Raise the topic of suburban sprawl in California, and you most likely launch a conversation about the San Fernando Valley, coastal Orange County, or the bedroom communities inland of San Francisco Bay. Only belatedly, if at all, will the conversation wander to the high desert, historically home only to scattered, windblown settlements scraped out of sand and creosote bush. >>read more
I recently had an unsettling experience in a parking lot in Lompoc. I was standing in the middle of an enormous asphalt parking lot, surrounded by large buildings emblazoned with the logos of national retail chains, and, for a split second, I didn't know where I was. >>read more
A recent ruling by the Department of Industrial Relations regarding labor rates for subsidized housing projects might be an advantage for affordable housing development, especially in rural areas. However, the situation regarding "prevailing wage" requirements might best be described as fluid. >>read more
The forests of the Sierra Nevada have long been a landscape of controversy, a battleground for conflict over logging, wildlife protection, water diversion, and the accelerating encroachment of vacation homes and subdivisions into flammable scenery.
In a March referendum election, El Dorado County voters upheld a revised county general plan and rejected a growth-control measure that would have tied growth to Highway 50 improvements. The election was another step toward a new general plan, as the county has been without a legal general plan for six years.
State prison officials are moving forward with plans to build a new death row at San Quentin, but elected officials and business interests in Marin County are urging the state to reconsider.
This month's selection of In Brief includes: Los Angeles County Supervisors approve revised Santa Clarita Valley EIR; agreement reached on environmental dispute at Northstar Ski Resort; San Joaquin County lobbyist is convicted on 17 counts over involvement with Stockton power plant proposal; Yolo County sues the City of Woodland over retail power center and auto mall; and more.
The Third District Court of Appeal has published its decision in a case involving the environmental impact report for the 6,000-acre Sunrise Douglas community plan in the City of Rancho Cordova.
In a rather harsh opinion, the Third District ruled against the Environmental Council of Sacramento and Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth. The court found that the project opponents failed to state the facts fairly and did not address the evidence in the record (see CP&DR Legal Digest, March 2005).
As has become customary for at least the last five years, the state Capitol is awash in legislation concerning housing. And, as usual, much of the legislation deals with small pieces of California's housing puzzle. This year, though, the cast of characters is different, and there is serious talk about major policy changes.
The scenes we see when strolling around the periphery of River Park, a master-planned development in Oxnard, tell us a lot about the history of Ventura County.
I've just read the Places article about Santa Monica in the February CP&DR. Morris Newman wrote, "Seeking to maximize its public investment, the city wants to build one or two 12-story residential buildings along the avenue."
California, it is oft-noted, has a larger economy than all but a handful of countries in the world. And the ongoing state budget deficit suggests the government could use more tax revenue. Yet the economic development bills that lawmakers introduced this year are a motley collection.
