Charles Lester, former Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission was  dismissed  from his role after nearly five years Feb. 10. The 7-5 vote took place behind closed doors after seven hours of public testimony, the majority of which supported Lester. Supporters of Lester say  pro-development commissioners were hoping to oust him. Lester defended himself by saying he and his staff preserved the coastal resources and public access with rising sea levels, growing populations and increased pressure from developers. However, one of the commissioners who spoke against Lester, Dayna Bochco, complained of the lack of communication on important projects. As commission Chair Steve Kinsey explained to Los Angeles Times, "the decision revolved around leadership and not around an issue of greater flexibility for development." Senior Deputy Director Jack Ainsworth will lead the commission staff until the commission selects a new executive director. LAO Report Calls for More Private Development Legislative Analyst's Office released the latest in a series of  reports  addressing California's worsening housing crisis. The report, "Perspectives on Helping Low-Income Californians Afford Housing," suggests that facilitating more private, market-rate housing development in the state's coastal urban communities would help make housing more affordable for low-income Californians. Existing affordable housing programs assist only a small proportion of low-income Californians. Most low-income Californians receive little or no assistance. Expanding affordable housing programs to help these households likely would be extremely challenging and prohibitively expensive, according to the report. The report recommends that the state focus on programs directed at specialized housing needs-such as homeless individuals and families or persons with significant physical and mental health challenges. The report notes some key findings: 1) California's averaged rents increased more than did rents in places with more home building; 2) areas with low home production had more displacement of low-income than did places with robust private development; and 3) places with inclusionary housing policies had no less displacement than those places without it. The report follows last year's  California's High Housing Costs: Causes and Consequences , which discusses the housing shortage and need for increasing homes in coastal urban communities. Obama Budget Includes Infrastructure Earmarks for California President Obama's 2017 federal budget addresses infrastructure projects and other projects related to sustainability and climate change in California. Sacramento could receive $75 million for a proposed 3.3-mile rail line from West Sacramento to Old Sacramento, downtown depot, Kings arena and the state capitol to name a few key stops. To receive the funding, Sacramento must come up with an equal amount in local funding such as tax increases for property owners near the proposed route. Another project possibly receiving funds is $32 million for Sacramento's Natomas levees. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority could receive $375 million for two subway extensions and a connector through downtown LA. Orange County Transportation Authority hopes to use the $125 million for the 4.1-mile streetcar project in Santa Ana. L.A. City, County Pledge Funds and Cooperation on Homelessness Los Angeles County has the largest chronic homeless population in the country, and the city and county are teaming up together after declaring it reaching emergency proportions. The city has proposed $100 million this year and nearly $2 billion over the next decade for a city homeless coordinator, housing, public restrooms and showers, and providing affordable housing. The county has approved an additional $150 million over two years to help these nearly 44,000 individuals. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told the New York Times, "This is the highest priority that we have, to make sure that nobody is living on the streets and nobody is without a home." The mayor says voters will be asked to approve additional funding, and some revenue will come from shifting existing funds. Survey: Demise of Redevelopment's Impact on Affordable Housing Developers The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco released results of a survey  of Affordable Housing Developers on the state of affordable housing in the wake of the 2012 elimination of redevelopment agencies. The survey was designed to "learn how they are faring following RDA dissolution; how their development pipelines have been affected by the loss of RDA funds; and how new legislation, local regulation, or funding strategies have impacted affordable housing development over the past three years." The responses are from 71 development organizations across the state. The report says 83 percent of respondents must pursue more funding sources than they did under RDA, 74 percent have projects that have been postponed or jeopardized, 80 percent of the projects have been negatively impacted by rising cost of lands and 61 percent  have had to reduce staff because of funding reductions. Only 26 percent say their jurisdictions have developed post-RDA regulatory reforms for affordable housing. Court Deals Setback to L.A. Metro Subway Alignment through Beverly Hills District Judge George Wu ruled that the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority failed to property consider environmental studies for a proposed subway tunnel under Beverly Hills High School. Metro originally had a route under Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City, but realized it was in earthquake faults and therefore relocated the alignment. Activists in Beverly Hills have decried the new alignment, citing a range of safety concerns and accusing Metro of a "bait and switch." Beverly Hills listed nine reasons were Metro's EIS failed to meet NEPA requirements. These issues include air quality and public health, methane gas and oil wells, seismic faults, and public land usage to name a few. This section is expected to begin construction soon and be opened in 2026. Judge Wu's ruling is preliminary, and both parties must respond and return to court March 14 for a finalization of the ruling. Kings County Files Suit against High Speed Rail A lawsuit recently filed by Kings County and two Central Valley farmers against the California High Speed Rail Authority argues that the California bullet train violates state law because it is not following restricted placed under the $9 billion bond act that voters approved in 2008. They are explicitly arguing the project is not financially viable, will operate slower than promised ad has changed its design. The lawsuit hopes to halt funding for construction and land acquisition, and a ruling will be issued within ninety days. The lawyers for the Rail Authority say it is a disagreement of the expert opinions, and that the shared railway in the bay area will cut funding by $30 billion.  Novato to Add Station to New Commuter Rail System The Novato City Council voted to move forward with development of a third train  station  downtown to be served by the forthcoming SMART commuter rail service. The station would cost an additional $2.4 million. The mayor Pat Eklund and member Pam Drew opposed, while three approved of the additional station. The two opposed are worried about financing the additional project, but as Mayor Pro Tem Athas said "the benefits far outweigh the expense in the long run." The council voted against the city staff's recommendation. The SMART board of directors will meet next month to discuss integrating the downtown station into the current plan.

Gov. Jerry Brown's " May revise " (pdf) of the $122 billion 2017 state budget includes significant provisions meant to address homelessness and promote the production of housing. It calls for a $2 billion bond, supported by Prop 63, to proving up to 14,000 units of housing for mentally ill homeless people, plus support for the CalWORKS jobs program. The budget seeks to speed the production of housing by compelling localities to speed the ministerial approval of developments that meet certain requirements for providing affordable units. The revise reiterates Brown's support for bills such as Assembly Bill 2501, which would strengthen the state's density bonus law, and several bills promoting accessory dwelling units. Brown said that the state should not expect to solve its housing crisis purely through the development of subsidized housing. The League of California Cities opposes certain elements of the revise's housing plan for reducing local control over land use decisions.   Coastal Commission Chair May Recuse Himself from Controversial Vote California Coastal Commission Chair Steve Kinsey is considering whether he should recuse himself from voting on the controversial Banning Ranch project in Newport Beach because of two unreported private meetings with project representatives. Kinsey's possible breach of protocol could risk civil lawsuits and decisions being overturned were he to vote on the project. Kinsey's two private meetings involved site tours in which he challenged staff's decision of the area as environmentally sensitive habitat. Kinsey did not acknowledge his failure to complete the ex-parte notification until Los Angeles Times contacted him; he says he will now address the issue. In other Coastal Commission news, commission voted , 6-5, to endorse a bill that would ban ex-parte communications and private meetings between commissioners and developers, lobbyists, environmentalists and other parties. The is designed to improve transparency and restore public's confidence in the commission. The five commissioners that opposed the endorsement say banning ex-parte communications would limit the about of information that is heard on a specific project or publics ability to learn more about a development by contacting a commissioner directly.  