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Georgetown is an historic Gold Rush-era hamlet in El Dorado County. Dollar General usually builds pretty ugly stores. A lot of people in Georgetown pointed that out to county officials. Does that mean the county has to do an environmental impact report to examine aesthetic issues?

The Department of Housing and Community Development  released an updated list showing which California cities and counties are subject to the streamlined ministerial approval process under Senate Bill 35. SB 35 was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017 and is intended to help address housing affordability by expediting approvals for certain new housing projects in areas not meeting their housing needs. At this time last year, only 54 percent of jurisdictions had submitted the most recent housing element Annual Progress Report, but this year 79 percent of jurisdictions submitted the most recent 2017 APR. HCD released an interactive online map as well as various documents and data. Bay Area Leaders Form Organization to Address Housing Crisis A panel of mayors, developers, and transit officials named Committee to House the Bay Area (CASA) have recommended creating a new agency with taxing authority to implement regional housing solutions including a regional 15 percent rent cap, new property taxes, laws against arbitrary evictions, and looser zoning near transit centers. CASA was formed by MTC and ABAG to create a new group that focuses on housing and transit. Since the recession ended in 2010, the region has created 722,000 jobs but only build 106,000 housing units. The members drafted a 10-point compact meant to bring housing production more in line with demand. The general goals include building 35,000 homes each year including 14,000 that are affordable to low-income families and 7,000 that are affordable to moderate-income families; preserving 30,000 units of existing affordable housing; and protecting 300,000 low-income households that are on the verge of displacement. CASA’s 10-point plan will go before the MTC for approval next week and ABAG in January. Harris Proposes Expansion of San Gabriel Mountains Nat. Monument Sen. Kamala Harris introduced a bill that would expand the boundaries of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument to include popular hiking trails north of Pasadena and create a federally designated recreation area along the San Gabriel River. The San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act mimics two bills introduced in May 2017 by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) that were never discussed in committee. The legislation would add 109,000 acres to the 346,177-acre national monument established by President Barack Obama in 2014. The designation would protect endangered species living along the river and in the hills, while expanding outdoor recreational opportunities. The area would be run by the National Park Service. Trump Administration Proposes Changes to "Waters of U.S." Rule The Trump administration laid out plans to roll back the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule which protected isolated streams and wetlands from industrial pollution. Environmental groups denounced the proposal as an attempt by the administration to dodge the Clean Water Act and open up thousands of miles of streams and wetlands throughout the nation to development. The Trump administration claims the Obama rule was an attempt to regulate private property and force farmers to obtain EPA and Army Corps of Engineers permits for their stock ponds, watering holes and irrigation canals. A 60-day comment period will begin once the new Waters of the U.S. rule is printed in the Federal Register. The new rule is estimates to remove protection from as many as 60 percent of the streams in California and other states.  (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Court Upholds Plumas County General Plan Update The 3rd District Court of Appeal affirmed a judgment upholding Plumas County’s first comprehensive update of its 1984 general plan and rejecting arguments that the update violated the California Timberland Productivity Act of 1982 and that the related EIR violated CEQA. Plumas County has 65 percent of its lands designated as public lands managed by the US Forest Service and another 6 percent owned and managed by State and County agencies. The county additionally is constrained by rivers, forests, and mountainous terrain leaving very little available for development.  The CEQA conclusions were that an EIR only needs to analyze a project’s reasonably foreseeable effects and not the “worst case scenario” that is not reasonably foreseeable in order to be considered legally adequate. Additionally, a County’s determination on whether a residential or other structure is a necessary and compatible use under the Timberland Act is a ministerial process governed solely by State law and not a subject under CEQA. Bakersfield Considers Several Interim Locations for High Speed Rail Station The High-Speed Rail Authority released a planning document that considers four different “interim” design proposals for the Bakersfield  station. It describes a less expensive platform-style station at F Street and Golden State Avenue that could be in use for up to 15 years before larger station is built nearby. The final decision will come within the next year.  Three of the four alternatives would involve building a passenger platform and other infrastructure that would eventually be removed once ridership grows enough to justify a permanent station. That will depend largely on whether the system is extended, as planned, into the Los Angeles area. The other alternative is to construct a more expensive development that can be added to as needed. Bakersfield City Manager Alan Tandy favors the latter. The city has released a vision plan for the station area; its build-out may depend on the nature of the station.  Quick Hits & Updates  The Los Angeles Department of City Planning has released its latest draft EIR for the Hollywood Community Plan. The proposed update facilitates higher-density development along major transit corridors such as Hollywood, Sunset, and Santa Monica Boulevard. The proposed community plan would also institute increased zoned potential for several blocks of apartments. A key goal of the plan is the attention to preservation. The Community Plan Implementation Overlay District includes additional protections for designated historic resources and requirements for pedestrian-oriented design standards in the plan area. The draft would replace a contentious plan that was adopted in 2012 but nullified via lawsuit in 2013.  The Tuolumne County final revised proposed general plan has been released, less than two weeks before the first of two public hearings Dec. 19. The plan update has been in the works since 2013 and will be before the county Board of Supervisors for final approval at the second public hearing Jan. 3. The county’s current General Plan was approved in 1996 and covers a planning window through 2020.  San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced that he wants to eliminate mandated parking for multi-family housing near transit in the hopes that it would spur more affordable housing development and encourage people to use alternative transportation. Although most people emphasized the regulatory proposal is unlikely to lead developers to stop providing parking altogether in the immediate future but could be a game-changer in the long haul. San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Vallie Brown have introduced legislation to increase activity in storefront businesses by legislation meant to streamline bureaucracy and easing regulations. Instead of fining landlords who fail to rent retail spaces the new plan would introduce greater flexibility in zoning laws to encourage pop-up enterprises and other retail experiments. For instance allowing restaurants that open at night to operate as a co-working space during the day or temporary business setting up in buildings scheduled to be demolished. The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service asking a judge to force the federal agency to make a determination on whether three salamander species living around Lake Shasta should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The trio of tiny salamanders live near Lake Shasta and could stand in the way of a $1.4 billion project to raise the height of Shasta Dam. The West Sacramento City Council voted unanimously to approve the transfer of 43-acres of riverfront property to the state to allow the construction of a $100 million California Indian Heritage Center. This May, Gov. Jerry Brown set aside the $100 million to construct the state park dedicated to Native American history. Assemblymember Todd Gloria is co-authoring a bill, AB11, to bring back redevelopment agencies in California as an effort to construct more affordable housing. AB11 would allow jurisdictions to create agencies that could use property-tax financing to fund affordable housing and infrastructure projects. Proponents of the new bill say it would include a number of safeguards such as anti-displacement policies, detailed record-keeping requirements, independent annual audits, and harsh financial penalties for record-keeping or audit violations. The City of Sacramento is considering a new proposal designed to encourage more development near light rail. The city would reduce its minimum requirement for parking spaces to zero for new sites within a quarter mile of mass transit. Sites within a half-mile of a station would be reduced by 50 percent. The City of Oakland has announced that it will sue the Raiders over an “illegal move to Las Vegas.” City Attorney Barbara Parker said the lawsuit is to recover damages resulting from the teams move, including lost revenue, money that Oakland taxpayers invested in the Raiders and other costs. The day after the announcement, the Raiders ended talks to play in Oakland for the 2019-2020 season and are expected to play in a temporary home stadium elsewhere. The new stadium in Las Vegas is expected to open in 2020. TRC, an engineering, consulting, and construction management firm, has been awarded $100 million to cap the former LA county landfill located in Carson alongside I-405. Along with RE | Solutions, the would be redeveloped for mixed-use development. It is reportedly the largest urban development site in southern California. The California Department of Toxic Substance Control has spent $41 million on preliminary cleanup efforts since 1988. A 50 acre section will be transformed into the Los Angeles Premium Outlets with 150 stores and more than 400,000 square feet of retail space. The mall is expected to open in late 2021.

