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The California Legislature has come roaring back in 2021 with a whole new set of bills affecting planning and development. As in past years , the Legislature has not let up on housing. But instead of focusing on the number of units that it wants localities to allow, this year’s housing-related bills — which number in the hundreds — focus largely on the nuances of how localities can meet the state’s need.

EPA Makes Development of Redwood City Salt Flats Less Likely The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently abandoned its appeal of a federal judge's ruling last year holding that a sprawling collection of Redwood City salt ponds is protected from development under provisions of the Clean Water Act. The move, which was encouraged by a letter from nearly 60 Bay Area organizations nad individuals to the Biden administration, is a reversal from an initiative under the Trump Administration to make the area open for potential development. Cargill, a privately held company, evaporates water on the 1,365-acre property in "crystallizer beds" for industrial uses. The company has been considering development since 2009. Several conservation groups filed a lawsuit against the EPA in an effort to protect the site from development. Cargill says it plans to move forward with an appeal in the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) California Exodus Exaggerated, But Bay Area Loses Residents New analyses from the U.S. Postal Service and nonpartisan California Policy Lab say reports of mass exodus from California, with perhaps the exception of San Francisco, are overhyped at best. For California as a whole, the share of residents leaving the state has grown since 2015 by two percentage points, though fewer than usual residents have moved into California to replace those leaving. Even in the Bay Area, which is an outlier in terms of address changes, 72 percent of address changes resulted in moves to other Bay counties, and about a fifth of the 115,243 address changes went elsewhere in California. The most popular out-of-state destination was Washington state, followed by Texas, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, and New York. “While a mass exodus from California clearly didn’t happen in 2020, the pandemic did change some historical patterns. For example, fewer people moved into the state to replace those who left,” Natalie Holmes, research fellow at the California Policy Lab, said in a statement as reported in the Los Angeles Times. “At the county level, however, San Francisco is experiencing a unique and dramatic exodus, which is causing 50% or 100% increases in Bay Area in-migration for some counties in the Sierras.” (See related CP&DR coverage .) Bakersfield Makes Breakthrough on Homelessness Bakersfield , in partnership with Kern County, has become the fifth community to be certified for reaching "functional zero" for chronic homelessness, a standard achieved when a community can keep the number of homeless at or below three individuals. The national recognition comes from Built for Zero, an initiative of more than 80 cities and counties working to end homelessness. The number of people experiencing chronic homelessness has been reduced from 62 in January of 2019 to just two people today. The community has maintained an average of four people experiencing chronic homelessness throughout the entirety of 2020. At the beginning of the initiative, Bakersfield built a regional team, or a "command center" around a goal of getting to functional zero. They created a by-name list of real-time data to know every person experiencing chronic homelessness by name, and used that data to direct resources. CP&DR Podcast: L.A. Planner-Turned-Councilmember Nithya Raman Elected to the Los Angeles City Council in November, Nithya Raman ran on an explicitly urbanist platform. Her slogan: "Nithya for the city." Raman arrived at public service via urban planning. She earned her master's in urban planning from MIT and spend several years working her in native India, advocating for impoverished populations in Delhi and Chennai.Raman is the second urban planner to serve on the Los Angeles City Council and the first to serve since Ed Reyes was termed out in 2013. Josh Stephens spoke with Raman on for the CP&DR podcast. Quick Hits & Updates  Attorneys for Treasure Island residents has filed a motion to drop Treasure Island developers Lennar Corp. and Five Points Holding LLC from a lawsuit alleging that developers and regulators falsely assured residents of the property's safety. Attorneys for the defendants have been unable to find evidence against the developers. Instead, the lawsuit will focus on city and state regulators. Petulama is garnering national media attention after prohibiting the construction of any new gas stations. The ban has been in the works since 2019 and is meant to encourage a switch to electric and hydrogen charging stations. The city has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030; a recent analysis shows 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Sonoma County originate in the transportation sector. The city currently has 16 gas stations for 60,000 residents and an area of 14 square miles.  The San Jose City County City Council voted to rezone a school district parcel from "quasi-public-land"--currently a grass field--to a residential site, paving the way for 35 new housing units and a means by which the district can begin to make up for an estimated $1.7 million shortfall in the coming years. The two council votes against sided with housing advocates who argued the site could accommodate many more affordable homes. (See related CP&DR coverage .) An advocacy group is suing the Coastal Commission, arguing in a lawsuit that the commission should not have granted a permit to Southern California Edison to take down building and infrastructure at the now-defunct San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The case, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is expected to go trial in late June. The Coastal Commission is slated to file an opposition brief in May. Oakland released its draft environmental impact report for the A's proposed baseball stadium at Howard Terminal. The release marks a big step in the effort to build a 35,000-seat waterfront ballpark complex with housing, offices, and retail space. The document said the development would worsen traffic congestion and violate the city's noise ordinance; construction could emit pollutants that pose health risks in West Oakland. The California Strategic Growth Council has released a draft of grant