Another bill by Assembly members Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay) and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) would require lobbyists to disclose their clients and register with the state before discussing with commissioners. The commission voted, 8-3, to endorse that bill. Santa Monica Wins A Round in Airport Fight In an unpublished ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the City of Santa Monica has won a round against the Federal Aviation Administration in its attempt to close the Santa Monica Airport. The Ninth Circuit overturned a trial judge's ruling that the 12-year statute of limitations on Santa Monica's legal challenge had expired under the federal "Quiet Title Act". Title to the property has been in dispute, with the federal government arguing that the land should revert to the feds if it ever ceases use as an airport. The Ninth Circuit's ruling keeps the case alive and remands it to federal district court in Los Angeles.  Prop. 84 Park Spending May Have Short-Changed Disadvantaged Communities Ten years ago in 2006, California voters approved Proposition 84, which directed $5.4 billion to parks, protect natural resources and improve state's water quality and supply. UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability released a report showing where the funds have gone and the inefficiencies of the initiative. Author Jon Christensen said some groups have received less of their fair share of the program. The report focuses on $2 billion spent on 2,174 projects that were to have local community benefits. The report found that 45 percent of Prop 84 funds went to disadvantaged communities, but it cautions that many of these communities are rural and therefore have low population densities. This led to marked disparities: Residents in rural areas within a half-mile walking distance of projects saw $7,475 per capita in spending in their neighborhoods, while residents in urban areas saw $209 in per capita spending. The report found that 56 percent of the funding overall was spent in areas that already had more park acres for each resident, while 44 percent was spent in park-poor areas. One Prop 84 program, the Statewide Parks Act, was successful in creating parks for disadvantaged urban communities with little green space. TKTK Candidate Questions Legality of San Diego Climate Plan According to some  analyses , San Diego's Climate Action Plan, adopted in December, may not be legally enforceable. The city committed to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions in half over the next 20 years and can be sued by citizens if it does not meet those goals. However, Mara Elliott, a candidate for city attorney,  says  it is fiction and the existing language needs to be changed. The plan will not be analyzed for weaknesses in language and other vulnerabilities to make a clear message to the public about the enforceability. The Climate Action Plan is tied to the General Plan, which is enforceable. Elliott argues it will not be enforceable until laws are adopted related to the plan; however, many other lawyers disagree. While everyone agrees the end goal of reduction by a certain year is enforceable, Elliott argues there needs to be specific implementation policies included. S.F. Sues University over Housing Conversions San Francisco City Attorney Denis Herrera is suing Academy of Art University for illegally converting many buildings in its a real estate empire. This dispute has been ongoing for over a decade, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines levied against the for-profit university. Academy of Art President Elisa Stephens purchased 22 buildings which it converted to university buildings without proper city authorization; many of these buildings house students but should be part of the city's affordable housing supply. The university spent $8 million and nine years on environmental impact reports and lawyer for the school calls this lawsuit "completely premature and unnecessary." The university offered as solutions: building own housing in the future, putting money into city's affordable-housing fund and converting existing buildings into affordable housing. Los Angeles Approves New Soccer Stadium The Los Angeles City Council voted, 12-0, to approve plans for a $250 million stadium complex for a Major League Soccer team on the site of the to-be-demolished Memorial Sports Arena in Exposition Park. The development will include 22,000 seats, 100,000 square-feet for restaurants, retail outlets, conference center, sports museum and 143,000 square-feet open space. The Sports Arena will be demolished this summer and the new stadium will open by 2018. This arena will create 1,800 permanent jobs, $129 million in economic activity and $2.5 million in local tax revenue annually. Costa Mesa Rejects Affordable Housing Proposal Amid controversy over the City of Costa Mesa's provision of affordable housing, a $20 million bond measure for affordable housing lost on a 3-2 vote. Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer wrote the proposal to place a property tax on residents to generate funds for housing. He estimated that it would cost property owners $9.42 per $100,000 assessed value of their property over 20 - 30 years. The three other council members who voted against the plan say there was no specific plan  for developing affordable housing and constituted an additional tax. Los Angeles Turns to Crowdsourcing for Clean Streets Los Angeles is launching a $9.1 million initiative called Clean Streets to rank every street on its cleanliness. Initial research finds that 61 percent of streets were clean, 35 percent somewhat tidy and 4 percent were flat-out dirty. The 4 percent that received a "3" is equivalent to 376 miles. Unclear streets generally correspond with low-income  Other cities with similar street-rating systems are San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York. Los Angeles' is unique because it covers 22,000 miles; Bureau of Sanitation workers drove down every block in the city. To track conditions a tool called CleanStat was developed to implement new efforts cheaply and efficiently. Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the system is designed to encourage citizen participation: "it's really about hyper-accountability. Any business owner or resident can log on and check it out, then say to their council member: �Why the heck is our street a 3? I want it to be a 1.'" Court Rules for Cadiz's Mojave Desert Groundwater Transfer Plans A ruling by California's Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana gives Cadiz, Inc. the right to transfer ancient groundwater from Mojave Desert to parts of Orange County. Many years in the making, the Cadiz Water Project is a partnership with Santa Margarita Water District and other Southern California water agencies. Center for Biological Diversity was challenging the project saying CEQA was incomplete and second case dealing with San Bernardino County's approval of the project. While this was a victory for Cadiz, now they must fight for an 1875 railway right-of-way to build the 43-mile pipeline. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in October rejected Cadiz's proposal, which the company is now trying to fight. L.A. Grants Clemency to Some �Bootleg' Apartments Los Angeles City Council tentatively approved so-called bootleg apartments in exchange for a 55-year period of affordable housing on affected properties. Bootleg apartments can be lofts divided into multiple units or storage spaces converted to tiny studios. This new law would ease L.A.'s housing shortage and make landlords bring their buildings up to code. There are multiple caveats to this: it can only be apartment buildings, had to have existed before December 10, 2015 and requirement of parking spaces could be waived. Every year 400 to 500 illegal apartments are removed following inspections because of the high costs (up to $20,000) to put the unit up to code. L.A. Businesses Fed Up with Traffic According to a recent survey conducted by the Los Angeles County Business Federation conducted a survey , local employers listed transportation as their second business concern, topped only by taxes and fees. Long commutes and traffic result in disruptions in productivity, goods movement and recruiting and retaining employees. Additionally, transportation problems will affect future job growth as 44 percent of employers ranked "traffic congestion" as a major reason that businesses and jobs leave the county. Across the county, more employers noted transportation-related public infrastructure as needing more attention: for instance roads and streets increased from 52 to 57 percent from last year and sidewalks and bike paths went up 4 percent to 29 percent. EIR Released for Burbank Airport Terminal Airport officials released a 3,700-page draft EIR for a new terminal at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The three options include a 355,000 or 232,000 square-foot terminal and third option is keeping the current terminal. The current airport is not in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards, needs to meet seismic-safety regulations and has asbestos in the walls. The plan is to build in the northeast section of the airfield but the southwest corner is being considered as an alternative. For all options, the consultant RS&H says there will be air quality and other environmental impacts. Tensions Rise over Proposed Gaming Compact in Madera County The North Fork Mono Indians have been trying to build a casino near Madera for years. California voters rejected the compact for the North Fork trip in 2014, but the Department of the Interior is looking into a new gaming compact, under which North Fork would not have to contribute for seven years until the casino is making profit. Groups that backed Proposition 48, Stand Up for California and other tribes, have sued. The Revenue Sharing Trust Fund asks gaming tribes to contribute 2 percent of their revenue from slots to distribute to non-gaming tribes. The North Fork Rancheria and Station Casinos will build a complex with 2,000 slot machines, 40 table games and a hotel.

