California
CP&DR Seeks Marketing Manager
Submitted by jstephens on 26 May 2010 - 10:23pmThe lives of 39 million people are affected by the news that CP&DR reports, and we're trying to get as many of them to subscribe to and advertise in the newsletter as possible.
We are therefore seeking resourceful, energetic candidates to market and promote CP&DR, California's leading land use publication. Responsibilities would include soliciting subscriptions, selling print and online ads, and promoting the newsletter in a variety of venues. There will be ample room for creativity and pursuit of a vast market of planners, public officials, and other land use professionals.
The ideal candidate will have professional marketing experience as well as familiarity with some combination of journalism, land use, development, and state politics. This position would be paid on commission and can be conducted virtually from anywhere in California.
Use of Formula OK’d for Assessing Habitat Impact
Submitted by jstephens on 30 August 2010 - 8:19pmOverview
A development project in Redding that would destroy critical habitat for endangered species may proceed because the affected habitat constitutes a small percentage of habitat available nationwide, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal has ruled.
The Ninth Circuit’s decision puts a new twist on the debate over what constitutes “adverse modification” to critical habitat by upholding a black and white mathematical percentage formula applied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Using the formula, a FWS biological opinion determine there would not be adverse modification or destruction of critical habitat of three species native to the Central Valley.
August Legislative Roundup
Submitted by jstephens on 16 August 2010 - 6:27amThis month’s legislative session, which concludes August 31, includes no game changers like SB 375, but it does include a few bills related to land use and redevelopment that bear watching.
CEQA
Los Angeles Stadium CEQA Exemption
Over 100 organizations have signed on to a statement circulated by the Planning and Conservation League opposing a CEQA exemption for the development of a would-be NFL football stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The concerns have arisen in part because of an exemption granted to Majestic Realty in 2009 for its proposed stadium in the City of Industry and because of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stated desire to grant exemptions to certain projects in the name of economic development.
CESA Applies to State Agencies
Submitted by jstephens on 16 August 2010 - 6:09amThe Department of Water Resources is a “person” for the purposes of the Fish and Game Code and thus is prohibited from killing an endangered or threatened species protected by the California Endangered Species Act, the First District Court of Appeal has ruled.
ARB Staff Releases Proposed SB 375 Targets
Submitted by jstephens on 9 August 2010 - 12:50pmThe staff of the California resources board has released a staff report (pdf) and CEQA functional equivalent (pdf) document with its proposals for per capita greenhouse gas emissions targets for the state's four largest MPO's. The report comes roughly two months after ARB staff presented the board with a target range of 5-10 percent per capita reductions for 2020 for the four urban MPOs and "placeholder targets" for those of the Central Valley.
Somewhat unexpectedly, ARB staff has recommended different targets for each of the "big four."
Cantil-Sakauye Brings Fact-Based, Moderate Approach to CEQA
Submitted by jstephens on 4 August 2010 - 4:58pmAs CP&DR’s Senior Editor Paul Shigley pointed out last week in his blog, retiring Chief Justice Ronald George of the California Supreme Court gained a well-earned reputation as a centrist and a unifier.
George Leaves Legacy As Centrist, Unifier
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 20 July 2010 - 4:59pmCalifornia Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George is probably most widely known for his 2008 majority opinion striking down the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriages, and for his 2009 opinion begrudgingly upholding voters’ ability to ban same-sex marriage and effectively reverse the court’s earlier ruling. But in land use planning and development circles, George’s legacy is one of centrism and consensus. Time and again, George has corralled all of his colleagues into unanimous decisions on sticky land use regulatory issues.
In light of George’s announcement last week that he will not seek re-election this November, a quick review of the George court’s land use decisions is in order.
Vision California: Science or Value Judgment?
Submitted by jstephens on 19 July 2010 - 12:54pmThe Vision California modeling exercise, however meticulous in its calculation methods, still relies on a slate of assumptions that call for some vigilant critiques. Calthorpe & Associates, which devised Vision California based on previous work, have stated elsewhere that the key to the global warming crisis lies in curbing “sprawl,” that pejorative term for low-density suburban development. To the extent that a large lot, single-family home with a multi-car garage represents a choice, it is in Calthorpe’s view neither a preferable nor sustainable one.
One Spreadsheet to Plan Them All
Submitted by jstephens on 18 July 2010 - 9:59pmOf the many raps on urban planning post-World War II, one of the biggest was that it was led by the head and not by the heart. Engineers made precise calculations that yielded efficient highways but not much by way of soul. Though that trend has largely been abandoned, the release of a new, ambitious study may usher in a new approach to empirically based planning.
Joel Kotkin Anticipates How California Will Handle Its Share Of ‘The Next 100 Million’
Submitted by jstephens on 18 July 2010 - 11:23amIt doesn’t matter which superlative you pick: 25 Los Angeleses. 100 San Joses. 2,000 Poways. Nearly three Californias. That’s how many people will be added to the United States population by the year 2050. They are not all going to live in Los Angeles, San Jose, or Poway, but a great many of them are going to live in California, thus pushing the state’s population to about 60 million, according to the state Department of Finance.