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Any development or plan in California that includes parking these days -- and that means pretty much every plan -- probably includes less parking than it would have a generation ago. That means it owes a debt to Prof. Donald Shoup.  Most famous for his 2005 book The High Cost of Free Parking , Shoup famously inspired planners, developers, and even everyday fans to reconsider the amount of parking that cities need and the price that drivers should pay (or not pay) for it. It's no wonder that the scholar who revolutionized the field of parking was based in California -- a land famous for auto-dependency and, by extension, parking-dependancy. Much of Shoup's field research took place in Westwood, right next to UCLA, where he taught for five decades. Just like the drive-through burger stand and the urban freeway, parking reform was a homegrown California product.   Prof. Shoup passed away Feb. 6 at the age of 86. CP&DR asked planners from California and elsewhere to share their thoughts on Don Shoup's passing. "I used to joke that my three greatest achievements as Mayor of Pasadena were, first, the adoption of our transit-oriented General Plan; third, putting parking meters in Old Pasadena, and second, not getting thrown out of office for putting parking meters in Old Pasadena. Dr. Shoup drew on that ultimately successful experiment to give intellectual heft and devise a comprehensive theory of change. No urban scholar in our time has had more practical effect on rethinking and reshaping how policy shapes the built form of our cities. He single-handedly sparked a revolution by challenging the conventional wisdom of voodoo traffic science. What's particularly endearing is that he did it with curiosity, humor and an impish disdain for pomposity." Rick Cole , former Mayor and current Councilmember, City of Pasadena Don Shoup was a true giant of our field. He is known for how he revolutionized our understanding of parking. But he also revolutionized the way we understand neighborhoods and entire cities. He will be missed, but his ideas and intellect will live on. Richard Florida , author, The Rise of the Creative Class "Don Shoup was already 67 when The High Cost of Free Parking was released; a late bloomer, like Cézanne. The book made his name. In addition to dismantling many precepts of urban planning, it is laugh-out-loud funny and swimming in delightful anecdotes and unforgettable metaphors, qualities that owed much to Shoup’s relentless revisions, under the guidance of many students and the editorial expertise of his wife Pat."   "Perhaps it was because he found fame late in life that Don was humble about his breakthrough and so helpful to everyone who came calling. His favorite bon mot about the field he founded—“I’m a bottom feeder, but there’s a lot of food down there”—always struck me as charmingly self-effacing, given his impact, but for a while, maybe it felt like a defense of an unloved pursuit."   "Ideas are only any good if there are people to put them into practice. In Don’s case, he inspired ... an entire professional network dedicated to the perpetuation of his discoveries. We should all be so lucky, when our time on the meter runs out, to leave a legacy like his." Henry Grabar , author, Paved Paradise (reprinted with permission from his Substack, The Ground Floor ) "One thing that always impressed me about Donald Shoup was his remarkable messaging discipline. When protesters and counter-protesters took over UCLA campus in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict, I asked him for his take on the whole thing. He didn't miss a beat: 'I'm just wondering where they all parked.'" Nolan Gray , Policy Director, California YIMBY; Author, Arbitrary Lines "Professor Shoup was very kind, helpful and enthusiastic as we pursued parking reform in the California State Legislature with then-Assemblymember Laura Friedman in 2021 and 2022. The legislation ultimately eliminated minimum parking requirements for developments within one-half mile of a major transit stop. As the bill moved through the legislative process, he tasked his students with tracking, analyzing and identifying preferred amendments to it." Michael Lane , State Policy Director, SPUR "Right until the end of his life, Don still came to his office most days, taught his popular course on parking policy for graduate and undergraduate students every year, wrote and published papers, and regularly met with and mentored the many current students who shared his interests. Few scholars have had the real world impact on planning practice that Don did. His work on parking policy launched a formidable reform movement that only continues to gather steam. His research has quite literally changed cities."    "Don was a genial and mischievous person, who enjoyed teaching, chatting (sometimes gossiping) with people in hallways, and buttonholing colleagues to talk about research (usually parking research). He had a contagious curiosity that made him a model for his students, myself included." Michael Manville , Chair of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs "One day I realized I really needed some computer gizmo and the only place to get it was the Apple Store in Pasadena that I could hit on my way home to Altadena. Trouble is that they closed at 6 and it was already 5:05 and I was on the USC campus south of DTLA. This was near impossible at rush hour, of course, but there was hope. Don Shoup's new parking scheme had been implemented. Rather than cruise around the area, find a place and then run blocks to the closing store, would I get lucky? You betcha, right in front, and the day was saved! Fairly or not, I always credited Don Shoup for this small victory." I will continue to hold Don Shoup up as a model to my grad students. He found his blinding insight about the overlooked but central importance of parking, and he battled back against the entrenched forces of professional tradition (the planners, engineers and merchants). Nothing as glamorous as Frank Gehry, these parking lots and garages, but way more important to the making of better city life. Shoup stayed on message a long time (decades!) and finally the light dawned on the rest of us. Dowell Myers , Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy “Don was instrumental in promoting Pasadena’s creative “return to source” parking meter revenue strategy . Returning the “upside” of revenue over net operating income for parking meter district improvements had never been done before but Don thought enough of Pasadena’s financing strategy to include it in his book, The High Cost of Free Parking. Thank you, Don!” Marsha Rood , Former Development Administrator, City of Pasadena "Back in 2010, I wrote an  article about the Shoupian revolution for InTransition Magazine. When I interviewed Prof. Shoup, I referred to having read The High Cost of Free Parking. Only slightly horrified at the thought of anyone reading hundreds of pages of economic analysis, he replied, 'You read the whole thing?!' I admitted that I had skimmed it, which made him feel better."   "Prof. Shoup's good humor was not just a fun foible. It surely contributed to his influence. Planning can be dry sometimes (as evidenced by his own book) and Prof. Shoup made complex, appealing ideas all the more appealing through his candor and good humor. Even as planners fight against parking minimums using Prof. Shoup's calculations, they would also do well to follow his personal example." Josh Stephens , Contributing Editor, CP&DR

When Bay Area Rapid Transit tracks were being built in Berkeley over a half-century ago, Berkeley residents voted to put the trains underground so they wouldn’t divide the city. About the only visible sign of BART, other than the portals themselves, was the existence of two large parking lots connected to stations on the north and south ends of town. Though they were designed as park-and-rides for commuters, it turns out that they were also placeholders for sorely needed housing. According to a complex, recently inked agreement between the city and BART, those lots will be used to build transit oriented Development (primarily housing) at the two stations known as the Ashby and North Berkeley BART Stations. Recently, the Berkeley City Council approved measures designed to spur new development at its Ashby station, after years of disputes between the city and BART over the station’s air rights. The city has agreed to relinquish its air rights over two parking lots that serve the Ashby station – thus enabling BART to develop multistory housing on the west lot, with community benefits – in exchange for city ownership of the east lot. That agreement enabled the council, in turn, to issue a request for development proposals. The North Berkeley station plans are further along, with construction set to begin in about a year.