California's $68-billion high speed rail is facing setbacks in its construction throughout the proposed route from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  Local elected officials and homeowners groups in suburban Santa Clarita as well as blue-collar San Fernando, Pacoima, and other communities are demanding the state abandon a proposed route that would use above-ground tracks and tunnels through the mountains between Palmdale and San Fernando, instead insisting that only underground routes should be considered. They expressed their concerns at a recent meeting of the HSR board. San Fernando officials said that the proposed train would cut their city in half with 20-foot-high walls and could destroy dozens of businesses and a police station at a cost of $1.3 million per year and 850 jobs. Additionally, an analysis by the rail authority shows that within a half-mile of the track, there could be noise and vibration affecting about 20,000 residences, 25 parks, 47 schools, 48 churches and nine hotels, as well as archaeological sites and wetlands. Also, in a settlement with the city of Bakersfield over the environmental impact of the train, the rail authority will cut eight miles of track from the first construction of a 130-mile section through the Central Valley and will review its proposed route through the city. EPA Releases New Environmental Risk Database A new tool released by the EPA highlighting the low-income, minority communities that face the greatest health risks from pollution, with some stark standouts in the Los Angeles area. The map tool, known as EJSCREEN , allows residents and policymakers nationwide  to look up how their level of environmental risk compares to the rest of the nation. With measurements based on census block groups averaging about 1,400 residents, the EPA found that many communities in southeast Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire and the San Joaquin Valley are among the most at-risk in the nation. Environmental justice groups, which for decades have battled the concentration of landfills, refineries, rail yards and other polluting facilities in poor communities of color, said they would use the map to press for more emissions-cutting projects and environmental enforcement in the most affected areas. Major Sacramento Housing Development Approved; Seeks More Units Downtown The Sacramento Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve the Sacramento Commons Project, a proposal to replace 1960s-era low-rise apartments with high-rise and mid-rise condominiums in a section of downtown known for its lush canopy of trees and pedestrian-oriented streets. Though the Sacramento Preservation Commission recently nominated parts of the project area to the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources and recommended denial of the project, the proposal maintained the support of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality District and the Sacramento Regional Transit for its proximity to an RT station, and it was also backed by labor unions, hotel and restaurant workers, and the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, which represents property owners. "We need an infusion of market-rate housing downtown, and we need it at increased density," commission member Todd Kaufman said at the Planning Commission meeting. Meanwhile, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson launched a new housing initiative known as "Think Downtown" to market the city's downtown area as the region's "in" place to live and to develop new housing. The announcement follows Johnson's plan to build 10,000 housing units in the central city in the next 10 years, with a mix of 6,000 market rate units, 2,500 affordable units, and 1,500 units for people in more dire need of housing. Sacramento's downtown region has already rebounded from a virtual cession of development during the recession, with developers currently building or finishing projects like the 16 Powerhouse Project, the Warehouse Artists Lofts, and Township 9. Los Angeles Consideres Plan to Legalize �Bootlegged' Apartments Los Angeles landlords and tenant advocates have become unusual bedfellows in an attempt to legitimize the city's "bootlegged" apartments, wherein a landlord rents out a space usually carved out from a permitted apartment for an unlicensed lease. In many cases, the main barriers to legalizing these units are not construction or safety problems but city codes that mandate a minimum number of parking spots and limit the number of units on a lot. These problems have eliminated more than 1,700 apartments and exacerbated LA's housing crisis, officials say.Planning associate Matt Glesne told the Los Angeles Times that the existing process to seek relief from zoning requirements is "not cheap and not quick," costing landlords upward of $10,000, taking six to nine months, and forcing many landlords to simply shutter the unit. Under the new proposal, landlords would have limited time to seek to legalize existing bootlegged units, and would have to undergo a review process yet to be hashed out.  Threatened Salmon Prompt New Water Policy in Sonoma County In an effort to protect the state's highly endangered coho salmon populations, a new proposal would force around 13,000 landowners in 113 square miles of watersheds in Sonoma County to report their use of water from both surface sources and wells. Covering four tributaries of the Russian River, the new rules, if approved, would require all residential and commercial property owners, including wineries and vineyards, to use "enhanced conservation measures" and impose penalties of up to $500 per day to landowners who do not provide water use information. Piggybacking on last fall's unprecedented statewide move to regulate groundwater as well as surface water, Sonoma County officials are now also working on a local groundwater management plan likely to include well monitoring within the county. Orange County Accused of Mismanaging $1.7B Worth of Property An Orange County Grand Jury issued a report lambasting county officials for failing to keep adequate records of over $1.7 billion in unused or underutilized property that it must manage. The jury found that there are 2,300 real estate properties that must be managed by the county, but that the county has only partially complete or updated databases of its real estate holdings, and that the information is not consistent. "With the potential for future real estate decisions being based on unavailable or inaccurate data that could lead to less-than-desirable stewardship of (the) county's tax dollars, the grand jury believes that comprehensive and compatible real estate data information is necessary," the grand jury wrote in its report. AG Seeks to Depublish Decision on Tiered Water Rates; Riverside Sues Over Water Cuts The office of the state attorney general has asked the state Supreme Court to depublish a ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeals making it illegal for water agencies to use tiered rate structures to curb water use throughout the state. The court had found the tiered rate system -- wherein water guzzlers were charged higher rates for their use -- unconstitutional because the city of San Juan Capistrano charged more for water than it cost the city to provide the service in violation of Prop. 218. At least two-thirds of California water agencies now use some type of tiered-rate structure. If the state Supreme Court decides to depublish the appellate court ruling, that ruling could not be cited as authoritative in any other trial court or appellate court decisions, Proposition 218 expert Kelly Salt told the Los Angeles Times . In other drought news, t he city of Riverside has sued the state over a directive to cut water use 28 percent within the city as mandated throughout the state. Arguing that it has its own independently-owned, treated groundwater, Heather Raymond, a spokeswoman for Riverside Public Utilities, told the LA Times that Riverside's use has "zero effect on the state water supply" and that the city should be eligible for inclusion in a 4 percent conservation tier set up for localities with independent supplies of surface water. But, as Michale Lauffer, chief counsel for the State Water Resources Control Board, told the  Los Angeles Times , "Groundwater for many areas is the savings account available during times of drought, and the limited, 4% reduction tier is not available for communities who are relying on that savings account to weather the drought." Sacramento to Overhaul Housing Projects The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is seeking to overhaul two public housing projects whose poverty-stricken residents have a long history of disconnect and disenfranchisement from the rest of Sacramento. The housing agency's plan is to replace the rows of antiquated barracks-like brick buildings in the Alder Grove and Marina Vista housing projects and temporarily relocate residents in order to construct a mixed-use neighborhood with both market-rate and affordable housing units.SHRA is looking at replacing the 751 current units with either 1,200 units or 1,500 units. The new community would build higher-density, five-story buildings with detached single-family residences at the south end of the neighborhood to help blend with the existing Land Park neighborhood. To realize the redevelopment, local housing officials hope that the federal department of Housing and Urban Development will give Sacramento up to $30 million through its Choice Communities Initiative grant program. However, the financing gap remains large, possibly totaling more than $70 million.  Pomo Tribe's Pot Farm Must Conform to Local Laws The Pinoleville Pomo Nation has scaled back plans to create a medical marijuana farm near Ukiah in an effort to clarify laws governing the tribe's jurisdiction. The tribe's initial plan, bolstered by similar projects proposed throughout the nation as tribes explore new ways to generate income, called for a $10 million pot-growing operation in multiple greenhouses spanning 110,000 square feet of the tribe's rancheria. However, the land is not held in federal trust, which would exempt it from local regulations, and the local sheriff contends that the tribe is limited to the 25-plants-per-parcel required for the rest of the county. "We're just staying within the law," tribe business board leader Mike Canales told the Press Democrat, indicating that the tribe would stay within the 25 plant-per-parcel limit for now. OPR to Host California Climate Action Conference  Cal Poly and the Governor's Office of Planning & Research have announced the second C alifornia Climate Action Planning Conference , to be held August 13 & 14 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The program will cover topics including greenhouse gas emission targets beyond 2020, learning from climate action plan updates, recent court rulings and state policy, public outreach and education, regional collaboratives for climate and sustainability, challenges and solutions for the agriculture sector, public health and climate change, and climate adaptation strategies.