guidelines and applications for for the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program , which is a component of the Strategic Growth Council's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. A new study that looked at the effects of an "Urban Village" planning strategy implemented in San Jose, California, found that the initiative's effects were limited. The policy, intended to promote higher density and mixed use development, had almost zero effect on parcel land use, treatment period, and identification strategies. The study's authors say zoning changes never materialized. A white paper from the UCLA Lewis Center explores how California's Housing Element Law could be the answer to removing local barriers and addressing neighborhood-level opposition to change. Chief among the author's recommendations is a fee deferral program that would allow developers to pay when the city actually needs the money, not early on in the process when costs are most prohibitive. The California Department of Housing and Community Development approved a $500,000 grant for Lancaster under the Local Early Action Planning, or LEAP, grants program. Lancaster plans to use the funds toward the Parkway Village Specific Plan, a proposed development that would allow for both single-family and multi-family development. A new report from Sustainability Sonoma, an organization that spent two years collaborating with businesses, government agencies and other stakeholders, explores the strategies necessary to address the Valley's inequalities. A new report says the San Jose metro area is the nation's top market for the future development of office space and is also seen as a hot market for retail and apartment development. The commercial real estate firm that issued the report also ranked highly the East Bay and the San Francisco-San Mateo metro regions. A group disputing the legality of Measure P, Fresno's parks tax ballot initiative, will appeal after a circuit court ruled that the measure only needed a simple majority to pass. Measure P on the November 2018 ballot proposed a 3/8-cent sales tax that would've generated $37.5 million annually for 30 years for Fresno parks and cultural arts. San Diego County may purchase  98 acres of scenic land in El Monte Valley for $3 million. The land is a popular destination for hikers, and is home to bats, owls, kestrels, roadrunners, eagles, mountain lions, and much more. If the county passes on the deal, the land can then be offered to conservation groups, after which it would be available for purchase by private groups. A light rail transit project in the San Fernando Valley is likely to proceed after a decision by the Federal Transit Authority opened the door to federal funding. The FTA's action allows LA County Metro to seek federal dollars for the final design and construction of the 9.2-mile project, which is planned to connect the Van Nuys Station with the San Fernando Metrolink Station.

Elected to the Los Angeles City Council in November,  Nithya Raman ran on an explicitly urbanist platform. Her slogan: "Nithya for the city." Raman arrived at public service via urban planning. She earned her master's in urban planning from MIT and spend several years working her in native India, advocating for impoverished populations in Delhi and Chennai. Raman's council district,  District 4 , spans both sides of the Hollywood Hills, including wealthy, homeowner-dominated neighborhoods like Larchmont Village and Sherman Oaks as well as denser, lower-income neighborhoods like Van Nuys and Hollywood. Raman's city council platform includes several planks related to progressive land use and attention to disadvantaged populations, including rent forgiveness, subsidized housing, and vastly increased services and housing options for unhoused people. Raman is the second urban planner to serve on the Los Angeles City Council and the first to serve since Ed Reyes was termed out in 2013. CP&DR's Josh Stephens spoke with Raman on February 18. Available on other platforms, including Spotify and Google Podcasts, here .

In 1917, the Supreme Court ruled in Buchanan vs. Warley , that cities could not impose race-based residential segregation. Two years later, the City of Berkeley became one of the first municipalities to try an innovation: zoning that excluded anything but single-family residences. Last week, the Berkeley City Council voted unanimously, 9-0, to reverse a 101-year-old policy that detractors say had been allowed to stain the city for far too long. The message of social justice resonated with stakeholders and council members alike. Berkeley is the second city in as many months to commit to challenge the sanctity of single-family neighborhoods and allow residences of up to four units via conversion or new construction. The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously in January to move in the same direction and several other cities are considering similar moves. The department will draft zoning regulations in conjunction with its update of the city’s housing element. The housing element update is, in turn, motivated by the city’s forthcoming Regional Housing Needs Allocation, expected to be around 9,000 units for the upcoming eight-year cycle. Jordan Klein, the city’s interim planning director, said he is hopeful that a signification portion of the expected RHNA can be accommodated by upzoning of single-family lots. Without it, in fact, the city would be limited to only a handful of commercial corridors and existing multifamily neighborhoods. “We can’t just rely on our commercial districts and our avenues,” said Klein. “We can’t just rely on our downtown to accommodate these new units.” In explaining Berkeley’s recent move – after decades of slow-growth policies – Klein credited a recent report from the UC Berkeley Othering and Belonging Institute that essentially contended that racial segregation persists in the Bay Area and correlates strongly with single-unit zoning. “As planners it’s so critical that we understand the history of our profession,” said Klein. "So often planning and development policies have been used as a means of furthering racial inequities and even white supremacy." While many members of Berkeley’s famously progressive citizenry are likely celebrating the move, the arduous work of implementing it now falls to the city’s planning department. Though the upzoning policy is clearly considered by many stakeholders to be a moral victory, the pragmatic victory will depend on whether multi-unit buildings actually get built. Klein said the city is very early in the process but said the city does want units to actually get built.