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here . You can sign up for CP&DR 's free weekly newsletter here . Los Angeles Studio Redevelopment Draws Lawsuit The owners of the Farmers Market, a vintage food hall in central Los Angeles, have filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, arguing that the city's environmental review of the Television City 2050 project underestimates the impacts the project will have on both the market and the surrounding community. Designed by Foster+Partners, the project would redevelop the 25-acre CBS studios, adding over 1 million square feet for a total of 1.8 million square feet of studio and commercial space. The lawsuit claims the city granted the developer excessive freedom to alter plans without adequate oversight, potentially harming nearby landowners and infrastructure. The petition seeks to halt the project, alleging violations of city code, CEQA and the Housing Crisis Act. The Farmers Market owners argue that the project's environmental impact report lacked transparency and failed to properly analyze the development's consequences. Concerns include increased traffic, noise, air pollution and damage to historic resources, with claims that the review process was flawed and did not adequately disclose the project's true environmental effects. Pico Rivera Envisions 305-Acre Transit-Oriented District The City of Pico Rivera, in eastern Los Angeles County, is planning a large-scale mixed-use development as part of its Pico Rivera 2035 initiative to transform the city into a commercial and transportation hub. The city recently submitted the plan's EIR to the state for approval. The Washington and Rosemead Boulevards Transit-Oriented Development Specific Plan includes up to 2,336 residential units and nearly 5.9 million square feet of commercial space across 305 acres. The district is divided into zones for residential, commercial, industrial and flexible-use spaces, with a mix of low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise multifamily buildings. The broader initiative also includes a new Metrolink commuter rail station and improvements to local bike paths and bus routes to enhance public transit. The project aligns with other regional transit developments, including L.A. Metro's East San Fernando Valley light rail line, which recently received federal funding and is now slated for completion by 2031. Trump Pledges to Scrutinize High Speed Rail President Trump plans to investigate California's high-speed rail project, claiming the project is badly managed and billions of dollars over budget. Trump previously revoked over $1 billion in federal grants from the project in 2019. Originally estimated at $45 billion in 2008, the project's cost has risen to $128 billion, with delays and funding challenges affecting progress. Trump claimed the project was off-track and not serving its intended locations. The California High-Speed Rail Authority disputes these statements, emphasizing ongoing construction and economic benefits. A report from the project's Inspector General highlighted risks of delays and uncertainties, particularly regarding the completion of a 119-mile Central Valley segment. Despite criticisms, the authority maintains that every dollar is accounted for, with environmental clearance secured and construction advancing. Newsom Directs Coastal Commission to Permit Wildfire Rebuilding Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the Coastal Commission not to interfere with wildfire rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles County, criticizing its previous guidance as legally incorrect. Much of the damaged area in the Palisades Fire lies within the Coastal Zone. The order suspends Coastal Act permitting requirements, expands temporary housing options for fire survivors and streamlines debris removal efforts. Newsom emphasized that bureaucratic obstacles should not slow down recovery, following earlier moves to waive environmental laws and ease ADU construction. The commission had previously stated that rebuilding was allowed within the same footprint with some size expansion requiring exemptions. CP&DR Legal Coverage: Ventura Main St. Closure; Oakland Subdivision Map Act Quandary Ventura's permanent closure of Main Street in the downtown area does not violate the state Streets & Highways Code, a Superior Court judge has ruled. More specifically, the court ruled that allowing emergency vehicles and delivery trucks to use Main Street while closing it to through traffic does not mean the closure is “partial” under state law. A group of downtown property owners sued to block the permanent closure, saying the city's action constituted a partial closing under the Streets & Highways Code. The property owners also said the city violated the Pedestrian Mall Act of 1960. Among other things, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Matthew Guasco found that Ventura did not abuse its discretion under the streets and highways code. The California Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling and said that even though a parcel was created in the 19 th century, it's not a legal parcel under the Subdivision Map Act. The case involves the property owner's attempt to establish that an 8,800-square-foot single-family lot in Oakland is actually several lots because the original parcel map was filed prior to the Subdivision Map Act's passage. Oakland refused to give the property owner a certificate of compliance because the “lot” had never been conveyed by itself but only in combination with other “lots” on the same parcel. The appellate court ruled in favor of the property owner. The state Supreme Court overturned the appellate opinion and ruled in favor of the city. It's the first major “antiquated subdivision” ruling in almost 20 years. Quick Hits & Updates San Diego city leaders are considering rolling back or eliminating an incentive that allows property owners to build multiple accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on single-family lots, citing concerns about overcrowding and neighborhood impacts. While supporters argue the incentive helps address the housing crisis by creating affordable units, critics claim it disrupts community character, strains local infrastructure and increases property values, making homeownership less accessible. A neighbor of West Sacramento's Southport community has filed an appeal against the Yarbrough Master Plan, which seeks to build 3,000 new housing units, arguing that the project's 2008 environmental review is outdated. The plan includes parks, retail spaces and infrastructure improvements, but the plaintiff contends the fast-paced approval process is influenced by the city's need to meet state housing goals. The Santee City Council approved a significant increase in developer impact fees, the first in 19 years, raising fees for residential, commercial and industrial projects to offset their impact on local infrastructure. The new fees will take effect in 60 days, with increases ranging from 19% to 126%, depending on the type of development. The Norwalk City Council adopted a revised plan for a 13-acre development at the Civic Center, which will now feature 374 homes, including 56 affordable units and 94,000 square feet of commercial space. The updated project focuses more on housing, reduces parking requirements and includes nearly 120,000 square feet of open space, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Point Reyes National Seashore has reached an agreement to phase out ranching on most of the park's land, marking the end of a longstanding tradition tied to the area's rural identity. The deal, which involves $30 million in buyouts coordinated by the Nature Conservancy, will see 12 ranchers retire their leases, ending operations on nearly 16,000 acres, with a focus on restoring the natural landscape and allowing tule elk to roam freely. The Oakland City Council adopted the city's first Urban Forest Plan, aiming to maintain and grow the city's urban forest over the next 50 years, with a focus on equity and sustainability. The plan includes maintaining the current 20.6% tree canopy, prioritizing tree planting in communities affected by pollution and creating green-collar jobs, with funding support from a $1 million CAL FIRE grant and additional resources like $8 million from the USDA Forest Service. A recent San Francisco report highlights the potential of social housing, a mixed-income public model that could become financially independent with the right investment and low-interest loans. Supervisors are promoting the model to combat the city's housing shortage, which is currently falling short of state affordability targets. A new study finds the recent wildfires in Los Angeles were driven by extreme weather conditions and exacerbated significantly by climate change. The study confirms that human-induced global warming has made such extreme fire weather conditions 35% more likely and 6% more intense, contributing to the rapid spread of these fires and highlighting the region's growing vulnerability to future wildfire disasters. The San Diego Association of Governments is exploring alternative designs for its proposed Purple Line to address congestion between San Ysidro and Sorrento Valley. The project, which aims to alleviate traffic and improve transit efficiency, faces significant cost challenges and lower-than-expected ridership projections, leading SANDAG to consider options like light rail, bus services or a driverless system, with construction possibly taking decades. Two San Francisco Supervisors have introduced legislation to streamline the approval process for chain stores like Target and Starbucks on a 2-mile stretch of Van Ness Avenue in an effort to fill vacant storefronts. The proposal aims to revitalize the area, which has faced significant vacancies due to its history as "auto row," by making it easier for large retailers to open and attracting more business to the corridor.

