In an extraordinary action, President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for a reframing of federal wetlands regulation in a way that would in effect overturn a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and include policy considerations that extend far beyond those contained in the text of the Clean Water Act. Among other things, the executive order calls for the Trump Administration to balance water quality against “minimizing regulatory uncertainty” and instructs federal agencies to interpret the Clean Water Act in a manner consistent with Justice Antonin Scalia’s plurality opinion in the 2006 case Rapanos v. United States . Scalia’s opinion called for the Clean Water Act to be interpreted narrowly, requiring a federal wetlands permit only if the wetland has a “continuous surface connection” to a “relatively permanent, standing, or continuously flowing” body of water. But Scalia’s opinion only got four votes. The deciding vote in the Rapanos case came from Justice Anthony Kennedy, who said a permit would be required “if the wetlands, either alone or in combination with similarly situated lands in the region, significantly affect the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of other covered waters more readily understood as navigable.” Ever since Rapanos , the Environmental Protection Agency has been flummoxed trying to interpret the case. Ironically, the “Waters of the United States” rule represented the Obama Administration’s attempt to eliminate the resulting uncertainty. Seeking to slipstream in between the Scalia and Kennedy opinions, the WOTUS rule does appear to bring marshes, peat bogs, vernal pools, and other small and sometimes disconnected wetlands into federal wetlands. The vernal pool aspect of the rule is especially important in California. But the Trump executive order essentially instructs federal agencies, including EPA, to ignore Kennedy’s opinion. It also orders agencies to use a balancing test that goes far beyond the Clean Water Act’s language, which was reflected in Kennedy’s opinion. The first paragraph of the executive order declares his administration’s “policy” on water quality, saying that it is in “the national interest” to keep the nation’s waters “free from pollution,” but also “promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of Congress and the States under the Constitution.” Such a statement is remarkably far-reaching compared to the typical presidential executive order. The Clean Water Act itself calls on federal agencies “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters” and that discharge of pollutants into “the nation’s waters” be eliminated. It is the definition of “the nation’s waters” that has been subject to constant debate since the Reagan Administration. Implementation of the new rule  was halted in late 2015 by the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals , which issued a stay. The litigation was brought by several attorneys general, mostly in the Midwest and Plains states, including Oklahoma’s Scott Pruitt, who is President Trump’s new EPA administrator. The Sixth Circuit  has now halted the litigation temporarily  while the U.S. Supreme Court considers another case that poses the question of whether federal district or appellate courts have jurisdiction over Clean Water Act issues.

A proposed Napa County initiative designed to protect oak woodlands should not be placed on the ballot because the attachments did not contain complete information about all the new legal requirements it would impose, the First District Court of Appeal has ruled.

The sun was still 20 minutes from rising when he crossed Broadway south of downtown Los Angeles early one February morning. The police offered few details about what happened next. The 69-year old, who went unidentified in news reports, was struck and killed by a motorist who fled the scene.  There area where he was walking, part of a six-mile stretch of Broadway that runs between Adams and Century Boulevards, is among the most dangerous in Los Angeles for pedestrians and bicyclists. In fact, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, just 6 percent of the city’s streets — including that six-mile stretch — account for 65 percent of deaths and serious injuries for pedestrians involved in traffic collisions. And, to be clear, these incidents are indeed “collisions,” not “accidents,” said Nat Gale from LADOT. Whether through engineering, enforcement or education, he said, “they are preventable tragedies.” That’s the idea behind the city’s Vision Zero program. Borrowed from Sweden, the strategy has the ambitious goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and severe injuries and has been adopted in roughly two dozen cities, according to the national Vision Zero Network . For years, streets were designed with the goal of moving as many cars through as quickly as possible. (See prior CP&DR commentary  on Vision Zero.) But as cities look to become increasingly multi-modal, they have to confront the uneven consequences that this logic has had for pedestrians and bicyclists. Though the majority of collisions in Los Angeles — 85 percent — occur between two vehicles, roughly half of all traffic deaths involve people walking or biking. New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles each have official Vision Zero plans, but many large cities have not approved a plan. Los Angeles, which released its action plan in January, is hopeful that it can transform its sprawling, car-focused streets into safe place for everyone, starting with the 6 percent of streets identified by LADOT as the city’s  High Injury Network . “Los Angeles is a big city...so 6 percent of our streets is still 450 miles,” added Gale, who is heading the Vision Zero effort for the department. He said the city would focus first on roughly 80 miles of priority corridors. In addition to reworking dangerous intersections and other engineering changes, cities also look to enforcement and education to reduce traffic deaths. In New York City for example, to combat the spike of collisions during the darker winter rush hour, the city added more lighting to crosswalks. It also stationed more cops at hot spots to catch drivers who sped through crosswalks. During first two months of the effort, “pedestrian deaths dropped to half of what they had been during that stretch the year before,” according to Governing magazine. In Los Angeles, the city has set two goals. It aims to reduce traffic deaths by 20 percent by 2017. By 2025, it wants to eliminate them. The city has already started making changes to its streetscape to achieve those goals, like adding a “scramble crosswalk” at a popular intersection in Hollywood that allows pedestrians to cross from every street corner while car traffic remains stopped. The city has also added curb extensions that effectively restrict the turning space for cars in an intersection, forcing them to reduce their speeds. Other tools like pedestrian medians in the middle of streets, new signage and striping, dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian intervals that give people crossing the street a head start at traffic lights have all been put to work on the city’s streets. And Los Angeles has taken a particularly data-driven approach, looking at not only collision data but neighborhood level disparities. By doing that, LADOT found that nearly half of the city’s High Injury Network sits inside some of the poorest communities with the worst health outcomes. “In L.A., as in most cities that have analyzed their data closely, some communities are disproportionately impacted by traffic crashes,” said Leah Shahum, founder and director of the organization Vision Zero Network, “This includes seniors, children, low-income people, people of color, people with disabilities, and those walking and bicycling.” Gale put it bluntly: “We can prove that where people are dying are in communities already overburdened with other conditions.” But he said the data also point to the need to tread carefully, particularly around enforcement. “It can’t mean that we’re criminalizing walking and biking or overburdening them with law enforcement,” said Gale. Most Vision Zero plans require governments to work simultaneously in very local contexts and at a broader systemic level. “Traditionally, we have over-emphasized the education or training of individuals to ‘do the right thing’ with very mixed success,” said Shahum. “Vision Zero holds that, while education and training still have a role to play, this is not as effective as focusing on the systems level changes that will have far greater impacts.” That means both changes to the built environment but also a collaborative approach between city departments, particularly law enforcement, health and transportation, and updated policy. In Los Angeles, said Shahum, “They have set clear benchmarks with years and measurables and named which agency is responsible, which is important. Not all Vision Zero plans by all communities have done this.” “In the end,” said Shahum, “Vision Zero acknowledges that people will make mistakes, and there will always be crashes. But, it is the speed that kills. By managing speed effectively, we can prevent the most serious crashes and, hence, fatalities and severe injuries. People can still get where they need to go, of course, but in a Vision Zero community, safety is prioritized over fast speeds.” A version of this piece originally appeared on the  Kinder Institute/Urban Edge Blog .. Further CP&DR coverage: Mobility Plan Nudges Los Angeles Towards New Transportation Modes A Plan with 'Zero' Chance of Success

In a year of electoral upheaval stretching from the United Kingdom to Washington, D.C., voters in the City of Los Angeles have one more paradigm-shifting question to consider.

