CP&DR News Briefs: October 27, 2026:

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Climate Report Anticipates Impacts of Warming, Weather Disruption on California 

According to California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment, which analyzes the impacts of changing weather patterns on the state, major climate change is projected in the state including longer, hotter summers, more widespread and extreme flooding, and increased exposure to wildfire smoke. The study projected that average temperatures will rise by about 4°F by midcentury, while average summer conditions will extend to 135 days, up from 90 days between 1981 and 2010. It also projects that by 2100, as much as 75% of California’s beaches could disappear seasonally or permanently without major intervention and sea-level rise could put $78 billion in property at risk from coastal flooding. In addition to coastal threats, climate change also threatens Sierra Nevada snowpack, which is expected to decline by 40% by midcentury and 60% by 2100, reducing a critical source of water for the state. As a result, fruit yields are expected to fall by as much as 40%, and irrigated acreage in the San Joaquin Valley is expected to decline by up to 40%. The assessment is produced by California’s Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and examines multiple greenhouse gas emissions scenarios and outlines adaptation strategies. Officials say the findings are intended to help communities and policymakers prepare for climate impacts, emphasizing that future projections and outcomes depend partly on decisions made today.

Beverly Hills Gets Cold Feet over SB 79 Alternative Plan 

Just months after adopting it, Beverly Hills will rescind its alternative plan for implementing SB 79, allowing the state’s standard housing requirements to apply to certain properties in the city. SB 79 increases allowable housing density, building heights and floor area ratios near qualifying transit stops. the alternative plan aimed to limit increased housing density in single-family neighborhoods by shifting some development capacity to mixed-use properties near the Wilshire/La Cienega Metro station. Residents urged the council to consider revising the plan or conducting an independent legal review, but city staff and council members said revisions were unlikely to succeed and supported rescinding the plan. According to staff reports Beverly Hills met with the California Department of Housing and Community Development at least 14 times between late 2025 and July. City officials said they initially agreed with several of Beverly Hills’ interpretations before later reversing course. The city will now prepare an ordinance and resolution to formally repeal the alternative plan, subject to Planning Commission review and final City Council approval. It is believed to be the first such action in the short history of SB 79, which went into effect July 1. (See related CP&DR coverage.)

Drawing Protest, Developer Considers Data Center at Old Town San Diego Navy Property 

Manchester Financial Group confirmed that housing will be a major component of its proposed plan to redevelop 70 acres of Navy-owned land near downtown San Diego, despite growing controversy over a potential data center at the site. Manchester has been exploring a 400-megawatt data center as part of a broader project that could include thousands of multifamily homes, retail, commercial and industrial space, and new Navy facilities. Company CEO Ted Eldredge said housing would be essential to the project’s feasibility, although the total number of homes has not been determined. Under the proposed arrangement, Manchester would build a new Navy command center in exchange for a 99-year lease to redevelop two portions of the project, to be named the Naval Base Point Loma Old Town Campus. The proposal has drawn criticism from local officials, some of whom have advocated for a mixed-use neighborhood rather than a large data center. Concerns have also emerged over the facility’s electricity demand and the potential cost of necessary grid upgrades. Though the city promised to do its best to protect the community from the data center or potentially shouldering any costs of the project, the land is technically federal, giving the city limited control. Manchester maintains that several development options remain under consideration, and no final plan has been approved.

CP&DR Coverage: Counting the Ways Trump is Meddling In California 

In the 18 months since Trump took office, CP&DR has run over 30 items in our weekly news briefs referring to the Trump administration. That's an average of close to one per week. Needless to say, Trump does not hesitate to tell the world what he likes and dislikes. Likes: beautiful women; tariffs. Dislikes: vegetables; the post-World War II global order. But few things under or beyond Trump's jurisdiction raise his ire as like California does. It's a "disaster." It's "out of control." CP&DR cataloged just a few of the ways in which the Trump administration has attacked California's environment, land uses, and related policies.

Quick Hits & Updates

The California High-Speed Rail Authority released the final EIR for the 30-mile Los Angeles-to-Anaheim segment, bringing the project closer to completing environmental review for its first phase. The preferred plan would share tracks with Amtrak and Metrolink, build a maintenance facility in Vernon and separate rail traffic from road crossings at five locations, and retain eight existing crossings in Anaheim. Despite this progress, funding cuts, escalating costs and a lawsuit involving related rail infrastructure continue to threaten the timeline for bringing high-speed rail service to Los Angeles which initially projected service in the Central Valley for the early 2030s.

A growing share of working-age renters is struggling to pay for housing and utilities, according to an Urban Institute. One in five renters ages 18 to 64 reported missing or being late on rent at some point in 2025, up from 16.5 percent in 2024 and the highest share since the survey began tracking the measure in 2019. The increase was concentrated among middle-income renters, whose rate jumped from 14.3 percent to 21.6 percent, though lower-income renters remained the most likely to report problems (27.8 percent). About 20.7 percent of working-age renters also said they could not pay the full amount of their heating or electricity bills.

California issued permits for 36,600 multifamily housing units in the first eight months of 2026, a 33% increase from the previous year and the third-best start to a year since 1990. This was 12% above the state’s 10-year average, while permits issued over the past decade rose 48% compared with the previous 10 years. Los Angeles and Orange counties led growth with 16,643 multifamily units permitted. By contrast, multifamily permitting outside California increased just 2% year over year and remained 4% below its 10-year average.

The Los Angeles Unified School District voted to advance plans to redevelop two district-owned properties in Woodland Hills and West Hollywood into affordable and workforce housing. Development company Affirmed Housing was selected to turn the 6.5-acre former Collins Elementary School campus in Woodland Hills into 391 apartments for households earning 30% to 120% of the area median income. (See related CP&DR coverage.)