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here . You can sign up for CP&DR 's free weekly newsletter here . Suisun City Annexation May Aid California Forever The Suisun City city council voted to explore annexing land ostensibly to boost its finances, with potential expansion options including farmland owned by California Forever, a developer planning a large new city in Solano County. Critics argue that annexation could allow the project, now called the East Solano Plan, to bypass voter approval requirements, while supporters believe it could provide much-needed revenue for the cash-strapped city. Mayor Alma Hernandez insists the city's priority is financial stability, not California Forever, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining public services with limited funds. At four square miles, Suisin City has about 28,000 residents; the East Solano Plan envisions several hundred thousand on over 20 square miles. Opponents advocate for infill development instead, but city officials note that past efforts to build within city limits have been largely unsuccessful. The debate continues over whether expanding the city outward is the best solution, with concerns about infrastructure, job access and the impact on Travis Air Force Base playing a key role in discussions. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Two Lithium Projects Near Salton Sea Advance A California judge ruled in favor of the Hells Kitchen lithium extraction project in Imperial County, rejecting environmentalists' concerns over inadequate studies on air and water impacts and tribal consultation. Despite legal delays, Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) remains committed to its $2 billion geothermal lithium facility near the Salton Sea, aiming to boost clean energy supply while addressing environmental concerns. Separately, the U.S. Department of Energy pledged up to $1.36 billion in funding for the ATLiS lithium extraction facility, which will use direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology to produce 20,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide annually. Both projects, key to the emerging "Lithium Valley," seek to secure domestic lithium supplies for EV batteries and reduce reliance on foreign sources. While industry leaders praise these developments, advocacy groups continue pushing for stronger environmental protections and community benefits. Trump Intervenes in Statewide Water Delivery System President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to increase Central Valley water deliveries and override environmental regulations, including the Endangered Species Act. The move, aimed primarily at benefiting farmers, was framed as a response to California's wildfires, though critics argue it has no impact on fire suppression. Environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers condemned the order, warning it threatens ecosystems and could face legal challenges. The order reinstates Trump-era water rules that reduce environmental protections but could ultimately deliver less water to farms than Biden's policies. Experts dispute Trump's claims about California's water sources, emphasizing that its supply depends on Sierra Nevada snowmelt, not external sources like the Pacific Northwest or Canada. San Diego Implements Coastal Resilience Plan Utilizing grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the California State Coastal Conservancy, the City of San Diego has implemented its Coastal Resilience Master Plan, aimed at enhancing the resilience of San Diego's coastal communities to sea-level rise. Focusing on six locations, including Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach and La Jolla Shores, the plan includes technical studies, environmental analysis and community outreach through workshops, pop-up events and surveys. The suggestions included in the plan will integrate natural features into environmental management and engineering to enhance climate resilience, support coastal protection and preserve resources, while providing multiple benefits such as hazard mitigation, ecological enhancement and recreational value to park visitors. CP&DR Coverage: Wildfire Updates Los Angeles County is asking the state to suspend a wide variety of housing production laws - including SB 35 and SB 330 - while the unincorporated Altadena community recovers from the recent wildfires. The request was part of an overall recovery package the board considered on January 28, included the following provisions, among others: temporary suspension of SB 35 and SB 9 in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones; temporary suspension of the requirement for ground floor commercial on projects that take advantage of State by-right or State density bonus laws in Altadena's commercial areas; five-year suspension of SB 330 in fire-impacted areas, including the “no net loss” of housing requirement. One of the state's leading practitioners of fire-resistant planning is Erik de Kok, Director of Interdisciplinary Planning at Ascent Environmental. De Kok has been involved with the development and implementation of updated regulations intended to help Californians weather increasingly frequent and destructive fires; he oversaw the creation of the Office of Planning and Research's 2022 Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory. CP&DR spoke with de Kok about the future of fire-related planning in California. Quick Hits & Updates A recent study from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) suggests that adding 15 new long-distance Amtrak routes could provide rail access to 39 million more people, including many areas that currently lack service. In California, a new route would connect Phoenix to the Bay Area via Barstow and the Central Valley; it would be part of a longer route connecting San Francisco with Dallas. The study contributes to the broader effort to enhance train travel in the U.S. under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, though securing funding and support for these new routes remains a significant challenge. Attorney General Rob Bonta faces scrutiny for accepting a $16,200 campaign donation from the Bicycle Casino, which was under investigation by his office for money laundering, although the case was eventually dropped. The donation raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as Bonta also returned donations from other entities involved in criminal investigations, emphasizing a strengthened vetting process moving forward. The Sonoma Developmental Center's redevelopment faces another legal challenge as Sonoma Valley Next 100 sued the state, arguing the project disregards legislative guidelines, is too large for the area and threatens environmental resources. This lawsuit, following a previous legal victory that halted the project, seeks to overturn the developer's selection and scrutinize controversial land use decisions, leaving the site's future uncertain amid ongoing disputes over development and conservation. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Sen. Catherine Blakespear (San Diego) introduced a bill, SB 92, to amend California's density bonus housing law, requiring developers to dedicate two-thirds of a project's floor space to residential units in order to qualify for exemptions from local restrictions. The bill aims to ensure that the law is used to encourage affordable housing development, rather than luxury projects, addressing a loophole highlighted by a mixed-use development in San Diego that primarily consists of hotel rooms with only a small number of affordable units. The City of Tulare has responded to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Rob Bonta, claiming that the state ignored its requests for a meeting last year before filing the suit. Tulare argues that its recent Zoning Ordinance Update, which permits cold-storage facilities by-right in industrial zones, did not alter previous regulations and that it has already made efforts to support the Matheny Tract community with infrastructure improvements, while expressing concern about the infringement on private property rights in proposed changes around the area. The Los Angeles City Council adopted the Downtown Community, which prioritizes equitable development, adding 70,000 housing units, 55,000 jobs and 125,000 people by 2040. The new zoning code combines building design and use regulations to support inclusive growth, economic development and address social issues such as racial segregation and homelessness. A $1.4-billion mixed-use development in Los Angeles's downtown Arts District received approval from the city Planning Commission and is set to replace a cold storage facility with apartments, offices, a hotel and public spaces. The project will include 894 apartments, 144 of which will be affordable, with construction expected to start in about a year and finish by 2031. A judge ruled that Los Angeles unlawfully blocked a developer's proposal for 220 affordable housing units in Reseda, which was filed under a program designed to streamline approvals for low-income projects. The court sided with housing advocates, saying the city improperly changed rules during the approval process, marking its third loss in a case involving affordable housing in single-family zoned areas. The Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) rejected a proposal from the Sonoma Valley Next 100 group to create a special district focused on services like recreation, transportation and environmental protection for the Sonoma Developmental Center site. Despite strong community support and a petition drive, LAFCO favored a more traditional approach, asking for more specific details about services and funding, leaving the group to regroup and revise their application.