Reversing an appellate court decision, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that a “delisting petition” may move forward in an effort to de-list a species under the California Endangered Species Act, even if the petition does not contain any new information that emerged after the original listing of the species. “ o provision of CESA directly establishes that the Commission may not base a decision to delist on new evidence showing that the listed species does not qualify for listing,” wrote Justice Ming Chin for a unanimous court. In particular, Chin noted, Section 2077, subd. (a) of the Fish & Game Code requires the Department of Fish 7 Wildlife to review the status of endangered species every five years and states: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the ommission or the epartment may review a species at any time based upon a petition or upon other data available to the epartment and the ommission.” The opinion is a victory for the lumber industry, which is trying to de-list the coho salmon in certain parts of California. The case arose from an attempt by the Central Coast Forestry Association and Big Creek Lumber Company to de-list the coho salmon, but only in areas south of San Francisco. (the coho salmon is also listed in areas north of San Francisco.) The Third District Court of Appeal ruled the other way on the issue, concluding that a provision contained in the ESA’s implementing regulations require that a delisting petition be “directed to events that occur after the listing of the species.” The case emerged from the Fish & Game Commission’s 1995 decision to list the coho salmon south of San Francisco as endangered. After the Commission found the coho salmon north of San Francisco to be endangered seven years later, the Central Coast Forestry Association and Big Creek began challenging the 1995 decision on several fronts, one of which was that “a petition to delist a species may not be employed to challenge a final determination of the Commission.” The commission’s decisions were initially challenged by the California Forestry Association, which lost its case in 2007. ( California Forestry Assn. v. California Fish & Game Commission (2007) 156 Cal.App.4th 1535.) Central Coast and Big Creek filed a separate lawsuit claiming that the listing of the coho salmon south of San Francisco violated the ESA’s requirement that endangered species be indigenous. The plaintiffs claimed that the coho was not native to streams south of San Francisco. After lengthy proceedings in front of the Fish & Game Commission and in court, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Gail D. Ohanesian ruled that the Commission “has authority and discretion to decline to provide CESA protection to coho populations south of San Francisco if they did not have a historical presence there and if their current presence is not the result of natural expansion of their range.” On appeal, the Third District Court of Appeal ruled that administrative mandamus was the only means available to review a final decision on listing by the Fish & Game Commission and that a delisting petition could only be used to address the status of a species at the time the delisting petition was filed – not to challenge a final ruling from the past. The Supreme Court reversed. Noting that the appellate court’s ruling was based primarily on a regulation, not the actual statute, the court concluded that the Fish & Game Code provides three ways for a species to be delisted: First, “an interested person may petition the omission to . . . remove a species from” the list of endangered species (§ 2071); Second, “ he epartment may, in the absence of a petition from an interested party, recommend to the ommission that it . . . remove a species from” the list (§ 2072.7); and Third, “ he epartment shall review species listed as an endangered species . . . every five years to determine if the conditions that led to the original listing are still present” (§ 2077, subd. (a)). The court noted that the third code provision permits the Fish & Game Commission to rely on a petition or any available data in considering the five-year review. The Court of Appeal relied on Fish & Game Regulation 670.1, which says that de-listing is warranted “if the Commission determines that its continued existence is no longer threatened ” – implicitly suggesting that de-listing can occur only if conditions have changed since the original commission decision. “We do not agree with the Court of Appeal that this provision’s use of the phrase “no longer threatened” was intended to preclude delisting where new evidence shows that the species never qualified as endangered, and to permit consideration only of ‘events that occur after the listing of the species,” Chin wrote for the court. In light of the considerations discussed above — the Act’s language, structure, and legislative history — the language of the regulation cannot carry the weight the Court of Appeal gave it.” The Case: Central Coast Forest Association v. Fish & Game Commission, No. S208181 (February 27, 2017) The Lawyers: Tara L. Mueller, Deputy Attorney General, tara.mueller@doj.ca.gov James Buchal, Murphy & Buchal, jbuchal@mbllp.com

Recently appointed Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has ordered a stop payment on the $647 million grant for electrification of the Caltrain right of way in the Bay Area until a full audit is done on high-speed rail. The move essentially kills the electrification process for the foreseeable future as contracts were set to be issued March 1. The current Caltrain system runs on diesel and is costly to operate and slow. Officials had seen electrification as a way to increase ridership and save money on operating costs. Caltrain has already spent $150 million on the project but needs the federal funding to move forward. Electrification of Caltrain is also a crucial component of the state’s planned high speed rail system, which will share the Caltrain right of way from San Jose to San Francisco. Withholding of these funds is seen as a significant blow to that project.  Developer Proposes Thousands of Units, Soccer Stadium for Qualcomm Site A La Jolla-based investment group, FS Investors, presented the most detailed proposal yet for the redevelopment of the Qualcomm Stadium site to the city. The proposal includes a new river park, commercial development, and a Major League Soccer stadium. Additionally there would be 480 units of on-site affordable housing, 800 units of on-site student housing, and 3,520 units of market rate residential. The group has also planned for $50 million worth of mitigation to balance the traffic impact. The $1 billion redevelopment, dubbed “SoccerCity” would either include an MLS stadium with seats for 22,000 or a combined San Diego State Univ. football and soccer stadium with up to 40,000 seats. FS Investors would set aside 15 acres for an NFL stadium to be built in the next five years if another city’s team wants to relocate and replace the Chargers. The plan will be presented to the City Council soon. Developers will ask to fast-track the process, rather than refer the initiative to voters, in time to meet MLS deadlines for granting new franchises this year. Meanwhile, San Diego developer Doug Manchester has contacted the NFL expressing a desire to build a privately financed 70,000-seat NFL stadium at the Qualcomm Stadium site. Tahoe Regional Transportation Plan Seeks to Reduce Car Use The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency released the draft 2017 Regional Transportation Plan/ Sustainable Communities Strategy, calling it “ Linking Tahoe ” (pdf). The plan addresses congestion and environmentally friendly alternatives to the current car-centric approach. TRPA wants to prioritize spending on bicycling, walking and transit in the coming decades to allow more seamless around-the-lake bus service. New initiatives considered under the plan include a $44 million water taxi between north and south shores, $74 million to realign Highway 50 through South Lake Tahoe and Stateline, and $44 million to improve car, bicycle, and pedestrian travel through Fanny Bridge area of Tahoe City. The goal is to have free transit throughout the lake Tahoe Basin, with service every 30 minutes, by 