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Attorney General Releases Guidelines for Development in Fire-Danger Areas In response to several legal battles surrounding projects located in wildfire-prone locations, Attorney General Rob Bonta  released a guidance document for ensuring that projects in high wildfire risk areas adhere to CEQA requirements. The document details the necessity of including project density, location, and water supply and infrastructure considerations when proposing a development. For certain projects, analysis should also include evacuation routes, options for collaborating with local fire officials, and the impact of evacuation. The document aligns with local measures that require projects to analyze fire risk, including SB 1241, SB 99, AB 747, and AB 1409 as well as guidelines from the Governor's Office of Planning and Research on how to build in areas at risk of wildfires. (See related CP&DR coverage .) State Rejects Vast Majority of Bay Area Housing Elements The Department of Housing and Community Development rejected fourteen of the fifteen housing plan drafts it reviewed, leaving several Bay Area cities little time to plan for 441,000 new homes across nine counties between 2023 and 2031. With the exception of Alameda, which gained approval, all other jurisdictions' have until January 31st, 2023 to finalize their plans and receive approval. These jurisdictions must prove that the sites they have proposed for development will actually lead to constructed housing units, and the HCD wants officials to consider zoning changes to increase density. If their plans are not approved, they will lose access to funding and be at risk of legal action. San Francisco Redrafts Controversial Housing Element In the newest housing element draft, San Francisco officials will rezone neighborhoods throughout the city to make space for 34,000 housing units. The zoning changes could include ditching conditional use authorization requirements when planing to replace a single-family home with a multi-family building. The latest draft will allow for 36% more housing units than in the original draft and also expresses the political causes of housing declines. The units will be located in the city's "high-resource" areas, largely in districts where development has remained low in the past few years. San Francisco planners must account for 82,000 units between 2023 and 2031, half of which should be affordable. CP&DR Commentary: The Burden, and Value, of Annual Housing Progress Reports The so-called “Annual Progress Report” – an annual report each city and county must provide the state reporting progress toward meetings its housing goals – has increasingly become a bear for local governments to prepare. “The staff hours to prepare the report have gone from 40 to 300 since 2017 in Sonoma County,” said Jane Riley, director of housing policy at the consulting firm 4Leaf. But, some cities are beginning to get ahead of the curve – and the state Department of Housing and Community Development, regional planning agencies, and private consulting firms are increasingly creating online tools to make the preparation of APRs much easier. And APRs now provide a treasure trove of useful information – not only to the state but to local governments as well – if cities and counties don’t fall behind compiling the information. Quick Hits & Updates Redlands residents and visitors will soon be able to ride the new Arrow passenger rail service that connects residential and commercial spaces along nine miles, as the ribbon cutting ceremony takes place on October 21st. The transit system will also connect to bus and bicycle transportation options. (See related CP&DR coverage.) In a "statement of cooperation," Gov. Gavin Newsom and the leaders of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by investing in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and wildfire prevention. The agreement is not a political or legal obligation but more so a general motivation to combat the climate crisis. An independent review panel analyzing the draining Salton Sea has recommended that officials implement desalination plans instead of importing water. The panel concluded that it is not environmentally or economically essential for the sea to return to previous volumes and that desalination would allow for adequate water levels with less salt. (See related CP&DR coverage.) San Francisco's downtown recovery following pandemic-era economic hardships has remained extremely low compared to other downtown cities nationwide and to local suburban neighborhoods, where businesses grew by more than 88% compared to the downtown core. The report aligns with the city's low "return to office" numbers. As part of its 2022 Professional Awards, the American Society of Landscape Architects has recognized Hargreaves Jones' Crissy Field green space project in San Francisco as the recipient of the Landmark Award. The project prioritizes restored coastal habitats, recreational spaces, and its historical importance. A federal judge has discarded a pipeline permit for the Trump-era Cadiz water mining project that would take 16 billion gallons of water annually from the Mojave Desert. The move finds support from the Biden administration and Indigenous communities, which would have faced devastating impacts from the project. The Los Angeles City Council voted to bring 3,000 bus shelters to the city in order to provide riders with places to sit under the shade. The shelters would also include screens that display accurate bus arrival times and could host scooter docks, e-lockers, public Wi-Fi, and phone charging stations, though funding and implementation plans remain unclear. The La Quinta City Council has unanimously rejected the Coral Mountain Resort project, which would have included a surf wave basin, following a discussion with heavy turnout from locals concerned about the resort. While some residents were hopeful about job opportunities, others expressed worries about extreme traffic burdens and water use that would accompany the project's surfing component.

