Search Results

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency approved , 5-0, "surge pricing" for every parking meter in the city starting in 2018. The hourly rates at the city’s 30,200 meters would vary depending on demand and fluctuate based on time of day and location. The approach is intended to convince drivers to park farther away, remain for shorter times, or leave their cars at home and use an alternate source of transportation – or pay the higher rates. The city will become the first in the nation to have citywide demand-based parking rates. The program would set hourly meter rates within three daily time bands –9 a.m. to noon,noon to 3pm, and3 to 6 p.m. The program was already in use in about 7,000 meters in the busiest neighborhoods: downtown, South of Market, the Mission, the Embarcadero, Fisherman’s Wharf, Mission Bay, the Fillmore, and the Marina. New Oakland A’s Stadium Site in Peril The Peralta Community College District’s Board of Trustees decided in a closed-door session last week to break off discussions between themselves and the A’s. The team was hoping to build a privately financed baseball stadium on land owned by the district in downtown Oakland. The board says it is not ruling out the idea of a ballpark, but wants to evaluate the “best” uses for the site. The A’s team says there is no plan B, and is not interested on renovating or building on the current Coliseum site. Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan is in favor of keeping the A’s at their current home saying “the fact that environmental clearance is already completed for the Coliseum site would also provide cost savings and time savings for development at that site” and that the site could be upgraded with more shops, bars, restaurants, and hotels. Santa Rosa Reconsiders Housing Policies in Wake of Fires The City of Santa Rosa is holding  meetings to revise key housing policies after the Tubbs Fire incinerated 5 percent of its already limited housing stock. The first meeting is a community workshop to revamp its Housing Action Plan that will focus on density bonuses to incentivize developers to build more housing types. Consultant M-Group was commissioned by the city to analyze how it should change its density bonus rules and a 62-page white paper was produced. The city has also been working on updating its permit processes and inclusionary housing ordinance. The second meeting is a study session before the City Council to discuss immediate housing needs in the city. This includes the people displaced by the 3,000 homes lost in the two fires and the huge workforce required to rebuild. Official Study Ups Projected Impacts of San Diego SoccerCity The San Diego Association of Governments released a study  (pdf) of traffic impacts for the proposed SoccerCity mixed use development on the former Qualcomm Stadium site and it found on average 97,000 daily trips. SoccerCity’s developers  estimate 71,500 daily trips and are disputing the findings of the SANDAG study. The SDSU Mission Valley proposal would generate 55,140 daily trips. The SANDAG study was paid for jointly by FS Investors and a coalition of Mission Valley developers: Public Land, Public Vote. Critics contend  that implementing the SoccerCity proposal would make it difficult for San Diego to reach its goals in its Climate Action Plan. City voters next year will decide the whether the proposal to build 4,800 homes, office, retail, river park and soccer stadium will happen. California Reaps Cap-and-Trade Windfall Revenues from cap-and-trade credits  soared  in the second half of 2017 leading to $1.5 billion for clean energy program and the high-speed rail project. However, state regulators, academics, and analysts agree that businesses are stocking up on credits and holding them for future years. This past July, lawmakers extended the cap-and-trade program through 2030, and the state sold every available credit even though emissions are lower than regulators expected. As Energy Innovation wrote in a report last month: “Left unaddressed,oversupply and the resulting banked allowances (credits) threaten California’s 2030 emissions reduction success.” San Diego Considers Locations for Increased Density San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office unveiled a new strategy for choosing which neighborhoods in the city would be the focus of increased job and housing density. The goal is to create denser, more walkable neighborhoods that will in turn cut down emissions. Engineering firm Fehr & Peers is developing a new mapping tool would assign communities individual targets for increasing residential and commercial densities in an effort to place new development close to public transit and jobs centers. Critics  of the program say this will not make homeowners more accepting of increasing density in their neighborhoods. The new tool is expected to be completed next winter, and be applied to all community plans moving forward. Orange County Transit Ridership Rises after Overhaul OCTA launched an overhaul of its bus system, called OC Bus 360, last year, and has recently seen increases in bus ridership on key routes. Ridership had declined three percent countywide, but ridership on routes in core areas improved by up to 19.6 percent. Some of the improved routes include the Bravo! and X lines, which offer increased bus frequency and fewer stops. Part of the overhaul last year was cutting service in southern parts of the county and adding service to north county routes with highest ridership. The agency has plans to pilot on-demand transit service next summer in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, and Mission Viejo. A new addition to the program is the OC Bus mobile-ticketing app which allows riders to buy passes on smartphones which has led to an average of 300 new app users per week. OCTA has released its Transit Master Plan for the decade, which highlights 11 heavily-used corridors that are candidates for BRT, rapid bus, or a new light-rail line. Two such corridors are north Harbor Boulevard between Fullerton and Garden Grove, and 17thStreet/Westminster Avenue, which would connect Westminster to UC Irvine. Federal Watch: House Approves Brownfields Funds The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3017, the Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment, and Reauthorization Act of 2017 that would allow up to $250 million to clean up brownfield sites each year. US EPA’s Brownfields program has created thousands of jobs and helped communities prevent, assess, safely cleanup, and sustainably restore over a million acres of contaminated land. The act improves brownfields program by funding the program at an annual level of $200 million through 2022, expand grant eligibility to nonprofit groups and partnerships, and allow the EPA to award multi-purpose grants up to $1 million to cover different activities or remediation, and increase maximum amount for other grants to $500,000 per site with a cap of $750,000 per site. Quick Hits & Updates Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved new neighborhood community plans for South L.A. and Southeast L.A. after years of discussions with residents about protecting their neighborhoods against gentrification. The plans include guidelines for what can and cannot be built in local areas. The group, United Neighbors in Defense Against Displacement, has worked with the city over the last decade to create incentives for developers to include affordable housing in the new community plan. In an effort to stop Measure S, council members pledged to approve the city’s 35 community plans every six years. These two plans are the first to be updated since that pledge was made. The Strategic Growth Council awarded nearly $34 million to fund 25 agricultural conservation easements and two strategy and outcome grants through theSustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) program. The winning projects were located in 19 counties.  