2021. Area officials estimate Tahoe will have access to $2 billion in federal, state and local transportation funds over the next quarter century. Former Palm Springs Mayor Ensnared in Development Scandal Former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has been accused of accepting bribes of $375,000 from two developers whose projects he promoted. The three men were charged with a combined 30 felony counts of corruption, including bribes, conflict of interest, perjury, and conspiracy to commit bribery. Ex Mayor Steve Pougnet served for eight years and stepped down in 2015. Pougnet could face up to 19 years in state prison, while the two developers each face up to12 years. The money was sent from the developers through Union Abbey or Mitchell-Brix Design group, the first company having very little corporate footprint. Many of the major developments in downtown Palm Springs must now be untangled and evaluated. These projects are worth between $500 million and $1 billion and include the revitalization of downtown and the new Dakota Community. The projects that have been approved by the city and will move forward are Kimpton Hotel, Virgin Hotel, Block A, B, and C, and downtown park. Proposal for Linkage Fee Advances in Los Angeles The City of Los Angeles Planning Commission voted unanimously to support a plan to make real estate developers pay a linkage fee to generate funds for affordable housing. The fee is estimated to generate $75-$92 million per year that would fund construction of new units, and rehabilitation and maintenance existing housing. In 2014, the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing found Los Angeles County was short 490,340 affordable housing units. Other cities in California including San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego impose linkage fees to spur new development of lower-income housing. LA’s fees would apply to both residential and commercial developments, although exception such as small mixed-use projects and single-family homes exist. Developers in city of LA would have to pay $5 per square foot of commercials pace and $12 for residential. Draft Guidelines Issued for Agricultural Lands Program The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) and the Department of Conservation (DOC) released draft program guidelines for the third round of funding for the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALCP). Part of the SALCP funds easement on agricultural lands at risk of sprawl and rural ranch development, as well as funding for local governments adopting land use policies that protect at risk agricultural lands. The funding levels for SALCP are not yet decided, as a portion is dependent on auction fares from the cap-and-trade auction. Public comments on guidelines are due March 17 and DOC will host a workshop on March 2. The SGC will meet on April 11 th in Sacramento to discuss SALCP program guidelines and funding levels for 2017. LAO Evaluates Brown’s Transportation Funding Package The Legislative Analysts Office released a report  Transportation Funding Package, which addresses several transportation system challenges the state faces. They include aging highways, aging local roads and transit systems, increased traffic congestion, increased demand for transportation alternatives, and increased goods movement, and realizes that there will be a lack of funding. The governor’s proposed Transportation Funding Package for 2017-18 is estimated to generate an annual average increase in transportation funding of $4.2 billion over the next ten years. The funds would come from a mix of sources including a new $65 vehicle registration tax, increases to gasoline and diesel excise taxes, cap-and-trade auction revenues, and the early repayment of certain transportation loans. S.F. Makes Peace with ‘Google Buses’ The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency directors voted unanimously to adopt a permanent plan to accommodate  corporate shuttles in the city. These tech-industry private buses, most notoriously those run by Google, are praised for taking cars off the streets, but are also represent gentrification in the changing city. The approved plan allows shuttles to use a maximum of 125 bus stops, some shared with Muni, in exchange for a $7.31 fee charged every time they stop to pick up or drop off passengers. The new policy also restricts larger buses to wider streets and requires operators to phase in newer, less-polluting vehicles, provide tracking data to MTA, and avoid labor disputes. MTA Director Joel Ramos noted that the program gives the city control in exchange for use of Muni stops and city curb space. Tribe Granted Sovereignty, Moves Ahead with Casino in Elk Grove The Wilton Rancheria Native American tribe has been granted sovereignty by the federal government, clearing the way for the tribe to build a casino on recently purchased land in Elk Grove. The U.S. Department of the Interior considers the property sovereign tribal ground for the Wilton Rancheria tribe. The 36-acre parcel was part of the 100-acre plot that was planned to be an outlet mall but wanted a larger casino to drive traffic to the area. The tribe may now build its casino along Highway 99 without city approval. Boyd Gaming, which runs 24 casinos in seven states, financed the $36 million land purchase and will pay for the development. The tribe will repay its partner with profits from the casino’s operations as well as $132 million over 20 years to the city for infrastructure, police, schools and nonprofits. The grand opening of the casino is scheduled in three to five years. Quick Hits & Updates Democratic Assemblyman Miguel Santiago has drafted AB 943, which would increase the threshold from a simple majority to a two-thirds supermajority for passage of any local ballot measure that would block or delay development. Santiago says the legislation would help address the housing supply issue in the state. More than two-thirds of coastal communities in the state have adopted growth-limiting measures such as caps on population or height limits on buildings. The Orange County Transportation Authority has begun a study to  analyze  12 transit options along the Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor. The study will look at bringing a streetcar or more effective rapid bus system to a section of Harbor Boulevard that runs through Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Fullerton. The San Francisco Planning Commission voted to lower a proposed five-story, 28-unit condo development by 5 feet to prevent a bar’s backyard from losing sunlight. The commission also directed the developer to make the building’s rooftop parapet transparent, to further reduce the shadow it casts on Zeitgeist bar. This vote was significant because CEQA only requires cities to analyze shadows cast on public spaces. Oakland DOT’s Progress Report: Telegraph Avenue Complete Streets shows huge benefits from the project, which was implemented last year. The report cites zero pedestrian crosswalk collisions and 40 percent reduction in collisions along the corridor. The redesign included parking-protected bike lanes. There has been a 78 percent increase in people biking and 100 percent increasing in walking along the corridor. Advocacy group Fix The City is suing the City of Los Angeles over approval of a Frank Gehry-designed development on Sunset Bl. The group claims to have found decades-old covenant on the property that limited development on the site to no more than 45 feet. City Council had allowed a portion of the residential and retail project to reach 178 feet. Costa Mesa Councilwoman Sandra Genis plans to ask the City Council to remove a newly reappointed planning commissioner Chair Stephan Andranian. In January, the City Council voted to dismiss all commissions and appointed new members in early February with a 5-0 vote. Genis now claims she market her nomination forms incorrectly, and Andranian should not have made it onto the commission and instead Teresa Callo Drain would be appointed. Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters that he’s committed to remaining at Anaheim Stadium through 2029 and he would continue investing in improvements. This year, the club spent $1.5 million on installing new lights. Other improvements would be paint, concession stands, bathrooms, and new players. Inrix, a transportation analytics firm, ranked Los Angeles as the most congested city in the world with a driver spending 104 hours per year during pea travel periods last year. Moscow was second at 91 hours, New York City next with 89 and San Francisco was fourth. The authors of the study find the stable U.S. economy, urbanization of big cities, employment growth and low gas prices have led to increased traffic and congestion worldwide. The 2017 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence has announced  five finalists for the $50,000 award. La Kretz Innovation Campus + Arts District Park in Los Angeles is one of the finalists for a demonstration facility promoting clean technologies and the city’s green economy. The RBA prize seeks to recognize “transformative places that positively impact the economic, environmental, and social make-up of American cities.” A report released by the City of Santa Monica shows the city has struggled to meet its affordable housing quota for the third year in a row. Of the 175 brand new apartments for rent in 2016, only 34 were below market-rate or 19 percent. Proposition R requires 30 percent of all new multi-family housing go to middle or low-income households.

When Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, issues its first round of public stock in two weeks, it will likely raise between $19 billion and $22 billion. That valuation will make it the most valuable tech company in Southern California and one of the most valuable of all L.A.-based companies. Many of its 1,900 employees will make fortunes overnight.  One senior vice president of engineering stands to make $110 million. That’s enough to cover rent for 10,000 or so of Los Angeles’ working-class residents for a year.  Of course, Snap money probably won’t be going into rent. As the New York Times reports , Snap’s millionaires-to-be are going to have long wish lists of things to buy. Near the top of those lists will be real estate.  Back when Snapchat was just a sketchy platform for kids to send, um, silly photos to each other, the fledgling company operated out of a cottage in Venice Beach. As it grew into a social media juggernaut, it didn't follow convention by renting space in a high rise or building a mega-campus in the suburbs. Instead, it colonized its own neighborhood, expanding  from cottage to cottage, scooping up small office spaces, and oozing its way through Venice.  Venice Beach is regarded almost universally as “funky.” By Los Angeles standards, Venice has history in spades, with its share of hippies, beach people, drifters, and artists. They fit in well with the early-20th century bungalows and brick. The rise of Snap and its brethren in the so-called Silicon Beach scene has led to a miniature culture war as ambitious millennials have displaced old-timers, forced longstanding businesses to close, and gleefully disrupted the neighborhood.  (In that sense, Snap occupies far different territory than does its counterparts in Silicon Valley. While tech money has driven cost of living in Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Cupertino to insane levels, there’s more history on one block in Venice than in an entire zip code on the Peninsula.) Despite all pressure to the contrary, coastal cities and neighborhoods have refused to add housing. Los Angeles has done so in places, but housing supply on the Westside is growing at rates somewhere between 0 and negative-22 billion percent. Home prices are already bonkers. We can only imagine what will happen when the Snap folks get real money in their bank accounts. Real estate agents are salivating. Many longtime Venice locals are terrified.  There at least one demographic group in the Los Angeles area that's even more terrified . Not necessarily of Snap — though Snap doesn’t help.  On the very same day that the New York Times reported on Snap’s impending riches, President Donald Trump announced his intention to fulfill his promise to aggressively deport undocumented immigrants. Let’s estimate the impact of this lunacy on California. Some 2.7 million undocumented immigrants call California home — by far the largest such population in the nation. More than 800,000 live in Los Angeles County alone.  A perverse notion occurs to me as I consider Trump’s vile solution to a nonexistent problem . If it succeeds, 800,000 people in Los Angeles County could disappear like so many Snap messages. That’s 800,000 lost workers. 800,000 lost customers. 800,000 lost mothers, fathers, siblings and friends. 800,000 lost taxpayers. It’s also 800,000 bedrooms that will open up.  From a purely numerical standpoint, Trump’s crusade could put a serious dent in housing costs. After all, demand for rental housing would go down. The thought gives me chills. I don’t want to say any more about it other than that deportation is — to say the least — the most perverse way to solve a housing crisis.  Fortunately, Californians are leading the charge to protect their undocumented neighbors. Indeed, many of us hope marginalized people from around the country will  join us , even if we’re short on space. Even so, we should be making space. We should be solving the housing crisis the old-fashioned way and the humane way: by building ourselves out of it.  This convergence of wealth, poverty, xenophobia, and exclusivity is no mere coincidence. See, these issues — immigration, housing, gentrification, Trump — are intertwined. Economic booms like that of the past seven years naturally come with echoes of desperation. Blue-collar workers in the Heartland want to protect their jobs from immigrants. Wealthy homeowners at the beach want to protect their property values from competition. The Snap IPO completes the process of turning Venice into a superstar neighborhood in a superstar city – which, as Richard Florida describes in The New Urban Crisis , is marked by inequality, unaffordability, segregation, and economic dysfunction. It’s also marked, I’d argue, by political apathy. Hillary won got 71 percent of the vote in California. The president didn’t break double digits in some Venice precincts . I bet you can count on two hands the number of those 1,900 employees who voted for Trump.  And yet, I’d also wager that scarcely more than ten Snap employees plan on voting in the March 7 Los Angeles election. That’s the one with the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative on the ballot. It’s a slow-growth initiative that, critics contend, could cripple the city’s ability to approve new housing. If that critique is true, then young professionals should vote for it like the second coming of Barack Obama. But they probably won’t.  Last year Santa Monica, which the northern quarter of Silicon Beach, was considering a slow-growth measure. Back then, I wrote how the young professionals of Silicon Beach were, as far as I could tell, disengaged from local politics — even though they stood to suffer mightily from further restrictions on housing development in a market already tighter than a noose.  Essentially, the tech crowd has tolerated high rents while hoping that their ships would come in rather than agitate for the type of development and planning policies hat would have benefited not only them but also many of their less wealthy, less flashy neighbors. Now that Snap is going full steam ahead, that’s 1,900 more people who can blithely let the other 10 million of us in L.A. County to fight over the scraps. Or 9.2 million of us, depending how bleak things get.  So, we have two opposing forces. Deportation could lower housing costs A massive influx of cash may raise housing costs. Clearly Snapchat is doing something right. Good for them. But the other half of that equation threatens to morally bankrupt all of us. Of course, formerly apathetic citizens are resisting, mobilizing, and donating in record numbers. I'm sure Silicon Beachers are too. And I hope some of them will hold off on an extra bedroom or a Wolf range and instead make some timely donations. America can right itself, and California -- with its energy, innovation, and, yes, wealth -- can lead the way.  For now, in this tale of one city, it is both the best of times and the worst of times.