Following up on his failed Senate Bill 827 from last year, Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill 50, the More HOMES (Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, Equity, and Stability) Act. Supported by California YIMBY, non-profit housing organization, SB 50 includes reform of zoning codes and incentives to allow different types of housing for the growing economy and population. Other components of the bill includes ability for cities to approve new, infill housing near transit stations; aggressive protections for existing renters against displacement and eviction; special consideration for communities of concern; incentives for developers to build more mixed market-rate and affordable housing; and elimination of outdated parking requirements. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Final Draft of CEQA Guidelines Submitted to Office of Administrative Law The California Natural Resources Agency submitted proposed final amendments to the CEQA Guidelines to the Office of Administrative Law. Some of the revisions are related to SB 743 while others amend and clarify the guidelines to align with recent court decisions. The most substantive change deals with traffic analyses and the disposition of level of service (LOS) and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as thresholds of significance. The change is encouraged to provide more compact, infill, and transit-oriented development. Other notable changes include a separate topic within Appendix G for wildfire and energy. Additionally, the topic of new, expanded, or relocated natural gas, electric power, and telecommunications facilities has been added as a checklist question addressing construction of new infrastructure. Section 15182 has been expanded to include an exemption for residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects that are located near transit. The CEQA Guidelines will be presented at the CLE CEQA Conference December 13 and 14 in San Francisco and will be featured in upcoming AEP 2019 Advanced CEQA Workshops. San Jose Finalizes Sale of Parcels for Downtown Google Campus  The San Jose City Council unanimously approved the sale of six parcels of land west of downtown to Google for a corporate campus of 25,000 workers and accompanying housing. Mayor Sam Liccardo called the sale an important “first step” toward achieving a vibrant mixed-use development in a region dominated by parking lots and vacant industrial buildings.  The tech company is planning to develop approximately 50 acres into offices, residential units, shops, restaurants, and parks.  The complete plan is not yet clear, as there are still issues related to building height limits, rezoning, and finding substitute parking for lots used during SAP Center events. Liccardo told reporters he shares concerns about the availability of housing but thinks Google can play a role in solving the city’s “affordable housing crisis”. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Federal Legislation Would Continue Water Transfers from North to South Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield are leading efforts to include an extension of expiring provisions in the 2016 Water Infrastructure for Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act into the spending bill that Congress must pass this month. The proposal would be designed to extend the delivery through 2028 of more Northern California water to Southern California, and help settle contentious negotiations underway in Sacramento on Delta water flows. The legislation would make $670 million in federal funding available for California water storage projects as well as desalination and water recycling programs. The WIIN Act also gives the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project more operational flexibility to increase water deliveries at certain times of year, leaving less water in the system for Chinook salmon and other endangered species. Ballot Measure Would Terminate Prop. 13 Benefits for Heirs  State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) is proposing a ballot measure to end a tax break for children who inherit their parents’ homes and continue to pay low property taxes under Proposition 13. The provision has allowed celebrities, out-of-state professionals, and other wealthy heirs to collect large sums in rental income from their parents’ homes while paying small property tax bills. In the proposed measure, only children who live in their parents’ home would be able to receive the state’s property inheritance tax break.  If the children do not move into their parents’ homes within a year, the property would be reassessed at its current market value, resulting in larger property tax bills. Activists Sue to Block Greenfield Developments in San Diego County Two lawsuits challenging the Newland Sierra housing project in San Diego County have been filed in Superior Court. Both lawsuits claim the 2,135-unit development poses a threat to the community and wildlife. One lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Endangered Habitats League and the other includes the Buena Creek Action Group, the California Native Plant Society, the Twin Oaks Valley Action Group, the Friends of the Hidden Valley Zen Center, the Deer Springs Oaks Action Group, Golden Door Properties, LLC, and 25 individual community members. The Board of Supervisors approved the project by a 4-0 vote. The Registrar of Voters is still verifying the more than 117,000 signatures on petitions calling for a countywide vote in 2020 to overturn the supervisors’ approval.  Pollution Credit Auction Nets $813 Million The California Air Resources Board will receive more than $813 million from the Nov. 14 auction of the state’s air pollution credits to industrial and commercial buyers. This is the 17th quarterly cap-and-trade auction since the fall of 2012. Money from the auction is used by CARB for projects and programs that promise short- and long-term improvement in air pollution and carbon emissions. In California, 25 percent of the proceeds from the auction go to the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority. That means the authority should receive approximately $203 million from the latest auction. The cap-and-trade program has been extended through 2030 which has resolved concerns about the program’s future. Quick Hits & Updates  Stockton City Council approved, 6-1, the Envision Stockton General Plan 2040. The plan includes primarily redevelopment of infill properties but also the potential development of 3,800 acres of undeveloped land north of Eight Mile Road. Former Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston opposed the Economic Education Enterprise portion of the general plan saying there was as steady push to keep building northward since the 1970s, which has been detrimental for the rest of the city. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) The League of California Cities announced four main strategic goals for 2019: providing cities additional funding and tools to preserve local authority to address housing production, affordability, and homelessness challenges; improving disaster preparedness, recovery, and climate resiliency; promoting sustainability of public pension and retirement health benefits; and addressing public safety concerns. Assembly Transportation Chairman Jim Frazier has called for High Speed Rail Authority Chairman Dan Richard to step down after a hearing on the audit, which asserts the state wasted billions of dollars due to poor management. The state financial review last month faulted the agency for issuing construction contracts before it owned land, failed to document the work it paid for was actually completed correctly, and relied too heavily on costly outside consultants. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris are asking Congress for $9 billion in disaster aid to recover from this fall’s wildfires. Congress is focused on an end-of-year spending package to fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other major agencies. The senators’ requested amount is the same amount Gov. Jerry Brown said is needed to help Californians recover. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced he is donating $6.1 million to turn a vacant Tenderloin hotel into housing for formerly homeless people. The Bristol Hotel would include 58 refurbished room. The new occupants had to have lived at least three years inside one of the City’s supportive housing facilities and have shown that they have become financially independent to get a good recommendation from their housing managers. Rents would range from $500 to $650 a month. The Department of Housing and Community Development  has released a revised 2018 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) Application forms. The revised forms, instructions, and workbooks were updated to eliminate redundancies and be more user-friendly. The applications must be submitted by February 5, 2019. The HCD will make available “office hours” to discuss existing projects and/or applications. The dates are December 4 and 5 in El Centro, December 13 in Sacramento, and December 19 in Hanford. Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution to reduce citywide emissions and draw down carbon from the atmosphere as quickly as possible. The declaration claims, “corrective and preventive actions requires mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II”. Santa Cruz joins Berkeley, Oakland and Richmond in declaring climate change an emergency. The resolution is based on an early version submitted by nonprofit Santa Cruz Climate Action Network based on those passed by other Bay Area cities. Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to decline grant funding for the 80-year-old Reid-Hillview Airport. This “no” vote means no FAA grants for another twenty years leaving the airport vulnerable to closure by a future board. FAA rules currently require the airport to remain open for another 12 years, so officials will not begin discussing the reuse of the site immediately. However, the board did vote to ask the FAA to lift restriction on airport property use when the rule expires in 2031.  Senators Jim Beall (D-San Jose) and Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) introduced legislation that would help develop comprehensive policy and funding legislation focused on affordable housing for seniors, nurses, teachers, veterans and low and middle income Californians. The first bill, SB5, focused on funding that would build affordable housing for working families and seniors and revitalize neighborhoods throughout the state. San Luis Obispo Count y Board of Supervisors approved a plan that would generate millions of dollars to build workforce housing. The plan calls for fees on new homes over 2,200 square feet to help fund low-income housing and to reform the environmental permitting process to streamline projects and get more housing to market. Another goal set by the board is a three-year pilot program to set aside between $2 and $4 million a year in local dollars to leverage outside funding for construction of low-income and workforce housing. The deal was recommended by a coalition of community organizations as a way to generate more homes for all levels of income. Fresno City Council unanimously voted to establish a task force to tackle gentrification in the City. City planning documents adopted in 2016 and 2017, such as the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan and the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan also call for the task force. The resolution authorized the mayor to appoint the task force members and require Councilmember approval. LA Metro CEO Phil Washington endorsed congestion pricing, telling the board of directors that rush-hour tolls on drivers could fund free fares on public transit. Washington suggested that a congestion pricing system would encourage more drivers to take public transit, while cutting down on traffic throughout the city. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti suggested the agency should consider the option but it could be a political risk by charging new fees on drivers in such a car-dependent city. Board Director Sheila Kuehl pointed out that residents in areas served poorly by public transit would be forced to pay more to drive without being able to benefit from free trains and bus rides. Las Vegas Xpress Inc., the company that is developing passenger rail service between Southern California and Las Vegas and operator of X Wine Railroad, selected First Transit Group to operate the X Train. First Group operates globally and includes five rail and bus divisions, including Greyhound Lines, the largest motorcoach service in the U.S. and Canada. The plan is to begin operations of the X Train in mid-2019.