Guidelines Released for $405 Million Round of State Planning Grants The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) adopted the Round 6 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC) Guidelines at its public meeting on February 24, 2021, following a process that incorporated feedback received through three public comment periods, multiple Council meetings, and stakeholder meetings. AHSC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. SGC’s AHSC program implementation partner, the California Department of Housing and Community Development will soon release the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) with a value of approximately $405 million, thereby opening the Round 6 application period. Soon thereafter, the AHSC program will release its application. The application period will remain open until June 2021, and SGC expects to make awards decisions in October of this year. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Increases in Auto Emissions Threaten State Climate Goals  An audit of California's climate change program criticized state officials for over-reliance on reducing car emissions as a means of meeting emissions goals by 2030. Emissions from transportation have increased since 2013. The California Air Resources Board has overstated the effects of its incentive clean-care rebates and other voucher programs, and doesn't collect enough data to determine whether the majority of its programs led people to buy cleaner vehicles, the audit reported. California lawmakers have doled out more than $2 billion of cap and trade income to fund the clean transportation programs since the 2013-2014 fiscal year. But income from the carbon trading program is variable and is expected to dwindle as the state's polluters clean up emissions. The state needs more accurate program measurements to meet its greenhouse gas goals, the audit said. Meanwhile, an analysis of the most recently available data, conducted by nonpartisan think tank Next-10 and the consulting firm Beacon Economics, found that greenhouse gas emissions from 2018 rose for the first time since 2012. The authors attribute the 0.2 percent increase to commercial facilities that use refrigeration and power plants. To get back on track to meeting climate goals mandated by SB 32, California will need to reduce emissions by 4.9 percent yearly over the next decade. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Sacramento Establishes New Rules, Programs for Homeless  The city of Sacramento will allow small sanctioned homeless encampments to open in vacant lots across the city, a move homeless activists have been pushing for for years. The so-called "Safe Grounds" have basic bathroom facilities, and allow people to sleep in tents, vehicles, or tiny homes without fear of being harassed by the city. The sites come at a much lower cost to the city than traditional homeless shelters. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is also pushing for over 60 tiny homes in as many days. The projected upfront cost of $300,000 to start and another $24,000 and $600,000 in ongoing costs are much lower than the $5 million to $10 million it costs the city to open and operate large shelters for two years. City councilmembers, who have largely been on board, will decide where the sites are allocated around the city. The council has already passed an ordinance that allows Safe Grounds to open on properties zoned for assembly use, and would allow them to open on industrial or commercial-zoned properties with a buffer zone for schools, child care facilities, parks, and museums. CP&DR Coverage: Cities Lose Bids to Reduce Housing Allocations Essentially all of the Southern California Association of Governments’ 198 jurisdictions received significantly higher RHNA allocations — by factors of two and three, in some cases — than in past cycles. Many cities welcomed their allocations, and many were resigned. But a handful of largely suburban cities, clustered in Orange County, filed appeals, hoping for SCAG to reduce their allocations. Because metropolitan planning organizations such as SCAGs have no power to reduce their state-mandated regional RHNA numbers, reduction in any city’s allocation would have required an increase in other cities’ allocations. The agreed-upon allocation, known as the “coastal plan,” resulted from intense negotiations last year that SCAG would have been loathe to undo. Quick Hits & Updates The Santa Ana Regional Water Board released a tentative order detailing proposed revisions to Poseidon Water's controversial proposed $1.4-billion water desalination project in Huntington Beach. Should Poseidon ultimately receive approval, it would still need approval from the California Coastal Commission before the desalination plant and five mitigation projects included in the order could move forward. California wildlife regulators will challenge a recent court ruling that found four species of bumblebees to be outside of California's jurisdiction under the Endangered Species Act, which has no provision for protecting insects. The state and three environmental organizations filed a notice to appeal. If courts rule in favor of the appeal, it would be the first time since the act's inception in 1970. Kern County's Planning Commission voted to recommend a streamlined oil-and-gas permitting system that would provide regulatory certainty in exchange for new fees and mitigation measures protecting the environment and people who live in