A report by the Los Angeles Times indicates that transit ridership in the Los Angeles area has steadily declined since the Great Recession. Ridership on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus and rail lines dropped 10 percent from 2006 to 2015, to 453 million boardings. Other agencies experienced similar drops Metro has spent over $9 billion on construction of new light rail and subway, more frequent bus times, changing routes, but the ridership has not increased. Orange County bus ridership fell 30 percent in the last seven years. The shift could be because of gas prices, fare increases, changes in job markets, locations of ridership, law that allows illegal immigrants to apply for drivers license, increase in rides by companies like Lyft and Uber, among many others. Metro plans to spend $12 billion over the next decade for new rail lines and three extensions. SANDAG Considers Sales Tax Initiative The San Diego Association of Governments is gathering citizen input  through phone conferences, meetings and online surveys to gauge support for a proposed half-cent countywide sales tax measure . Possible projects, which are all included in the agency's recently adopted Long Range Transportation Plan, range from walkable communities, highway improvements, surface rail, bike lanes and more. SANDAG is seeking public input in order to tailor the ballot measure according to voters' preferences. The proposed sales tax would remain in place for 35 years. Oakland to Allow Transit Oriented Accessory Dwelling Units The City Council of Oakland will now allow construction of secondary housing units or backyard cottages without dedicated parking if the lot is within half a mile of a bus or BART station and relaxing height and setback requirements. As Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a press release, "This will also help preserve the diversity of our communities by keeping renters and owners in the same neighborhoods, while creating income opportunities for homeowners who also feel the pressure our region's high cost of living." Berkeley passed similar rules last year; however it banned the use of these new units for short-term rentals such as Airbnb. Gilroy Revokes Approval of 4,000-Home Development In response to a lawsuit recently filed by the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission, the City of Gilroy has pulled the application to develop Rancho Los Olivos, a 4,000-home project on 721-acres bordering south Gilroy. The $3 billion project has faced two lawsuits and over 2,000 complaints. The land is not inside Gilroy's city limits, and must be annexed first with approval from LAFCO. The project has been shelved until the 2040 General Plan has been completed.  Study: Airbnb Profits Create �Full Time' Hosts in San Francisco A study by Pennsylvania State University shows that profits from Airbnb are prompting landlords to short-term rent instead of long-term. San Francisco is one of the most profitable markets for Airbnb landlords, with 300 "full-time" hosts making a total of $44 million, which is 22 percent of the Airbnb profit across the entire city. Studies estimate that San Francisco has lost between 10 and 12,000 units, which hurts the already suffering housing economy in the city. Airbnb calls the Penn State study flawed as many hosts list their units available for the entire year, but rent out for much fewer days. Fresno Approves Novel Rules for Tiny Homes The City of Fresno has, according to city officials, become the first city in the nation to officially accommodate the emerging trend of tiny houses. The city recently updated its building code to allow landlords to park tiny homes on existing lots as secondary dwellings. These eco-conscious homes can provide homes for caregivers living in the backyard or as rental units for extra income. Fresno's new rules require that tiny houses, which are generally around 300 square feet, to be on wheels. "This is an important step forward for the tiny house movement because it sets a precedent for other jurisdictions nationwide," says Amy Turnbull, one of the directors of the American Tiny House Association, told the Fresno Bee. "This ordinance sends a clear message: we need to adapt our codes to accommodate new housing models and we need to do it quickly and decisively." Sierra Club Files Suit to Block The Edge's Malibu Homes The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit to block development of five homes by U2 guitarist The Edge in Malibu. The homes were recently approved by the Coastal Commission after a long debate.  The Sierra Club contends that the project's full impacts were not assessed in accordance with CEQA and that the EIR must consider alternatives with no homes or a single home. Evans first applied in 2011 and was denied, he then sued along with three other Malibu property owners saying it was an unconstitutional taking without compensation. A compromise was made with a scaled-down version and a farther set back from the ridgeline. The opponents of the project want the area to remain open space. L.A. Launches Comprehensive Transportation App The City of Los Angeles, in collaboration with Xerox, has launched an app that helps commuters choose travel routes while also taking concerns for health and environmental impact into account. The Go LA app provides detailed information on every available mode of getting around the Los Angeles region. Go LA aggregates and calculates the time, cost, carbon footprint, and health benefits from walking, biking, driving your own car, parking, taking public transit, or using transportation network companies. The details provided include length of trip, price, number of calories burned, and how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. As the app learns more about its user's individual preferences, it will eventually recommend and highlight personalized commuting options.  High Speed Rail May Switch First Segment In a reversal of plans announced in 2012, the California High Speed Rail Authority announced that its initial operational segment may be from San Jose to Bakersfield. The first segment was originally to be from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. Crossing the San Gabriel and Tehachapi Mountains is a complicated and expensive segment of tunnels and aerial structures. In a hearing Jan. 27 HSR Chairman Dan Richard said, "It may take us a little longer than we said to do this" but did not elaborate. A business plan update is expected in the next few weeks that will show reductions in cost.  L.A. Abandon's Ambitious Olympic Village Proposal Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced that UCLA will serve as the Olympic Village for the city's 2024 Olympics bid. A projected estimated to cost $1 billion to $2 billion had been proposed for the Piggyback Yard property owned by Union Pacific Railroad, near the L.A. River. Backers hoped that Piggyback Yard site could be converted to much-needed residential housing following the Games. It also would have been a centerpiece of the city's plans to revitalize the L.A. River. (See prior CP&DR coverage .)   Sacramento Considers Upgrades to Downtown Public Spaces Sacramento officials announced plans to rebuild two public spaces adjacent to the capitol building, Capitol Mall and Crocker Park. City Councilman Steve Hansen hopes to turn the Mall into an event and festival space, will bring the topic to the attention of the City Manager to discuss with the City Council in March. Crocker Museum has plans to turn Crocker Park into Sacramento's own "Central Park" with sculpture gardens, art-oriented children's playground, performance area and potentially a parking garage underground. With the new $507 million arena under construction, plans for 10,000 more housing units downtown and others, city officials are calling for a revitalization of the downtown public space.  Group Says San Luis Obispo Can't Handle Student Population A group of San Luis Obispo residents are asking Cal Poly SLO to cap its student body in order to return the city to a "well-maintained family community" instead of the "alcohol-consuming venue for large numbers of students" it has become, according to a petition circulated by the country. In 2015, 7,377 of the university's 20,049 students lived on campus. The group claims that the city cannot absorb so many students living off campus. The petition calls for the university to reduce enrollment to 18,000 in 2017 and 20,800 in 2035, compared to the 25,000 in the master plan. Cal Poly President Armstrong said enrollment would remain steady around 21,000 for the next few years, with 65 percent of students housed on campus. The city council has not yet weighed in on the petition.