Despite its rocky start, the Trump Administration seems likely to weaken – and perhaps muddy – federal clean water rules, which could give farmers in California more leeway and put more pressure on state environmental laws to regulate wetlands and water discharges.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s “Planning 2.0” rule, which took effect in December. The rule governs all planning for future uses of 250 million acres of federal public land, primarily in western U.S. The House lawmakers also voted to eliminate the federal methane rule that requires oil and gas companies using public lands to control air pollution. Both measures now move to the Senate, and if approved the rules would be eliminated and the BLM banned indefinitely form developing similar rules. The BLM rules would increase public involvement and incorporate more current data and technology to decide whether and where to drill, mine, and log on public land. The rollback could affect up to 15 million acres of land in California, or 14 percent of the state’s landmass.  Los Angeles General Plan Amendments Approved in 90 Percent of Cases A Los Angeles Times analysis found that of nearly 1,000 cases of general plan amendments to accommodate individual projects since 2000 — sometimes known as “spot zoning” —  about 90 percent of general plan amendments, zoning or height district changes heard before the Planning Commission have been approved. Critics, such as those promoting the Measure S ballot measure, contend that this practice has led to an erosion of the role of zoning regulations as an accurate guide of the city’s development. City officials and developers argue the exceptions are essential to increasing housing supply and to working with outdating zoning codes. The Times review found when planning commissioners raised objections to some projects, developers included more affordable housing or other conditions to receive approval. The Times did not analyze projects that may have been proposed but withdrawn from consideration when developers realized that they would not receive Planning Commission support.  Ainsworth Named Permanent Coastal Commission Director Jack Ainsworth has been selected as executive director of the California Coastal Commission. Ainsworth has served as acting executive director since last February and has worked at the commission for nearly 30 years. The Commission voted unanimously for Ainsworth. He has received positive feedback from leaders across the state and will be able to guide the agency if it ends up battling the Trump administration, especially over offshore drilling. Environmental groups had been critical of the commission and strongly opposed the departure of former executive director Charles Lester . A nationwide search was conducted for the position with over 1,000 individuals contacted. Chan Zuckerberg Foundation to Support Housing Initiatives in Bay Area The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, is  giving $3.1 million to Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto to support programs to counter the eviction and displacement of families. The grant will allow the group to hire five more full-time lawyers, adding to the current 16 full-time attorneys, five of which are devoted to housing. The foundation is also donating $500,000 to the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley to help generate long-range solutions to the region’s housing predicament. Tech companies such as Facebook have been accused of exacerbating the housing affordability crisis in the Bay Area. (See prior CP&DR coverage .)  Santa Monica Considers Strict Seismic Retrofit Ordinance  The City of Santa Monica is considering an ordinance that would require as many as 2,000-earthquake-vulnerable buildings to be retrofitted. It would likely be the most intensive such seismic retrofit law in the nation. While neighboring Los Angeles requires wood and concrete buildings to be retrofitted, Santa Monica will also require steel-framed structures. While these are less likely to collapse in an earthquake, past earthquakes have shown that these buildings are still vulnerable to irreparable damage. Mayor Ted Winterer does not want to take those changes and said: “We are very committed here in Santa Monica to make sure that we are resilient in the face of possible catastrophe.” The northern half of the city is located along the Santa Monica fault. The city has released its list of possibly vulnerable buildings. Long Beach Plan Promotes Cycling, Walking Long Beach City Council unanimously voted to approve updates to its pedestrian and bicycle master plans. The plan is called: Communities of Excellence in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention Pedestrian Plan (Cx3) and focuses on low-income neighborhoods. The Cx3 study area includes ten neighborhoods in Central and West Long Beach that lack strong pedestrian connections and are primarily served by private cars. The update to the bicycle master plan will continue to connect its bike paths to make them more continuous and inviting to users. Quick Hits & Updates The California Coastal Commission voted , 9-1, against the proposed Banning Ranch development in Newport Beach last September. Last week the commission confirmed its reasons for denying the project. While this move was largely procedural, it formalized the panel’s reasoning for rejecting the large development. The commission is concerned that he development does not comply with environmental laws that protect the area’s species and habitats. In 2016, Los Angeles Metro saw a 9 percent drop in bus ridership with the opening of the Gold and Expo rail extensions. Metro found 25 million fewer rides systemwide last year compared to 2015, a 6 percent drop. One explanation for the nationwide trend of dropping ridership is that riders are walking, biking or using ride-sharing apps instead of buses. As well, an improved economy means that commuters can afford their own vehicles.  A report by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office suggests that the state extend the Cap-and-Trade program calling it the most cost-effective way for the state to fight climate change. The program is facing a lawsuit challenging its legitimacy as businesses argue the program is a tax and therefore requires two-thirds vote and not a simple majority. Democrats suggested they would support the extension if more funding and benefits reached lower-income communities that often have much more air quality. The LAO suggests getting two-thirds votes to ensure legitimacy of the program. The Irvine Company has dropped a lawsuit against supporters of the 25-story Museum House condominium project in Newport Beach. The company accused the supporters of circulating petition on its shopping center properties without permission. The lawsuit was filed in December and was a restraining order against developer Related California from going onto Irvine Company properties for anything other than commercial activities. The City of San Diego hopes to open a center to temporarily house hundreds of homeless people while helping them find permanent housing within the next few years. The city plans to spend $12.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funding for the center. The city has put out a Request for Statement of Qualifications. