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Wine Center's Closure May Not Crush Napa

Dec 2, 2008

Copia – the $80 million wine, food and arts center that was supposed to help anchor downtown Napa's revitalization – has closed and filed for bankruptcy.

What Happens When Social Ills Trump Redevelopment Plans?

Nov 26, 2008

The vagrants were getting aggressive while they panhandled in the parking lot between Starbucks and CVS.

"Bitch!" an angry-looking man in his 40s shouted at one woman who denied his plea for spare change.

A different fellow whom I turned down remained menacingly close while I opened my car door and quickly climbed inside. "Let's get the hell out of here," my friend said while jumping into the passenger seat.

Beware Drawing Conclusions About Local Ballot Measures

Nov 25, 2008

Gauging elections after they are over is seldom easy, especially when an election involves a citizen initiative. What does the initiative really do? Why did people vote for it? Did growth opponents win?

State Lacks Coordination To Reduce GHG

Nov 18, 2008

There is clearly a disconnect between the state budget and implementing SB 375 on the land use side. But is there a disconnect between the state's process for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transportation planning as well?

Permanent Redevelopment Funding Cut Proposed

Nov 12, 2008

Redevelopment agencies would permanently lose $400 million in annual tax increment revenues under a proposal from the Legislative Analyst's Office. That's about 9% of annual tax increment that would be shifted to schools in order to reduce the state's education funding obligation.

Do Difficult Choices And Little Money Spell Opportunity For Obama?

Nov 11, 2008

Barack Obama's background would suggest that he'll be a "HUD President" – but the president-elect also has a chance to weave together federal planning and development policies in a much broader way if he is not stymied by a staggering deficit.

UCLA Extension Seminar, Friday, November 14, 2008: Planning and Zoning Regulations and Practices

Oct 30, 2008

UCLA Extension Seminar: Planning and Zoning Regulations and Practices
Friday, November 14, 2008
Figueroa Courtyard
Downtown Los Angeles

LAFCOs, Cities, and Special Districts: The Challenge of Boundary Changes in the Future

Oct 30, 2008

Announcement

Joel Ellinwood: OPR Asks For The Time, CARB Explains How To Build A Watch

Oct 30, 2008

The old joke about the man on the street who asked a scientist for the time and instead got a two-hour lecture about how to build a watch (and the poor fellow never did find out what time it was) was played out again in Sacramento this week when the California Air Resources Board staff released its "Preliminary Draft Staff Proposal Recommended Approaches for Setting Interim Significance Thresholds for Greenhouse Gases" on Friday and presented it in a workshop on Monday.

The Unexpected Legacy Of Napa County's Measure J

Oct 29, 2008

A 50-year extension of Napa Valley's landmark initiative preserving agricultural land is widely expected to win approval on November 4. While Napa Valley's Measure P provides a ho-hum, it signifies just how much the political landscape has changed during the last two decades.

2 Big Rulings Favor Property Owners

Oct 27, 2008

It seems that the government always has the advantage in its ongoing legal battle with property rights advocates. But recently, property owners scored two big wins – although a government agency was responsible for one of the property owners' victories.

Best Downtowns: College Towns

Oct 20, 2008

Best & Worst, Town & Gown

If you can tolerate a little smugness and edginess, college towns are often the best towns of all ï¿½ and college downtowns are often the best downtowns, especially in small cities.

State Air Board Doubles SB 375 Emissions Target

Oct 16, 2008

The other shoe has dropped on the SB 375 front, as the California Air Resources Board has more than doubled the target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions to be obtained through regional planning.

Sometimes The Market Demands Higher Density -- Even If Libertarians Don't

Oct 16, 2008

SB 375 has left a lot of public commentary in its wake, but none more hilarious than a hostile editorial in the reliably libertarian Orange County Register, which refuses to believe that anyone in the homebuying marketplace would ever want to purchase anything other than a single-family house on a large lot.

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