Last month, CP&DR reported on a court case from Contra Costa County reminding local governments in California to never forget about their Local Agency Formation Commission . Now – in a case from neighboring San Joaquin County – another court case reminds us that LAFCO powers aren’t limitless.

The following awards were presented at the conference of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association on October 3. Comprehensive Plan (Large and Small) Award of Merit: PlanRC, General Plan Update, City of Rancho Cucamonga Award of Merit: West Los Angeles Veterans Community Plan, The Veterans Collective Award of Excellence: Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan, City of Citrus Heights and Gensler Award of Excellence: SANDAG 2021 Regional Plan, San Diego Association of Governments Innovation in Green Community Planning Award of Merit: Accelerate to Zero Emissions Collaborative San Diego Regional EV Gap Analysis, SANDAG, SDG&E, County of San Diego, APCD, City of San Diego Award of Excellence: Santa Barbara County Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department Economic Planning and Development Award of Merit: Innovation Park Planned Unit Development, Environmental Science Associates Award of Excellence: Spaces as Places, City of San Diego Planning Department Transportation Planning Award of Merit: Alternative Congestion Relief/Transportation Demand Management Plan, San Mateo County Transportation Authority Award of Excellence: Rancho San Antonio Multimodal Access Project, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Best Practices Award of Merit: City of Milpitas' Innovative Planning Tools for Housing Production, City of Milpitas Award of Excellence: CAPCOA Handbook for Analyzing Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions, Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities, and Advancing Health and Equity, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District Implementation (Large and Small) Award of Merit: La Placita Cinco, City of Fabrick Award of Merit: Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan, City of Laguna Niguel Award of Excellence: SoHay, DAHLIN Architecture | Planning | Interiors Grassroots Initiative Award of Merit: Big Bear Workforce Housing Initiative Award of Excellence: Inclusive Planning for Racially Complex Ethnic Enclaves, Cambodia Town, Long Beach, United Cambodian Community Communications Initiative Award of Merit: Biking While Black, Ride in Living Color and Yolanda Davis-Overstreet Consulting Award of Excellence: Historic Cypress Street Barrio Virtual Tour, City of Orange, Orange Barrio Historical Society Public Outreach Award of Merit: Finish The Line! Outreach and Awareness Campaign for the Northern Extension of the Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line, City of West Hollywood Award of Excellence: Doheny Village Plan: Community Outreach Strategy, City of Dana Point Urban Design Award of Merit: Downtown Dublin Preferred Vision, City of Dublin Award of Excellence: San Jose Citywide Design Standards and Guidelines, City of San Jose Emerging Planning and Design Firm Award of Excellence: VICUS Planning Advocate Award of Excellence: Yolanda Davis-Overstreet Opportunity and Empowerment Award of Excellence: SCAG’s Disadvantaged Communities Active Transportation Planning Initiative, Southern California Association of Governments Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff Award of Excellence: Changing Lanes: A Gender Equity Transportation Study for Los Angeles, Kounkuey Design Initiative Academic Award Award of Merit: It's Not Just a Sign: Traffic Calming Gives Bump to Safety, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies Hard-Won Victories Award of Merit: Covina Recreation Village Planning and Development Project, City of Covina Award of Excellence: Santa Rosa Downtown Station Area Specific Plan Update, City of Santa Rosa

The so-called “Annual Progress Report” – an annual report each city and county must provide the state reporting progress toward meetings its housing goals – has increasingly become a bear for local governments to prepare.