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed legislation to authorize the phased redevelopment of the Potrero Terrace and Annex and Sunnydale public housing sites, both part of the city’s HOPE SF initiative. The communities will be mixed-income, affordable to more than 3,000 low-income and middle-class families, and developed according to non-displacement principles in the Mayor’s HOPE SF initiative. HOPE SF initiative is the nation’s first large-scale public housing transformation and reparations effort aimed at creating healthy mixed-income communities without mass displacement. The California High Speed Rail Authority has received authorization from the State Public Works Board to purchase two parcels in Los Angeles along the Hollywood Freeway in Downtown LA. The entire Union Station project is estimated to cost $2.75 billion, according to LA Metro. Six aviation interest groups asked a federal appeals court to review a recent agreement between the City of Santa Monica and the FAA to shorten the runway immediately and close the facility by 2028. As Ed Bolen, business association’s president and CEO told the LA Times:“Santa Monica's airport is a vital asset to our aviation system, both locally as well as nationally, and serves as a critical transportation lifeline for the entire Los Angeles Basin.” The Mojave Desert Land Trust announced it would donate more than 3,000 acres of desert land to the Mojave National Preserve. The Trust has been buying private land that survived within the boundaries of the Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, and Death Valley National Park. Over the past decade, the Trust has donated more than 23,000 acres of land to the National Park Service. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has called out backers of the Measure S ballot measure for using his image in a campaign message. Mayor Garcetti called the move a “dirty trick” and is strongly opposed to the measure that would restrict city lawmakers ability to approve changes to the General Plan. A ruling by Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Judith Craddick will allow the City of Richmond’s new rent control law to remain in effect. The California Apartment Association, which represents landlords, requested a permanent injunction to overturn the “unconstitutional” voter-approved law. The injunction was denied on the grounds that the association could not prove that its members would suffer “irreparable harm” if rent control remained in effect pending a hearing on the merits of the case. California Treasurer John Chiang is exploring a ballot measure committee suggesting he plans to tie his campaign to a long-planned yet unspecified initiative on affordable housing. Creating more affordable housing, will resonate with vote-rich cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Chiang’s campaign said: “While California has recovered from the great recession, there are millions of Californians who are still economically dislocated and not within reach of the opportunities enjoyed by past generations of Californians.” Los Angeles Metro is reviewing a technical study for a proposed bus rapid transit line that would link the Red, Purple, Expo and Green Lines via Vermont Avenue. The 12.4-mile proposed system operates the second busiest bus corridor in the Metro network with 45,000 daily boardings between two lines. Four concepts are currently being considered for the project.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved  an ordinance to encourage developers to establish Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs in many new projects citywide. The program  would require developments to provide on-site amenities that support sustainable modes of transportation and reduce single-occupancy driving trips associated with new development. The program would apply to residential developments with more than 10 units, 10,000 square feet of commercial, and projects with 25,000 square feet of changes of use. This will encourage more sustainable transportation options, help manage congestion, reduce risks to pedestrians and cyclists, and improve overall efficiency of transportation network. The system works with points which can be collected from providing car-sharing service (six points), bicycles for residents (one point), or set up a shuttle service to the closest train or bus station (14 points). For instance if a developer wants to include 20 free parking spots 13 points are required under the new TDM regime. Los Angeles to Accelerate Community Plan Updates The Los Angeles City Council voted , 12-0, to draft an ordinance to accelerate the city’s notoriously slow planning process. One of the new rules will require the Department of City Planning to update its 35 community plans every six year. Some plans haven’t been updated in more than 15 years. Updating the plans will cost around $10 million annually and bring each document up to date by 2024. Another rule would be the allocation of necessary funds to allow the Planning Department to fulfill the obligation. Proposed by Councilmember Jose Huizar, the ordinance comes partially in response to Measure S, on the March 7 ballot, which would force the city to update community plans and impose a multitude of other restrictions on the planning process. (See prior CP&DR coverage.) $800 Million Infrastructure Financing District Approved in San Diego The San Diego City Council unanimously approved  the creation of an enhanced infrastructure financing district in Otay Mesa, a largely undeveloped area along the international border. The district would generate nearly $800 million in estimated property tax increment over the next 45 years for infrastructure projects that would accelerate economic development and job growth in Otay. The projects would include primarily freeway onramps, road widening, other transportation upgrades, but also fire stations, parks, and municipal swimming pools. Similar to redevelopment agencies, enhanced infrastructure financing districts allow a defined geographical area to keep increases in property tax that take place during the decades after the district is formed. This may be the largest EIFD to-date; the tool was created by the legislature in 2015. Los Angeles Releases Vision Zero Plan The Los Angeles Department of Transportation  announced  the release of the city’s first Vision Zero Action Plan ( pdf ). The plan outlines the city’s blueprint for reducing pedestrian fatalities by 20 percent by end of 2017, and eliminating traffic deaths by 2025. The plan calls out 40 priority corridors that will be focused on in 2017 to achieve the goal of 20 percent reduction. The Action Plan is organized around the following key outcomes: “to emphasize the importance of working together to achieve Vision Zero goals: Create Safe Streets for All, Develop a Culture of Safety, Adopt New Policies and Legislation to Strengthen Safety and Respond to Relevant Data” according to the LADOT press release. However, in 2016 data shows increased fatalities across all road user categories, with pedestrians rising the highest. The plan is related to the city’s Mobility Plan, which was adopted last year. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) State Republicans Question Funding for Caltrain, High Speed Rail All 14 California Republicans in Congress have signed  a letter to new Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao calling for the $647 million electrification of the Caltrain system to be put on hold until a full audit is done on the state’s High Speed Rail project. Caltrain says if federal funding is delayed, it could mean having to rebid the work already contracted out. California Democrats wrote  their own letter asking for the grant to be approved, arguing that the Republicans letter misstated the fact that the rail authority and not Caltrain joint powers board sought the grant. The move is seen mainly as a swipe at High Speed Rail, which Republicans have long criticized. Lawsuit Filed against S.F.’s Geary Bl. Bus Rapid Transit A group of residents in San Francisco, San Franciscans for Sensible Transit, have filed a lawsuit  in San Francisco Superior Court to stop Muni’s bus rapid-transit project on Geary Bl. Muni plans to develop 1.7 miles of dedicated bus lanes in the median through the Richmond District. The lawsuit says the Board of Supervisors failed to follow proper processes in approving environmental studies in an effort to rush the start of the project. The group argues the project will diminish the quality of life for Richmond District residents by removing trees, reducing parking, and replacing the median with bus lanes. The project is expected to cost $300 million and be completed in 2021. Developer to Fund ‘Transgender District’ in Tenderloin A San Francisco developer has agreed  to a batch of conditions that will create what is considered the first ever “transgender district” in the country. Developer Group I has agreed to pay $300,000 into a fund to establish a transgender community center, to create a transgender historic and cultural district, and to support transgender-serving businesses and nonprofits in the Tenderloin neighborhood. LGBTQ activists argued the Group I hadn’t completely analyzed the historic role the block played in the city’s LGBTQ history when it proposed a 242 condominium units and 232 hotel rooms. Supervisor Jane Kim will introduce legislation to formally create transgender historic district, Compton Cafeteria Historic District, named after the 1966 riot at Gene Compton’s Cafeteria. The two-day riot was considered the first major transgender protest in the U.S. Hunters Point Redevelopment Delayed by Faked Soil Tests Contractors tasked with cleaning up the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard property in San Francisco have admitted  to faking soil tests, which will delay the transfer of some parcels for development. FivePoint Communities is developing the shipyard into a mixed-use neighborhood with more than 12,000 units, millions of square feet of office space, and hundreds of acres of parklands. Concern over the accuracy of the soil tests were first noticed in October 2012 when results were inconsistent with previous samples in the same area. The Navy and EPA officials thought the problems had been resolved, but last year a former Tetra Tech employee revealed the soil misrepresentations were more widespread than previously assumed. The discovery of contaminated soil triggers the need for further time-consuming remediation. SCG Updates Transformative Climate Communities Draft Guidelines The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has released updated “Revised Draft Scoping Guidelines for the Transformative Climate Communities Program” ( pdf ). Assembly Bill 2722 established the Transformative Climate Communities Program which implements and develops neighborhood-level climate community plans that include multiple, coordinated GHG emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities. Applicants must select six strategies to achieve the goals that support the program objectives. SGC is hosting public workshops on this document in the cities of Fresno, Los Angeles and San Bernardino and will also accept additional public comments until March 13, 2017. SGC plans to release the full Guidelines for the Program in late April of 2017. Quick Hits & Updates California officials have proposed  a list of $100 billion in projects for possible federal funding to help rebuild the state’s infrastructure. The list of 51 priority projects includes roads, levees, bridges, ports, train and public transit systems, water storage and recycling projects, and energy, military, veterans and emergency operations facilities and services. Although there are currently feuds between President Trump and California Democrats over issues including immigration, state officials have been encouraged about his pledge to put $1 trillion into infrastructure projects nationwide. The Strategic Growth Council has opened the public comment period for the Draft 2016-2017 Guidelines for the Sustainable Agricultural Land Conservation Program (SALC) is now available. This is in anticipation of the release of cap-and-trade auction revenues allocated to protecting California’s farmlands and reducing GHG emissions. The Elk Grove City Council voted, 4-0, to repeal  an ordinance from October that allowed Howard Hughes Corp. to sell 35 acres to the Wilton Rancheria Indian tribe for a casino. The decision eliminated the need for a costly voter referendum. The 35 acres were part of the 100 acres that was to be part of a shopping mall at the south edge of the city. Hughes Corp. argued that the casino was needed to drive traffic to the mall. The City of Oceanside is considering  a development incentive overlay for two miles of Coast Highway. The zoning overlay maps out areas for mixed-use nodes, pedestrian-friendly commercial villages, and streets for cars. This will promote revitalization and enhancement of the highway. The Oakland Planning Commission approved  a 402-unit residential tower next to BART’s MacArthur Station in North Oakland. The project was praised for its proximity to transit stops and the affordable housing units. Those opposed to the project criticize the low number of affordable units (only 45), and the height and density variances it received. The Southern California Association of Governments approved  more than $4.5 million in funding for 26 transportation and sustainability projects in Los Angeles County. These projects are among 54 throughout Southern California that were approved by the Regional Council of SCAG. These projects include Go Human Bike-Friendly Business Program in Baldwin park, El Monte and South El Monte, Vision Zero work, South El Monte Open Streets, and Active Transport/Safe Routes to Schools in Commerce to name a few. Long Beach’s “Destination Uptown” project received $250,000. Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council approved  more than $1.45 million in funding for eight active transportation and sustainability projects in San Bernardino County. The projects included pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, climate actions plans, and integrated land-use initiatives. The Redlands Rail accessibility Plan received $200,000 and the Safe Routes to Schools program $316,373. Los Angeles Metro is moving forward with plans for a two-pronged extension  of the Gold Line’s Eastside branch. The extension would run from Atlantic Station towards the cities of El Monte and Whittier. The first leg of the extension would be constructed between 2035 and 2057, although the Metro Board hasn’t selected with route will come first. Interim Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan has been named  permanent city manager three months after he began a temporary contract. Mayor Steinberg told the Sacramento Bee: “He’s a partner and he’s respected, and our chemistry and early work together has been really good and positive.” He succeeds John Shirey, who had previously been the head of the California Redevelopment Association.