Apple Inc. donated $1.8 million to the City of Cupertino to help fund the first leg of a protected bike lane project on Stevens Creek Boulevard. The city plans to start work early next year with a consultant to design bike lanes separated from vehicular traffic or Class IV lanes. Elon Musk  released  detailed engineering plans for an “express” high-speed underground public-transportation system its detailed engineering plans for the Long Beach Airport to Sherman Oaks Loop. The all-electric system would transport passengers inside rectangular pods attached to autonomous skates more than 30 feet below ground. San Francisco will compensate  Chinatown merchants whose businesses have slowed down due to the construction of the Central Subway. The $225,000 Mayor Ed Lee set aside for parking and other services in Chinatown was frozen during budget negotiations in June. The board’s Budget and Finance Committee released that money last week after months of negotiations between Supervisor Peskin and the mayor. The project has already been delayed a year, and is now expected to be completed in 2019. The City of Santa Ana is the only Orange County city to date to authorize the sale of recreational marijuanastarting January 1.Under new city regulations, the 17 existing legal medical marijuana dispensaries will be able to sell commercial marijuana to people over 21 once the businesses sign new agreements with the city. The city will allow 10 more recreational marijuana businesses, for a total of 30 citywide. The $1.5 billion six-station Foothill Gold Line extension from Glendora to Montclair broke ground last week. The 12.3-mile extension is expected to take nine years to complete. The project is also the first Measure M-funded rail project to move forward to construction. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced his office has filed a civil enforcement action against Uber over its massive October 2016 data breach that led to 600,000 US drivers’ names and license numbers to be stolen. The lawsuit alleges that under California law, Uber was required to promptly notify the affected California drivers but instead paid the hackers to destroy the data and then pressured them to enter into a nondisclosure agreement. Uber made the breach known 13 months later.  French architecture firm Agence Ter and Gruen Associates released new renderings of their planned Pershing Square redesign. Some of the key items include removing the walls along the park’s perimeter and lowering the top of the parking garage to allow the park to be level with the surrounding sidewalks. The design also includes a great lawn, pergola, gardens, and promenade. San Francisco will conduct a survey on local businesses and transit riders on banning private vehicles on Market Street. The draft environmental review for the project and the conceptual engineering report would be released in late 2018 or early 2019. The Municipal Transportation Agency is studying merchants along Market Street who depend on loading zones.

At the urging of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, L.A. County Metro has assembled a list of its top 28 new transportation projects that must be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics. The “28 by 28” plan includes the Crenshaw light rail line to LAX, the Purple Line Wilshire subway to Westwood, and the Regional Connector in downtown LA. More than half the projects are scheduled for completion using revenues from the Measure M sale tax increase approved by LA County voters last year. Other projects include a subway under the Sepulveda Pass, light rail between Artesia and downtown LA, and an expansion of freeway toll lanes. Metro is hoping to work with private companies to fill some of the funding gaps of accelerating projects and adding new ones. The Metro board will vote on the final, prioritize list of 28 projects at its next meeting in January. New Palo Alto General Plan Envisions 4,420 New Housing Units The Palo Alto City Council  adopted  a new comprehensive plan which outlines the city’s vision for housing, transportation, parks and other quality of life issues. The plan will guide development through 2030. New non-residential development will be capped at a total of 1.7 million square feet citywide (not including the 1.3 million square feet already approved for the Stanford University Medical Center). The plan preserves ground-floor retail, ensures coordination with the local school district over land use and development, and guides operation and improvements at Palo Alto Airport. The council directed staff to support the production of new housing and preservation of existing units through incentives for small units, protecting cottage clusters, and implementing minimum density in multifamily zoning districts. The plan envisions an additional 8,435 to 10,455 residents over the next 13 years and 4,420 new housing units will be added. Realtors to Seek Ballot Initiative to Expand Prop. 13 Provisions The California Association of Realtors has launched a signature drive to put a new proposition on the November 2018 ballot that would expand Prop. 13 to give tax breaks to homeowners age 55 and older or those who are disabled. The new measure would allow seniors and disabled homeowners to transfer their low, existing Prop. 13 tax assessment to a new home anywhere in the state. Realtors say the provision would help older owners buy a new residence, because many are reluctant to give up low Prop. 13 tax assessments. The group maintains that at least 70 percent of seniors have not moved in 17 years. This will free up the homes for new homeowners. Newport Beach Sends Banning Ranch Back to Drawing Board In keeping with a court order, the Newport Beach City Council unanimously voted to rescind approvals for proposed development on the historic Banning Ranch oil field. Environmental group Banning Ranch Conservancy is asking the council to partner with the nonprofit to purchase and turn the 401-acre property into an open-space amenity. Senior project manager for developer Newport Banning Ranch, Michael Mohler, is willing to sit down with the council and nonprofit to discuss potential options. The developer is looking at a scaled-down project from the 895 homes, hotel, hostel and 80 percent open space that was approved last year; that rendition was far smaller than original proposals, dating back to the late 1990s.  Environmental Groups Sue over Cadiz Approvals The Center for Biological Diversity along with the Center for Food Safety is suing the Bureau of Land Management for allowing Cadiz Inc. to build a 43-mile pipeline to transfer water from its Mojave Desert wells into the Colorado River Aqueduct to be sold to water districts. The BLM during the Obama administration had released guidelines to block construction of the pipeline along an existing federal railroad right-of-way, but the Trump administration reversed them this year and putting the project on a priority infrastructure list. According to the lawsuit, Cadiz could draw billions of gallons of water from fragile desert aquifers that would dry up streams that are important for plants and wildlife. Critics have lost several previous court battles to halt the project. California Transportation and Planning Agencies Protest Federal Tax Plan A coalition of transportation agencies from Southern California issued a joint letter to Congressional leadership raising concerns that the current tax reform proposal poses a threat to the current transportation system and consequently the health of the regional economy. The tax plan would hurt by eliminating advance refunding bonds, revocation of employer deduction for transportation benefits, and failure to renew alternative fuel benefits. The letter is signed by SCAG, Imperial County Transportation Commission, LA Metro, Metrolink, OCTA, Riverside County Transportation Commission, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, SANDAG and Ventura County Transportation Commission. Quick Hits & Updates San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved , 10-1, new regulations on cannabis dispensaries in the city. One new rule is the reduction of school buffer zone from 1,000 to 600 feet. The board also approved an amendment requiring half the city’s dispensaries to qualify for an equity program that benefits low-income residents, people displaced from their homes and people with marijuana convictions. The board also unanimously passed an amendment allowing existing medical dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana beginning Jan. 5. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Two LA City Councilmembers, representing Arts District and Venice, have proposed creating an affordable housing program for those in creative arts. An estimated 65 to 70 percent of artists that were in the Arts District 15 years ago are gone. However, the city’s Housing Department said it would run into legal challenges by giving preferential treatment to certain groups. A deputy city attorney suggested that officials commission a study to determine whether artists deserve special consideration. San Francisco City Hall and the Port of San Francisco have started a $40 million 10-year contract with a team of 21 consultants to remake the Embarcadero in case of earthquake and sea-level rise. The schedule set by the port is for the designs and environmental studies to be completed by 2022, with construction to follow. Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors will most likely be placing a $350 million seawall bond on the November 2018 ballot. The City of Sacramento was named  one of the four finalists by Major League Soccer for the two expansion spots in the nation’s top professional soccer league. The other expansion finalists include Detroit, Nashville, and Cincinnati. MLS is expected to announce its decision Dec. 14. Assemblyman Jim Patterson requested an emergency audit of the California High Speed Rail. The chair of the joint audit committee, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, denied the request saying it would deny the legislature and public an opportunity to review and discuss the issue in public. The state auditor last reported on the $64 billion bullet train five years ago. The Hollywood Central Park, a linear 44-acre green space covering a one-mile segment of the US-101 freeway between Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevards, needs more funds to complete the EIR and associated technical studies. Last week, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell introduced a motion, which would direct $1.53 million in CRA/LA excess bonds to fill the funding gap. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) After a decade of planning, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District opened the 6,142-acre La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve. The area has been a Mexican land grant, dairy farm, hideout for members of Jesse James’ outlaw gang, oil field, redwood logging mill, cattle ranch, and retreat for heirs to the Weyerhaeuser lumber and Folgers coffee fortunes. The open space district is funded by property taxes, has come under criticism for buying land but keeping roughly half closed to the public. Last week, four California Public Utilities Commissions joined administrative law judge Peter V. Allen to hear final oral arguments in PG&E’s request to retire California’s last nuclear power plant, San Luis Obispo County’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant. In a preliminary ruling Judge Allen, approved PG&E’s request to close the plant, and allow the company to increase customer rates enough to recover over $190 million to pay for closure costs (salaries over the next eight years, retraining workers, and license renewal costs). The final decision from Judge Allen will go for a vote by the complete five-member commission which is scheduled for Dec. 14. Robert Half employment agency released a study with the major U.S. metro areas with the longest commutes and most anxiety-inducing trips to work and found Southern California tops the list for the most stressful commute. The region is just eighth in the nation on the longest average trip list with 53.7 minutes. The study suggests mass transit options in a region can lower anxiety created by traveling to and from work. For instance, San Francisco had the second longest commute (59.2 minutes), but the BART and Caltrain system put it 5th on the list for stressful commutes.  Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz is seeking to add the 20,000 square-foot Playboy Mansion to the city’s historic-cultural monument designation list. Hugh Hefner owned the mansion from 1971 until last year, when he sold the property for $100 million. The designation would put limits on what alterations could be made to the property and prevent the mansion from being demolished without review.  San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted, 7-4, to overturn the $90,000 sale of a private street, Presidio Terrace, in the Richmond district The exclusive street was sold to a San Jose couple when its residents failed to pay $994 in back taxes because the bill was being mailed to an accountant who hadn’t worked for the Presidio Terrace Homeowner Association in years. The property was erroneously classified as a vacant lot and put up for auction in 2015. Developers seeking to build a 1,130-room hotel across from LA Convention Center could receive $103.3 million in public financial assistance over 25 years under a proposal heading to the City Council. Under the 25-year agreement the project, Fig + Pico, would have blocks of rooms reserved for future conventions and the 2028 Olympics. The financial aid package was endorsed unanimously by the council’s three-member Economic Development Committee but now must go to the City Council. The developer claims a $67.4-million financial gap, in part because of higher construction costs. The City of Port Hueneme City Council agreed to pay former Housing Authority director Joseph Gately $1.5 million to a settle a whistleblower suit against the city. Gately sued the city after he alleged he was fired in 2015 for alerting officials the city had been mismanaging federal housing dollars. US HUD investigated Gately’s claims and found the city had been improperly charging the authority for services. The agreement does not admit fault. Los Angeles housing advocates contend that a downtown apartment buildings advertised as a “Level Furnished Living” is being run as a hotel in violation of city law. The group of housing and labor advocates have sent a “request to investigate” to the City Planning Department. Onni Group, the operator of the 303-unit building offers immediate booking unless customers are seeking 30+ nights of accommodation. Onni Group says the use is permitted under the zoning. The groups say if the structure was anything other than residential it should pay city hotel taxes. The City of Los Angeles is considering plans to place a giant inflatable dam and 70-foot waterwheel to move water into a stream landscaped with trees adjacent to the Los Angeles River. The city is expecting the final permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers by the end of the year, which could mean construction begins in January. The $10 million project will be operated by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation.

Although lead agencies under the California Environmental Quality Act have to analyze alternatives, they also have to identify a preferred alternative or else they are not providing an “accurate, stable and finite description of the project”.