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here . You can sign up for CP&DR 's free weekly newsletter here . Newsom Issues Streamlining Order for Wildfire Rebuilding Gov. Newsom issued an executive order to accelerate the development of temporary housing for residents displaced by recent wildfires in and around Los Angeles. The order simplifies the approval process for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), allows temporary trailers on damaged properties and waives fees for mobile home parks, while authorizing the use of fairgrounds for emergency shelter. It also temporarily suspends certain environmental and zoning regulations, such as CEQA and Coastal Act rules, to speed up rebuilding, provided new structures do not exceed the size of those lost. Additional actions aim to prevent price-gouging, protect displaced students and restrict opportunistic land purchases in affected areas. These initiatives are designed to provide swift support to those impacted and ensure fair treatment during the recovery period. State Allocates $2.5 Billion for Wildfire Recovery The legislature passed , and Gov. Newsom signed, bipartisan legislation allocating $2.5 billion in state aid to wildfire recovery in Los Angeles County, covering efforts such as evacuations, debris removal and environmental testing. The funding comes from a state emergency reserve account, with hopes of reimbursement from FEMA, following a federal funding pledge by former President Biden. These wildfires, which began on January 7, have caused 28 deaths, destroyed over 16,000 structures and forced students from affected schools into remote learning. Newsom emphasized the urgency of providing immediate financial resources to help rebuild devastated communities. Legislative leaders highlighted the importance of bipartisan collaboration in addressing this monumental emergency response. Bonta Sues City of Tulare over Industrial Zoning Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the City of Tulare, challenging its Zoning Ordinance Update that permits cold-storage facilities and other industrial developments by-right, bypassing environmental reviews required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These facilities, which emit harmful pollutants like diesel particulate matter from refrigeration units, pose significant health risks, including cancer, to nearby communities like Matheny Tract, a historically marginalized area with high pollution burdens. The lawsuit contends that Tulare violated CEQA and its own General Plan by failing to assess health risks, mitigate environmental impacts or conduct proper environmental reviews. Attorney General Bonta emphasized the importance of prioritizing the health and well-being of Matheny Tract residents, who are disproportionately affected by pollution and other environmental harms. The legal action seeks to hold the city accountable and ensure compliance with state environmental laws. San Francisco Envisions Major Development on Former Railyard San Francisco's Caltrain 4th and King railyard, a 20-acre site at the junction of Mission Bay and South of Market, could soon become a major transit-oriented development hub, featuring a cluster of high-rise buildings, including a proposed 850-foot tower. Property owner Prologis is preparing an application for the project, which is part of a larger $8.25 billion downtown rail extension called the Portal that to transform the area into a dense, mixed-use district with thousands of housing units, office spaces and improved transportation links. The development would help fund a new train station and potentially underground rail extensions, supporting Caltrain's growth and the city's housing needs. While some local projects are stalled, planners are optimistic about the long-term potential of this railyard, citing its prime location and connectivity to transit. The plan also envisions a public park, retail spaces and a revitalized urban environment, although details about the number of buildings and units are still being finalized. CP&DR Coverage: Los Angeles Housing Plan Increases Density. Sort of. In a departure from the actions other major cities in California, the Los Angeles City Council voted on December 10 to approve a citywide upzoning designed to meet L.A.'s housing targets - but didn't touch single-family zoning. Vince Bertoni, the city's planning director, recently said Los Angeles has accounted for 80% of recent housing construction in Los Angeles County. The Citywide Housing Incentive Program, or CHIP, includes a “mixed-income incentive program,” which encourages mixed-income but “low scale/low rise” housing designed to create a transition along major corridors between high-rises and single-family neighborhoods, as well a 100% density bonus for restricted affordable housing in certain locations. Quick Hits & Updates The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) will fund a pilot commuter train service in partnership with Metrolink regional rail system starting in October to connect Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, aiming to alleviate heavy traffic for the 11,000 daily commuters. The new service avoids previous logistical issues by starting in Moorpark and offering flexible ticketing, subsidized fares, and integration with bus services. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) approved provisions for a major redevelopment plan at Homewood Mountain Resort, allowing the resort to move forward with plans to reopen next winter. The plan calls for a new gondola, a hotel, and development of a village at the mountain's base, including 100 housing units. Despite ongoing concerns from locals about making the resort into a private club, Homewood has committed to maintaining public access to the ski area, with penalties for non-compliance, while the resort's development could take up to 10 years to complete. House Republicans have proposed rescinding $200 million in federal funding for the rehabilitation of San Francisco's Presidio, which was allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The funds were designated for addressing deferred maintenance and climate resilience projects at the park, but the GOP's draft budget cut list aims to reverse this and other conservation funding, drawing criticism from Pelosi and park advocates who argue it would delay vital infrastructure improvements. The leader of the Cal Exit Now movement, Fresno-based Marcus Ruiz Evans, revived his campaign for California secession after receiving approval to begin collecting signatures for a 2028 ballot measure. If successful, the measure would ask voters whether California should leave the U.S., potentially triggering a report on California's ability to govern itself, although secession would ultimately require a constitutional amendment, a process that is highly unlikely to succeed. President Trump issued a directive aiming to reinstate 2019 water regulations that prioritize diverting water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California and San Joaquin Valley farms, sparking criticism from environmental groups and state officials. The Biden and Newsom administrations contended that their updated plan balances ecological protections with water supply needs and delivers more water to Southern California than Trump's rules, which faced accusations of harming endangered species and misunderstanding California's water system. Fresno's City Council narrowly approved a long-stalled property tax-sharing agreement with Fresno County, marking a significant shift in local development policy. The deal, passed 6-1, aims to boost city revenue and reduce development restrictions while incentivizing growth in the Southeast Development Area (SEDA), increasing Fresno's share of property taxes from annexed areas, potentially generating millions annually. However, concerns linger about infrastructure costs and the financial sustainability of large developments. Assembly Bill 226, introduced this last week by two assemblymembers, aims to stabilize California's FAIR Plan by allowing it to issue catastrophe bonds in the event of liquidity challenges after major disasters like wildfires. This legislation is designed to ensure that homeowners covered by the FAIR Plan can rely on their insurance to pay claims during recovery efforts. (See related CP&DR coverage .) The California Department of Housing and Community Development updated its ADU Handbook to reflect new laws going into effect this year. Recent updates to California's ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) laws make it easier for homeowners to build or permit ADUs, including clarifying rules around unpermitted ADUs built before 2020 and allowing up to eight detached ADUs on properties with multifamily dwellings. The changes also include updates to government code sections, require local agencies to inform the public about ADU permit processes and relax parking and development standards for certain ADUs. The Hollister Guardians Action group is collecting signatures to launch a referendum to reverse the Hollister City Council's adoption of the 2040 General Plan, which includes expanding the city's "sphere of influence" by 3,000 acres to accommodate future development. The group argues that the plan bypasses Measure A, which requires voter approval for changing land use designations in unincorporated areas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied a request to designate the Tijuana River Valley as a Superfund site, stating that pollution levels in the area do not pose a significant health threat based on available data. Local officials, including those from Imperial Beach and National City, expressed disappointment, citing worsening pollution and the lack of recent sampling to assess the current environmental impact.