Having failed in their bid to relocate to Los Angeles, the San Diego Chargers will pursue a new stadium and convention center in downtown San Diego. The proposal flouts Mayor Kevin Faulconer's proposal for the team to remain in Mission Valley in a replacement for Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers' project will go before voters, and free the Qualcomm center for UC San Diego and San Diego State University. The Chargers' project may receive public funds from a voter-approved TOT increase that can receive tax money from hotels. The Chargers will receive $100 million grant and $200 million loan from the NFL for not sharing the Inglewood stadium that will be occupied by the relocating Los Angeles Rams. There seems to be voter reluctance on grand expenditures, but the team hopes the center can bring economic activity year round such as Comic Con, Super bowls and other large events. The Chargers have indicated that they may pursue the "Tuolumne Tactic" to avoid CEQA review by proposing a ballot initiative for voter approval; this would permit the City Council to approve CEQA exemptions even before a popular vote takes place. Group Seeks to Divert Rail Money to Water California Water Alliance, a coalition from California's agriculture industry is gathering signatures for a ballot initiative to use the High Speed Rail bond money for new water projects.  The proponents of the initiative want to reallocate the existing $8 billion and include the $2.7 billion approved for water storage by voters. With half these funds the backers hope to raise Shasta Dam, create new reservoirs and water storage systems throughout the state. Additionally they want to change the constitution that domestic water use and irrigation are first two highest priorities ahead of environmental conservation. As Jim Earp, member of California Transportation Commissions points out to the Los Angeles Times, "They have basically a deeply flawed measure. They couldn't resist overreaching. They couldn't resist the temptation to rewrite water laws to benefit corporate farmers who are going to underwrite the campaign." The farmers behind the efforts have $2 million set aside for signature gathering. OCTA to Reorganize Bus Service Orange County Transportation Authority announced a major overhaul of its bus system. OCTA planners have recommended reallocating resources from low to higher demand areas. Very little bus service in South Orange County will be reduced and routes in Santa Ana and the system's central core will be improved. Comments came from disabled residents who worried of shrinking Access same-day taxi program and increased cost; they was assured the hours will be extended and the transfer will be free for 18 months. New service improvements will go into effect in June, and service reductions implemented in October. OCTA had only 47 million boardings during 2015, the lowest since 1997. With the changes to the original proposal, percentage of riders without service went down to 2 percent. Mission Bay Alliance Appeals Warriors' Office Space Allocation In another complication for the approved Warriors' arena in Mission Bay, the Mission Bay Alliance is appealing the San Francisco Planning Commission's approval of the project's office space allocation. The group, which has already filed a suit to stop the arena, claims that the city ignored the requirements of Proposition M � a voter-sponsored slow-growth initiative that created an annual limit on high-rise development  -  when it approved more than 600,000 square feet of office space for the two office towers located within the arena complex. "This is just the latest example of the City overlooking clear violations of the law in order to jam through an ill-conceived sports arena," said Bruce Spaulding of the Mission Bay Alliance in a statement. Light Rail to Santa Monica Opens May 20 Connecting downtown Los Angeles with Santa Monica, the Expo Line light rail will open May 20. The 6.6-mile extension cost $1.5 billion and will follow closely to the 10-freeway before ending at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue, a short half-mile to the Pacific Ocean. The 15-mile trip from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica will take 46 minutes and trains will run every 12 minutes. This is Metro's second ribbon-cutting in three months, the first was an 11.5-mile extension of the Gold line from Pasadena east to Azusa Pacific University. The two extensions were funded through a half-cent sales tax increase by Measure R voted on by residents in 2008. Four of the seven new stations have no parking, and Metro is partnering with ride-share provider Lyft to track potential customers. See prior CP&DR coverage .  Caltrans Issues Survey on 2018 State Rail Plan Caltrans is gathering input for the California State Rail Plan for the next 20 years. The plan will address improved rail and community connections and "have positive effects on mobility, environmental health and economic vitality," according to Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. The Rail Plan will be completed in 2018 and will provide long-term strategy for intercity and commuter rail operators, freight railroads, and communities to plan for the future. The Plan will include a vision for integrating the high-speed rail, prioritize funding, and meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction mandates. A public survey is available on the website through March 4.  Los Angeles Councilmember Faces Recall Vote over Development Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian is facing a recall petition over alleged favoritism he has shown to development interests over community requests. Krekorian represents North Hollywood, Valley Village and Studio City. The petition to oust the Krekorian has five sponsors who argue he supported zone changes and exemptions for projects that conflicted with city rules, opposed efforts to designate historic monuments, and failed to respond to concerns about dangerous demolitions. Krekorian told the LA Times,  "there will always be a few disaffected and unhappy individuals, but I'll continue to work hard every day to represent the interests and the values of the people of the 2nd District."  To win the recall, 15 percent of the district, or in this case 18,000 residents, must sign the petition. Ventura Rejects Growth Cap The Ventura City Council voted , 0-6, against a controversial proposal called the Residential Allocation Plan, which would have limited the number of developments the city could approve in coming years.  It would have allowed approval of up to 1,050 units in a three-year period, with no more than 450 in any single year. The program would have ranked housing proposals by existing city goals, such as housing type, near existing infrastructure and providing transportation. The program was rejected 5-0, by the Planning Commission in November. While the City Council has rejected the cap in the RAP, members have said that they will look closely at design guidelines, zoning and the General Plan. Mobility Plan Would Put Downtown San Diego on Road Diet The San Diego City Council is considering a Downtown Mobility Plan that would introduce a new network of 9.3 miles of protected bike lanes, 5.5 miles of pedestrian greenways, curb bulb-outs, road diets, and more. The city estimates the plan will cost just under $64 million. Funding is not a significant barrier as local sales tax pays for active transportation projects and the regional planning agency sets aside funds to encourage biking and walking. The public has until March 11 t o give comments; the City Council will vote in May. Legislation Would Prevent Trademarking of State Parks Assemblymember Ken Cooley has introduced legislation to block concessionaires from trademarking names of California State Park lands. Last month, a privately held company Delaware North, which had run concessions in Yosemite National Park, claimed the trademarks for Curry Village, Badger Pass, the Ahwahnee Hotel . National Park Service is planning to change the names of these assets rather than pay royalties to Delaware North. Cooley's bill is designed to prevent any such trademarking. Billionaire Seeks $30 Million to Open Property for Coastal Access Vinod Khosla, billionaire venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, is asking the state to pay $30 million as well as costs for road repairs, annual operations and maintenance to provide public access to Martins Beach. Khosla bought property above the beach as well as another parcel, for $32.5 million in 2008 . Khosla has refused to allow access across a 49-acre parcel, including the road, beach and coastal cliffs citing high cost of maintenance and liability. The Friends of Martins Beach, Surfrider Foundation and Khosla have been suing for almost six years. California Senate passed legislation in 2014 ordering State Lands Commission to negotiate with Khosla for a year, or the beach would be seized by eminent domain. The year ended in December and no agreement has been reached. SPUR Calls for Second Transbay Tube The urban thinktank San Francisco Planning and Research issued a white paper recommending the development of a second Transbay Tube to expand capacity of the regional rail transit network. The paper suggests that the combination of the Bay Bridge plus the current tube connecting Oakland and San Francisco is nearing its capacity, with no increases since 1974. The White Paper lists multiple alignment possibilities and station locations. The authors argue the Bay Area lacks a modern regional transit system that can withstand earthquakes, increased populations, and growing interest in public transit over driving. The paper calls for regional to incorporate a second tube into regional plans currently being drafted.

A deal between the cities of Los Angeles and Ontario ends a  dispute over the decline of LA/Ontario International Airport. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Ontario Mayor pro tem Alan Wapner announced the signing of a Settlement Agreement Term Sheet which will lead to the transfer of ownership of ONT to the Ontario International Airport Authority subject to approvals. The City of Ontario will pay Los Angeles World Airports $190 million over 10 years and will assume all debts of the struggling airport. ONT has been drawing only around 4.5 million annual passengers as compared to its capacity of 10 million. In a joint statement issued at a news conference at ONT, Garcetti and Wapner said the Settlement Term Sheet adheres to the premise that Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) will be reimbursed to the extent needed to make them whole regarding investments they have made in ONT, while providing job protection to the airport's current employees. Along form settlement agreement consistent with the initial term sheet will be prepared within 60-days.  A formal approval process is expected to begin in October 2015, with the entire process, including FAA approval, expected to be completed within one year. Ontario has long claimed that local control will enable it to promote more flights and make the airport a greater economic force in the Inland Empire.  Alameda County Explores Sale of Stadium Complex Public officials in Alameda County have expressed interest in selling to the City of Oakland their stake of the Coliseum complex, which houses three professional sports teams and is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Citing a yearly loss of money along with confusing negotiations to keep the three teams in the East Bay, County Supervisor Nate Miley said that it has been too difficult to negotiate a deal with the city, the county, three sports teams, and other entities. "So let's just get out of this and let the city negotiate whatever deals it wants," Miley told S.F. Gate . "Because, frankly, Oakland is going to benefit much more from this than the county." One major issue going forward will be how the city and county work out the $11 million of yearly debt that they have carried since the Coliseum was overhauled in the mid-1990s to lure back the Raiders from Los Angeles. Fresno Sales Tax Could Fund HSR Facility; Bakersfield Explores New Route The Fresno County Council of Governments informally  gave  the green light for $750,000 from a Measure C transportation sales tax to buy a site that could be used as an industrial maintenance facility for the high-speed rail, producing 1,500 jobs for the region. The move comes as Fresno sees potential competition from Kern County, which also had been working on proposals to build a maintenance facility. The Fresno COG years ago approved $25 million in money from Measure C for the rail authority on the condition that it selected the Fresno site over any other competing sites.  