The City of Berkeley’s approval of density bonuses for a mixed-use project has been upheld by the First District Court of Appeal, which rejected a project opponent’s contention that the city had wrongly applied the state density bonus law.

Resident concerns about the social and psychological impact associated with the conversion of a horse-boarding facility to a 12-lot subdivision do not constitute a "community character" issue requiring an environmental impact report, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Steve Jobs. That's the only reference to Apple's ubiquitous founder that this review will include. In Geography of Genius, journalist Eric Weiner does the world a favor by reminding us that there are, and have been, other greats who deserve the mantle of genius. Taken seriously, "Geography of Genius" is a troubling book, lauding a scant few individuals throughout history who, by a combination of talent, relative privilege, and good fortune qualify as "geniuses." Fortunately, we don't have to take it that seriously. Its strength and weakness that it is not a rigorous scholarly review but rather a romp through human achievement - and the cities where it has taken place. Organized chronologically, each chapter travels to a different city and investigates a different type of genius, spanning some 3,000 years. There's a fun, parlor-game quality to anticipation, both of what city will come next and of what might qualify as "genius" for Weiner.

Five years ago, metropolitan regions across California started implementing what is arguably the most significant statewide land-use and transportation policy to come along in generations: Senate Bill 375.

An appellate court has refused a developer’s request to order the City of Sebastopol to approve an environmental impact report on which the city began work in 2001.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Monday not take the appeal in  California Building Industry Association v. City of San Jose , the case in which the California Supreme Court upheld San Jose's inclusionary housing requirement. But the court was not completely silent.

On December 21, the Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, deployed a suite of communications satellites, and, in impressive fashion, came back down to Earth. Using its engines to dull the force of gravity, it survived re-entry and hit its football-field sized landing pad like a Tesla backing into a garage. The Falcon 9's return from the heavens was an early Christmas miracle, courtesy of Elon Musk, one of the world's few celebrity engineers. It is a product of SpaceX, Musk's pioneering private space-travel company based in Hawthorne. He can now add space to the list of fields - from electric cars, to battery power, to credit card payments - that his ventures have conquered. (A similar launch Jan. 17 didn't go quite so well.) Next, Musk hopes to revolutionize long-distance transit. That one may make rocket science look like child's play. For the uninitiated: Hyperloop is - depending on whom you ask - either the name brand or the generic concept behind the next generation of magnetic levitation technology. It's envisioned as either a train or as a set of individual pods that, unlike conventional maglev (which never really caught on, except on a 21-mile line in Shanghai), would run through depressurized tubes. Yes, tubes. As in under the ground. The technology makes intuitive sense. It uses the estimable power of magnetic propulsion while avoiding the mortal enemy of all moving things: air resistance. With potential speeds north of 600 miles per hour, the "hyper" is obvious; whether "loop" refers to the circular tube or to the idea that these things will be encircling us sooner than you can say " California High Speed Rail " is but one of its delightful mysteries.

Sexy-sporty clothing brand American Apparel has long been one of the Los Angeles' most beloved, and most controversial, corporate citizens. It is known for paying decent wages and treating its workers well. When it easily could have outsourced jobs to Asia, it has also resolutely kept its main  factory  in Los Angeles, occupying a muscular, seven-story industrial building on the southeast edge of downtown since 2000. American Apparel has proudly championed social-justice causes, including  immigration reform  and  gay rights ,  and assured consumers that they are buying "sweatshop-free" garments made by well treated workers. They're just the sort of workers who might -  might  - benefit from the forthcoming increase in California's minimum wage. If only they - and every other low-wage worker in Los Angeles - had decent roofs over their heads. Unfortunately, American Apparel, which has suffered through jittery balance sheets and the checkered reputation of founder and former CEO Dov Charney, hasn't made a profit since 2009. The Los Angeles Times distressingly, if unsurprisingly,  reports  that American Apparel now intends to shed 500 of its roughly 4,000 Los Angeles-area jobs.

Coastal California has long been known for harrowing natural hazards: wildfires, drought, floods, the occasional tsunami, and, of course, earthquakes. It has also developed some serious human-made hazards too: chronic poverty, sea level rise, crime, pollution, riots, fragile energy grids, stratospheric housing costs, among others.

In an absurd twist on use of the Tuolomne Tactic, Carlsbad voters have apparently overturned the city council’s decision to adopt a proposed ballot initiative approving a specific plan that would permit developer Rick Caruso to move forward with a shopping center.

In the second medical marijuana ruling out of the City of Upland in the last week, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled that Upland's ban on mobile medical marijuana dispensaries is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday that he has selected Vince Bertoni as the city's new planning director, replacing Michael Lo Grande. Bertoni is currently planning director of Pasadena and a former deputy director in Los Angeles. Bertoni must be confirmed by the L.A. City Council.