San Diego City, County Agree to Affordable Housing Plan San Diego County and the City of San Diego approved a plan to add 10,000 affordable units to the housing stock by 2030. The new projects would be built on government-owned land near transit lines, feature accelerated permitting processes, promote climate and job goals, and escalate city and countywide density. Planners will consult a GIS mapping tool of available public parcels once the technology is developed by the San Diego Foundation, and they still must raise $90 million to meet their new housing goal. Housing organizations hope the new plan will alleviate rent burden for low-income residents, 81% of whom spend over half of their income on housing and are subsequently at risk of homelessness. State Releases Guide for Development in Areas of High Fire Danger The recently-released Wildland-Urban Interface Planning Guide, published by a collaboration of five state agencies, unpacks the best planning tools for ensuring wildfire risk remains low and improving resilience. Planners, wildfire mitigation practitioners, and policymakers are encouraged to consult the guide for projects on any scale, from the home, to the neighborhood, to the entire district that are subject to the risks of an increasingly warm and dry environment. Designed in alignment with the Governor's Office of Planning and Research's Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory, the guide includes nine case studies ranging from Carlsbad to Mariposa and Shasta Counties that are evaluated based on relevancy, efficiency, innovation, effectiveness, replicability, equity, collaboration, and sustainability. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Poll: Attitudes Toward Housing in Bay Area Vary Wildly by Race, Income According to a recent poll from the San Francisco Chronicle, when it comes to tackling San Francisco's affordable housing crisis, opinions on the problems and solutions correlate with age, race, and income. While most residents (74%) said that unaffordable housing is a major issue that requires government solutions, Black residents reported the highest levels of concern (92%) for the housing crisis, and 84% of Hispanic residents signaled that affordable housing should be prioritized. On the other hand, people of all races over the age of 40 making more than $100,000 per year expressed the lowest level of support (35%) for prioritizing affordable housing. The data suggests that generally, younger and low-income residents and residents of color are more concerned about housing affordability and support more aggressive housing policies. State to Make Commercial Properties Available for Conversion to Residential The Department of Housing and Community Development and Department of General Services has made five more state-owned excess properties available for affordable housing development the under the Excess Land for Affordable Housing  Executive Order N-06-19  . The sites include two former office buildings, a commercial building, a vacant CalTrans site, and a property near the Atascadero State Hospital, all of which could create hundreds of new homes in urban and rural areas. The new homes will supplement 4,400 homes currently underway through the excess properties program as the state continues to work with affordable housing developers and local communities. Oakland Lawsuit over Raiders' Move, Value of Coliseum Fails Oakland's effort to sue the National Football League for damages has come to an end after the Supreme Court refused to review the case. In 2018, after NFL teams voted to relocate the Raiders to Las Vegas, Oakland claimed damages of over $240 million as well as loss of tax revenue and a decrease in the property value of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The city also highlighted that, in advance of the relocation vote, the Raiders paid other NFL team owners $378 million. Though Oakland claimed that the league should have expanded to meet fan demand and make room for more financial gain, the NFL responded that it has no legal obligation to