the surrounding areas. The proposal is expected to be sent to the county Board of Supervisors for consideration in March. The Elk Grove Planning Commission rejected California University's plans to build a $750 million teaching hospital in Elk Grove. Commissioners turned down the project by a unanimous vote, though the proposal will still go to the city council, which will have the final say. Commissioners took issue with the the project's location on a 200-year flood plain and the presence of a shopping mall on the proposed site. Oakland's planning department is finalizing a Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP) that would allow for the development of up to 20 million square feet of new commercial space and over 29,000 residential units over the next two decades. The plan includes up to 7,520 units of affordable housing, with an emphasis on housing located around BART and its connectors. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) The Department of Housing and Community Development released its 2019-2020 suite of reports that address a variety of housing challenges. Residential Impact Fees in California provides an overview and analysis of impact fees in California. A report entitled "California's Housing Future: Challenges and Opportunities," provides in depth research into California's housing challenges. Adventure Church, the prospective owner of Fresno's iconic downtown Tower Theater Theatre, is now the subject of an amended complaint that claims the church engaged in "tortious interference with contract." The Save the Tower Theatre campaign got a boost when comedian Sarah Silverman and actress Audra McDonald (a Fresno native) tweeted in support of saving the theater as a community resource. Landlords are suing the City of Santa Monica for a law adopted late last year that banned short term leases in a stated effort to increase rental housing stock for Santa Monica residents. The plaintiffs--32 limited liability companies--allege the ban violates the U.S. Constitution and the California Coastal Act. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria plans to revive regulations for sidewalk pushcart vendors that were dropped by his predecessor, Mayor Faulconer, after backlash. Faulconer's proposal would have banned pushcarts in high-traffic tourist areas, near ballparks on game days, and near a convention center on days when a convention is being held. The Port of San Diego advanced to Phase 4 of 5 of its Port Master Plan Update, a major milestone since launching the Integrated Planning effort in 2013. Next, staff will complete the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report, which they expect to circulate in mid-2021; then the plan will go to the California Coastal Commission for certification. San Francisco's rents are dropping and vacancies are climbing. Since the beginning of the pandemic, median two-bedroom monthly rents have fallen from over $3000 to $2,305. The vacancy rate is harder to pinpoint, but one survey of landlords who collectively owned 4,741 units found that those property owners had a 16.3 percent vacant rate. While rental prices are down in many cities across the nation, San Jose's lead the pack with rental prices down 13.7 percent in December over the previous year, according to a new report. San Francisco saw the third-biggest decline, 9.4 percent, after New York City. Conversely, the Inland Empire and Sacramento led the nation in metro areas where prices went up the most. Long Beach will allow property owners to legalize unpermitted units with no penalty if owners make the units affordable and bring them into compliance with safety codes. Density restrictions, parking requirements, and other planning standards will be waived if owners agree to rent the unit at an affordable level for low- or moderate-income tenants for a minimum of 10 years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will remove 3.4 million acres of critical habitat protections for the northern spotted owl in Oregon, Washington, and California. Conservation groups have already filed lawsuits, including the Center for Biological Diversity. They will also look to Democratic U.S. Senate and House members to apply the Congressional Review Act to overturn the decision with a simple majority vote. As part of an organized effort by tenant activists in March, families have seized a number of vacant homes in El Sereno. Many of the families have been granted occupancy rights by the L.A. Housing Authority, which is now collecting rent from them.. Caltrans, which acquired the properties for a now-axed plan to expand the 710 Freeway, had let many of the homes fall into disrepair as they lay vacant for years. Caltrans has issued new guidance that directs developers to consider street safety for everyone--not just drivers. Changes in the way car traffic is treated under the California Environmental Quality have spurred the changes in guidance to agencies that will now need to consider the safety of and access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.

CP&DR Vol. 36 No. 2 February 2021

Many housing advocates considered the assignment of 1 .3 million new housing units to Southern California via 2019’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation process to be a serious win. It was followed up by an intra-regional allocation process that weighted units toward high-cost, high-demand coastal cities, for another win. Last month, they scored a few more wins — 50 to be exact.