This piece is brought to you free of charge courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report. To become a paying subscriber with access to all of our content, just click  here . These observations are based on over three decades of experience—both research and practice—after large disasters in the U.S. and numerous other countries. Olshansky and Johnson’s book After Great Disasters , is available for free download from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The Palisades and Eaton Fires have decimated two large communities within the urban fabric of Greater Los Angeles, destroying, at last count,15,467 structures in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, and damaging 1,852. Both communities are active parts of the economic, cultural, and social life of the region, and they will rebuild, although it will take some time. Planners will play important roles in the upcoming reconstruction. Planners work for public agencies, including cities, the county, regional agencies, the state, federal government agencies, and utilities. They represent the needs of NGOs, and work for research and advocacy organizations. The numerous university planning programs in the area will contribute, and many planners will seek volunteer opportunities. We are writing this in the hope that planners in all these organizations will seek leading roles in catalyzing the work of the ecosystem of recovery actors, to maximize the opportunity for “building back better” while meeting the needs of all communities in a timely manner. Based on disaster reconstruction experiences elsewhere, some of the most important things that planners can do to support effective, equitable, and informed reconstruction are: Create networks and help support and organize the energy that is going to spring up from the neighborhoods; Organize, facilitate, support, and promote the work of NGOs; Support investments in information and communication hubs; Support neighborhood-based planning and organizing for recovery and reconstruction; Promote equitable policies and practices, and provide for the needs of those with fewer resources. Reconstruction: Urban Development in Compressed Time Reconstruction after disasters has all the features, and all the complexities, of urban planning and development in normal times, but with one key difference: the compression of planning and development activities in time and in a limited space. This time compression is the key to understanding disaster recovery, and it has numerous implications for practice. As planners, we know that communities are built by many different actors, public and private, operating at multiple scales, with resource constraints, governmental policies, and the concerns of interest groups affecting the outcomes and timelines of the process. In normal times, successful navigation of the development process must steer through a complex interplay of economic, social, environmental, political, and legal concerns. A large disaster changes none of this; it only compresses these activities in time. It is a mistake to envision disaster reconstruction as a top-down process, led by a czar who will someday be immortalized by a public monument. Rather, disaster recovery begins from the bottom up, just as all community development does--as residents seek housing, building owners seek resources for construction, and businesses look for ways to continue their work. It is a self-organizing system of a variety of recovery actors. Using Information in Reconstruction Planning The primary way in which time compression affects planning is by constraining the timely use of information. Imagine compressing a 3-year community planning process into three months. It’s possible but also likely to be challenging because of insufficient time to collect data, integrate it into planning, communicate among stakeholders, and digest it into policies. Information production and communication must substantially increase to accommodate the volume of activities during compressed time. Collection, digestion, and sharing of information empower the self-organizing system of builders. Some of the ways to do this include: Establish and support a variety of information nodes, such as data hubs and clearinghouses; Facilitate planning discussions at all scales; Pay for neighborhood-scale planning activities; Create councils of recovery stakeholders, who can advise planning processes and share information with their networks and encourage participation; Create networks that connect neighborhood-based planning and reconstruction activities; Create new bodies to better coordinate the activities of government agencies; Emphasize transparency of government actions, with frequent public announcements, disclosure of recovery and reconstruction progress. Building Back Better After disasters, there is always a tension between change and a return to normalcy. Everyone yearns for what existed the day before the disaster. But at the same time, people also see the opportunity to make improvements or add on a little something more: another room, an ADU, a fire break, a rec center in the community park, a roundabout, a bike lane, a new fire station. Planners see this tension between the status quo and change as a tradeoff of time and resources: between rebuilding as quickly as possible or slowing down to consider the potential for change and develop comprehensive plans for betterment. In practice, speed is difficult to resist, because many actors want to rebuild as quickly as possible. The key is to deliberate more efficiently within the constraints of compressed time: to plan and build at the same time . This can be done by:  (1) iterating by focusing on the easiest decisions first (especially where repairs are straightforward and change is not needed); (2) increasing planning capacity by adding personnel or technical assistance (to help multiple recovery actors), or (3) decentralizing and creating multiple paths for planning and decision-making (to connect neighborhood-based planning with multiple sources of assistance). NGOs and Government Another result of time compression is the emergence of non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, in disaster recovery. This should be expected and embraced. It happens because bureaucratic government agencies are inherently unsuited for the time-compressed post-disaster environment. When people say, “We were tired of waiting for government, so we decided to do it ourselves,” this is an indicator of a well-operating, self-organized recovery ecosystem. Although government is just one of the recovery actors, it is the one that is best equipped to provide resources to the recovery ecosystem, in the form of both funding and information. Fortunately, much of L.A.’s housing recovery from the fires will be enabled by private insurance funds, but expediting permits will only help those who have the funds to rebuild and are ready to go, Everyone else—renters, the uninsured and under-insured, small businesses—will need government interventions and financial support. Government also can make the system of actors smarter by broadening the information flows in every possible way, such as by creating data hubs and clearinghouses, promoting transparency, supporting forums for coordination, and partnering with NGOs. This is the Moment for Planners and Planning The long-term reconstruction process is when planners take center stage. Because this is the moment when things get done—money flows, and people are aware and engaged—planners need to act, or the opportunity will be lost. This is the time to accomplish long-term hazard mitigation, as well as countless other planning goals. Today’s decisions will shape the community for decades. This is the moment for planners and planning. Although the driving force of recovery is to quickly build back what was lost, it’s also an opportunity for considering the future and how to incorporate resilience and other community improvements into the rebuild. The last community land use plan in Pacific Palisades is dated 1996, and Altadena’s 1986 plan is currently being updated. These are the de facto recovery plans, and they are 30-40 years old. Yes, it’s awkward to undertake planning right now, but it’s also the only time in history when everyone is thinking about how their community is built and how it works. Groups are already starting to self-organize on email lists and chat groups in both Altadena and Pacific Palisades, and some of them are going to coalesce for various reasons (to advocate for their needs, to organize the process of construction, and to advocate for some improvements). Wholesale positive change never follows a big urban disaster, but reconstruction always involves small improvements in particular places, as well as improvements in infrastructure, building standards, and community involvement. To maximize these opportunities, the time to act is now.

Ventura’s permanent closure of Main Street in the downtown area does not violate the state Streets & Highways Code, a Superior Court judge has ruled. More specifically, the court ruled that allowing emergency vehicles and delivery trucks to use Main Street while closing it to through traffic does not mean the closure is “partial” under state law. Ventura’s historic downtown includes many restaurants and other businesses along Main Street, which is not heavily used for through traffic. In 2021, the city issued the first of a series of temporary closures of Main Street primarily to allow restaurants to expand outdoor eating into the public right-of-way, as occurred in many cities during COVID. After several more temporary closures, the City Council voted to close a portion of Main Street permanently in 2024. Though the closure was popular with most businesses and patrons, a group of downtown property owners sued to block the permanent closure, saying the city’s action constituted a partial closing under the Streets & Highways Code. The property owners also said the city violated the Pedestrian Mall Act of 1960, which creates a specific process for closing streets to create a pedestrian mall, and – in an argument similar from the so-called Marilyn ruling in Palm Springs – argued that the serial temporary closures were a violation of the Streets & Highways Code. (The “Marilyn ruling” had to do with serial temporary closures to accommodate a statue of Marilyn Monroe on a street outside the Palm Springs art museum. CP&DR ’s previous coverage of that case can be found here .) Main Street Ventura during the temporary closure Among other things, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Matthew Guasco found that Ventura did not abuse its discretion under the streets and highways code. “The Administrative Record contains abundant evidence,” Guasco wrote, “that (a) a majority of residents including Main Street business owners, favored keeping the Main Street closure permanent; (b) re-routing vehicular traffic around the closure site did not have significant negative traffic impacts; and (c) the section of Main Street was closed for three years without negatively affecting vehicular access to Downtown Ventura. Additionally, the Administrative Record contains abundant evidence that the closure improved the revenue of businesses on Main Street by encouraging pedestrian access. Although the same data revealed dissatisfaction on the part of some business owners with the Main Street closure, the overwhelming majority of downtown business owners and residents supported the closure becoming permanent.” The property owners also argued that permitting emergency, maintenance, and delivery vehicles, as well as cross-traffic on certain streets, constituted travel under the Streets & Highways Code. “Not so,” wrote Guasco. “The affected sections of Main Street are closed to all through traffic. The exceptions implemented by the City do not permit through traffic. Instead, they are strictly limited to vehicular access for emergency vehicles, such as ambulances fire trucks and police. These are essential to protect lives and property; they are not local travel.” The property owners also argued that the city violated the Pedestrian Mall Act, also contained in the Streets & Highways Code, by not following the process required by that law to create a pedestrian mall. But Guasco said the Pedestrian Mall Act is an alternative method for closing streets and the city did not have to follow it. Finally, Guasco did acknowledge that the city violated the Streets & Highways Code by implementing serial temporary closures for three years, similar to the Marilyn situation, but that this violation was mooted by the permanent closure. The Case: Open Main Street v. City of San Buenaventura , Ventura County Superior Court No. 2024CUWM021824 The Lawyers: For Open Main Street: Darin Marx, Lowthrop Richards, Dmarx@lrmmt.com For City of San Buenaventura: Peter Howell, Rutan & Tucker, PHowell@rutan.com