In Bakersfield the HSRA has  presented  an alternative, shorter alignment that would affect fewer properties and cost taxpayers less money than the original proposal. The city agreed to drop its lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority in exchange for an agreement to coordinate with city officials on a new route besides the older, hybrid route that would impact 526 structures, including 231 residences. However, Shafter City Manager Scott Hurlbert said he is concerned the alternative alignment would hurt the city's bid for a maintenance facility that would serve the rail project and give the region 1,500 jobs. San Diego Bikeshare Posts Disappointing Numbers San Diego community leaders are raising concerns about the city's new bike-share program as an underwhelming number of people have used the service and as community leaders complain that the owners have cherry-picked bike stations to raking in tourist dollars rather than to create a viable commuter network. Critics say DecoBike, the company that operates the program, has felt pressure to generate revenue because, unlike virtually all of the other 800 cities across the globe with bike-sharing networks, San Diego chose not to subsidize its program. "The city and DecoBike haven't really been that public with where they intend to place the bike stations, what the process is and what the timeline is," Gretchen Newsom, president of the Ocean Beach Town Council, told the L.A. Times . Decobike, the company that operates the program, nevertheless said that revenue so far has been on par with industry standards, and that momentum will continue to build as the company increases the number of stations from the current 85 to a planned 180. Tensions Rise on Monterey Planning Commission Planning commissioners in Monterey made pleas to stay on the city's Council-appointed commission following an email from Mayor Clyde Roberson hinting that two of the members should step down from their posts after their terms end. Roberson and Vice Mayor Alan Haffa sent emails to two commissioners, David Stocker in his ninth term, and Paul Davis in his seventh term, telling them that they felt "eight consecutive years on the Planning Commission is a good number," according to the Monterey Herald . Believing this email to be a call to step down, Davis said that he would like to continue on in the role, citing long-term planning projects in the works. Other commissioners who have been on the Planning Commission for as long as Davis and Stocker did not receive similar emails from the mayor, though the council could replace any of them at its discretion. Court Rules in Favor of Desalination Plant  A Superior Court judge ruled against conservation group San Diego Coastkeeper in a suit in which Coastkeeper said that the San Diego County Water Authority's climate action plan and supplemental environmental report did not focus enough on conservation or sufficiently account for environmental impacts. Specifically, the group targeted the development of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, set to open in November and currently being developed by Poseidon Water, a private company. Judge Gregory Pollack ruled that "substantial evidence exists to support (the agency's) actions" on each of the issues in dispute, including a proposed desalination plant on Camp Pendleton. Apple to Push into San Jose Apple, Inc bought a 40-acre parcel of land in North San Jose, shelling out $138.2 million in cash to Connecticut-based Five Mile Capital Partners for land that it could develop into an office and research campus that could fit up to 15,000-workers, according to public records. The move is just one of Apple's major land-grabs in recent years, as it leased 318,000 square feet of space in Santa Clara along with a 290,000-square-foot building adjacent to the new 40-acre parcel, and as it constructs a new headquarters in Cupertino. "It's mind-boggling what Apple is doing," Terry Bell, a senior vice president with Colliers International, told the Contra Costa Times . "Nothing surprises me any more with Apple's growth. It's tough to get your arms around the scope of Apple's appetite to expand." Disney Land Purchases May Herald Expansion of Resort Walt Disney Co. stirred up speculation of an expansion as it recently bought three large parcels of land totaling about 14.7 acres near its Anaheim resort. Records show that the Walt Disney Co. bought the Carousel Inn and Suites in March, and last year the company purchased two large office buildings, all in Anaheim with a total value of about $60 million. The move comes as Disney officials committed to the city of Anaheim that they will invest at least $1 billion in the park by 2024 under an agreement that ensures the city will not impose an entertainment tax on the resort for the next 30 years. Following the acquisition, speculation stirred that Disney was planning to free up land on the properties for a future park expansion involving Disney's Star Wars or Marvel superhero characters, to which Disney bought rights in 2009 and in 2012, respectively.

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Board of Directors unanimously adopted the 2016 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy for the six-county Sacramento region and certified the associated EIR. The MTP/SCS is a 20-year plan for transportation improvements in the region based on projections for growth in population, housing and jobs. The plan invests $35 billion into transportation by 2036 to accommodate projected growth of 811,000 new people, 439,000 new jobs and 285,000 new homes. The 2016 MTP/SCS is also grounded in a study of the best use of shrinking transportation funding, air quality improvement, and developing a multimodal (transit, walk, bike, car) system that gives people more options for transportation to different destinations. Investments include $18.4billion for road maintenance, rehab, and capital improvements; $10.6 billion for transit, including vastly increased bus service; and $2.4 billion for bike and pedestrian improvements. "Implementing the 2016 MTP/SCS will result in more transportation choices, reduced time in traffic, more housing choices, reductions to the amount of farmland converted for urban uses, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars," said SACOG Executive Director Mike McKeever in a statement.  Obama Creates 1.8 Million Acres of National  Monuments Acting on a proposal originally set forth by Senator Dianne Feinstein, President Obama announced the designation of three new national monuments in the Mojave and Colorado deserts and national forest land. These nearly 1.8 million acres have experienced decades of heavy mining, cattle ranching and off-roading yet maintained their distinct natural beauty. The largest of the three, the Mojave Trails National Monument, spans 1.6 million acres between Barstow and Needles. The Sand to Snow monument includes part of the San Bernardino Mountains, while the Castle Mountains Monument is in a remote corner near the Nevada border. Collectively, the areas are home to many animals, including 250 types of birds, and other unique natural architecture such as volcanic spires and 1,700 petroglyphs. David Lamfrom, director of California desert and wildlife programs for the National Parks Conservation Association told the LA Times that he hopes the next step can be "reintroducing species of a bygone era, starting with pronghorn antelope." The new monuments are meant to expand the conservation efforts begun in 1994 with the creation of Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve.  L.A. Ballot Initiative Seeks to Promote Affordable Housing A coalition of labor and affordable housing advocates launched Build Better LA, an initiative to ensure that affordable housing and good jobs are part of sustainable development in the City of Los Angeles. The initiative is seen as an alternative to the proposed Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, which, among other provisions, calls for a moratorium on all development that does not conform to current zoning laws and community plans. Build Better LA includes a local hire provision that ensures a living wage, and if a project has residential units, it requires developers to provide a percentage to low-income residents. The initiative seeks to increase the number of affordable housing units and job opportunities. "Build Better LA is an initiative that aligns the city's land use policies and funding to build more housing, require local hiring, and create jobs close to major transit areas," said Rusty Hicks, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and convener of Build Better LA. "Through this initiative, we'll be able to close the gap on Angelenos getting priced out of their homes and facing poverty."  High Speed Rail to Head Northward; Lawsuit Commences; Costs Rise Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny heard opening arguments a lawsuit claiming that California High Speed Rail is violating requirements of Proposition 1A, which citizens approved in 2008. Playoffs claim that track alignment in the Bay Area, length of the trip, costs are all violations. They are asking the judge to issue an injunction to stop the state and rail authority from spending additional funds. Meanwhile, the authority has decided to build the 250-mile Central Valley section of the train from Kern County line northward to San Jose, instead of southward and ending in Burbank. The northern route will allow the authority to hold down costs and construct faster, as they are already two years behind schedule. Cost estimates say the entire project has been reduced by $4 billion, to $64 billion for the entire 500-mile project. This segment will be in operation by 2025, earlier than planned which will hopefully attract additional private investors. Consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff, have announced the projected cost of the Central Valley segment have increased 5 percent or $260 million. The project is facing "several negative trends including problems acquiring land, relocating underground utilities and reaching agreements with freight railroads that have nearby tracks" the consultants write in the report. Victorville Terminates Agreement for Rail Station The City of Victorville City Council recently voted to terminate its development agreement with high-speed rail operator XpressWest, which plans to build a line to Las Vegas. The vote was prompted largely by the 2011 dissolutions of redevelopment agencies and lack of new funding to support the city's share of the project. The city is hoping to have a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with the company for future development of the Xpress West Project that it still hopes to be a part of. Councilman Ryan McEachron told Victorville Daily Press, "There just needs to be acknowledgement of (state law making the agreement moot) and we still would love to work with XpressWest and the developers out there, assuming they can secure the financing and build the train. This would, in no way, discourage them from moving in that direction." The multi-billion project received backing from Chinese investors. (See prior CP&DR coverage .)  Sacramento Considers Tax Increase for Levee Repair The City of Sacramento plans to ask citizens to pay an average $42 more in property taxes to improve city's levees and double the size of the Sacramento Weir to divert more floodwaters into Yolo Bypass. New requirements in 2007 from the state make all urban areas achieve 200-year flood protection by 2025, which increases the levee cost to an estimated $1.6 billion. The increase of $42 would ask property owners to pay $99 per year for federal and state funds. If the funding does not come through, FEMA could issue a warning that would force a moratorium on building across the city.  President of the Sacramento Taxpayers Association, Katy Grimes, told Sacramento Bee: "We typically oppose these things unless there's a really, really good reason. I think it's going to take a lot of convincing, to be honest." Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA)'s board of directors will hold a public hearing and a final decision will be reached April 1.  Santa Monica Releases Downtown Plan Amid an ongoing battle over development, Santa Monica released its long-awaited Downtown Community Plan. The plan stipulates that only 15 percent of the city's downtown will be redeveloped in the next twenty years, and it will mostly maintain the current mix of residential, commercial, and retail uses. The document "retains most of the area's existing features, including Downtown's mix of historic and modern architecture, its restaurants and entertainment. But� most residents live, work and play within their community and �use their cars' infrequently." The plan stresses the importance of a variety of transportation methods, including cycling and walking. The plan is the latest evolution of the city's Land Use and Circulation Element, which has drawn opposition for its attempt to upzone many of the city's commercial corridors.