Sometime in the late 1980s  I cant find a hyperlink at this late date in history  the brash new mayor of Modesto went to a meeting of the Association of Bay Area Governments and argued that the Central Valley should be part the conversation about future of Bay Area growth. It was the early days of supercommuters and, during one of Californias periodic housing booms, Bay Area commuters were breaking down the wall to the Central Valley. In return, Carol Whiteside wanted to break down the wall that shut her out of regional planning in the Bay Area. It was a slow news day and Carol got a lot of headlines, though the truth of the matter was that nobody in snooty Bay Area planning circles took her very seriously. But Carol, who died Friday at the age of 78, was not easily deterred. In 20 years as a leader on growth issues in California  four as mayor, six in the administration of Pete Wilson, and 10 as head of the Great Valley Center  she probably had more influence over the shape of regional planning in California than any other single individual. In Modesto, where she served one term each on the school board, the city council, and as mayor, Carol was one of those people folks call a force of nature, as the Modesto Bees lengthy and loving obituary made clear. (A more personal and moving remembrance by longtime Bee reporter Garth Stapley can be found here.) But it was in her subsequent roles with the Wilson Administration and the Great Valley Center  an institution that came into being entirely because of the force of her personality  that she left her most lasting impression on the state. She came into state government as an aide to Doug Wheeler, Wilsons natural resources secretary, and stayed on as director of intergovernmental relations  essentially, Wilsons liaison to cities and counties around the state. Proposition 13 had given the state far more control over local finances, and the locals  chafing over this loss of control  retaliated by pursuing narrowly focused planning goals, often cutting the amount of housing permitted (which typically was  and still is  a money-loser from a tax perspective) while maximizing retail space (which generated sales tax). The result was, for the first time, a lack of housing production in job-rich areas  the early symptoms of todays mega-crisis in housing in California. In 1988, longtime Assembly Speaker Willie Brown had proposed simply abolishing local government altogether and replacing it with a small number of regional governments. Fresh off her mayoral appearance at ABAG, Carol jumped into this fray with gusto, traveling the state constantly and trying to find solutions that would retain local control while at the same time meeting regional needs. Admittedly, this was a little easier in those days: the challenges of balancing climate change and extreme housing underproduction lay ahead. Its also worth noting that, on growth issues, Wilson  the former mayor of San Diego  was a much more moderate Republican than his current reputation would suggest. But its important to understand how different she was from most of her contemporaries who moved from local to state government in the ‘90s After term limits passed in 1990  the same year Wilson was elected governor  the legislature opened up for the first time in decades and many city and county elected officials moved up. Most were Democrats, many had strong ties to labor, and almost all of them seemed to immediately forget where they came from: They prioritized the states needs over the state-local relationship. By contrast, Carol  working in the executive branch for a moderate Republican governor  did not. Wheeler and others who worked with her during this time, including Wheelers longtime undersecretary Michael Mantell, recall that she was extraordinarily skilled at navigating the often-difficult relationship between the state and local governments. Part of her skill was simply her passion for both local government  government close to the people, something Republicans once valued  and a regional approach to both growth management and economic development. She preached regionalism wherever she went, often to a lukewarm response. But in 1997 she was able to create for herself the ultimate perch for regional advocacy in California: She persuaded several Bay Area foundations to stake her in creating the Great Valley Center, an organization that advocated for a regional approach in the 18-county Central Valley of California. The Central Valley has often been overlooked as a force in California and Carol was determined to change that. In the 10 years that she ran the Great Valley Center, she was the most powerful person in the Valley  more powerful than any individual politician or business leader. She used that power to promote the idea that the Central Valley was a region that needed to work together to get things done but also that needed to be taken seriously by the political and economic leaders in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. She largely succeeded  helped by the fact that the Central Valley was, at the time, Californias swing political district. Part of Carols success was due to her passion and commitment, but part of it was due to the fact that she was a warm, caring, and funny person. The Modesto Bee obituary called her smart, creative, tough, curious, stubborn, brilliant and bold" and that pretty much sums it up. When we were on panels together at conferences, which was pretty much all the time back in the '90s, she would often sit next to me and draw pictures of birds for me to take home to my daughter. And she often used her own culinary skill to bring people together. She was a gourmet chef and had once taught classes on cooking. She once greeted me at her front door holding a blow torch. (She was making creme brule). Bill Higgins, now head of the California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG), told me the story about how she once invited him to a Fourth of July party where the guests all dressed up as characters. Higgins jokingly suggested that it be filmed as if it were Iron Chef, so she told him to bring a video camera and do the recording himself. Just out of law school, Bill didnt have a video camera, much less the money to buy one, but nonetheless he went out and purchased one in order to film the entire event  then returned the camera to Best Buy because he couldnt afford it. Because, as he told me the other day, who is going to say no to Carol? We will all miss Carol, and I hope that her example can shine forth in the future, as we continue  in a changed and complicated world  to wrestle with the same issues that engaged her for so long. CP&DR is a subscriber-supported publication. This article is being provided free of charge, but most articles are available only on a premium basis. For FULL ACCESS to all our premium content - Subscribe Online Today! (If you're not a subscriber premium articles can be purchased for just $5 each by visiting our online Single Purchase Store)