San Francisco  may become the first big US city to do away with parking minimums in certain housing developments. The legislation introduced by Supervisor Jane Kim would relieve developers from having to provide parking but would require projects to require alternatives like bicycle parking. The proposal is seen as beneficial to the environment and helpful in reducing construction costs. The city will still have a maximum parking limit for each zoning district. The full board will vote next week on the proposal. “It would not prohibit parking in any redevelopment. It would merely remove the requirement that a developer would have to build a minimum number of parking spaces,” Kim said during last week's Land Use and Transportation Committee hearing, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Oakland A’s Finally Settle on Waterfront Stadium Site After years of searching for a new stadium site — going as far as San Jose and scouring Oakland — the Oakland A’s announced plans to build a new ballpark on the Howard Terminal Waterfront site and be open by 2023. The development, which may include residential or commercial buildings in addition to the ballpark, is being designed by Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group. The ballpark would have seating capacity for about 34,000 on a 55-acre property. The group places to break ground in 2020 and plans to privately finance the stadium, although they are still unsure how much it’s expected to cost. Team officials are finishing an environmental impact review of the Howard Terminal site, which is expected to start this week and last about a year. As part of the project, the A’s propose turning the 155-acre Coliseum site into a tech and housing hub. (See prior CP&DR coverage and commentary here and here .) Concept for Oakland A's stadium. Courtesy Bjarke Ingals Group. ARB Releases Assessment of SB 375 As mandated by 2017’s Senate Bill 150 report, the Air Resources Board released its first assessment of the state’s progress towards meeting the goals of Senate Bill 375 last week. The report found that California regions are not on track to meet their greenhouse gas emission targets by 2020 or by 2035. Compared to a 2005 baseline, carbon dioxide emissions per capita and vehicle miles driven per capita dipped in the mid-2010s to roughly negative-10 percent but have since risen. A 10 percent reduction in per capital CO2 emissions is the 2020 target anticipated by SB 325. Other reports say California will meet its 2020 targets, but those emission reductions are almost entirely from cleaning up the electricity sector. Even with cleaner fuels and more electric vehicles, emissions in the transportation sector have been rising. The report was put together by Air Resources Board staff and based on data from regional agencies and said, “While positive gains have been made to improve the alignment of transportation, land use, and housing policies with state goals, the data suggest that more and accelerated action is critical for public health, equity, economic, and climate success…California will not achieve the necessary greenhouse gas emissions reductions to meet mandates for 2030 and beyond without significant changes to how communities and transportation systems are planned, funded, and built.” (See CP&DR commentary .) OPR Releases Guidelines for Autonomous Vehicles  The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research released guidelines for autonomous vehicles . The guidelines enable policymakers to get ahead of the conversation and think about the future we want, rather than leaving the possibilities open to investors. The principles are meant to be used by agencies, legislators, policymakers, business investors, and the public as they begin to consider the consequences of a new way of traveling. The work is primarily based on research conducted at UC Davis at the Institute of Transportation Studies. OPR says the principles could help keep public costs low, reduce emissions and energy use, and improve transportation equity. For instance, the autonomous vehicles must be shared, pooled, preferably zero-emission, used to support high-capacity transit, safe, and used efficiently for freight. Autonomous vehicle companies are not claiming the technology would be ready for widespread adoption anytime soon. $1.2 Billion Renovation of Los Angeles Convention Center Takes Step Forward The Los Angeles City Council Economic Development Committee approved the recommendation of a report from the chief legislative analyst that called for the city to work with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to complete the $1.2 billion development to enlarge the LA Convention Center and add hundreds of hotel rooms at L.A. Live. A city committee signed off on a proposed deal that would give AEG $97.7 million worth of incentives.  The tax break would help fill the project’s $119 million funding gap or the difference between a developers estimated value when complete and the cost to construct it. Part of the discrepancy, according to the report, is “the risk associated with building a high rise, steel frame structure like a hotel. The project still needs full City Council approval. Quick Hits & Updates  According to a new study commissioned by the City of San Jose, the Google transit-oriented village could bring more than 25,000 new jobs into downtown. This would be a 65 percent increase in the number of workers in the downtown area now. The biggest economic benefits would occur if taller buildings can be construction in certain parts of downtown. An easing of building heights would allow the Diridon Station and SAP Center area to be 200 feet high. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) The Peninsula Open Space Trust announced it has closed a deal to purchase 159 acres in the foothills of Santa Clara County between Almaden Reservoir and Loma Prieta. The property is known as the “Punch Bowl” and is approximately 12 miles south of downtown San Jose. The property would be owned by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and provide the first connection between the 5,000-acre Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve and the massive, 18,000-acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve to the north, which includes Mount Umunhum. The connection will allow for permanent protection for wildlife such as mountain lions, bobcats, and deer. The 159 acres were sold by the Geiger Family Trust for $400,000. Federal judge Philip Gutierrez of Los Angeles barred the Trump administration from approving oil companies’ requests to use fracking in offshore wells along the Southern California coast until a review of the possible effects on endangered species and state coastal resources is completed. Judge Gutierrez said federal agencies that issue underwater drilling permits but consult with the USFWS about the possible impact of fracking chemicals on sea birds and otters, before approving any permits off Santa Barbara, Ventura, and LA counties. He also said agencies must present their plans to the California Coastal Commission. The Institute for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) released a new report on the economies of five inner cities nationwide.  The report fond that small businesses typically make up 64 percent of net new private sector jobs in a year. In Los Angeles, small businesses account for 74 percent of aggregate jobs and in inner-city areas, small businesses account for 77 percent of jobs.  One small business developer told ICIC,  “There are a lot of small businesses in the entertainment industry. The studios outsource a lot — almost everything. There is a real symbiosis between major entertainment studios and the small businesses that serve them. The Santa Cruz City Council discussed expanding its tenant relocation assistance law meaning the City may require landlords to pay tenants to relocated if they increase rents beyond a certain threshold. The triggers include rent increases of five percent in a single year or a combined seven percent in two consecutive years. Tenants evicted for reasons other than the end of their lease or breach of their rental agreement would also be eligible for the relocation assistance. The new ordinance, if approved by the council with a second vote in mid December would not go into effect in mid-January but would apply retroactively to rent increases notices issued since Nov. 27. A proposed project to create Napa County’ s first commercial solar energy farm ended in a draw with two Planning Commissioners for the project and two against. The commissioners will try again on the Dec. 5 meeting when Commissioner Jeri Hansen should be present. Renewable Properties is proposing an 18-acre, 12,000-panel solar farm near American Canyon. The project would border I-80 and would not be located on prime farmland. The City and County of San Francisco released a report that evaluates seismic resilience of the city’s tallest buildings. The report found 68 high-rises share a set of features that could render them particularly vulnerable when the next major earthquake strikes. The buildings noted were all built between 1964 and 1989 and have steel skeletons and a particular welding technique that experts now know is particularly susceptible to fracture during an earthquake. While this does not necessarily mean the high-rises are unsafe, city officials are conducting inspections. City officials are figuring out how to implement new requirements to ensure buildings that may have unseen damage from the Loma Prieta earthquake get the scrutiny they need. The US Supreme Court limited the reach of the Endangered Species Act , by setting aside a lower court ruling that afforded protection to an area in Louisiana where endangered frogs have critical habitat. The roughly 100 remaining dusky gopher frogs live only in a single pond in a wooded area in nearby Mississippi.  The justices did not decide whether the Louisiana area could be a protected habitat but instead sent the case back to the 5th Circuit Court in New Orleans to reconsider the matter. The Department of Housing and Community Development released a Notice of Funding Availability for approximately $77 million in Supportive Housing Multifamily Housing Program (SHMHP) funds. The funding provides loans to individuals, public agencies, or private entities for the development of multifamily rental housing containing permanent supportive housing and construction or rehabilitation of new multifamily rental housing projects. Applications are due February 8, 2018. HCD will be holding two workshops, one on December 13 in Sacramento and one on December 18 in Santa Ana. The League of American Bicyclists released its list of 45 new bicycle friendly universities and colleges. These colleges and universities “have proved outstanding in their support of bicycling to ensure healthy, accessible, and eco-friendly transportation and recreation for students and staff.” Santa Monica College and UC Santa Cruz both received silver and have both been part of BFU since 2014. Loyola Marymount University and University of San Diego both received bronze. Loyola Marymount joined the list for the first time this year, while USD first joined in 2013. A lawsuit was filed in Sacramento Superior Court saying the construction of a massive tank for sewage and rain runoff under McKinley Park would harm historical aspects of the park which opened in 1872 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The lawsuit also claims the project would create noise, vibration, and air quality impacts for the surrounding East Sacramento neighborhood and nearby daycare. The $30 million project would install a large basin under the park that would store rain and sewage during major rainstorms. The Federal Transportation Administration announced Los Angeles Metro will receive $100 million in federal grants next year for the Purple Line extension from the Westside to Koreatown in downtown. The $9 billion extension is nine-miles under Wilshire Boulevard, which is the busiest transit corridor in the County and one of the highest concentrations of jobs and housing in the region. The project is expected to generate 78,000 new daily trips. The Purple Line extension is schedule to open in three phases: from Koreatown through the Miracle Mile by 2023, to Beverly Hills and Century City by 2025, and to Westwood and West LA by 2026. The entire project is expected to be completed two years before LA hosts the Summer Olympics. HCD provided finalized Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process Guidelines that incorporate feedback from participants during open house forums, public comment letters, and additional conversations and research during the public outreach period. The guidelines will be effective starting January 1, 2019 and establish terms, conditions, and procedures for a development proponent to submit an application for a development to a locality that is subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process. San Diego County ’s Planning and Development Services Department said in an email that the hearing scheduled for this month to decide if several large housing developments should be approved by the county Board of Supervisors has been delayed indefinitely. The delay is due to “staff workload in in preparing some of these projects, the county’s Climate Action Plan litigation and the injunction which applies to the PSRs (property specific requests), and applicants continuing to provide additional information to staff for their projects.” All the projects are planned for parts of unincorporated San Diego County and need a General Plan Amendment. The projects include the 1,735-unit Lilac Hills Ranch, 780-unit Warner Ranch, and 1,100- unit Otay Ranch. Sacramento city officials announced a measure capping rent hikes at 5 percent collected enough signatures and qualified for the 2020 ballot. The “Sacramento Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Charter Amendment” would limit rent increases as well as restrict landlords’ ability to evict renters. The initiative would also establish an elected rental-housing board tasked with monitoring and enforcing rent controls. After six decades of debate, Caltrans officially announced the 710 Freeway extension project from Alhambra to Pasadena is dead. Caltrans finalized a report endorsing local street improvements rather than a freeway tunnel. The adoption of the local-street alternative became the inevitable solution when the Metro Board of Directors diverted $700 million in funding away from the tunnel proposal and applied it to area road projects.

When I was the planning director of San Diego five years ago, the city’s now-vaunted Climate Action Plan was being prepared. At the time, my department was under considerable pressure to increase densities to reduce vehicle miles traveled (and greenhouse gas emissions) while at the same time we felt pressure from neighborhoods to limit densities in order to limit congestion.

