Get the Skinny on SB 375!

Get The Skinny On SB 375!

SB 375 – the new law that links land use planning and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in California – is big news in the planning and development world nationwide.

Let California Planning & Development Report help you figure out what SB 375 means. As the leading planning publication in California, CP&DR has been watching SB 375 more closely than anybody else. You can find out more simply by clicking on the links below:

Greenhouse Gas Plan Defers To SB 375 Process
An AB 32 Scoping Plan that places a great deal of emphasis on the SB 375 process was approved on December 11 by the California Air Resources Board. Rather than adjusting the target one way or the other, CARB assigned the SB 375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee – or RTAC, which has yet to be appointed – the task of refining the land use target.

SB 375: It's An Incremental Change, Not A Revolution
Supporters and opponents alike are touting SB 375 as the most significant land use reform bill in recent California history. When he signed it in September, Gov. Schwarzenegger called it the biggest bill since the California Environmental Quality Act 38 as approved years ago. Meanwhile, the hilariously over-the-top Orange County Register has called the bill “one of the most authoritarian, far-reaching and elitist bills that has ever made it to the governor’s desk.” In fact, it is neither.

Regional Planning Bill Approved By Lawmakers
Senate Bill 375 is alternately being described as the most important land use legislation since the California Coastal Act of 1976, and a step in the right direction. Only time will tell whether the bill is a landmark or an incremental step, but there is no denying that SB 375 author Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) aimed high. “At the heart of this effort,” Steinberg said, “is the need to integrate our housing and transportation plans to create sustainable communities.”

SB 375 Is Now Law -- But What Will It Do?
SB 375, the anti-sprawl bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last night, is both more and less powerful than it’s advertised to be, and whether it leads to sweeping change depends on how aggressively California’s regional planning agencies implement it.

State Air Board Doubles SB 375 Emissions Target
The other shoe has dropped on the SB 375 front, as the California Air Resources Board has more than doubled the target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions to be obtained through regional planning.

The Disconnect Between SB 375 And Local Planning
Can California and its communities fit together regional plans, local plans, state housing requirements, and new state requirements on greenhouse gas emissions reductions?
Probably not, according to panelists speaking this morning at the California Chapter, American Planning Association conference in Hollywood.

State Budget And SB 375: Incompatible Priorities
Only three weeks after insisting that California should encourage dense development near transit lines, state lawmakers have approved a budget that yanks funding from transit and redevelopment.

Should California Restrict Driving In Order To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
A statewide cap on driving?
Here’s the thing nobody is quite willing to say out loud about implementing California’s climate change law in the land use arena: The state may have to place an overall cap on vehicle miles traveled (VMT), even as it must accommodate more growth.