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here . You can sign up for CP&DR 's free weekly newsletter here . California Representatives Promote Disaster-Response Bills in Congress Members of Congress proposed a number of new measures focusing on forest management, disaster preparedness and streamlining government processes in the midst of the Los Angeles wildfires. The aims to expedite forest management efforts by reducing regulatory hurdles and using scientific methods to prevent wildfires; it is coauthored by Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego). A coalition of environmmental groups has said the bill “would harm forests, communities, the climate, water, and biodiversity." Two additional bills introduced included speeding up federal firefighter hiring (sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall)), increasing FEMA funding to better prepare for future disasters (Sponsored by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin)), and a bill limiting the powers of California's Coastal Commission, citing its alledged delay of fire-management measures in the Coastal Zone. That bill is sponsored by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), whose district northeast of Sacramento does not touch the coast. While President Biden has promised federal disaster aid, the future of funding is uncertain due to ongoing political debates over the debt ceiling and indications from President Trump about withholding aid. Caltrans Updates California State Rail Plan Released earlier this month, the California State Rail Plan aims to build a zero-emissions rail network connecting the entire state. The plan includes the California High-Speed Rail project, planning to link major cities like San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco through 200-mph trains. The plan outlines immediate and long-term strategies to enhance transit, including efforts to increase rail usage from 2% to over 20% of all travel, helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality. It will require an investment of more than $300 billion over 25 years, with expected returns of $540 billion and the creation of 900,000 jobs. Key components of the plan include high-speed rail connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas, upgraded transit in San Diego and the addition of new connections, like a cross-border trolley linking San Diego and Tijuana. Los Angeles Adopts Measures to Hasten Wildfire Recovery The Los Angeles City Council adopted several measures to support recovery efforts after devastating wildfires, including plans to speed up access to federal funds and protect against price gouging and evictions. One proposal aims to create a bond measure for 2026 to raise funds for repairing and building new fire stations, addressing the aging infrastructure of the fire department. The council also focused on helping fire victims, such as by reuniting displaced people with their pets and implementing safeguards for tenants facing hardship. Another proposal seeks an independent report on the city's fire response and transparency from the L.A. Fire Department and Department of Water and Power. As officials work on long-term recovery strategies, there is a push to rethink city priorities, especially regarding public safety and infrastructure, to prevent future catastrophes. Homelessness Increases Nationwide, Led by California The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, reporting record-high numbers of homelessness, with California and New York reporting the highest number of people experiencing homelessness and the highest rates of homelessness nationwide. A total of 771,480 people nationwide experienced at least temporary homelessness in 2024, up over 110,000 from 2023. California reported 187,084 estimated people experiencing homelessness, 66% of whom do not receive shelter from the state. The state reported an increase of 5,685 people experiencing homelessness in 2024. During the coldest time of 2024, 74% of people experiencing homelessness were unsheltered by the state. Of the homelessness in California, 25,639 were people in families with children. CP&DR Coverage: Fulton and Stephens on Los Angeles Wildfires There's no question that after this experience, fire departments in Los Angeles and around the West will have to rethink their whole strategy and apparatus for fighting fires. Nobody was ready - and perhaps nobody could have been ready - for set of fires of this scale. Clearly, a whole revision of fighting wild fires in dense urban areas is going to come about. And it's also likely that the state fire code will tighten up even more, requiring homeowners to create more defensible space around their houses. But it's not likely that any development patterns will change in response. —Bill Fulton Palisades village consisted of more than just a main thoroughfare. It branched off into side-streets filled with shops, cafes, and small offices that, for lack of a better word, are a lot cuter than California's typical commercial strips are. The result was a matrix of a half-dozen blocks that felt like a real town. It flouted Los Angeles' unwritten rule of urban design: the more impressive the natural setting, the more heinous the built environment must be. With the loss of one of its most pleasant communities, Los Angeles is, perhaps, one self-inflicted misstep away from a downward spiral, if we're not already there. We must accept that the envy of the world is not a permanent condition. — Josh Stephens Quick Hits & Updates Los Angeles Mayor Bass named Steve Soboroff — former police commission president and real estate developer — as chief recovery officer for the Los Angeles wildfire rebuilding effort. Soboroff led the development of Playa Vista, one of the city's largest-ever mixed-use developments, in the 2000s. He will coordinate efforts between the mayors office and city departments “for rebuilding and expediting the safe return of residents, workers, businesses, schools, nonprofits, libraries and parks." The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is extending multiple program deadlines and re-opening certain funding opportunities to assist fire-impacted communities in their recovery efforts. These changes include extended application deadlines for federal and state programs, such as HOME, Emergency Solutions Grants and Homekey+, as well as additional time for reporting and funding disbursement requests for affected areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The California Coastal Commission rejected Santa Barbara County's proposal to update its local coastal plan, including removing subjective language and implementing objective design standards for housing projects. The commission called for revisions to ensure the plan aligns with the Coastal Act by adding more objective development standards and clarifying that such standards should apply to housing projects, like the Miramar Hotel expansion, in the coastal zone. Senate Bill 71, introduced this week by Sen. Scott Wiener, aims to make the CEQA exemption for public transportation and active transportation projects permanent, expanding it to include bus shelters, lighting, ferry terminals and infrastructure maintenance. The bill builds on the success of SB 288, which has streamlined nearly 100 transit projects in California, improving public transportation speed and reliability, reducing costs and helping to meet the state's climate goals by addressing bureaucratic delays. After over five years of construction, the 9.1-mile extension of the A Line from Azusa to Pomona was officially handed over to L.A. Metro January 3, and is expected to open to passengers in the summer. The $1.5 billion project, which includes new stations and infrastructure, aims to serve both Los Angeles and Inland Empire residents, providing a significant alternative to driving, especially for commuters traveling between Pomona, Pasadena and Los Angeles, with future expansions extending the line into San Bernardino County by 2030. Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the $1 billion redevelopment plan for 25-acre Television City, aiming to modernize it with 980,000 square feet of office, production, 15-story tower and a retail space. The developer has also committed $6.4 million toward community projects, including park upgrades Newly inaugurated San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie appointed former Twitter CFO Ned Segal as his chief of housing and economic development to help revitalize San Francisco's downtown and accelerate housing construction. Segal, a longtime friend of Lurie, will oversee key city departments in the hopes of fostering economic growth, coordinating efforts to make the city more responsive to citizens and businesses. The Vallejo City Council approved a profit-sharing agreement with Blue Rock Springs LLC for the redevelopment of the Blue Rock Springs golf courses, guaranteeing the city a minimum of $10.5 million in compensation, with potential additional funds based on the project's appraisal and the sale of residential lots. While the deal has raised some concerns about whether the compensation is sufficient, the city will receive a share of profits from the sale of completed homes and the development will be restricted to certain areas due to environmental concerns. A recent analysis out of UC Berkeley's Terner Center analyzes recent California reforms increasing the pressure on cities to produce more below-market-rate (BMR) housing, with inclusionary zoning (IZ) emerging as a potential strategy. The analysis concluded IZ can lead to trade-offs, including reduced overall housing production and higher rents. While programs like Los Angeles' Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) can incentivize more affordable housing, the analysis highlights that increasing IZ requirements beyond a certain point can reduce both market-rate and BMR production, suggesting that policymakers should focus on other tools, such as public subsidies, to improve affordability.