CP&DR Vol. 33 No. 11 November 2018

The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors approved a $43.4 billion plan, Designing Tomorrow, that would serve as a blueprint for how people move throughout the county for the next two decades. The county develops a Long-Range Transportation Plan every four years. The plan projects that by 2040, an additional 1.7 million daily trip would occur in Orange County. That’s a 12 percent increase compared to now. Without the OCTA plan and implementation of the projects, congestion is expected to increase by an estimated 66 percent. The plan identifies projects to improve roadways, public transit, and bike paths while also considering evolving technologies such as autonomous vehicles and on-demand ridesharing. To help shaped the plan, OCTA received input from an online survey completed by more than 1,200 people, telephone town hall with nearly 1,000 participants, and a quantitative survey with more than 2,500 people. The plan will be submitted to SCAG where it will serve as Orange County’s input into the Regional Transportation Plan. San Diego Considers Overall Reform Parking Regulations San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer proposed a set of reforms to the city’s parking requirements that would allow construction of housing projects without parking spaces as long as they’re within a half-mile of a planned or existing transit stop. Construction in these “transit priority areas” could save between $35,000 and $90,000 per unit if no parking were required. Faulconer said, “We know that more and more people are choosing to live without a car and are demanding quality housing near transit. This plan gives builders the freedom to be smart and creative with their projects, while contributing to our housing supply and our climate action goals by getting more cars off the road." The city would also require that new housing developments in these areas offer secure bike storage and repair stations, transit passes, and storage and locker facilities for delivered packages and other items. The mayor’s office intends to send the proposed plan to the City Council’s Smart Growth and Land Use Committee early next year. San Jose Seeks Public Benefits from Google Downtown Campus San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and several City Council members say they plan to seek significant concessions from Google as it develops its massive downtown campus. Some of the benefits include new affordable housing requirements, including a potential fee on commercial development to pay for some of that housing, along with public transportation and other improvements. The City Council is expected to approve the sale of city-owned land to Google on Dec. 4. The four coucncil members say they will push to required 25 percent of the overall housing built in neighborhoods around Diridon Station be affordable. Google’s plan for the area is to build 6-8 million square feet of office and retail space and bring in about 20,000 jobs.  Google says they are interested in helping create “an open, mixed-use neighborhood that is an integral part of the city”. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) OPR Invites Input on Updated Environmental Justice Chapter in General Plan Guidelines The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is inviting public input on a revised Environmental Justice (EJ) Chapter in the General Plan Guidelines. OPR was in the midst of the comprehensive General Plan Guideline (GPG) update when Senate Bill 1000 (Leyva, 2016) passed requiring local jurisdictions with disadvantaged communities to incorporate a separate EJ element or integrate goals, policies and objectives. OPR has done significant outreach across the state with EJ groups, city and county planning departments, state agencies, and many other stakeholders to provide additional guidance on the new statute. The revised EJ Chapter will be open for public comment until December 20 via SB1000@opr.ca.gov . This revised chapter reflects input that OPR received on the discussion that was included in the 2017 GPG as well as additional discussions during public outreach sessions on areas where more guidance was needed to implement SB 1000. The revised proposal contains: (1) a process by which to determine if a local jurisdiction is subject to the new SB 1000 requirements, (2) new considerations regarding partnership, (3) additional information about updates when cities and/or counties have some of the policies for SB 1000, (4) example policy language and data sources, and (5) updated discussions on thematic areas to include under SB 1000. Big City Mayors Urge Newsom to Take Statewide Action on Homelessness The mayors of Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, and Sacramento  presented a rare united front in the fight against homelessness at a recent event sponsored by the California Dream Project. The mayors called for Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to revive a controversial funding source for affordable housing and make it easier for cities to build shelters. Although two statewide initiatives that promise $6 billion in fresh affordable housing and homelessness dollars were passed, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer argued that more affordable housing dollars are still desperately needed.  All mayors discussed the difficulty of finding neighborhoods willing to accept new homeless shelters and permanent supportive housing.  Mayor Garcetti called on the Legislature to revive a possible compromise over expanding rent control. Quick Hits & Updates  The Department of Housing and Community Development  released the Housing for a Healthy California (HHC) program draft guidelines. The goal of HHC program is to “reduce the financial burden on local and state resources due to the overutilization of emergency departments, inpatient care, nursing home stays and use of corrections systems and law enforcement resources as the point of health care provision for people who are chronically homeless or homeless and a high-cost health user.” Public comment period ends December 8, 2018. Two workshops will be held:  Riverside November 27, and Visalia November 30. Superior Court Judge Ronald Frazier said that, while the court is giving the City of Encinitas two more weeks for the final vote of Measure U to be tallied, it will be necessary to find “a remedy”. Lawsuits brought against the city by San Diego Tenants United and the Building Industry Association of San Diego center the city’s failure to enact a Housing Element, especially for low-income residents. The City voters have failed to pass Measure T in 2016 and now most likely Measure U, two ballot initiatives that intended to get the city compliant with California housing law. However, Judge Frazier said it is now clear that the court must intervene. In a closed session last week, Encinitas City Council discussed the possibility of mediation with its housing attorneys. The City of San Diego will install 4,200 sensor nodes built by CityIQ as part of an internet of things (IoT) project that will also include new apps to improve parking and traffic and a lighting controls interface that could boost streetlight efficiency by 20 percent. The City will also work with San Diego Gas & Electric to implement a Lightgrid system which can interface wirelessly to transfer streetlight energy use to the utility’s billing system. The City of San Diego is considering a proposal that would create a master plan for tackling an estimated $39 million in needed sidewalk repairs. The City Council’s Infrastructure Committee endorsed the proposal during a public hearing. San Diego has had more than $11 million in injury payouts during the last five years in lawsuits over damaged sidewalks. The city is facing greater liability as more people ride bicycles and electric scooters on sidewalks. The proposal would require property owners to fix any damaged sidewalk adjacent to their property before they can sell. This is modeled on a similar policy in Pasadena. Nine plaintiffs are suing Bird and Lime scooters as a result of “gross negligence” due to they or their properties having been injured or harmed by one of the scooters. The class-action lawsuit was filed late last month in LA County Superior Court. The complaint also notes the scooters on sidewalks and streets is a “public nuisance” that is in violation of California Civil Code. San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the Central SoMA plan area after eight years of hearings, amendments, and negotiations. The plan proposes 8,800 housing units and will create an estimated 31,000 jobs. LA County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance, 4-1, that offers eviction protections and temporary rent caps in unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance places a six-month moratorium on evictions without a just cause as well as on rent increases that exceed three percent. Approximately 200,000 renters would be protected by the new ordinance. The C alifornia High-Speed Rail Authority board voted to agree with staff recommendation for the 82-mile route between Palmdale and Anaheim as the preferred route out of the three possible segments. The 38.4-mile portion between Palmdale and Burbank has been the most contentious segment of the project with multiple route options being considered over the years. The route, known as SR-14, would tunnel under Sylmar and Pacoima and run along the surface or at an elevation into Sun Valley before going underground again near the Burbank Airport. Environmentalists are asking that San Diego’s proposed redevelopment of Mission Bay Park’s northeast corner include significantly more marshland. Local groups concerned about sea level rise included three “feasible” scenarios one which calls for 200 acres of marshland, more than double the 84 acres proposed by the city, and limits new amenities and shrinks the Mission Bay Golf Course. However, other proposals  include leaving the golf course intact and adds several new amenities while increasing the marshland area. Los Angeles Metro officials confirmed the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line won’t beginning service until summer of 2020, it had initially been scheduled for fall 2019. The construction of tracks and structures supporting them is moving on schedule but the electric work is taking longer than expected. The project is approximately 87.5 percent complete. Construction would most likely be completed next December and then safety testing and training would take place for four to six months. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board unanimously approved the US 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project proposed by the Tahoe Transportation District. The project realigns approximately one mile of US Highway 50 to run behind Heavenly Village and the Stateline casino core to significantly reduce traffic congestion in that area and reduce cut-through traffic in some neighborhoods. The project also expands on past redevelopment to create a bike, pedestrian, and Transit-oriented main street corridor. A San Francisco couple agreed to pay a $2.25 million settlement to the city for turning 14 city apartments into illegal hotels through Airbnb. Darren and Valerie Lee are also barred for at least seven years from offering STR in any of the 17 building they own or manage. Airbnb said in a statement that, “These are not the type of hosts we want on our platform and are glad the city has the tools it needs to enforce the rules.” In 2014, the couple evicted tenants under the Ellis Act to convert a property into a STR. Now Airbnb enforces a “one host, one home” policy.