CP&DR Vol. 32 No. 11 November 2017

The California Natural Resources Agency announced the 39 winning green infrastructure projects through the state’s Urban Greening Program  (pdf). The $76 million in funding for the winners is funded through the Cap-and-Trade program and supports projects that reduce greenhouse gases and convert built environments into green spaces. There were winners from 19 of the counties throughout the state, however Los Angeles County had 13 winning projects. Projects in disadvantaged communities received 92 percent of the funding. A few of the winning projects include: Alameda County received $4.1 million for the “San Leandro Creek Urban Greenway”, City of Richmond was awarded $4.1 million for “Greening the Yellow Brick Road”, and the Trust for Public Land received $3.7 million for the “Zamora Park Renovation Project”. Oakland Releases Economic Development Strategy The City of Oakland released its Economic Development Strategy for 2018-2020. Mayor Libby Schaaf’s letter in the beginning notes the decrease in unemployment rate, commercial vacancies being filled, business and tourism thriving, and construction of residential and office space. However, the rents are increasing, cost of business is going up, congestion is worsening, and “the pressure of outside forces changing the Oakland we love.” The report shows an increase in educational attainment from 2000 to 2015, more than 10 percent decrease of unemployment black people between 2013 and 2015, and 43 percent of businesses owned by women and 51 percent by people of color. The city saw a spike- over 1500- in multi-family residential building permits in the first quarter of this year, but it dropped to around 800 permits in the second quarter. The report shows more than 3,006 housing units are currently under construction with another 8,990 units approved. Oakland is prioritizing development of two dozen of its properties to create 2,300 homes, 4,000 construction jobs, and 3,700 permanent jobs in the next three years. The goal is to “make Oakland an easy, efficient, and prosperous place to do business, and to reduce racial disparities and help all Oaklanders achieve economic security so that everyone has an opportunity to thrive.” LAO Questions Efficacy of Statewide Green Building Program According to a new report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2012 executive order directing about 8,000 state departments buildings to offset their energy use dramatically drives up cost of construction while delivering uncertain environmental benefits. These “zero net energy” projects tend to include features that limit energy use while generating power through solar panels. The analysis found the ZNE status can add 17 to 29 percent to the projected cost for some buildings. The report also states the cap-and-trade program is more efficient and less costly as a solution for the state to reduce GHG emissions. The LAO Report concluded the state departments should conduct a cost-benefit analysis before proceeding with zero net energy projects. The Brown administration contends the ZNE designs will save money over time in energy costs. Since the directive, the state has completed nine ZNE projects with another 22 under development. State Releases Initial Rules on Cannabis Businesses The California Department of Health, Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Bureau of Cannabis Control released new temporary rules that  regulate who can legally sell and deliver marijuana to how it must be packaged and transported. Big farms may still be located in Mendocino and Monterey, and small delivery services can operate legally. Business cannot be located within 600 feet of schools. But pot cannot be transported in self-driving cars or bicycles and is banned in strip clubs. These guidelines come in less than six weeks before the sale of recreational marijuana becomes legal on Jan. 1. State agencies are working on more permanent rules next year. Here are the different sets of regulations: Bureau of Cannabis Control regulations (PDF) ;  Department of Food and Agriculture regulations (PDF) ;  Department of Public Health regulations (PDF) . (See prior CP&DR coverage .)  City of Irvine Clashes with Orange County over Homeless Shelters Orange County Supervisors have rejected a proposal to create emergency homeless shelters on 108 acres of vacant land next to the Great Park and instead approved, 4-1, a project to build a hotel, office space, and market-rate housing. The county says the proposed project would generate much-needed revenues to fund public services. County officials say 15 percent, or approximately 300 of the 2,000 proposed homes, would be affordable. However no members of the public spoke in favor of the project and urged the supervisors to delay a decision until it resolves concerns for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County’s distribution center access or builds a homeless shelter or affordable housing. The City of Irvine City Council voted to sue to stop the county form moving forward with its plans. The food bank has also hired its own attorney to challenge the environmental analysis. One of the central disputes in the case is whether the county overstepped Irvine’s authority to regulate commercial land developments within the city.  Appeal Court Updates Ruling on 2011 SANDAG Transportation Plan The California Court of Appeal issued its revised ruling this week on a challenge to the 2011 environmental impact report prepared by SANDAG for its federally-required Regional Transportation Plan of 2011. The Court of Appeal revised ruling follows a July 2017 California Supreme Court ruling earlier this year. The California Supreme Court ruled in favor of SANDAG on the key element of the original Court of Appeal ruling in 2014. The Supreme Court ruled that SANDAG properly conducted the greenhouse gas analysis for the 2011 environmental impact report. The original petitioners, the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and others, asked the Court of Appeal to reissue its earlier decision incorporating the Supreme Court’s ruling.  Study: Gold Line Extension Worth $2.6B to Inland Empire According to a study released by Beacon Economics, the 12.3-mile extension of the Gold Line light rail from Glendora to Montclair in San Bernardino County will provide a $2.6 billion economic boost to the region. The $1.5 billion project includes six new stations and is slated to break ground in December and be completed around 2026. The study found the project will generate more than 17,000 jobs, $1 billion in labor income, and nearly $40 million in tax revenue to LA County. Once service begins, the project is expected to benefit the county annually by more than $52 million in economic output, $17 million in labor income, $800,000 in tax revenues, and 277 jobs. The study also notes the project has spurred $1 billion in private investments in residential and commercial development near the future Montclair station. However, the nine years of construction will cause dust, detours, and delays in six foothill cities.  S.F. City Attorney Clarifies City’s Take on Upland Ruling San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera recently released a memo contending that half the vote plus one will be enough to pass taxes via voter approval in the city. This comes after a recent state Supreme Court ruling, in which citizen-instigated ballot initiatives to raise taxes now only need a simple majority to pass instead of two-thirds. Last year, a ballot measure was put to voters to divert a portion of San Francisco’s hotel-tax revenue to pay for arts program and homeless family services won well over half the vote (63.7 percent), but not the two-third majority that was the standard for twenty years. Economics professor at UC Berkeley, Alan Auerbach, said Herrera’s conclusion will certainly mean be more initiative-based tax proposals, which can be good and bad. (See prior CP&DR coverage here , here , and here .) Quick Hits & Updates The Strategic Growth Council will host workshops to provide researchers and community members an opportunity to learn about the newest grant program: Climate Change Research Program, and the component of the Draft Research Investment Plan, as well as provide feedback to SGC staff. Written comments will be accepted until December 15. SGC will host three public workshops in Oakland Monday November 27,  Fresno Tuesday November 28, and Los Angeles Wednesday November 29. San Jose City Council is discussing a proposal to create a vacant storefront registry to spur property owners to clean up or lease blighted buildings downtown. The city’s code enforcement division would manage the program and charge $202 every three months for a building that remains empty. The vacant building monitoring program focuses on neglected and abandoned properties, but not storefronts specifically. Under the current