Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008
State Supreme Court Dismisses Review of San Diego Ordinance
Submitted by Robin Andersen on 5 February 2008 - 1:30pmThe California Supreme Court has dismissed a case involving San Diego County’s antenna ordinance because the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the ordinance last year.
Fight For Fanita Ranch Resumes
Submitted by Robin Andersen on 5 February 2008 - 8:30amNews from around California: The battle continues over Santee's Fanita Ranch; a Congressional commission recommends tripling the gas tax; Bay Area builders go green; Caltrans demands a refund from Placentia; global warming suit dropped in San Bernardino County; Diablo Grande goes on the market; the historic Cocoanut Grove falls; proposed Barstow casinos die; Madera County water controversy roils; San Bernardino corruption figures must pay up; San Francisco Supervisor forced to resign; local taxing authority explained.
Lack of Administrative Challenges Ruins Porterville Project Opposition
Submitted by Robin Andersen on 4 February 2008 - 6:27pmIn a case that the court called “unnecessarily complicated,” the Fifth District Court of Appeal has ruled against residents challenging the environmental review of a 219-house subdivision in the foothills of Porterville.
Alameda Point: Nostalgia Confronts 21st Century Plan
Submitted by Robin Andersen on 4 February 2008 - 6:16pmLike boxers vying for a title, two very different ideas of planning are competing for the future of Alameda Point, a 770-acre community carved out of the former military base next to Alameda, the city.
Creative Bills Offered For Local Infrastructure Finance
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 February 2008 - 12:14pmThis could become a year of creative financing, and not merely for the state government. Lawmakers are considering at least three bills that could change the rules for financing local infrastructure.
State's Solution To Budget Deficit May Have Long-Term Consequences
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 February 2008 - 12:10pmWhen you’ve got a $14 billion deficit, everybody’s ox is going to get gored. So the question for the planning and development community in California is not really whether something bad is going to happen. The question is whether it matters very much.
Fast Growing Stockton Faces Many Issues, Many Lawsuits
Submitted by Robin Andersen on 31 January 2008 - 9:07amA slew of land use issues are converging on Stockton, an older Central Valley city that is simultaneously struggling to revitalize its downtown and deal with a political environment that is both pro-growth and environmentally conscious.
Eminent Domain Acquisitions Grow More Expensive
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 January 2008 - 4:26pmCourt have issued four recent court decisions regarding eminent domain that suggest that acquiring property through eminent domain is an increasingly costly prospect for the government. None of the four decisions addressed whether the government had the right to take the property in question. Rather, the cases dealt with procedure and valuation.
Time May Have Arrived For Solving The Delta's Troubles
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 January 2008 - 2:47pmThe Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is one of the biggest ecological train wrecks in the nation, the focal point of a tectonic smash-up between human needs and natural dynamics. In consequence, it also has become perhaps the most-studied and squabbled-over body of water in the West. The latest contributions to that voluminous body of work are the final report of a governor-appointed “Blue Ribbon Task Force,” and a federal court ruling.
Housing Market Stalls, Evolves At Same Time
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 29 January 2008 - 9:19amThe California housing market crashed during 2007, and only true optimists and a handful of industry groups predict a turnaround this year. The halcyon days of the housing boom already seem like a long ways away.
But while the downturn has reached nearly every corner of the state, some markets are stronger than others. In particular, exurban markets are weak, while urban markets focused on infill development are relatively strong.