Not long ago, the City of Stockton could hardly have paid for the paper to print a new general plan, much less actually craft the plan. Since the city declared bankruptcy in 2012 after a long slide, its finances have changed for the better. A new general plan update seeks to do the same for the city’s built environment. Over the last two years, the update has sailed along with relatively little opposition or rancor. The update gained approval from the city planning commission, 6-1, Nov. 15 and will be voted on by the city council as early as Dec. 4. While most provisions have been endorsed by stakeholders of all stripes, a recently added proposal to annex and rezone 3,800 acres on the city’s north side remains a point of controversy. Whether the plan will reverse decades of sprawl development is another question. By many accounts, Stockton’s last general plan update could not have come at a worse time. Drafted in 2007, the plan predates a statewide drive towards more compact, sustainable development. The embrace of sprawl was especially strong in the Central Valley, where city leaders had visions of vast master-planned developments funded by the very same real estate boom that led, in part, to the financial crisis of 2008. (See prior CP&DR here and here .) “When they started it, it was a strong economy when it ended it was a different environment,” said Stockton Community Development Director David Kwong. At the time, Stockton’s quality of life ranked 230th out of 231 U.S. cities, according to one study. Added to that, city leaders were notoriously corrupt. “We’ve been fairly pleased that the process for coming up with this draft general plan was day and night compared to the process we had to go through 12 or 13 years ago,” said Eric Parfrey, a retired Yolo County planner and member of the executive committee of the Sierra Club California, which commented on the plan. “Many (former council members) were outright crooks. Our current council is eager to keep this resurgence of hope and optimism for the city.” The new plan seeks to undo much of that damage. It promotes downtown development and, if not necessarily compact development, at least it seeks intensification along the city’s major corridors rather than the low-density greenfield development of its predecessor. In particular, it envisions relatively dense residential and mixed used developments along four boulevards surrounding downtown Stockton and along Pacific Avenue, which extends north from downtown. It calls for “neighborhood mixed use” along West Lane, which runs parallel to Pacific Ave., and it locates industrial clusters in the city’s southeast quadrant. The downtown core is envisioned as a “live, work, play” zone, extending westward along the San Joaquin River. In total, the plan calls for 40,900 new dwelling units, 13.8 million square feet of new commercial and office space, and 35.6 million square feet of new industrial space. “This new plan says all the right things,” said Parfrey. “We’re concentrating specifically on infill development. We’re de-emphasizing sprawl at the fringes of the city.” The plan intones that “the city’s lifeblood flows from downtown” and includes several provisions promoting downtown development. The plan seeks to capitalize on existing redevelopment projects, such as a marina, a minor league sports complex, and several hotels. It also acknowledges the 2015 “Open Window Project,” a 15-acre parcel in which developer Ten Space has exclusive rights to purchase city-owned properties for development of up to 1,000 residential units. In short, the general plan update abides by progressive planning principles. The notable difference between its planning process and that of cities in coastal California is that almost no one is raising objections to growth, density, or any other change. “It’s been very smooth but very intensive from both a strategic and geographic point,” said Kwong. Early drafts of the plan had the city relinquishing roughly 9,000 acres from its sphere of influence, presumably to keep the land as open space or agricultural land. The current draft on which the city council will vote would keep 3,800 of those acres on the city’s northern boundary and designate it for a “economic and enterprise education.” Essentially, this designation would apply to a major commercial or educational development, such as a university or industrial campus. At various times, the city had hoped to attract a California State University campus or Tesla’s “Gigafactory,” neither of which ever materialized. Much of the 3,800 acres is owned by the Spanos Company, a major Central Valley developer. The company has not announced any plans fro the property. Company representatives declined to comment for this story. To some activists, the annexation is an unwelcome invitation to sprawl, or, at the very least, an odd addition when the city already has buildable land within its current limits. “They're saying that north of 8 Mile Road is beyond 2040 and could take hundreds of years to develop,” said Kathy Casaneve, president of the San Joaquin County League of Women Voters. “It’s sort of odd to have a general plan that would go that far.” In fact, it may be a moot point. Even the most ambitious uses that could adhere to the economic and enterprise education land use designation would be likely to use only a fraction of the 3,800 acres. Casaneve noted that Cal State campuses, for instance, typically cover only a few hundred acres – and that the Cal State system intends to expand its current campuses rather than add any new ones. Though Spanos is a wealthy, influential company, Casaneve does not suspect any back-room deals influencing city planners. “They (Spanos) don't need the money,” said Casanave. “It would be more like a legacy to them.” Parfrey is less charitable, noting that the company paid around $150 million for the land: “They are interested in doing something other than growing tomatoes and corn out there.” Kwong contends, though, that the new designation for the parcel is actually more restrictive than the status quo. Currently, the land can be developed as an urban “village” – i.e. a master planned community. “What's being changed is called an enterprise and education economic zone,” said Kwong. “It changes that village designation to the EEE designation. In our GP as well as in the environmental documents, there’s actually now an identified a list of criteria that’s a lot more restrictive than what the village did.” A similar sticking point, especially for the Sierra Club, is a request to investigate a green belt to create permanent open space between Stockton and Lodi, its neighbor a few miles to the north. “That’s been a sticking point for everybody here because we would like to have a buffer between Stockton and Lodi,” said Casanave. City officials say the greenbelt would be bureaucratically complex and likely unnecessary. It would require participation of not only Stockton but also the City of Lodi and the County of San Joaquin. “We feel that between their land use policies and the city’s land use policies that serves as the equivalent to an actual agricultural belt,” said Kwong. Whatever happens on the north side, the biggest threats to the new general plan come not from the urban fringes but rather from the city’s past. An estimated 25,000 housing units were approved since the passage of the last general plan update. The vast majority of them have yet to be built but are still in the development pipeline. That means that Stockton’s early 2000s hangover may last for decades, no matter how well received the new plan is. “Major project…that are already have development agreements in effect, the effect would be disastrous for the city,” said Parfery. “The city can’t afford to provide police and fire services to those locations without major subsidies from these projects.” Supporters of the new plan fear that many of the intended infill developments – including those that would be located downtown – are will not be viable so long as they are competing with the suburban-style housing that has been approved. The city estimates that there are 4,000 vacant acres within the city where large development projects have been approved but not yet constructed. That means that the type of demand that would bring the plan to fruition may not arise for years – if ever. “We don’t believe the market for anything downtown is so strong that it can survive direct competition from these outlying areas,” said Parfery. Contacts & Resources Stockton General Plan Update Kathy Casenave , President, League of Women Voters, sjc.ca.lwvnet.org/contact.html David Kwong, Community Development Director, City of Stockton, David.Kwong@stocktonca.gov

The worst fire in California history did something that most California wildfires don’t do: It destroyed a whole town. And that fact has raised a whole new set of concerns about how to build – or rebuild – communities in a time of increasing fire risk in California.