The San Francisco Planning Commission voted to allow developers to build taller buildings in exchange for including extra affordable housing only on 215 identified "soft sites" or on properties with less than five percent of parcel covered such as gas stations and parking lots. The density bonus plan, proposed by Mayor Ed Lee, would allow an extra two stories or 25 feet in exchange for 30 percent of the building being below-market-rate housing. Buildings that are 100 percent affordable can build an additional three floors. This will hopefully add an additional 16,000 housing units in the next twenty years. Supervisor Katy Tang told  SF Gate ,  "This is a much better piece of legislation" than earlier drafts or the state bonus law, she said. "This represents San Francisco values." Davis Citizens May Vote on 'Innovation Districts' The City of Davis is planning " innovation districts " designed to promote the city's economy and encourage the city's college students to remain after graduation. David Mayor Dan Wolk aid the city suffers from "intellectual and economic leakage". Two proposed projects, Nishi Gateway and Mace Ranch Innovation Park, are under discussion.  The 47-acre Nishi proposal would create 325,000 square feet of space for local startups and 650 higher-density residential units. The City Council recently approved a ballot measure asking citizens to vote on Nishi Gateway in June; city ordinance requires a vote on projects that would replace agricultural land. Mace Ranch would be 200-plus acres and is undergoing environmental review before potentially going on the November ballot. Before Nishi Gateway can be built two traffic projects must be completed: realigning freeway ramps and a new road to campus from the proposed site. In 2005 and 2009 Davis residence rejected two new residential projects. APA Seeks 'Greatest Places in California' The American Planning Association accepting for nominations for Greatest Places in California. These places are "memorable to the community and individuals and creates a strong sense of place". Places include vistas, corridors, centers, preserves, and others. These places must have multi-modal transportation, sustainable design, safe environment, visually interesting, and contribute to a resident's day-to-day quality of living. These places should be unique or special and potentially help preserve the natural environment. The website is currently accepting submissions. San Jose Passes Mobile Home Protections The City Council of San Jose voted unanimously to preserve the city's remaining mobile home parks, which have been targeted for redevelopment. The vote comes after a decision last August, to impose a moratorium on mobile home park closures while the 1986 ordinance to regulate mobile home park closures was updated. The new ordinance includes three major provisions: First , the City Council is the only decision-making body on any park closures or conversions; second, the city must ensure that displaced residents receive proper relocation money; third, the city is extending the moratorium on conversions or zoning changes for six month. San Jose has some of the state's most expensive housing as well as the state's highest population of mobile home residents, with nearly 35,000 in 59 parks across the city.  Groups Promote Fracking Ban in Monterey County Environmental groups are promoting a ballot measure to ban fracking and new oil drilling in Monterey County. Similar bans are in place in Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Mendocino counties. Supporters of the measure say it is to reduce risk of groundwater pollution and have until early May to collect 7,391 signatures. Those against say the proponents want to end California oil production, which will require importing foreign oil. There have been numerous proposals: Sierra Club wants to ban fracking in Santa Clara County, Santa Barbara County voters rejected a ban in 2014, and Monterey County supervisors voted 3-2 against a ban last year. Monterey County is the fourth largest oil-producing county with nearly 1,200 wells, supporting 1,941 jobs and generating $138 million in state and local taxes.  Santa Monica Looks to Vision Zero Joining the global Vision Zero movement, The City of Santa Monica aims to have zero pedestrian injuries and fatalities through an ambitious 265-page plan that was unanimously approved by city council. The plan discusses the concept of "8 to 80" in which streets are made safer for the very young and elderly and therefore safest for everyone. There was community outreach, survey with 600 participants and forums. The planners looked at where large pedestrians were, location of assisted living facilities and where wide sidewalks and lower speed limits are located. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Fresno Approves Stadium-Adjacent Redevelopment The Fresno City Council approved a new downtown redevelopment project designed to complement the Fresno Grizziles minor league baseball stadium, Chuckchansi Park. The $15 million South Stadium Project development was approved, 6-0. The city has agreed to donate the land, which is currently occupied by the Fulton Mall. The mall has been slated for closure. The mall land will only be transferred once the developers Mehmet Noyan and Terance Frazier have secured full funding  Gold Line Light Rail Extends to Azusa LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority celebrated the opening of the Gold Line Extension Project last March 5. The 11.5 mile light-rail line will connect Pasadena to Azusa going through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte/City of Hope, Irwindale, and Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College; it extends the first phase of the Gold Line, which runs from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena. The extension includes six new stations with intermodal park and ride facilities: 1,500 parking spaces, connections to local bus lines and bicycle parking. The extension was funded through Measure R sales tax.  New Website to Aid Historic Preservation in Eureka The Eureka Historical Preservation Commission received a state grant to build a website that comes online in May. Planners are asking for photographs or other information about the architecturally or historically significant buildings in the area. The website will be a user-friendly map with these buildings and information. Eureka is known for its many Victorian buildings from the late 1800s. Assistant Planner Robert Jensen hopes this will provide a push for property owners to restore historic buildings.