This blog is brought to you free of charge courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report. To become a paying subscriber with access to all of our content, just click here . The mascot of Pacific Palisades High School is the Dolphin, which, unlike most mascots, is nonfictional. Pods of bottlenose frequently accompany morning swims, games of beach volleyball, and sunset strolls just down the hill from campus. That's how idyllic this place is. Or was. An estimated 30 percent of Palisades High’s buildings are now ash. Thousands of homes and businesses were far less lucky. Though the Palisades feels like a world apart from Los Angeles, it is—unbeknownst to some residents—not its own city but rather a neighborhood unto Los Angeles. It's suburb an , but it's not a suburb. Over 100 years ago, it was founded by Methodists looking for a pleasant escape far from the urban core. It was meant to be a happy (and, incidentally, alcohol-free) community. Its primary social club was named, cheerily, the Uplifters. Even over the span of four generations, that intentional spirit of neighborliness persisted. The Palisades was a place where people enjoyed living -- even, and especially, in contrast to other wealthy Los Angeles communities that trade on seclusion. The Palisades did not lack for flaws. To state the obvious, it was expensive, and it was not remotely as diverse as the city it inhabits. But it was a fundamentally decent place. I know firsthand: I lived there for a few years when I was in elementary school, and I have hung out there regularly ever since. Today, I live in Brentwood, just east of the Palisades. From the top floor of my building, I watched flames gnaw away at the hills to the west, not knowing which of my friends’ homes had been consumed. I’ve been on evacuation watch for days. I use the past tense deliberately. As everyone now knows, the Palisades is, essentially, no more. (Altadena, an unincorporated community at the foot of the perennially flammable San Gabriel Mountains, was similarly beloved by its residents and similarly devastated by a separate fire. I've never been there, and I'm sad. I'll never get to go to Fox's bar or the Bunny Museum.) Last Tuesday, the Palisades Fire erupted as quickly as the planning process is slow, progressing from spark to cataclysm in less time than it takes to read the introduction to an environmental impact report. As developer and former L.A. Police Commission Steve Soboroff told the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Ana winds were so fierce and chaotic, “this isn’t just a fire.... this is like a thousand fires." Within 24 hours, the Palisades fell victim to the same combination of human-made and natural forces that devastated Paradise, Santa Rosa, the Berkeley Hills, Redding, and too many other California communities, both urban and rural. Much of the national discussion has focused on preparedness (including sniping about fire hydrants and ugly talk about the L.A. Fire Department’s hiring policies by people who wouldn't know California from Mars). I don't know if any preparation could have prevented the ravagement brought by winds over 80 miles per hour and brush unquenched for eight months. Anyone casting blame this soon, and anyone placing blame on individual officials, do not understand governance. The hot-take cynics are part of the problem, not the solution. My heart aches for everyone who has lost their homes and for everyone who have lost their neighborhoods. What to do? Assumption 1: Urbanists, environmentalists, and financiers can argue forever about whether the Palisades ought to be rebuilt. None of that matters. It will be. Hopefully many residents will return so they can stitch their social fabric back together. Assumption 2: Rebuilding will take longer than anyone wants it to. Assumption 3: The displacement will reverberate throughout Los Angeles. Assumption 4: The materials, technologies, building techniques, and other strategies of 2025 are more fire-resistant than those of any previous era—certainly more than those of the post-World War II era when most of the Palisades was built. A favorite argument of opponents to housing development is that "more units won't reduce prices." By that logic, fewer units shouldn't raise prices. We're about to find out the hard way whether that's true. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not. I, for one, am grateful that developers have built as many "luxury" units as they have. Displaced Palisadeans are going to snap them up. Once those units run out, they're going to dip into the mid-market. At every turn, we're going to get the vacancy chain in reverse: residents aren't going to trade up and make lower-cost units available for lower-income residents; instead, they're going to trade down and bid up rents. We don't have a housing crisis, or an affordability crisis, a vacancy crisis, or a wildfire crisis. We have an everything crisis. The adequacy of a city's housing supply cannot depend on which way the wind blows. A resilient city is one that has more than the bare minimum for the people who live there and not--as is the case in Los Angeles--a shortage such that invisible under-housed residents are forced to live with entire families in one bedroom and turn dining rooms into dormitories. It's one in which housing is plentiful enough to be affordable and, in times of crisis, plentiful enough to withstand a demand shock such as the one about to emanate outward from the 90272 zip code. So, keep those "luxury" buildings coming. While we're at it, let's build some non-luxury buildings too. Los Angeles just adopted a new zoning code, designed in part to accommodate its 456,000-unit regional housing needs allocation—the magical RHNA number. Critics have rightfully called out the new zoning code, known as the Citywide Housing Incentive Program , for steering dense housing away from single-family neighborhoods. It’s not ideal, but it’s on the books. Fortunately, laws like SB 9 require the city to approve duplexes and lot splits. Gov. Gavin Newsom had pledged to “cut red tape,” and the city will have to expedite all of this. (With what personnel? Well, for starters, plenty of entertainment-industry folks are now under-employed. Maybe they can be trained in the art of permitting.) What about the precious public process? What about property values? What about the sacred rights of single-family homeowners? What about aldermanic privilege that makes it all but impossible to consider the greater good? What about CEQA? These are just some of the questions that opponents of development often ask—and are sure to ask in this case. Well, $250 billion in property damage, health impacts, and economic losses says enough is enough. Before that first spark landed on Tuesday morning, Los Angeles was already facing an imposing set of stressors: the decline of the entertainment industry; the election of a locally unpopular president (who defeated an L.A. resident); the exodus of priced-out residents; a counterproductive transfer tax ; a housing shortage and homelessness crisis; haphazard planning for the world's biggest international event three years hence; and, eight months without rain. Los Angeles has been stagnating, ceding talent, energy, and global prominence drop-by-drop to every place from Las Vegas to Austin to Miami. We are one self-inflicted misstep away from a downward spiral, if we're not already there. We must accept that the envy of the world is not a permanent condition. Beyond that, there's an even more important element to urban resiliency: people. A strong city does not require everyone to agree all the time. But, it does require unity, mutual respect, basic understanding, and a sense of common purpose -- especially when crises arise. Los Angeles generally lacks this quality. It's hard to love your neighbor when you're bitter about how much you're paying in rent, or when you're sitting behind him at a stoplight. We need to get over that. It's time to get over our fear of density. Whatever the new zoning says, we all know that zoning is no match for popular sentiment. So long as Angelenos oppose density, the density we do get will be, very often, unattractive, out-of-scale, misplaced, and overpriced. The destruction of one neighborhood is a call to improve all neighborhoods in this city. This effort requires teamwork: to lobby public officials; to encourage developers; to care for the afflicted; to welcome new residents; to accept that the status quo is expensive, dull, and deadly. This city needs to stop burning and then stop fiddling. It needs to build. What about the Palisades itself? As provocative as Mike Davis may have been about the fact that Los Angeles persists only by the mercy of mother nature, I will not make the " case for letting Malibu burn ," or, as the case may be, the Palisades. If the Palisades is to be rebuilt, it can be rebuilt better. The Palisades’ primary sin was its exclusivity. That's relatively easy to solve for, and it can be a model for the rest of the city. Palisades village consisted of more than just a main thoroughfare. It branched off into side-streets filled with shops, cafes, and small offices that, for lack of a better word, are a lot cuter than California's typical commercial strips are. The result was a matrix of a half-dozen blocks that felt like a real town. It flouted Los Angeles' unwritten rule of urban design: the more impressive the natural setting, the more heinous the built environment must be. In building back the Palisades, we can add 2-3 stories of apartment units to all of those commercial buildings. If European cities are any guide, it can come back even livelier and more uplifting than it once was. Meanwhile, residents who rebuild their homes have the exciting new option of building duplexes and/or ADUs with no questions asked. It can achieve elegant density. (It's worth noting that many homes in the Palisades were under-occupied , with, for instance, empty-nesters staying put in houses where rugrats once scurried and teens once sulked. Those neighborhoods can easily absorb sublettors and mothers-in-law.) It's been said that the Palisades Fire is our "Hurricane Katrina." The analogy is apt. But Los Angeles is the opposite of New Orleans. New Orleans was never famous for its landscape, unless you count suboceanic flatness as a natural wonder. It's famous for its architecture, streetscape, culture, and civic spirit. Those are all things that Los Angeles needs, now more than ever. The best way for the city a whole to recover from this tragedy is to learn from the Palisades. We can't all frolic with dolphins. But, a pleasant urban streetscape needs not, and should not, belong only to celebrities and wealthy folks on the urban fringe. What about other cities in California? Far be it for me to compare Los Angeles to any other place. But every jurisdiction in this state faces its own potential catastrophes. And, unless there's a little Atlantis at the bottom of Lake Tahoe, literally every city faces fire risk. To my fellow Californians: don't imagine that this "could" happen in your cities; imagine that it has already happened. Imagine the devastation. Imagine the displacement. Imagine the costs, financial and human. Then work backwards and think about everything you and your offices possibly could have done to prevent it, mitigate its damages, and create places that will be worth rebuilding if the worst comes to pass.