One of my favorite ruminations on the subject of self-sufficiency comes from Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to Theo : “If one hasn't a horse, one is one's own horse.” While van Gogh could have painted pretty much any fantasy, equine or otherwise, that came into his singular mind, urban planners face more tangible challenges. And yet, as 18 of our great cities fret and stammer over their recent third-place-cum-last-place showing in the Amazon beauty contest, cities would be wise to heed van Gogh’s advice. Plenty of us knew that Jeff Bezos’s version of The Bachelor was a ruse at best. Whether he did it to learn cities’ secrets, generate priceless amounts of free press, or just cackle in the glow of his own power, intercity competitions for supposed economic development prizes, be they stadiums, corporations, or other developments, rarely go well. The literature has long been clear on that. CP&DR ’s own Morris Newman knew that the HQ2 search was, literally, a joke . In short, cities should quit wasting money on corporate welfare and, if they’re going to proactively pursue economic development programs (itself a measure of dubious value), they should stick to homegrown assets. The pursuit of Amazon in particular, though, was as ironic as it was perverse. Let’s remember what Amazon is. It’s not a factory, employing thousands of workers. It’s not a major league sports team, stoking civic pride. It’s not some promising little tech startup that might one day hit it big. It’s a retailer. It happens to be one of the world’s biggest retailers, and it happens to have put many other retailers out of business. Amazon is hardly the first juggernaut to swallow up Main Street and send mom and pop into early retirement. Woolworth’s, A&P, Sears, and – most enormously – Walmart have collectively been at it for over a century. Amazon, though, could be the endgame. Its market power increases exponentially when you factor in not just its inventory and revenue but also its data. The more Amazon sells, the more it knows. The more it knows, the more it sells. And, of course, its market is everywhere and its inventory is everything. The point here is that, taken to its extreme, Amazon could put every other retailer out of business. If it creates even a fraction of that carnage, be it at the mall or on the street, cities will suffer mightily – more, that is, than they already have. Retail may be just one part of a city’s economic mix but it’s a crucial part of the built environment. Along with restaurants, stores are the most prominent private-sector inhabitants of the public realm. Pleasant, walkable, equitable cities are pleasant, equitable, and walkable only when there are things to walk to. Shopping can take place online, but nothing – not all the Zoomba studios, pet groomers, and coffee shops in the world – can compensate if Amazon keeps pushing traditional retail towards the endangered species list. My point is this: cities’ pursuit of HQ2 (or HQ 0.5, as it turned out) was, to use the most apposite and disgusting analogy I can think of, like making a bed for the termite queen so her minions can eat not just your house but also everyone else’s houses. Cities don’t need Amazon as an employer, and they certainly don’t need Amazon as a retailer. Now that cities can stop tarting themselves up for Amazon, they, led by their planners and community development people, can start doing what cities are supposed to do. They should build up their own economies and support their own people – and not let themselves get exploited by companies that are infinitely richer and smarter than they are. Imagine if a city supported its own homegrown retail: local chains, mom-and-pops, even franchises. Imagine if all of this added up to, say, even a fractional reduction in Amazon’s $178 billion in annual sales and an equivalent boost to local economies. That would mean not just several thousand jobs (and their salaries) for one city but rather billions of dollars staying in every city. By contrast, the most generous (i.e. delusional) of Amazon’s also-rans – Montgomery County, Maryland – offered an estimated  $8.5 billion to lure Amazon. The winners are giving away a mere $2.4 billion .  Of course, a pro-city, anti-Amazon crusade would require a lot of hard work and a lot of creativity – kind of like what those folks in Seattle are doing. But this isn’t computer science – cities have plenty of strategies to support local retail if they choose to use them. Well-planned new places support retail. Character-rich old places support retail. Smart development, especially mixed use, can support retail. Surely certain financial programs can support retail. Certain tax programs can support retail. Incentives for and/or regulation of commercial properties (such as vacancy taxes) can support retail. Streamlining of regulations can definitely support retail. Public relations, such as “buy local” campaigns, can get more aggressive. Hell, they should get militant. I don’t have all the answers, but if Jeff Bezos can figure out how to make $275 million per day , surely someone can help Nancy’s Hobbies n’ Things and Bob’s World of Hats to stay ahead of the rent. The great thing about the contest I’m proposing is that there’s not just one winner. Everyone wins. This is basically what Jane Jacobs advised in The Economy of Cities , and it’s what economists from François Quesnay to John Meynard Keynes to everyone with an ounce of common sense have in mind with the multiplier effect. The only loser is Jeff Bezos. And he can afford it. What happened with the Amazon contest was not the beautiful, imaginative transformation of a blank canvas into an economic fantasia that Amazon promised and that cities naively imagined. It was as gruesome and about as useful as the amputation of an ear. But maybe the pain cities are feeling for being rejected by Amazon will inspire them to finally saddle up.

Two recently released documents — an audit by the State Auditor and an environmental report produced by the High Speed Rail Authority — both project significant cost overruns for the statewide rail project. The audit  found that although the authority has secured and identified funding of over $28 billion to complete initial segments that funding will not be enough to connect those segments, or finish the rest of the system, which may cost over $77 billion. The audit notes that the initial segments have gone over-budget and that everything from land costs to poor contract management to the exhaustion of many previously available cost-cutting measures implies that future work is destined to go over-budget. The audit also notes that HSR intends share infrastructure with other agencies; this will cut some costs but may hinder the system’s performance. New estimates in environmental reports presented to the High Speed Rail Authority’s board found the cost of constructing theSouthern California section of the bullet train could jump by as much as $11billion over estimates released earlier this year. However, rail authority officials caution that their new numbers assume a more expansive design than is likely to be built.  