expand. Meanwhile, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals maintained that Oakland has not demonstrated significant financial harm from the decision. CP&DR Commentary: How AB 2097 Changes the Housing Debate With the possible exception of the ill-fated SB 50, no land use bill in memory has gotten as much attention as AB 2097 , writes Bill Fulton. It remains to be seen whether AB 2097 will bring about a huge increase in housing construction in California. Although we are seeing some increases in apartment construction since the passage of SB 35 and SB 330, the only previous law that dramatically and quickly “unlocked” latent housing production was the accessory dwelling unit reform of 2017. Yet underneath all the publicity and self-congratulations about AB 2097 lies a familiar set of divisions about housing in California. In this case, the housing production advocates won. But the opponents who lost consisted of an increasingly common strange-bedfellows coalition of NIMBYs and affordable housing advocates. Quick Hits & Updates The Department of Housing and Community Development has invalidated the San Francisco City Attorney's determination that the "Builder's Remedy," as well as other consequences for a noncompliant adopted housing element, would not be in effect for 120 days after the Housing Element deadline expires. Nonprofit group Californians for Homeownership is suing the City of Claremont for failing to comply with the state housing element law. The organization, which intends to improve housing affordability and accessibility, has sued nine other cities. Despite no opposition to the project from the public, the San Francisco Planning Commission rejected a project that would transform an unused parking lot into 57 studio apartments. The commission suggested that, with only eight units below market rate, too few of the units would be affordable. (See related CP&DR coverage .) The Metropolitan Transportation Commission released maps that present specific options a new transbay tube for BART and possibly other rail systems. While one map would allow BART and regional rail trains to run side by side, another design would form two tunnels -- one for each train. New analysis of Measure ULA, a Los Angeles City ballot measure that would increase transfer tax rates on real estate sales of at least $5 million to help pay for affordable housing and homelessness, suggests that, if passed, the measure could result in about 26,000 affordable housing units, 43,000 new construction jobs, and significant rental assistance and income support. San Dimas filed an environmental lawsuit against the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority for its decision to place a parking area next to its station along the 9.1-mile L Line foothill extension. If construction is delayed, the lawsuit could mean that the station will not be built. The City of Oakland published a draft 2023-2031 Housing Element, which proposes several zoning reforms intended to increase housing production, particularly for the missing-middle, and minimize air pollution and toxic environmental dangers. In response to a referendum to the Los Gatos 2040 General Plan hoping to limit the amount of housing units planned, the Los Gatos Town Council approved a "stopgap" measure that will put previous development standards in place until it decides how to handle the two repealed elements. While officials cannot place land use or design element measures on the 2022 ballot, voters may see them in a special election in 2023 or on the 2024 ballot. More San Francisco home buyers relocated than any other metro area nationwide in July and August, followed by Los Angeles. Though fewer people left this year than last, the numbers reflect the impact of high mortgage rates and inflation. Train tracks that run along the Del Mar bluffs are at risk of a cliff collapse, but the San Diego Association of Governments has a $3 billion plan to relocate the tracks to an underground tunnel by 2035. The project is moving forward with a $300 million state grant and would run 80 feet underground.