San Francisco’s Greenbelt Alliance released At Risk: The Bay Area Greenbelt , which found that 293,100 acres of farmland and natural spaces are eligible for development in the next few decades. The report predicts that much of this development could be inefficient sprawl development. Of those lands, 63,500 acres—99 square miles—are at high risk, meaning they face development within the next 10 years. Contra Costa County has the most vulnerable land to potential development, with Santa Clara County close behind. The goals of the reports are not to halt development, but instead persuade local governments to approve responsible and sustainable development in urban areas. These studies look at city and county plans, zoning, and development proposals across the region. The risks to losing these greenbelt lands include loss of region’s farmland and ranch land that contribute to a $6.1 billion agricultural economy, lands that catch and filter rain to be stored as groundwater, and loss of forests and wetlands as carbon sinks. The previous At Risk report came out in 2012; that report estimated the number of acres of open space under threat was 29,700 acres greater than this year’s number. Three California Freeways Have ‘No Future,’ Says Congress for New Urbanism The Congress for the New Urbanism released a report, Freeways without Futures 2017 , to identify urban freeways that should be torn down. A panel of national transportation experts identified ten U.S. highways as candidates for teardown based on their negative impacts, possible benefits of removal, and the political feasibility of such a project. Three of the ten obsolete freeways are in California. report identified I-280 in San Francisco, an elevated highway that cuts off Mission Bay and other neighborhoods from downtown; I-980 in Oakland, which separates downtown Oakland from West Oakland; and Route 710 in Pasadena, which is a stub of long-planned but now moribund extension intended to connect the 210 Freeway to the 10 Freeway. There is some degree of local support for demolition of all freeways in the report. CNU advocates removing freeways to fight pollution, ease traffic, and improve walkability and health. Los Angeles Acquires Key Parcel along River The Los Angeles City Council voted, 11-0, to approve  the purchase of 41 acres of property at the center of plans to revitalize the LA River. This parcel, G2, will “create much-needed public open space in the middle of the city, provide extensive habitat restoration, and serve as a key access point for local communities to connect to the river” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. The land cost $59.3 million and was purchased with a $25 million funding from the state. The site is heavily contaminated from its previous use by Union Pacific; the city must first clean the soil, restore habitat and add public improvements which is expected to cost $252 million. The entire 11-mile revitalization project was expected to cost $1 billion three years ago, but now has jumped to nearly $1.6 billion. (See prior CP&DR coverage ) Chumash to Annex Land in Santa Barbara County, Prompting Lawsuit The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs gave  the green light to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to annex 1,390-acres of land near its reservation, greatly expanding it from its current 138 acres. Santa Barbara County and several Santa Ynez organizations have complained that a 143-home development proposed by the Chumash on the annexed land would deprive the county of $311 million in property taxes over the next 50 years, change the rural character of land, and has not adequately addressed environmental consequences and mitigations. The County supervisors voted, 3-2, to sue the BIA as soon as this decision was made. Amendments Filed in Lawsuit over High Speed Rail Bonds Opponents of the California High Speed Rail have filed  amendments to a lawsuit filed in December in Sacramento Superior Court alleging that the California legislature violated state constitution when it passed a law last year amending and modifying the $9-billion bond act that voters approved in 2008. The plaintiffs argue the bond act, AB1889, never gave the legislature the authority to alter it. Kings County, the City of Atherton, and several other opposition groups, and John Tos, a farmer, brought the lawsuit. After AB1889 was passed and signed by the governor, the rail authority put together two funding plans. One plan provided $7.8 billion for rail construction from Merced to Shafter and the second provided $819 million to electrify Caltrain, which will eventually connect to the train. However, neither of these plans is part of an operating high-speed rail system which is what the bond act is supposed to pay for. S.F. Controller's Report Analyzes Inclusionary Housing Policies San Francisco City Controller Ben Rosenfield released  a report on the affordable housing required by developers. The analysis found developers could afford to rent up to 18 percent of new apartments and sell up to 20 percent of new condominiums at below-market prices without jeopardizing overall housing production. The city currently requires 25 percent to get approval for new construction, but the number had been 12 percent in the past. Mayor Ed Lee says this will lead to more dense housing and he supports legislation set between 16-18 percent for rentals and 18-20 percent for condominiums. Quick Hits & Updates The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has released the  draft agenda  for its upcoming  Transformative Climate Communities Stakeholder Summit  on Feb. 10 in Sacramento. The daylong event that is bringing representatives from public agencies, community-based organizations, businesses, foundations and other sectors together to discuss how we can bring about equitable community transformation through integrated climate investments. The Sacramento Kings released  plans for a 170-unit development a few blocks from their new Golden 1 Center arena. The team purchased the $5.9 million block as part of the deal made in 2014. The project will also include 20,000 square feet of retail, affordable units, rooftop gathering spots, and renovation of the historic1909 Bel-Vue apartment building. The Kings with CFY Development plan to break ground on the project in 2017. A handful of cities in Orange and San Diego counties have formed  the Concerned Coastal Communities Coalition to unite as a bigger political voice on state and federal issues. Members include Carlsbad, Dana Point, Del Mar, Encinitas, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Oceanside, San Clemente, and Seal Beach. Currently, the coalition is focused on San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station decommissioning, protecting coastal beaches and identifying opportunities to offset costs that are exclusive to coastal cities. Sacramento councilman Allen Warren is introducing  a proposal to construct a homeless camp for the chronically unsheltered. The city currently has a camping ban that he is hoping to lift by using a vacant field he owns and running service for a few hundred thousand a year. Warren is hoping this area could give them a place to stabilize their lives with counseling and other services, and mandating they contribute hours to the upkeep of the camp and surrounding area. Mayor Darrell Steinberg has indicated that he would rather focus on indoor triage center and federal funded housing vouchers for finding permanent homes. City Councilmembers and planning commissioners in  Eureka have met for the second time to update a draft of the city’s 2040 General Plan. The city is currently focusing on its mobility elements and has pledged to update “incomplete roads” or those that were constructed without enough access for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as more freight and passenger rail service. FS Investors of La Jolla unveiled a proposal for a $1 billion redevelopment  of the Qualcomm Stadium site. The proposed project includes a privately financed 20-30,000-seat football and soccer stadium, 55-acre park, housing, and commercial buildings. The group leading this proposal is planning to apply for the MLS expansion franchise and start a campaign to get official approval for this project- either through City Council or a public vote. The sinking Millennium Tower in San Francisco has passed  city inspection and is deemed safe for occupancy, despite evidence of strain on the building’s foundation and electrical systems. Various repairs have been fixed already or are currently being resolved. However, homeowners who are part of a lawsuit are waiting for results from a geotechnical study. Fearing a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, two Los Angeles City Council members are pushing forward an ordinance that would decriminalize  sidewalk vending. Currently, selling foods or goods on the sidewalk can lead to misdemeanor charges. In the new rules, the city would eventually issue vending permits, however this could take months to figure out the details. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-Chula Vista) has proposed  a bill that would require the California State Coastal Conservancy to create a program to add to the number of low-cost hotels, motels, and hostels in coastal areas. Equitable access to coastline for low-income Californians has emerged as a major concern for the Coastal Commission. According to the commission “affordable” accommodations only make up 5 percent of the rooms available in coastal areas. According to the Consumer Price Index, Southern California rents increased  by 4.7 percent in 2016 versus 3.9 percent in 2015. A major for these rent hikes have been because employment has increased before local developers could add to the housing supply.

Over the past few years, the City of San Diego has passed a handful of policies committing to increase density citywide in order to meet housing needs and environmental goals. So far, so good.