The new numbers cover the cost of building the three segments from Palmdale to Anaheim, which include the difficulty passages through the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles, and the crowded rail corridor to Anaheim. The Palmdale-to-Burbank section could hit $20.33 billion, and increase from the $14.87 billion in estimates prepared for the 2018 business plan. Los Angeles Light Rail Extension Cut  The Gold Line Construction Authority board voted 5-0 to build only half the Glendora-to-Montclair extension east of downtown Los Angeles, saying runaway construction costs could prevent building out to Montclair. The unanimous vote authorized the staff recommendation that the 12.3-mile extension be built in two phases due to costs rising 38 percent. The Authority had broken ground on utility replacement work and was about to award a design-build contract when all four bidders said their costs would be way above the agency’s estimated price tag. In order not to halt the entire project, the Authority would build the first eight miles and new stations in Glendora, San Dimas, andLa Verne two years earlier than planned, by 2024. The increased  construction costs come from tariffs on imported steel, tariffs on 10 percent of $200 billion of Chinese imports “many of which are used in construction”, immigration policies, and future tariffs scheduled to increase to 25 percent on January 1. L.A. Metro Considers Plan to Fund Projects in 710 Freeway ‘Gap' In 2017, Metro board rejected the $6 billion 710 Freeway North tunnel project but approved a motion that directed staff to work with the 710 corridor cities to carve up the $780 million left in the project budget. Last week, the Metro staff recommended  approved disbursement of those funds to Pasadena, South Pasadena, Alhambra, La Cañada Flintridge, and the LA neighborhood of El Sereno. The projects should “promote smart and functional land use, reduce automobile dependency, encourage multi-modal trips, improve traffic operations,and maximize the use of the latest available technologies to enhance  performance of the existing transportation system”, as well as prioritize funding for multi-modal and safety enhancement projects. Many of the projects supported by cities focused on cars including street widening, intersection capacity expansion, freeway ramp reconfiguration, signal synchronization, and parking structures. Other projects included complete streets, BRT, shuttles, bikeways,bike-share, and student transit passes. The projects recommended by staff include 13 projects to widen and increase car capacity on roads, six projects to increase car capacity in intersections, 13 signal synchronization/upgrade projects, and one parking project. None of the non-vehicle projects were moved forward. The full board vote will take place Dec. 6.  Report Analyzes Out-Migration from Bay Area  BuildZoom and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley published a brief that documents the tendencies of those leaving the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue different destinations depending on their income. For instance, high-income people leaving the Bay Area head to large metro areas around the county while low-income movers head to more affordable places within the state. Now, the two groups released a new brief that evaluates the effects on the Los Angeles region. The study found in the LA region, the discrepancy between in-and out-migrant earning was less pronounced than in the Bay Area. Roughly a third of the households leaving the LA region stay in the state, and the destination vary by income. Those moving to San Diego and Sacramento appear to draw a similar number from each income category while those moving to the Bay Area are primarily in the highest income category. Quick Hits & Updates  The Sacramento Kings said they are filing an application with the City of Sacramento to rezone the 183-acre largely unused Sleep Train Arena site for a variety of potential uses including a zoo. The application does not offer specific details but includes zoning for the possibility of up to 1.2 million square-feet of commercial and retail, as well as office and up to 2,000 housing units. The team is hoping to conduct a year long environmental review process and have the land ready for development next year. The National League of Cities announced its appointment of League of California Cities Executive Director Carolyn Coleman to the Task Force on Housing. The national task force addresses “how communities can better respond to the growing challenge of housing availability, affordability, investment, and quality”. The task force includes 18 local leaders and elected officials from throughout the country. Libby Schaaf, mayor of the City of Oakland, is the only other California representative. The Prop. HHH citizens oversight committee is challenging Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and city staff to find innovative ways to complete 1,000 units in the next 24 months. The citizens committee oversees the city’s $1.2billion bond program. The group approved an 11-point plan calling for more relaxed rules and other incentives to fast-track the 1,000 units as well as declaring a state of emergency and setting up a “red team” to keep the pilot program on track. Officials with Orange County’s Transportation Corridor Agencies (which oversees the toll roads in the county) committed $5 million to further evaluate options for the extension of the 241 toll road or other projects to improve traffic in south county. Lime and Spin, two shared bicycle and scooter companies, announced a new data-sharing agreement with LA Department of Transportation. According to the announcement Mobility Data Specification is ““a data standard and set of vocabulary to help cities enforce, evaluate, and manage mobility providers who operate in the public right of way.” The companies and LADOT will use San Francisco-based Remix to manage the data that is shared through the agreement. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) The American Planning Association Foundation announced its 2018 Grantees for the Community Planning Assistance Teams that helps support programs that help economically challenged and disaster-devastated communities. Of the seven grant recipients, Santa Rosa was the lone California recipient. The award went to the Burbank Housing Development Corporation for a California Chapter wildfire recovery CPAT “to redevelop a low-income seniors’ community through multifamily housing.” During the fires last year, 116 of the 160 homes at Journey’s End Mobile Home Park were destroyed. BART will present its latest plans to build a second Transbay Tube connecting San Francisco to the East Bay, and perhaps start 24-hour service. If everything goes according to plan, BART could begin construction in 10 years. In the 15-page presentation, BART officials project more people will want to cross the bay by 2040 than can be accommodated by the existing system. Los Angeles Metro released new documents for the proposed light rail between Artesia and Downtown LA. The West Santa Ana Branch would cost an estimated $6.6 billion, would run 18 miles, and end in either Union Station or the Downtown Financial District. Current plans call for the corridor to be completed in two phases between 2022 and 2041, although the project has been identified as one of the 28 projects to be completed by Metro before 2028. A staff report released last week recommends a refined project definition which would cut two alignment options from consideration, remove several proposed stations, and add new grade separations at key points along the corridor.