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here . You can sign up for CP&DR 's free weekly newsletter here . Newsom Suspends Some Permitting Processes for Wildfire Rebuilding Governor Newsom signed an executive order to expedite the rebuilding process for communities impacted by recent wildfires in Southern California. The order suspends certain permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act to speed up the reconstruction of homes and businesses. Additionally, state agencies have been directed to identify other building code provisions that could be safely streamlined to reduce costs and accelerate recovery. The order also extends protections against price gouging for construction materials and services in Los Angeles County until January 2026. Finally, Newsom committed to collaborating with the Legislature to find further ways to enhance wildfire resilience and expedite the rebuilding process. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Los Angeles Plans for 100,000 New Homes and Jobs Downtown The Los Angeles City Council adopted the Downtown Community Plan Update (DTLA 2040), a comprehensive effort to guide development and address key issues like the housing crisis and racial segregation. The plan focuses on creating 100,000 new homes and 100,000 jobs by 2040, leveraging Downtown's transit-rich areas to support sustainable growth and equitable development. It introduces a new zoning code designed to modernize building design and usage regulations, making it more flexible and responsive to the city's diverse communities. The plan garnered strong support from community groups, including those advocating for affordable housing in areas like Skid Row and Chinatown, and it emphasizes the importance of preserving historic resources while fostering economic growth. DTLA 2040 is the first community plan in Los Angeles to implement the city's recently updated zoning code, which will eventually be applied citywide to promote inclusivity and combat the housing and climate crises. Sacramento County Adopts Climate Action Plan The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved the Community Development Department's Planning and Environmental Review Division's revised 2024 Draft Communitywide Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP outlines strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapting to climate change, aiming to meet California's 2030 and 2045 GHG reduction goals. It also aligns with the Sacramento County General Plan and integrates environmental, economic and community priorities. The Final CAP, along with the Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), will be presented to the Board of Supervisors, with a hearing tentatively scheduled for November 6, 2024. Interested individuals can subscribe for updates on the hearing date and additional developments regarding the plan. Berkeley Experiments with "Amnesty" for Unpermitted ADUs Berkeley has launched a four-year pilot program aimed at legalizing unpermitted accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which homeowners often avoid renting due to concerns about liability and city penalties. The program offers a pathway for homeowners to have their ADUs inspected and legalized without facing fines, providing a certificate of occupancy or a simpler certificate of compliance. The program is designed to address the city's housing crisis by allowing these affordable units, often created from basements or garages, to be legalized while ensuring safety and code compliance. It is part of a broader effort in California to increase the number of ADUs, which are seen as a cost-effective solution to the housing shortage. With thousands of unpermitted units in Berkeley alone, this initiative could add significant affordable housing while avoiding the high costs of new construction. CP&DR Coverage: A Denser L.A. (Sort Of) In a departure from the actions other major cities in California, the Los Angeles City Council voted on December 10 to approve a citywide upzoning designed to meet L.A.'s housing targets - but didn't touch single-family zoning. L.A. has been at the forefront of the state's more toward allowing more housing in recent years, especially in the construction of accessory dwelling units. Vince Bertoni, the city's planning director, recently said Los Angeles has accounted for 80% of recent housing construction in Los Angeles County. The Citywide Housing Incentive Program, or CHIP, includes a “mixed-income incentive program,” which encourages mixed-income but “low scale/low rise” housing designed to create a transition along major corridors between high-rises and single-family neighborhoods, as well a 100% density bonus for restricted affordable housing in certain locations. Quick Hits and Updates The California State Auditor has removed the high-risk designation from Blythe, El Cerrito, Lynwood and San Gabriel after these cities addressed key deficiencies in their financial conditions and management practices. However, the cities of Lindsay, Montebellocha and West Covina retain their high-risk status due to ongoing concerns about their financial stability and management, with the State Auditor continuing to monitor their progress. San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie appointed Alicia John-Baptiste, former head of the urban policy think tank SPUR, as his policy chief, overseeing infrastructure, climate and transportation. John-Baptiste, who brings extensive experience from her leadership roles at SPUR and the SFMTA, will manage several key city agencies, including the SF Municipal Transportation Agency and Public Works, as part of Lurie's plan to restructure the mayor's office for greater accountability and efficiency. (See related CP&DR coverage .) A legal battle between the California Coastal Commission and homeowners in Half Moon Bay could set a precedent for coastal property protections across the state, particularly regarding seawalls. The case centers on whether homes built after 1977 are eligible for seawalls, with environmental groups supporting the commission's interpretation, which could limit seawall construction, while property rights advocates argue for broader eligibility to protect homes from erosion. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed an amicus brief supporting a proposed affordable housing project in Goleta, Santa Barbara County, after the city unlawfully rejected the application. The project would add 56 homes, including 13 affordable units for lower-income households, in a city facing a severe housing shortage. Bonta argues Goleta's refusal to process the application violated the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Senate Bill 330) and the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), both of which are designed to streamline housing development and limit local resistance. San Joaquin County will purchase the Oakmoore Golf Course property in Stockton for $9.6 million, considering it for use as a site for safe camping for the unhoused, along with potential future public works facilities. While some community members express concerns about increased crime or vandalism, supervisors believe the land could provide a controlled space for homeless individuals with necessary services. The Biden administration has renewed waivers allowing California to enforce stricter emissions rules for lawn mowers, leaf blowers, refrigerated trucks and off-road vehicles, providing protection for the state's climate policies ahead of a potential shift under a Trump administration. These approvals are part of efforts to safeguard California's progressive regulations, with additional waivers still pending for rules on zero-emission trucks, ferries, tugboats and cars. For the fifth consecutive year in 2024, California ranked last in the nation for net U-Haul move-ins, reflecting ongoing domestic out-migration amid high living costs, particularly in the Bay Area. In contrast, states like South Carolina, Texas and Florida saw significant population growth, with California's overall population growth driven by international immigration and natural increase rather than domestic migration. Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) has filed a lawsuit against the Port of Oakland, claiming that the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed terminal redevelopment at Oakland Airport fails to adequately address the potential harm to the predominantly Black and Latino East Oakland community, particularly in terms of air quality, noise pollution and traffic. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt the project, highlighting concerns over increased nitrogen oxide emissions, health risks from noise pollution and the lack of sufficient environmental analysis. A study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation favors the San Vicente-Fairfax K Line extension, which would provide significant economic benefits, create over 123,000 jobs and generate $22.5 billion during construction, with completion expected in the 2040s. This route, which would connect to the Hollywood/Highland Station, is supported by local officials though concerns remain about the impacts on businesses during construction and the need for interim transportation solutions. San Francisco voters recently passed Proposition K, which permanently closes the Upper Great Highway to cars and converts it into a full-time park, sparking a divisive debate between urbanists seeking more green spaces and residents worried about increased traffic in their neighborhoods. The controversy has led to a recall effort against Supervisor Joel Engardio, who supported the measure. San Francisco's population declined by 0.13% between July 2023 and July 2024, continuing a trend of population loss since the pandemic, with a net loss of 5,336 residents due to domestic outmigration. While California overall saw population growth, particularly from international migration, San Francisco's shrinking population is contributing to challenges such as a reduced tax base, lower housing demand and a slower downtown recovery. A recent report by StreetLight Data reveals that vehicle use and traffic congestion in many of the largest U.S. metros have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, indicating that efforts to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are falling short. While VMT nationwide has increased by 12% since 2019, San Francisco has successfully reduced VMT per capita by 13%, possibly due to a shift toward remote work and effective state policies aimed at promoting more sustainable transportation options. The report highlights the importance of evaluating development projects based on their potential impact on VMT and emphasizes the need for improved infrastructure to encourage alternatives to car travel, particularly for short trips.

So here we are again: Fighting horrific wildfires around Los Angeles, which have destroyed Pacific Palisades and much of Altadena. It’s the worst urban wildfire in California history, the latest in a recent series of terrible fires. And it once again raises the question of whether we could have – or perhaps still could – plan our communities differently to minimize the risk.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed creating a separate Cabinet-level agency for housing.