Towards the waning moments of yesterday's UCLA Extension Land Use Law and Planning Conference in downtown Los Angeles, I was on the verge of deploying the following tweet via @Cal_Plan : "Ucla Land Use Law Conf: am in a roomful of lawyers and all seem in accord: no one has voiced

This week, as redevelopment agencies were shutting down in observance of yesterday's dissolution deadline, the State Senate approved a bill that would preserve former redevelopment funds that had been dedicated to the provision of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income r

The California Supreme Court's decision to strike down AB X1 27 and uphold AB X1 26 set off a frantic timeline by which redevelopment agencies essentially must preside over their own funerals while "successor agencies" take control of their assets and contracts. Since the Dec. 29

UPDATE: Friday afternoon Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly refused to grant a stay against the dissolution of redevelopment, rejecting arguments advanced in two separate suits, led by the cities of Cerritos and Carlsbad. The ruling means that the dissolution of redevelopment

This week Gov. Jerry Brown announced a draft package of reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act. The reforms are intended to streamline and simplify certain types of urban developments in order to reduce costs and hardship for developers who are pursuing environmental

Despite intense lobbying from supporters of redevelopment, Senate Bill 659, sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Los Angeles) appears headed for defeat. Senate President Pro Tem Darrel Steinberg (D-Sacramento) yesterday told the Sacramento Bee , "It's not going to happen."

With only a few days to go before the February 1 deadline to dissolve the state's redevelopment agencies, the Department of Finance has published a website describing the dissolution process as mandated by Assembly Bill X1 26. The site is intended to answer a host of questions th

Last week bond rating agency Moody's took California's redevelopment bonds down a notch , and today fellow rating agency Fitch is expressing similiar concerns.

If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the sounds of hammers in some parts of California. After nearly five long years of recession and stagnation, recent reports indicate that new residential construction may be picking up.

Credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service downgraded by one notch all California tax allocation bonds rated Baa2 and above. Moody's is monitoring all other redevelopment bonds and may issue a downgrade in the future.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Los Angeles) has introduced legislation that could give California's redevelopment agencies if not a reprieve then at least a stay of execution. Senate Bill 659 would push the dissolution date from Feb. 1 to April 15 in order to allow cities and agencies time

While cities around the state have been, reluctantly, agreeing to serve as undertakers for their respective redevelopment agencies, the Los Angeles City Council indicated this week that the city will not do so.