U.S. District Judge William Shubb threw out SB 50, a state law giving the State Lands Commission first right of refusal of the sale of federal lands. Judge Shubb ruled SB 50 as unconstitutional because it “trespasses on the federal government’s ability to convey land to whomever it wants.” The ruling means that the federal government may sell lands to private buyers regardless of the state's interests. This is considered a victory for the Trump administration who was preparing to auction off several pieces of land around the state. “The court’s ruling is a firm rejection of California’s assertion that, by legislation, it could dictate how and when the federal government sells federal land,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a prepared statement, as quoted in the Sacramento Bee. “This (law) was a stunning assertion of constitutional power by California, and it was properly and promptly dismissed by the district judge.” Fresno Releases Final Station District Plan The City of Fresno released its final Station District Master Plan for the square, 14-block area surrounding the future downtown high-speed rail station. City officials believe the station would serve as a catalyst for the continuing revitalization of downtown area. The station is expected to open in 2027, meaning major changes in the area now include reopening some downtown streets that are currently closed to traffic and beginning construction on new underpasses for city streets to carry traffic under the high-speed rail tracks. The plan also includes new Fulton Street plaza and gateway into the station district, converting surface parking lots into mixed-use retail/ commercial buildings, and reconfiguring roads. “Having a high-speed rail station in Fresno does not alone create economic transformation,” said Mayor Lee Brand as quoted in the Fresno Bee. “The Fresno Station District is a blueprint to create a regional hub for economic and environmental innovation within the San Joaquin Valley. $395 Million Available for Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Round 4 The Strategic Growth Council  announced the  Round 4 Notice of Funding Availability  of approximately $395 million for Round 4 of the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program! The application is available  here . The  Round 4 AHSC Final Guidelines  were approved at our Council Meeting on Monday, October 29. A  redlined version of the Guidelines  showing the differences between Round 3 and Round 4 is also available on our website. Program staff will be holding Application Workshops in six cities, starting today in Sacramento, and applicants will have the opportunity to meet with staff about their potential projects. Technical Assistance (TA) is also available for AHSC applicants. Parties interested in receiving TA for a potential AHSC project, may complete an  informational form  by Nov. 21, which will help SGC Staff determine overall TA need. San Francisco Designates 24 Acres for Affordable Housing  San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance that would allow 24 underused parcels of land in the South of Market area to be converted into affordable-housing projects. The majority of the parcels are zoned light industrial use and used as surface parking lots. While not all the lots may be suitable for housing, the Planning Department said the zone change could lead to 600 or more 100-percent affordable units. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation for a new conservatorship pilot program under SB 1045. The plan is being developed with the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, the City Attorney’s office, and other agencies. The program would help San Franciscans that suffer from severe untreated substance-abuse disorder or mental illnesses. Quick Hits & Updates  The Strategic Growth Council announced the public comment period on the  Draft 2018-19 Guidelines  for the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC). We will be accepting verbal and written comments until 5:00 pm Monday, Dec. 3.  SGC will also be holding Guidelines Workshops in Northern and Southern California on November 20 and 29. The workshops will cover significant changes made to the Guidelines, including changes to the risk options, planning grant requirements, easement associated costs allowances, jobs reporting, and incentives for projects located within priority populations.  HCD has announced the availability of almost $30 million in federal Community Development Block Grants . The Notice of Funding Availability applies to non-entitlement cities with a population under 50,000. Grant applications are due Feb. 5. HCD will be holding workshops to review application requirements. Environmental justice advocates Environmental Health Coalition released a report that found the City of San Diego has spent little funding on implementing its 2015 Climate Action Plan and has failed to track how much of the funding has gone to disadvantaged communities. The report said that more than half of the $129 million allocated this year for climate change went to programs that likely would have happened regardless of the Climate Action Plan. These programs include the city’s water recycling program, Pure Water, which may help reduce greenhouse gases but does not represent new commitments under the climate plan. The electric scooter company Bird has filed a lawsuit against the City of Beverly Hills in an effort to overturn the city’s ban on motorized scooters which led to the impound of more than 1,000 of the company’s vehicles in July. This is the company’s first attempt in using the legal system to overturn a city’s scooter ban. This lawsuit could set the stage for future confrontations as the vehicles become more popular. (See previous CP&DR coverage .) The San Diego City Council unanimously approved the new growth blueprint for the city’s Old Town neighborhood. The Community Plan Update aims to triple the area’s population without damaging its character or historic importance. The 176-page document strikes the right balance between preservation of the Old Town State Historic Park, Presidio Park, and other cultural amenities and helping solve the city’s severe shortage of affordable housing. The plan increases the number of housing units from 474 to 1,405, eliminates some surface parking, and adds new plazas and open spaces. San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim is proposing to rescind a requirement that developers create a minimum amount of parking when they build new housing or commercial property. The Planning Commission voted to approve the “Better Streets” reform package which includes the proposal to eliminate parking minimums and eliminate the ability to make “curb cuts” along transit corridors and bike lanes. Negotiations are underway with US officials on an inspection site in Campo for a project to revive a 70-mile defunct rail line to connect the San Diego-Tijuana region to El Centro. This project would reduce border congestion and take thousands of trucks off local roads. The company, Baja Rail, has begun analyzing how to repair or rebuild dozens of damaged tunnels and bridges along the route as well as studying how to relocate endangered species in the desert. The City of Modesto was awarded approximately $3.9 million from California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) to make Paradise Road, one of the most dangerous streets in town, a little safer. The project includes a road diet to calm traffic speeds and new bike lanes. Paradise Road currently does not include bicycle lanes and has two gaps along its sidewalk. Los Angeles Metro released the final EIR for Union Station subway project. The project aims to improve turnaround times for Red and Purple line subway trains at Union Station, and create more space in the subway car rail yard.