Statewide Homebuilding Proceeds Slowly amid Pandemic Nationally, homebuilding was way up in 2020, but California, despite a housing shortage in the millions of units, saw only a modest year-over-year bump in new permits. California recorded 61,700 new permits for single-family residences, according to Census Bureau data, putting the state up 4 percent from 2019. Meanwhile, single-family permits rose 14 percent elsewhere in the U.S., and only 11 states performed worse than California. Last year, California had 42,800 multifamily permits, 15 percent lower in a year and the slowest pace since 2013. In the rest of the U.S., multifamily permits dipped 10 percent to the slowest pace since 2017. Still, California underperformed with just a 7.6 percent share of U.S. multifamily permitting in 2020 compared with a 9 percent average in the previous five years. (See related CP&DR coverage .) State Audit Faults Homelessness Service Providers State auditors conducted an audit of Continuum of Care (CoC) agencies charged with coordinating homeless services, were critical of state agencies that have struggled to coordinate efforts to address homelessness, and failed to comply with federal regulations or follow best practices. The homeless council has failed to coordinate existing funding and establish partnerships with stakeholders with stakeholders to develop strategies to end homelessness: as a result, the state continues to lack a comprehensive understanding of its spending to address homelessness, the specific services the programs provide, or the individuals who receive those services. The audit found three additional factors that make state guidance especially necessary, namely that CoC's are not employing best practices, have not adequately determined whether it has sufficient service providers to meet need, and two of the five CoCs failed to have current comprehensive plans. Land Available for Single-Family Homes in California Cities Dwindling San Diego has the fewest available lots in the nation for new single-family housing according to a real estate research firm in a new report. It also said the number of available lots had decreased 28 percent in a year. While the nationwide lot supply is down 9 percent, San Francisco and Los Angeles actually had increases. San Francisco was up 22 percent and Los Angeles was up 13 percent. The index ranking is based on lots zoned for housing, and only applies to single-family homes, so despite the lack of vacant lots and challenging terrain, the city has made gains with vertical construction, particularly downtown. However, San Diego County County homebuilding, even with multifamily construction, is down historically. Report: State Planning Grant Program Leads to Over 11,000 New Homes California Housing Partnership released a five-year investment impact report cataloging the more than 127 developments the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program has invested in at a cost of $1.66 billion. The impact to date on the affordable housing front are 11,317 new affordable homes serving an estimated 155,600 households, and an estimated $9,500 average yearly savings for households living in AHSC-funded housing. For transportation, the organization created or improved over 1,300 new crosswalks, 189 miles of new and improved bike lanes, and provided 10,840 transit passes to residents. Since AHSC's goals are linked to climate targets, the impact report on those metrics as well. An estimated 21,000 cars were removed from the road each year, 3.0 million metric tons of GHG emissions avoided, and over 250 million fewer miles driven in a car each year, according to the report. CP&DR Coverage: Housing Laws Work as Intended in Marin County A clever developer from Los Angeles has figured out how to use SB 35 – along with low-income housing tax credits and density bonuses – to make ministerial review of an affordable housing project work in a community that’s located in an affluent county – but already has lots of affordable housing. And key to making the project work was not just SB 35, but also AB 1763, a 2019 bill that gave affordable housing developers way more leverage over local governments. The issue raised is whether SB 35, cleverly applied, will alleviate housing problems in a place like Marin County or raise environmental justice concerns related to the concentration of affordable housing – or both. Quick Hits & Updates The Berkeley City Council may have the votes to end single-family zoning. New legislation, introduced by the city's vice mayor, would forbid single-family zoned areas and allow more apartments, duplexes, or triplexes, and would allow for converting single-family homes to multifamily homes. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Environmental groups are appealing Alameda County court's decision to allow a major controversial housing development to move forward. The plan calls for 469 homes on the edge of Newark's wetlands. The ruling dismissed the California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit, which argued the city of Newark "failed to consider the dramatically increased sea-level rise projections of recent years." The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a climate change proposal, the Regional Sustainability Plan, that aims to bring the county's carbon issues to zero by 2035. Environmental groups have praised the plan as "a noble and necessary effort." San Bernadino County's transportation agency  approved a proposal from Elon Musk for a tunnel serving Ontario Airport, and a contract for a 4-mile underground loop appears imminent. Musk and San Bernadino's transportation agency have initiated exclusive negotiations, after which the contract would go to the board for approval. If the two sides reach an agreement, operation could begin in late 2023 or early 2024. Los Angeles officials say three homelessness initiatives are on track to exceed initial projections, with a 7,961 supportive housing units in the pipeline from Proposition HHH. A Bridge Home, a program that creates interim housing facilities, has exceeded its goal of 15 facilities with 28 facilities completed and three in development. T wo environmental groups filed suit to reverse the approval of "Sanctuary West", a housing development that would fill 'restorable' San Francisco Bay wetlands and construct 469 luxury housing units. The site, which is within a FEMA flood zone, has been widely criticized by environmentalists, housing advocates, and climate experts. The Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously to approve a 13-acre residential project near John Wayne airport that will bring 312 apartment units--including 13 marked as low income or affordable--atop an 825-space parking structure, as well as an approximately one-acre public park. Inglewood will use eminent