rules, building owners do not have to enroll in a registry when their property becomes vacant. The pilot program will focus on downtown, but the hope is to eventually expand citywide. San Jose metropolitan area had a 19.2 percent increase in median cost of a home to $1,049,000 and the number of homes for sale in October fell by 51.6 percent. This new analysis from Redfin shows the severe lack of supply in housing in the area. The three most competitive markets in the U.S. for single-family homes, condos, and townhomes are San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. In these three cases 78.6 percent, 76.3 percent, and 63.7 percent of homes are selling above asking price. LA Metro CEO Phil Washington acknowledged the importance of a Metro rail station in the downtown Arts District, but said unless there is a financial miracle, the area won’t receive a station. Metro studied the idea of erecting a station at either Third or Sixth streets because of the rush of housing development in the area. The priority for Metro in the Arts District is preparing for the coming Purple Line Extension, slated to be opened in 2024. The third annual Schroders Global Cities 30 Index reports that Los Angeles is ranked first as a "hot spot" for global real estate investors. Other cities include New York, London, and Chicago. Last year LA was sixth place, but the good weather, entertainment industry and “silicon beach” has increased demand for office space and residential property. The city has proven to be the best long term value for fixed asset investment. The Oakland A’s have  hired Sasaki, Snøhetta, Studio T-Square, and HOK to design the stadium at Peralta Community College and integrate it into the surrounding neighborhood. The goal is the new stadium will help catalyze investment along Lake Merritt without alienating the existing community. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted, 4-2, to rename  Herman Plaza on Market Street to reflect changing attitudes towards redevelopment  Justin Herman led the Redevelopment Agency in the 1960s and was linked with the city’s urban renewal and slum clearance projects that displaced thousands of residents and small businesses.   Developers of a 20-story apartment tower in Hollywood announced that they would voluntarily make all 210 new units rent-controlled to cap rent increases at three percent per year. The project will demolish a cluster of low-rise apartment buildings and therefore the developer has also announced all tenants from the older buildings will be able to move into a “comparable unit” in the new project and pay the same rent. The project is expected to begin construction in 2019 and be completed in 2022. As part of San Francisco's Vision Zero strategies, Mayor Ed Lee is asking the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority to create a “rapid response team” to enact immediate safety improvements in areas where traffic fatalities occur. According to data from the city, traffic deaths have not decreased significantly in the city since Vision Zero framework was adopted. There were 31 deaths in 2014 and 2015 and 30 deaths in 2016.  Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has filed an application with LA officials seeking approval to begin digging within city limits to construct a tunnel underground that would whisk commuters from San Fernando Valley to the Westside through a tunnel parallel to the 405-freeway. The project would be funded entirely by private money and would allow cars, pedestrian and cyclists to use the system. Uplift Inglewood, an advocacy group, is pushing to get a rent control measure on the city’s ballot in 2018. While many cities across the state are facing escalating housing costs, Inglewood has a new NFL stadium due to open in 2020, which is expected to further raise rents. Housing activists are also pushing for rent control initiatives in Pasadena, Glendale, and Long Beach. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced preliminary plans to close the AES power plant and redevelop the 50-acre site to create a coastal resort and public park. In 2015 voters in the city decided against closing the power plant because a project with 600 residential units and a hotel would have risen in its place. Hahn says developers and officials would have to alleviate community concerns around traffic and development in an already dense area. The San Diego City Council was set to finalize a $5.85 million deal to build over 100 low-income homes on city-owned property in southeastern San Diego when a board member of San Diegans for Open Government said there was a potential conflict of interest. The group is worried one of the Civic San Diego board members, Phil Rath, has been a registered lobbyist on behalf of the nonprofit developer Affirmed Housing Group since 2013. The City Council will now review the allegations in the letter before making a decision on the project.

Since today is Small Business Saturday, following pitifully on the grotesque excess of “Black Friday” (a day as ill-named as it is ill-conceived), I’m compelled to ponder the state of small businesses in the California landscape. By my small sample set, it’s not great. Obviously, tons of small businesses aren’t retailers. But retail is clearly the focus on Small Business Saturday, and, of course, retail thrives in well conceived urban environments. In theory, planners draft regulations and approve developments to foster nice retail environments, developers create the actual places, and entrepreneurs do the rest. Naturally, online retail has upended this process. And, in Los Angeles, it's getting further twisted in at least two different ways. This tale of two storefronts begins in Boyle Heights, the historically Latino neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles. Boyle Heights has become the epicenter of debates over gentrification in Los Angeles, and the most potent symbol of those debates is Weird Wave Coffee Brewers. If ever there was a classic small business, it’s Weird Wave. They’re independent and founded by a group of local entrepreneurs. It's exactly the type of place where American Express wants you to swipe your Platinum card when you’re en route from the organic toy store to the fair trade haberdashery. And yet, since it opened about six months ago, Weird Wave has weathered every conceivable accusation  and form of protest. According to the critics, its owners are not noble entrepreneurs but rather colonizers, trying to whitewash the neighborhood, drive up prices, drive out locals, and perpetuate capitalist predation. All of this in about ten feet of storefront. Meanwhile, the McDonald’s across the street serves up its nutritionless gunk by the billions. Gentrification is a serious issue, and residents have every right to be concerned. But talk about aiming for the wrong target. Over on the Westside, an equally troubling, if far less boisterous drama is playing out. In fact, it’s not a drama at all. It’s the absence of drama. For at least a decade, a Noah’s Bagels and a Jamba Juice sat side-by-side on San Vicente Boulevard. Around the same time that Weird Wave opened, both of them cleared out. Their departure is hardly a blow to western civilization. The absence, though, speaks to a major disturbance in the economics of real estate. Since they left, their storefronts have been dead as doornails. The windows are painted over, and the streetscape has one more void. You’d think that they’d both be prime real estate, if not for a independent entrepreneur then for somebody. And they are — but there’s prime and there’s prime. RIP, Jamba Juice and Noah's Bagels. What I suspect is going on is that the building’s management (or real estate agents) haven’t yet heard that physical retailers are struggling. They probably jacked up the rent and, either because of ego or wishful thinking, aren’t willing to do the economically sensible thing: lower it until it reaches the spot on the supply curve that intersects with the demand curve. That’s the thing about this retail apocalypse: of all the factors that go into a successful store, rent is the one that’s most flexible, if landlords are willing to be flexible. If the world wants to buy fewer bagels but you can reduce the cost of rent, you can still make it work. Unfortunately, landlords - especially of buildings that are already paid off — don’t have much incentive to fill their spaces. The corporate owner of the former Noah’s and Jamba spaces surely cares less about the vacancies than do those of us who drive and walk past them every day. The same can be said for countless other storefronts in Los Angeles and elsewhere, including New York City . So there you have it: On the Eastside, a genuine small business that promises to enhance is neighborhood is catching anti-capitialist fervor. On the Westside, capitalism itself has pretty much broken down. Happy Small Business Saturday, everyone.

