In Brief
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San Bernardino County Corruption Bombshell Drops
By Paul Shigley on 25 February 2010 - 10:26amSan Bernardino County has experienced more than its share of corruption during the past two decades, including the conviction of two county administrative officers, a county supervisor’s admission that he accepted bribes, and both successful and pending prosecution of elected officials in county and city government. But none of the past episodes compares with the scandal outlined in mid-February by Attorney General Jerry Brown and District Attorney Michael Ramos.
Alameda Navy Base Reuse Agreement In Doubt
By Paul Shigley on 25 February 2010 - 10:19amRelations between the City of Alameda and developer SunCal appear to have soured in the wake of voters’ overwhelming defeat of SunCal’s plan to redevelop Alameda Naval Air Station. Three days after 85% of voters rejected SunCal’s plan during a February 2 special election, city officials sent SunCal a notice of default, the first step in ending SunCal’s exclusive negotiating agreement to redevelop the base.
Database Identifies Every Public Open Space
By Paul Shigley on 25 February 2010 - 10:15amThe nonprofit organization GreenInfo Network has released a newly revised database that attempts to identify every publicly protected parcel of open land in California, ranging from national forest to urban pocket park. The database inventories 49 million acres of protected land composed of 51,500 separate holdings owned by 860 governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations. Downloadable for free, the information should be of use to planners, academics, government agencies, nonprofit organization, businesses and others, said Larry Orman, GreenInfo Network executive director.
Gold Rush Ranch Opponents Submit Referendum Signatures
By Paul Shigley on 25 February 2010 - 10:12amOpponents of the Gold Rush Ranch 1,600-unit housing development and golf resort in Sutter Creek submitted referendum petitions with 468 signatures in early February (see CP&DR Local Watch, January 15, 2010). If as few as one-third of those signatures is valid, the referendum of the Gold Rush Ranch specific plan and general plan amendment would qualify for the ballot, possibly as soon as June.
Alameda Voters Reject Navy Base Reuse Plan
By Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 12:27pmCity of Alameda voters have overwhelmingly rejected a plan to redevelop Alameda Naval Air Station. In a February 2 special election, 85.4% of voters said “no” to Measure B, which would have permitted developer SunCal Companies to move forward with a housing and industrial project on about 1,000 acres of Navy real estate.
Chula Vista Bayfront Land Swap Approved
By Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 12:18pmCharacterized as “the last piece in the puzzle” for Chula Vista bayfront redevelopment, a land swap between the San Diego Unified Port District and developer Pacifica Holdings has been approved by the district and the City of Chula Vista.
County Supervisor Asks PUC To Reconsider Transmission Corridor
By Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 12:10pmSan Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob has asked the state Public Utilities Commission to reconsider its approval of the Sunrise Powerlink transmission corridor because of its potential to make the unincorporated community of Alpine into “a ghost town” due to years of construction.
Feds Step Into Middle Of Transbay Terminal Argument
By Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 11:49amA $400 million economic stimulus grant from the federal government for the proposed Transbay Terminal in San Francisco will provide the final piece of financing for construction of the first, $1.2 billion phase of the terminal project. However, federal transportation officials appear to have stepped into the middle of a dispute between local officials and the California High Speed Rail Authority over the precise terminus for high-speed rail in San Francisco by siding with the locals. In addition, one rail authority board member, former judge and state Sen.
Local Governments Say Roads Need $100 Billion Of Maintenance
By Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 11:43amLocal road and street maintenance needs an additional $71 billion investment over the next 10 years, according to a study prepared by the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities. The study identified $99.7 billion worth of maintenance needed to roads, streets and their essential components, such as storm drains, sidewalks and signals. However, only $28.3 billion is expected to be available.
Annual Housing Starts Reach All-Time Low
By Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 11:34amIt’s official: 2009 was the slowest year for new housing construction since the 1940s. Builders pulled permits for only 36,209 housing units in 2009, according to the Construction Industry Research Board. That was a little more than half of the 64,962 housing starts in 2008, which had been the record post-war low.