domain to secure 11 properties needed for a Los Angles Clippers basketball arena. The properties include two warehouses and a Church's Chicken. The rest are vacant or only used for billboards. Once acquired, Inglewood will transfer the land to the arena's private developers. A new survey by the Harris Poll and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs offers evidence that rather than decamping for the suburbs, city residents remain committed to cities. The survey results indicate that the bulk of residents across community type--big city, inner suburb and outer suburb--are happy with where they live, and say they want to live in the type of community in which they currently reside. (See related CP&DR coverage .) The Biden administration introduced new environmental directives, including a suspension of new oil and gas development on federal lands. Oil and gas companies, mostly operated off the Southern California coast and in Kern and Monterey counties, are already fighting the move. Among the other executive actions was a call to conserve 30 percent of all the nation's lands and ocean by 2030, which could include large swaths of Northern California and the Central Coast. While California won't see new fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and waters, the state still permits new drilling on private lands, where the majority of the state's oil and gas development takes place. The real estate investment trust that operates the Queen Mary in Long Beach and owns 26 other hotels filed for bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy filing says Eagle Hospitality has more than $500 million in liabilities. Despite the financial devastation the pandemic has wrought on the hotel industry, bankruptcies have been rare--just two hotel companies with more than $50 million of liabilities filed for bankruptcy last year. A $2.5 billion dam near Pacheco Pass in Santa Clara County will move forward despite the discovery of unstable geology that will double the dam's cost. Over 100 test borings on the site found that crews would have to dig down 30 feet deeper to hit bedrock than previously thought, adding three years to construction and at least $1 billion in additional costs for the 319-foot-high dam. A plan to temporarily place an observation wheel in San Diego’s Balboa Park has been abandoned by proponents. The so-called Balboa Park Star was intended as a pandemic-friendly activity that could promote more foot traffic in the park. An online petition in opposition to the project with over 3,700 signees called it a "for-profit Ferris Wheel" that would use public property for private profit. An activist group in Santa Ana is spearheading an effort to block a city-council approved plan to demolish a budget-friendly grocery store to clear the way for a luxury apartment development. At issue is whether the loss of the grocery store would lead to a "food desert" and would further displace Santa Ana residents who would not be able to afford the estimated $1,500 to $3,500 rent prices. In response to backlash from stakeholders in San Francisco, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted unanimously to study the equity impacts of Plan Bay Area 2050 and produce an alternative plan that better considers how ambitious housing, transportation and climate goals might make displacement a casualty of greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Ambitious Plan Would Unite By Area by Rail A new multiyear planning process by BART and regional rail providers, dubbed Link21, will establish a case for greater integration of rail service across the Bay Area, the Sacramento area, San Joaquin Valley, and the Monterey region. The plan includes new and enhanced services on a variety of rail networks in the region, including BART, Caltrain, SMART Rail, California High-Speed Rail, and Amtrak corridors into the Central Valley. A central project in the plan will be a second Transbay Tube for the BART system. In 2014, BART began officially studying the idea of a Transbay Tube, and since then, the idea of a second train connection has been batted around on multiple occasions. But with Link21 , the second train crossing takes a big step toward reality. Between BART and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, over $370 million has gone toward project planning. The whole project , according to current estimates, may cost $29 billion. The Link21 anticipates fully operational service by 2040. UCSF Moves Ahead with Controversial Expansion Plan The University of California at San Francisco's $3 billion, 30-year modernization plan for its Parnassus Heights campus was approved by the University of California Board of Regents. The vote sets the stage for a massive construction project that includes a new hospital and research facilities as well as 1,200 units of housing for students and faculty. The project faced considerable opposition from surrounding residents and San Francisco Supervisors. The vote comes a week after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ask the regents to delay the decision so that questions about UCSF's commitment to affordable housing and job training, along with transportation issues, could be addressed. As part of negotiations with Mayor London Breed's office, the medical school and hospital agreed to increase housing in the plan from 750 to 1,260 units and make 40 percent available at below market rates. In addition, UCSF agreed to invest $20 million in transportation improvements. High Speed Rail Faces Further Cost Overruns California’s bullet train project is facing setbacks after setback as estimated costs have swelled according to recent reports from the California High Speed Rail Authority,. To partially compensate for the $2 billion budget increase on the first phase of construction, the agency announced it will reduce the Bakersfield-to-Merced route down from two tracks to one, saving $1 billion. The state is scrambling to secure additional cash for the project and keep federal dollars that are tied to a 2022 deadline, asking the Biden California is hoping to get back nearly $1 billion in grant money cancelled by the previous administration. As for state funding, the bullet train authority will seek a $4.1 billion appropriation to complete construction in the Central Valley. The appropriation would come out of a 2008 bond fund that voters approved. If the Legislature releases the funds, it would be the first time since 2012. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) CP&DR Commentary: Legal Questions about YIMBY Lawsuit Housing advocates YIMBY Law and YIMBY Action sued the state of California last week, arguing the Department of Housing and Community Development misjudged the housing need of the San Francisco Bay Area. The suit raises important questions at the intersection of transportation, climate, and housing policy.The activists’ complaint has merit. HCD appears to have overlooked an older adjustment factor, one which the Legislature added with a landmark climate change bill back in 2008: jobs-housing imbalance. But, the Legislature, not the courts, should resolve it. Quick Hits & Updates A letter to California high-speed officials from a major bullet train contractor, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, contradicts state claims that the line will meet a key 2022 federal deadline. The construction company Tutor Perini alleges that unresolved problems ranging from a lack of continuity among leadership and failure to secure land, utilities, and partnerships will result in delays and layoffs. When controlling for household demographics, households in transit-oriented developments own fewer and more fuel-efficient cars, driver fewer miles, and use transit more, according to research out of Fresno State. A study evaluating the impact of TOD on household expenditures found that on average, households save $1,232 per year compared to non-TOD counterparts with similar demographics, accounting for 18 percent of their total annual transportation expenses. The company that bribed former Los Angeles Councilmember Jose Huizar to earn his vote for a 35-story project in downtown's Arts District will pay $1.2 million in a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Under the agreement, CP Employer admitted and accepted responsibility as well as agreed to fully cooperate with the FBI's ongoing public corruption probe. Encinitas 's first farming-focused housing community--part of a national "agrihood" movement-- won unanimous permit approval and enthusiastic praise from Encinitas planning commissioners. The new development, to be called Fox Point Farms calls for the construction of 250 homes, a 5.5-acre farmland area, a farm stand, a farm-to-table restaurant, and a community recreation center. A giant land sale in Calimesa with 3,052 approved home sites in a 2,590-acre Summerwind Trails master-planned community is the second largest sale of lots in eight years. The sale comes as builder--and buyer--interest has piqued in the Inland Empire, focused recently on sites off the I-10 between Calimesa and Beaumont. San Diego Port commissioners have rejected a $455 million hotel project that would have added more than 1,000 rooms. Port commissioners said they were troubled by the development's size and its impacts on public vistas. Four years in the making, the Fifth Avenue Landing development would have included more than two acres of public areas and the port's first-ever proposal for affordable lodging. Los Angeles City Councilmemeber Kevin de Leon announced he will introduce motions with the goal of creating 25,000 new housing units for homeless people by 2025. With the motions, De Leon says he is attempting to tackle a convoluted system for permitting and approving housing projects that has contributed to slow progress of housing projects funded by Proposition HHH. The San Diego City Council approved 44 policy changes in its yearly zoning code update, many that will impact housing. One will allow more housing projects under airplane flight paths by increasing height limits and allowing more dense mixed-use projects in several areas city-wide. The city also added three new incentives to encourage developers to build for moderate-income residents, as well as loosened requirements for developers looking to convert ground-floor commercial space to housing. A group of rideshare and delivery drivers from Uber, Lyft, Doordash, and Instacart filed a petition with the California Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 22, the measure approved in November that declared them independent contractors. The drivers argue that Prop 22 unconstitutionally usurps the legislature's authority over worker's compensation. (See related CP&DR commentary .) A conservation trust purchased Sumner Peck Ranch, a stretch of riverside land that the group hopes to transform, with the addition of other properties, into a 22-mile public park in north Fresno. The land is replete with oak forest and riparian scenery alongside acres of landscaped event space. After 46 years at the Coastal Commission --the longest term in the agency's history--Susan Hansch will step down at the end of January. Susan's legacy includes devoting time to education programs and overseeing the publishing of a number of books filled with coastal history, maps, and beach access points along California's more than 1,200 miles off shore. Developers behind a new project that would add 24 apartments above office space in downtown Santa Rosa are asking the City Council to override objections that the proposed five-story project is too tall for its location. Though Santa Rosa has sought to incentivize infill projects that add more housing downtown, even loosening height limits, The Flats development brought forward was denied approval by the city’s Cultural Heritage Board. A new report from the Mineta Transportation Institute found that Californians want their state to invest in safer, greener, and more efficient transportation systems. Just over half of the respondents put making getting around without driving more convenient a priority, throwing support behind frequent public transit service, discounted fares for low-income Californians, and building bike paths as ways to achieve that goal. San Diego County Supervisors voted to collaborate with UC San Diego to create a blueprint for reducing the region’s carbon footprint to zero by 2035. UCSD's School of Global Policy and Strategy will draft a plan that would establish a framework for zeroing out carbon emissions that cities through the county can embrace. The California Air Resources Board  appointed Chanell Fletcher, currently ClimatePlan’s Executive Director, to oversee its work on environmental justice and racial equity. Fletcher will be the point person on environmental justice within the agency and provide input on “ARB’s programs designed to address disproportionate impacts from air pollution and climate change and associated chronic health conditions affecting Black, Latinx and other communities of color across the state, according to the press announcement.

Compared to California’s superstar cities, Sacramento has kept a low profile, dutifully maintaining its impression of a staid Midwestern city. On land use, though, the state capital has taken a decidedly progressive turn.

The City of San Jose violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not providing information about an updated Notice of Determination – but CEQA contains no penalty or remedy for such a violation, an appellate court has ruled. The court also ruled that, even though a citizen group amended its lawsuit to include the correct defendants, the amended lawsuit came after the 30-day deadline for filing CEQA lawsuits. The court said acknowledged that the outcome of the case was “uncomfortable.”