Two California projects are among the 13 worldwide winners of the Urban Land Institute’s 2017-2018 Global Awards for Excellence . The Emeryville Center of Community Living and Half Moon Village in Half Moon Bay received the awards, along with six other winners from the United States. The Emeryville project is a $96 million center that brings educational, health, family and recreational services into one site. The Center includes STEM classrooms, dedicated community multiuse space, daycare, family wellness center and health and dental clinic, library, commons, cafeteria, performance space, kitchens, swimming pool, studios, ad athletic fields. The Half Moon Bay project transforms an underused site into an innovative community for seniors with 160 affordable rental homes to low-income seniors and gardens, patios, bocce court, fitness center and community rooms. The Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979 and subsequently expanded to a global program, recognizes real estate projects that achieve the highest standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnerships, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability.  Environmental Groups Sue to Protect Coastal Gnatcatcher Habitat A lawsuit was recently filed to secure the coastal California gnatcatcher’s position on the federal Endangered Species List in light of new scientific evidence of its scarcity. In 2014, federal officials were presented new biological data indicated the gnatcatcher, a type of shorebird, does not belong on the Endangered Species Act list, and therefore its habitat is protected. The report concluded the bird was not an imperiled subspecies living only in Southern California but actually was part of a larger and healthy species found throughout Southern California to the tip of Baja, Mexico. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the findings in 2016. Advocates for the gnatcatcher’s listing, including a group of homebuilders, submitted the petition are suing the officials to force them to reconsider. Represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, the group argues the first review was cursory, biased and lacked transparency, and that the peer-review research deserves objective analysis. Irvine Sues Orange County over Development Near Great Park The Irvine City Council voted unanimously to sue the County of Orange over the development plan for the 108 acres south of the Great Park. The County Board of Supervisors certified, on a 4-1 vote, the project’s environmental impact report for up to one million square feet of office space, 2,100 homes, 200,000 square feet of retail, and a 242-room hotel. Irvine Mayor Don Wagner calls it an “ill-conceived project”. Councilman Jeff Lalloway said the county is violating a 2003 agreement when the Great Park land was transferred to Irvine but the 108 acres south were kept. Lalloway said housing, office, and retail development were never in the agreement as it was meant for government and institutional uses. Typically land developments must be approved by the city they are located in, but the county claims it’s exempt under “sovereign immunity”. San Jose to Maintain Current Rent Control Increase The San Jose City Council voted , 6-5, to maintain the current cap for the nearly 45,000 rent-controlled apartments instead of tying the rent increases to inflation. The city currently limits the rent increases to no more than five percent each year. However, hundreds of renters urged the city to tie rent hikes to the Bay Area consumer price index- which has ranged from 2.1 percent to 2.8 percent in the last five years. The City Council also rejected Councilman Don Rocha’s plan to add 11,000 duplexes to the properties subject to the rent control law. The City Council approved a registry to track rents in rent-controlled units and a proposal to allow renters to add new tenants to their leases without fearing eviction. USC Analysis of Expo Rail Line Wins National Award USC Price School of Public Policy Professor Genevieve Guiliano and two PhD students were awarded the 2017 Chester Rapkin Award by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) for their work analyzing the LA Metro Expo Line’s impact on transit ridership and traffic. The study looked at transit, freeway, and arterial data to explore the impact of the Expo Line on transit ridership, freeway traffic and arterial traffic within the corridor the line services. The research found a new rail line does not divert enough passengers from cars to make a significant difference. However, benefits include increasing transit accessibility and person throughput within high-demand corridors, but the effects on roadway traffic are small and localized. Landlords Flout S.F. Affordable Housing Program  An investigation by KPIX in San Francisco found dozens of cases of landlords violating a city program and renting out their below-market-rate (BMR) units at full prices. In one cases, a homeowner posts ads for the BMR property on Craigslist while living in a $1.5 million home in another part of the city. Another owner of a BMR property rents out her unit for $149 a night on Airbnb while living in a multi-million dollar condo in the new Millennium Tower. Director of Homeownership and Below Market Programs for the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, Maria Benjamin, told KPIX, “the amount of people misusing the system are so small compared to the people using the system for its purpose.” The city attorney is prosecuting three cases involving alleged BMR cheats and the Mayor’s Office of Housing is investigating approximately 40 cases, roughly 1 percent of the BMRs in the city.

Following up on the California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in environmentalists’ challenge to the San Diego sustainable communities strategies, a split appellate court has concluded that the case is not moot simply because the San Diego Association of Governments has completed a new SCS with a new environmental impact report. The court further concluded that the 2011 SCS EIR is deficient in several respects – most particularly by focusing alternatives on traffic congestion relief rather than lower vehicle miles traveled.

I’m sure all you local planners are about to get cracking on your Annual Progress Report.

