but it rejected the losing side’s request for a re-hearing.
City's Zoning Supercedes Easement For Equine Use, Court Determines
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 7:40pmLocal zoning trumps a valid easement, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled. In a case from Los Angeles, the court determined that one property owner’s easement on his neighbor’s property was valid but unenforceable because it violated the zoning.
City May Not Grant Conditional Use In Lawsuit Settlement, Court Rules
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 7:36pmA settlement agreement between the City of Los Angeles and an Orthodox Jewish congregation that permits operation of a synagogue in a residential district has been invalidated by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Court Orders Landlord To Follow Project Mitigations Despite Ellis Act
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 6:59pmA state law that permits landlords to go out of the rental business does not trump the California Environmental Quality Act, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled.
San Diego Wins High-Profile Eminent Domain Case
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 6:50pmA San Diego merchant who has become one of the state’s leading fighters against eminent domain has not only lost his appeal of a trial court decision upholding the taking of his shop, but he has also lost a $9 million award of compensation and attorneys’ fees.
9th Circuit Rejects All Challenges To San Luis Obispo County Law
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 3:33pmThe Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed a mobile home park owner’s attempt to invalidate San Luis Obispo County’s mobile home rent control ordinance.
Cities Protect Industrial Lands
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 29 October 2007 - 1:17pmIn the face of never-ending demand for housing and concerns about eroding the job base, some cities are imposing regulations to protect their industrial lands.