L.A. Metro did not violate the California Environmental Quality Act or engage in inverse condemnation by building the “regional connector” light-rail project near the Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles by using cut-and-cover construction rather than boring a tunnel.

The City of Burbank has settled an SB 35 lawsuit with a developer over a controversial housing project near an equestrian area. But another lawsuit from YIMBY California is still outstanding, as is the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Notice of Violation, and it remains to be seen how those situations will play out. The situation could set up a clash between the developer and local neighbors, who have reached an agreement, and HCD and YIMBY activists, who might hold out for SB 35 approval of the original project as a matter of principal.

Aside from the recently signed  Assembly Bill 2097 , which bans mandatory parking requirements near transit stations, nothing coming out the legislature this year has captured the planning public’s imagination like AB 2011 and SB 6 – two new laws that will override local zoning to permit residential development on all commercial properties in California.

This is a true story, not a fairy tale: the last time I spent a night in Anaheim was sometime in the 1990s for high school "grad night" at a certain local amusement park. P.M. Dawn was one of the musical acts. Jackets and ties were required for the gentlemen. And I discovered that there is no delirium quite like the delirium that comes with riding "It's a Small World" (sober) at 4 a.m. I vowed never to go back, and I've kept that vow. But, here I am for this week's conference of the California chapter of the American Planning Association. I'm back to speak about good books, learn about good cities, and commune with colleagues after a long hiatus. I apparently am not the typical Anaheim visitor. This morning I exited the 5 Freeway at 7:25 a.m. at Harbor Bl. Orange County, like much of American suburbia, was build around streets like Harbor: six lanes, plus some left-turn lanes; a median with a fence down the middle (to prevent jaywalking); perilously high speed limits; and limited pedestrian crossings. Usually, the shortage of pedestrian crossings doesn't matter. People rarely walk on streets like Harbor, both because they are unpleasant at foot level and because they don't run through walkable neighborhoods. But, in Anaheim, on Harbor Bl., the sidewalks are full. At the crack of dawn on a grey autumn Sunday, they're full like those of the Champs-Elysse, Broadway, or Michigan Avenue at high noon on a summer's day. They're full like those of the Las Vegas Strip at midnight. Where was everyone going? Church? The farmers market? Early-bird brunch? Not exactly.  The mouse-eared hats were a pretty strong tipoff. Whatever magic takes place inside Disney's kingdom, the means of ingress are decidedly terrestrial. You either walk from your hotel, or you drive from points beyond. Flying in on an elephant is not an option. On the one hand, the there's a shocking contrast between the lifelessness of Harbor Bl. and the intrigue of Tomorrow, Fantasy, Adventure (and, of course, California Adventure, which you apparently visit if you don't like the real California but also don't want to leave California). On the other hand, that contrast is likely a feature, not a bug. Disneyland came about precisely at the peak of and, I would argue, because of mid-20th century suburbanization. As the country was becoming deliberately dull and homogenous in the late 1950s, a place of excitement, escape, and, indeed, ersatz urbanism became more marketable. Disneyland promoted suburbanization in order to offer an antidote to suburbanization. The uglier Harbor Bl. is, and the less pleasant that walk is, the more exciting those other -lands become. Much of this has been theorized already, most usefully by Jean Baudrillard, who declared Disneyland to be a "simulacrum" -- a copy that overwhelms the original. What even Baudrillard -- or Walt Disney, for that matter -- could not have imagined was the extent to which the Disney empire would grow. This morning's opening session put the empire, and the Empire, on full display. Two Disney "imagineers" gave a brief history of Disney's theme parks (now numbering 12 worldwide), fawningly describing how the original park went from orange groves to opening day in just over a year, and reporting on the latest attractions they are dreaming up. They are a far from from animatronic that Abraham Lincoln that amazed crowds at the 1964 New York World's Fair. They are, to use imagineer parlance, fully immersive worlds, centered on the Star Wars universe and whatever other multi-platform franchise Disney wants to promote. The latest is a two-day stay at a Star Wars Extended Universe hotel, which seems like a cross between space camp and The Shining. At every turn, Disney stands for the ability to create "worlds" that are somehow both idealized and realistic, wholly accessible through suspension of disbelief and steep admission fees. However much effort Disney's folks put into designing Disneyland down to the last detail, today's "imagineers" are working harder that Walt ever could imagine. Fiction on screen merely requires viewers to believe that the scenes they are witnessing could have happened -- if not in front of their eyes in the moment, then perhaps a long time ago in... well, you know where. But fiction in three dimensions means that viewers aren't viewers. They are participants. The action takes place in real time and in the very place where the viewer stands. The viewer doesn't see only what the camera sees; he sees (and hears, smells, and feels) whatever he wants to see. For these reasons, imagineers work very hard. Fooling people in three dimensions is vastly--exponentially--more challenging than fooling them in two dimensions. They design physical spaces down to the finest detail -- the howl of a yeti; the whoomp of a light saber; the hem of a princess' train -- and they design storylines to command visitors' attention. Imperfections or plot holes cannot be wished away. The illusion must become real for the experience to matter. So, what does all of this have to do with Harbor Bl.? Imagineering is not cheap. Disney spends money to make money. So much so that the Disneyland complex alone takes in $3.8 billion annually. That's money that people, over 15 million per year, spend voluntarily. And why? Because, say what you will about artifice, consumerism, and wishing upon a star, Disneyland is nicer than the real world. People are willing to pay for nice, even for only a few hours. That's because, for much of recent history, in the vast majority of places, the imagination and talent has been privatized, funded, and promoted, and the public realm has, in too many cases, been neglected, starved, and vilified. The public realm doesn't get nearly the sort of attention and investment as even a few dozen acres of private realm. That's how we end up with streets like Harbor Bl. and "attractions" like Main Street USA. This morning's presentation was, I presume, supposed to inspire planners. And I hope it did. I hope in inspired them to imagine how to write plans and codes that are every bit as enchanting as the rides and worlds that hum to life every morning atop those former orange groves. I hope no one has to pay an admission fee to spend time in a place that excites them, and I hope no one has to cross eight lanes of traffic to do so. It's a small world after all. A small world with very big streets.