I’ve followed the news about free speech and campus politics with equal parts trepidation and disinterest. As much as I support free speech and as much as I’m disgusted by the buffoonery of Milo Y, Richard Spencer, & Co., I figure that many of these debates amount to little more than shouting matches.  Strangely enough, some of the most promising political action of late comes from a relatively apolitical campus: UCLA.  Last week, a coalition of students, grad students, and community members announced plans to fight the power by forming their own Neighborhood Council. In this case, the “power” is a generations-old coalition of homeowners in the Westwood area who have consistently and progressively fought growth and muted any semblance of social activity in Westwood Village. Despite the obvious interest that UCLA’s 44,000 students and its equal number of employees have in supporting a vibrant Westwood Village and abundant nearby housing options, students are too transient to amass the political power needed to oppose the homeowners that dominate the current Neighborhood Council.  (Neighborhood Councils are Los Angeles’ official advisory bodies, composed of stakeholders and organized community-by-community.) So grave is the situation in Westwood that it was the topic of the very first article I wrote for CP&DR. I wrote all about the demise of Westwood Village and the frustration that may students felt about not having a true college town at their doorstep, despite the village’s nearly ideal streetscape. That was back in — wait for it — 2008.  A critical mass has finally formed.  First, we have the housing crisis, which is more than dire enough to spur action among even the most apathetic students. The current Westwood NC recently opposed new student housing — even though it was to be developed by UCLA on its own land. Second, we have the state- and nationwide YIMBY movement. LA’s local YIMBY group Abundant Housing Los Angeles — with which I have been involved on occasion — has given the UCLA community a forum in which to discuss and unite around Westwood’s decrepitude. Finally, like the NRA’s campaign to constantly loosen gun laws with increasingly ridiculous freedoms, local homeowners have squeezed just about the last drop of life out of Westwood. (Indeed, Westwood resembles NRA country in at least one way: dancing is forbidden.) So, unless you own a multimillion-dollar house, Westwood has nowhere to go but up. These discussions culminated in this week’s resolution.  The new Neighborhood Council would carve out an island of campus and surrounding streets from greater Westwood. While the old guard will surely be furious, it’s hard to argue that the kids who actually live and work in this area don’t deserve to have a say in its governance. I expect, therefore, that this proposal will bear fruit as long as the current leaders stay at it (and don’t graduate before they can navigate the city bureaucracy).  While Neighborhood Councils have no formal power, they have advisory power that is, in LA’s odd governance structure, fairly influential. Traditionally, each City Council member wields nearly unencumbered decision-making power within his or her district. Councilmembers typical consult Neighborhood Councils and seldom vote against NCs' recommendations — or at least they heed NCs’ wishes when they’re brokering development agreements.  This heralds a new world for Paul Koretz, who represents Council District 5 and UCLA. His power base is very much the old guard; he arguably has the most affluent and least diverse district in Los Angeles. A crisis of conscience may be in the offing as he tries to decide whether to give the new NC as much deference as he does the current NC.  It’s hard to say whether this development has any statewide implications, but it might. If nothing else, it’s a potential victory for the YIMBY movement. It’s one thing to write pleading letters; it’s another thing entirely to inspire a whole new governmental body. It’s also a model for political engagement on other campuses. College students are residents too, but I’ll be darned if most of California’s college kids even know what city they live in, much less who their local elected officials are.  I’ll also be darned if California’s college kids love the rents they’re paying. From La Jolla to San Luis Obispo to Santa Clara and beyond, nearly every major college in the state is located someplace more suited to financiers than freshmen. Likewise, if students can wield power and assert themselves as pro-housing and pro-renter, everyday residents across California may be able to do the same.  For students’ sake, hopefully this lesson in housing policy will bear fruit, in the form of more housing and fewer cranky neighbors. While the alt-right, the antifa, and everyone else keep flinging vitriol at each other, this is one campus debate worth having.

The State Water Resources Control Board approved a $383 million plan to slow the degredation of the Salton Sea in the next decade. Funding is still unclear but the plan has support from major water agencies, environmental groups, and residents living in urban and rural areas near the lake. The plan would create a smaller, but more sustainable lake as San Diego’s regional water agency will stop sending water to the lake end of this year. This means no water deliveries from the Colorado River, shrinking the lake at an even faster rate. The plan calls for preserving 29,800 of the 48,300 acres as ponds in part to abate toxic dust storms that would arise if more of the lakebed was exposed. The plan includes annual targets for completion beginning with 500 acres in 2018 and 4,200 acres in 2028. Timothy Krantz, professor of environmental studies at the University of Redlands, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that the plan’s provision “are only band-aids to a very serious environmental disaster….Our models at the  Salton Sea Database  at the University of Redlands indicate about 90,000 acres (140 square miles) of lake bed exposure over that same period. The state has set aside $80 million for the project, out of $380 million needed. (See prior CP&DR coverage here and here .) State to Allow City of Industry to Purchase Land for Solar Farm California Department of Finance will not challenge the City of Industry’s purchase of nearly 2,500 acres of ranch lands alongs the edge of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Orange counties. This allows the city to move forward with plans to build a massive solar farm on the Tres Hermanos ranch. The property is located within the cities of Diamond Bar and Chino Hills, and the two cities asked for a review following the approval of the discounted sale of the ranch by the Oversight Board of Los Angeles County. According to the two cities, the land was appraised at a maximum value of $122.5 million and was sold to the City of Industry for $41.7 million.Diamond Bar and Chino Hills both filed lawsuits last month alleging Industry and the Oversight Board failed to follow the state’s plan for redevelopment properties dissolved in 2012 leading to a shortchange on property tax revenues from the ranch. Study Blames Rent Control for High Housing Costs in S.F.  According Stanford economists Rebecca Diamond and Tim McQuade, rent control policies in San Francisco may have fueled gentrification. The study, The Effects of Rent Control Expansion on Tenants, Landlords, and Inequality: Evidence from San Francisco ,found that occupants of rent-controlled apartments built before 1980 are 20 percent more likely to stay than other renters which makes it seem as though it allows and encourages long-term residents to stay. However, Diamond explains to SFGate “Rent control exacerbates the housing shortage by pushing landlords to remove supply of rental housing” meaning the rental market will make all rents more expensive by causing landlords to remove supply of units. This eventually led to more owner occupied and high-end new construction rental housing which likely fueled gentrification in the city. The study found landlords with property in desirable neighborhoods were more likely to evict tenants, use buy-outs, or the Ellis Act. According to SPUR, a local advocacy organization, San Francisco has 172,000 rent-controlled units which comprises about 75 percent of the city’s rental stock. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) SCAG Envisions 1 Million More Residents of L.A. County The Southern California Association of Governments released its projections for the region’s population growth at the 16th annual Mayoral Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit. Los Angeles County will experience growth of more than one million people over the next 20 years, increasing concerns about the housing and transit crisis in the region. Multiple measures have been passed at the local and state level to raise billions of dollars for new housing, transportation, and environmental projects in the region. