At the California Land Use Law and Planning conferences, lawyers for cities and developers alike agreed that the big "shot clock" reforms in AB 130 and SB 131 will change the landscape dramatically for both sides.
New DOF numbers show an increase of 349,000 people and 364,000 housing units. Unsurprisingly, the coastal and inland areas are mirror images of each other.
The L.A. wildfires last January accounted for two of our four most-read stories last year. The passage of SB 79 and other housing legislation, along with the passing of parking guru Donald Shoup, were also high on the list.
Proposed 2026 ballot measure would create two categories of projects: "essential projects" subject to tighter timelines and other projects subject to current law.
This year's CEQA reform will put more pressure on cities and counties to bulletproof their housing element EIRs. But it also creates a much "cleaner" exemption for infill housing than was previously available.