San Diego Overhauls Neighborhood Planning Groups The San Diego City Council approved reforms intended to improve diversity and organization within 42 neighborhood planning groups, but the move is facing mixed responses. Moving forward, community groups will no longer be able to appeal development approvals without a cost, and developers will be "encouraged" to meet with groups but not required. The reforms face support from those who say that they will meaningfully increase inclusivity by setting more severe term limits and involving more renters and people of color. While supporters also say that this will make it easier to approve dense housing developments, opponents claim that increasing requirements will become a burden to planning groups, reducing their power. State Releases Updated Housing Dashboard The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released updates to its Statewide Housing Plan Dashboard and Affordability Calculator that will improve the public's ability to navigate housing conditions. The new dashboard includes updated data from Census Bureau surveys. Now, researchers, elected officials, and the general public will more easily be able to analyze data on household demographics, housing needs, median home value and rents, and housing production. The HCD has also released an updated Housing Affordability Calculator for local governments to report on the lowest income category for which a unit would be affordable based on the year built. Study Measures Acceleration of Coastline Erosion Sea level rise and shoreline erosion is accelerating along the coast, with California's northernmost counties experiencing the fastest crumbling, according to a new study from UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. According to the researchers, Humboldt Bay and Del Norte County include the most affected locations. Cliffs accompanied by sandy beaches have tended to erode the fastest due to coarse materiality of sand. The authors suspect that more rainfall and larger waves may be responsible for causing more erosion in the north compared to Southern California. However, the entire coast saw an average loss of 2 inches annually between 2009-2011 and 2016, a figure that includes major outliers such as a 16-foot loss in Martin's Beach and Big Sur. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Los Angeles County Settles Homelessness Suit; Commits $236 Million Los Angeles County officials have committed to spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the housing and homelessness crisis in a settlement agreement to put legal challenges from the LA Alliance for Human Rights to rest. The original lawsuit argues that city and county officials have failed to care for unhoused residents and have consequently put them at constant risk. Through 2027, officials intend to spend $236 million on outreach, permanent and temporary housing, and more services such as case management, physical and mental health support, and childcare. This funding supplements the $530 million for homelessness spending approved by voters in 2017 raised using a sales tax. California Cities Lead Nation in Cost Burden for Residents In SmartAsset's sixth study on nationwide housing inaccessibility, Glendale, Los Angeles, and Anaheim were all included among the top ten most severely cost-burdened cities. Glendale ranked first for the highest percentage of households who spend at least 50% on housing, with 31.08% of its households severely cost-burdened. Nationwide, renters tended to be more burdened than homeowners are, and 37.77% of Glendale renters were reported to face this challenge. Renters in San Bernardino, Santa Clarita, and Moreno Valley were also some of the most cost-burdened. Los Angeles came in fifth for all households, though homeowners were more burdened than renters. In addition to New York and Florida, California had some of the highest percentages of cost-burdened residents. CP&DR Coverage: California APA Conference CP&DR writers attended the conference of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association October 1 through today in Anaheim. Bill Fulton analyzed the expected impacts of the two major new laws to facilitate conversion of commercial properties into residential, AB 2011 and SB 6 . Josh Stephens mused on the significance of holding an urban planning conference across the (very wide) street from an institution famously dedicated to fictional built environments -- and to making piles of money along the way. Earlier this week, CP&DR ran an interview previewing one of the conference's spotlight panels, a discussion of the legacy of "sundown towns" in California. Thanks to everyone who chatted with us, shared story ideas , and stopped by our exhibit table. Quick Hits & Updates Oakland officials intend to return five acres of land currently owned by the city to Indigenous peoples who have long lived around the East Bay. The city will continue conversations with the East Bay Ohlone Tribe, Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, and Sogorea Te' Land Trust in the transfer process. A revised redevelopment plan for the Oceanside Transit Center includes a hotel, hundreds of housing units, retail spaces, offices, and nearly 1,800 parking spaces. The center would serve Amtrak, commuter, light-rail, and Metrolink trains as well as buses. U.S. Rep. Judy Chu from Pasadena presented a nearly $1 million check to the nonprofit group Nature For All to enable people to visit Angeles National Forest using public transit. While the only way to reach the green space right now is by car, this plan would allow visitors to use a van or bus service that starts from the Metro L (Gold) Line in Pasadena. Mountain View officials have committed to ensuring that rent-controlled apartments set to be demolished for new rental units are replaced with housing that remains "naturally affordable." While this policy already applied to renters making less than 80% of the area's median income, apartments will now be deed restricted across the board to ensure affordability instead of increasing rental rates. IDS Real Estate purchased the 63 acres of land that encompasses Irwindale Speedway. The new developer has plans to redevelop the speedway into an industrial park due to its location near transportation arterials and the regional transportation network. Metro will open Los Angeles's Crenshaw/LAX rail (K) line on October 7, three years behind schedule and with free rides for that entire weekend. The line runs eight and a half miles and will eventually reach LAX and the South Bay, though construction delays have set back that route until 2026.

CP&DR Vol. 37 No. 9 September 2022

With the possible exception of the ill-fated SB 50 , no land use bill in memory has gotten as much attention as AB 2097, Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s bill to remove parking requirements near transit stations. The Los Angeles Time s editorialized about it. The national magazine Governing wrote about it . Pro-housing twitter went nuts. On Facebook, the bill was celebrated as the crowning achievement in the distinguished career of parking guru Don Shoup.