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has also committed the city to construct more than 100,000 new residential units by 2021. Officials Wary of GOP Tax Plan’s Impact on Housing Production The recent GOP federal tax proposal, if passed in its current form, would have a disproportionate  impact on California. It would take away tax exemptions that generate $2.2 billion annually for affordable housing construction and led to roughly 20,000 homes last year in California. Like many other states, California relies on federal tax breaks to finance affordable housing projects. Throughout the state, roughly 90,000 affordable units were expected to be built as a result of a $4 billion statewide housing bond (pending voter approval in November 2018) however with the tax proposal that number would be cut in half. “The newly released House Tax Reform bill would be catastrophic for affordable housing in California,” wrote Tia Boatman Patterson, executive director of the California Housing Finance Agency, in a recent statement.  Sandbag Board Discusses Reform Measures  The SANDAG Board recently discussed its "Plan of Excellence," focusing on a comprehensive effort to improve SANDAG operations while incorporating the changes to the agency required by the passage of Assembly Bill 805. The board’s three-member Independent Examination Subcommittee – Vice Chair and Del Mar Mayor Terry Sinnott, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, and Poway Mayor Steve Vaus – will go over the proposed approach (called the Plan of Excellence), which addresses input from prior Board reform discussions, recommendations from the Hueston Hennigan LLP report, and a variety of other sources. The meeting also included items on several important topics, including the Implementation of AB 805’s requirements, progress to date on the agency’s 7-Point Data Accuracy and Modeling Work Plan, and an update on the recruitment efforts for a new executive director to lead the agency. Quick Hits & Updates San Francisco announced an experimental program to provide ride-hailing services designated loading zones to address problems of double-parking and blocking crosswalks and bike and transit lanes to pick up passengers. Uber and Lyft would be required to use the passenger pickup zone. Clients of the ride-hailing services would receive a text notifications alerting them to the new procedures and giving them instructions. The two companies agreed to give the city the data that will be collected, including trip information. According to a recent survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, 45 percent of California adults are seriously considering moving away from their part of the state because of housing costs. Meaning only 55 percent of those surveyed are staying put. Additionally 64 percent of adults are in favor of building more housing in their communities, 59 percent believe housing affordability is a big problem in their region, and over 60 percent are in favor of changing environmental regulations and local permitting processes to make housing more affordable. Ford GoBikes launched in San Jose last week with 34 stations in and around downtown San Jose. The bike share system launched in San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley, but San Jose has the highest placement of stations in Communities of Concern. The bike-share annual membership is $5 for the first year and has bikes available 24/7 everyday of the year. A Superior Court jury in Sacramento found , 9-3, that the City of Sacramento did not treat homeless people unfairly in its enforcement of an ordinance banning outdoor camping. Homeless plaintiffs hoped to prove the city violated their constitutional right to equal protection under the law by selectively enforcing the ordinance against those forced to live outdoors. The jury said the city uses the ordinance to protect the public and act on complaints against campers, and has to cite and arrest homeless people who refused to leave illegal encampments. The Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee unanimously amended San Francisco’s cannabis rules to make it legal to smoke cannabis inside dispensaries. Committee chairman Mark Farrell pointed out the challenge of many tenants having “no smoking” provisions in their leases and nowhere to go. The amendment would take indoor consumption permits out of the hands of public health officials and instead make them the responsibility of the Office of Cannabis. The amendment must still go before the full Board of Supervisors at the November 14th meeting. Four commercial fishery organizations are suing the California State Water Resources Control Board for failing to maintain clean water and public trust resources in the Delta and Central Valley. The lawsuit contends the Board has failed to list Delta waterways as impaired, and the lack of action is harming the salmon population. The group argues without healthy salmon populations and functional rivers free of toxic pesticides, thousands of coastal jobs are in danger. Perkins Eastman and Arup have been selected to redesign Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood. The project is organized by Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza and the American Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter. The City of Pasadena outlined the citizen-led Connecting Pasadena Project, which highlights the development plans for the 50-acre area next to Old Pasadena downtown that would have been used for the proposed 710-freeway extension. The city is hoping it can reacquire the property once Caltrans officially kills the extension project and transform the area into neighborhoods, parks, and tree-lined boulevards. The Glendale City Council  awarded  a contract to begin a feasibility study for a streetcar to connect Glendale and Burbank. The project is estimated to cost between $97 and $243 million for a route of about 9.5 miles. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and other agencies released a comprehensive flood resilience strategy “RainReadySF” to prepare Bay Area residents and businesses for the upcoming rainy season. The strategy includes planned infrastructure investments and requiring neighborhoods to develop better flood maps, new construction standards in flood areas, and flood-protection requirements for property sales and renovations. Oakland  received a proposal for a 34-story project for downtown with 120,000 square-feet of office space, 185 residential units, and 12,000 square-feet of ground-floor retail. The tower would be the East Bay’s tallest building. The project would be located near the 12th Street and Broadway BART station, and therefore provide office and housing near mass transit. Anaheim’s ARTIC station has doubled the number of daily trips in the last three years since the transit hub opened, but total ridership is far below projections. Daily weekday trips in 2017 were up more than 80 percent since 2015. City spokesman Mike Lyster said some of the boost in riders could be the addition of Tres Estrellas de Oro, which provides daily trips to and from Tijuana, a service that began in January 2016. City officials are saying the consultants projections were overly optimistic for the public transit project. The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a deal that allows the owner of a coastal ranch to fix damage to land developed without permission and transfer 36 acres of coastal property to Santa Barbara County. The ranch land will be used to extend a current public park at Jalama Beach. The settlement is important because the public has been shut out of the public land for over a hundred years. The area is free of urban sprawl, crowds, development, and freeways. The land is part of the 37 square-file Cojo Jalama Ranches, formerly known as Bixby Ranch. Los Angeles Metro board  approved a staff recommendation to study proposed safety improvements that could lead to converting the 18-mile Orange bus rapid transit line to a light-rail line. Agency staff have recommended building an elevated busway bridge. Metro has set aside $286 million for the Orange Line improvements.

A property owner who claimed that the San Diego County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan resulted in a taking of property sued the wrong agencies , the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled. The property owner obtained permits from the City of Carlsbad to build a project near Palomar Airport, but did not construct the project before those permits expired. Meanwhile, the San Diego Airport Authority – serving as the Airport Land Use Commission – changed the ALUCP in such a way that Carlsbad denied the project a second time around. The landowners sued the Airport Authority and San Diego County – but not Carlsbad, which had permitting authority.