The San Diego City Council is expected to approve Southeastern San Diego's first comprehensive set of zoning changes since 1987 with the goal of encouraging more development near mass transit.  Community leaders often complain that the area's lack of high-paying jobs discourages developers from building quality retail and housing projects, even though much of southeastern San Diego is less than 10 minutes from downtown. The changes aim to spur development by rezoning 6,740 acres in the area, where there is more vacant and under utilized land than anywhere else in the city. City officials have decided to split the area into two parts - Southeastern San Diego west of Interstate 805 and Encanto east of the freeway - and to adopt separate community plans for each. The number of multifamily housing units would triple from 4,000 to 12,000 in Encanto and increase 37 percent in Southeastern San Diego, from 9,400 to 12,900, while then umber of single family homes would stay about the same.  The new housing is restricted to targeted areas along trolley lines and in high-potential commercial spots such as Euclid Avenue, Market Street, Imperial Avenue and Commercial Street. Bay Area Group Threatens to -Sue the Suburbs' The San Francisco Bay Area Renters Foundation, a pro-development group, says that it will fulfill its promise to " sue the suburbs ," saying it will file a lawsuit next week against the city of Lafayette, saying that it is failing to construct its fair share of housing. At issue in Lafayette is a development approved by the City Council containing 44 single-family homes, a steep reduction in density from the originally proposed 315 units of middle-income housing that garnered protests. With the Bay Area permitting just about half of the housing it needed from 2007 to 2014, and permitting only about 28 percent of low to moderate income units, the renters' group is using Lafayette as a starting point for its plans to sue other Bay Area suburbs. The suit would finds its base on the state's 1982 Housing Accountability Act, which prohibits cities from blocking higher density affordable housing without a specific findings that it threatens health and safety in an unfixable way. SCAG Releases Draft EIR for Sustainable Communities Strategy The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has prepared a Draft Program Environmental Impact Report for its proposed 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. The Draft PEIR is available for a 60-day public review and comment period from Dec. 4-Feb. 1. Two public workshops, each providing the same information, will take place at SCAG's Los Angeles office. The Draft PEIR is available for review on SCAG's website at:  http://scagrtpscs.net/Pages/Draft2016PEIR.aspx . S.F. Supervisors Support EIR for Warriors Arena  The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to support the Environmental Impact Report for the  Golden State Warriors ' 18,500-seat, $1 billion Mission Bay arena project. Rejecting an appeal from opposition group Mission Bay Alliance saying that the project would have unmitigable impacts on traffic and the UCSF Hospital at Mission Bay, the supervisors found that plans for beefed-up public transit traffic control officers could handle the thousands of basketball fans flooding the neighborhood for games. They also voted 9-1 -- with Supervisor John Avalos voting against -- to establish a Mission Bay transportation fund dedicated to paying for $55 million in transit infrastructure, including four new light-rail vehicles, upgraded Muni power, new signals and signage and an expanded T-Third line platform next to the arena and UCSF. However, Warriors officials fully expect that the project will face its final battle in court, as the Mission Bay Alliance has said that it will file a lawsuit to block the arena. LAO Report: Real Estate Taxes Lag Home Price Increases California's median  home prices  have increased by about 10 percent a year since bottoming out in 2011, but property taxes are likely to increase by only 1.5 percent next year, according to reports from two state agencies. The Legislative Analyst's Office first reported that median housing prices have increased by 45 percent in four years, reaching about $450,000 in September 2015. Topping the increases, San Francisco has seen a 15 percent increase to $1.1 million in the past year, and Santa Clara has seen a 13 percent increase to $926,000. However, with home prices and rents climbing far faster than incomes, the LAO study said those increases "could suggest that the housing market is somewhat overheated." The Board of Equalization said in a separate report that the 10 percent-per-year increases will not reflect next year's property tax bills because inflation has remained remarkably low, and the board's property tax overseer, Dean Kinnee, dispatched a letter to county assessors Friday, instructing them to raise taxable values by 1.525 percent in accordance with Proposition 13, the 1978 property tax limit. San Jose May Allow Tent City for Homeless The San Jose City Council is deliberating the creation of a tent city to quickly house a small portion of the roughly 4,000 homeless people in the city for the winter. Following the lead of Santa Clara County, which allocated $200,000 to a nonprofit to run a tent city, the San Jose Council voted 9-1 to ask staff to analyze the price tag and feasibility of a legal encampment and find potential locations. The staff report lists 11 public 2-acre sites for a potential tent cluster, ranging from Monterey Highway and Bernal Road near a freeway offramp to a vacant facility near the Hillview Library. Mayor Sam Liccardo has objected to the tent cities, saying that sanctioned encampments have not worked in other cities and finding a site will take too long to address the immediate needs of the homeless. Klamath River Dam Removal in Jeopardy After stalling for several years in Congress, a settlement between the state, environmentalists, tribes, and farmers to remove four dams along the Klamath River in both Oregon and California may fizzle out, causing a relicensing process to begin. The river basin has long been the site of intense political fights over the sharing of scarce water between farms and fish, and the compromise to remove the dams would restore the river for imperiled salmon and steelhead, and give farmers greater certainty about irrigation water. However, fearing it would set a precedent for dam removal, House Republicans have blocked the removal proposal for years. If there's no legislation by the end of the year, when the agreements expire, several parties indicated they might abandon the settlement. "It's not the end," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), whose congressional district includes the lower Klamath, told the LA Times . "If anything it may be the beginning of a new and potentially more productive push to get these dams out by way of the process and the Clean Water Act authority the state of California has." Relicensing of the dams would go through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which licenses hydropower projects for 30 to 50 years. Groups Present Restoration Plan for Carrizo Plain Two environmental groups have teamed up on a plan to restore nearly 8,000 acres of degraded wildlife habitat in the Carrizo Plain area of southeastern San Luis Obispo County as a result of several lawsuits requiring two solar companies to conserve the land as environmental mitigation. The two environmental groups, Carrizo Plain Conservancy and the Sequoia Riverlands Trust, plan to replant the land, which has been converted to grassland through centuries of farming and grazing, with 15 percent brush cover. That land serves as habitat for pronghorn antelope, San Joaquin kit foxes, giant kangaroo rats, blunt-nosed leopard lizards and birds. The sprawling 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm was required to conserve 5,400 acres under a settlement worth several million dollars, and the nearby 250-megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch was required to conserve 2,500 acres. Lompoc Purchases Site for Transit Center The Lompoc City Council approved an initiative to purchase $550,000 worth of land, marking the first step in the city's attempts to build a $13 million Old Town Transit Center . Funding for the center will partially come from the voter-approved Prop. 1B, which has already provided $2.3 million of an anticipated $3.1 million for the project. It will also rely on a yearly $1 million redirected from funds for streets and roads. The new facility will include 15,446 square feet in fleet maintenance bay space and 5,900 square feet in transit maintenance bay space, along with updated parking facilities. California Cities Among -Best Performing' Six California cities landed in the Top 25 spots of the Milken Institute's annual " Best-Performing Cities " index, with San Jose and San Francisco securing the first and second spots, respectively, on the list. "San Jose's tech boom continues unabated," says Ross DeVol, Milken Institute chief research officer and one of the report's authors. "Its economy has the densest concentration of high-tech manufacturing in the nation." The index finds that technology continues to power America's most dynamic cities, with diversified economies showing resiliency amid the plunge in oil prices. High Speed Rail Loses Key Supporter; Deal for Fresno Maintenance Facility Stalls The state high speed rail project hit another speed bump as Democratic Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando) withdrew her support for the project, saying that five other Democrats in the Legislature are also reviewing their positions. Support for the project amongst Democrats had previously been nearly unanimous, but Lopez told the LA Times that the project would damage her low-income, mostly Latino community, which has been hurt historically by the construction of three freeways, garbage dumps and other decisions by political power brokers in the state. In other high speed rail news, Fresno's plans to win the bid for a heavy maintenance facility have hit a hitch as the financial plan to build the 700-acre facility changed. Developer Tim Jones had offered to front $750,00 for the facility if Fresno County was chosen for the project. His funds would be supplemented by $25 million in Measure C funds. The Fresno County Transportation Authority had agreed to reimburse Jones. Jones, however, recently proposed new terms, putting the deal in jeopardy. Court Gives Powers to S.F. Rent Board A state appeals court ruled that the San Francisco Rent Board can apply its own safeguards to protect tenants against eviction in lieu of contrasting state laws. The case arises as various landlords in the city seek to evict tenants to raise rents on the next occupants. The landlord in this case, John Britton, relied on a 2000 state law that allows landlords to change the terms of month-to-month leases with 30 days' notice, announcing new rules for tenants and saying those who couldn't comply would have to leave. San Francisco's Rent Board, which enforces the city's 1979 rent control law, passed regulations in 2012 that restrict landlords' authority to enforce new lease terms by evicting tenants or forcing them to move out. Ruling in favor of the rent board, Justice Maria Rivera said in a 3-0 decision that under the Supreme Court rulings from 1976 onward, "a municipality has the authority to limit the substantive grounds for eviction."

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) has approved a new two-year business plan. It includes an agreement to add more than $1 billion in costs to connect the City of Merced to the initial operating segment and to invest $2 billion to improve existing rail services in Southern California. While it will not change the alignment, the plan calls for construction of an additional line that will connect to Merced and eventually further to Sacramento. This statement was released in a 22-page revision of the draft 2016 business plan that had received significant criticism. The new document did not name new sources of funding but examined potential private or federal funding. While HSRA is attempting to address complaints, residents of San Jose, farmers in Central Valley, officials in Bakersfield and Southern California are frustrated and pessimistic. According to the 2008 bond, the deadline for presenting the final to the legislature was May 1. San Diego Stadium Plan Submits Signatures The group backing the Citizens Plan initiative, one of two competing potential ballot measures to promote a new NFL football stadium in San Diego, has submitted 100,845 signatures to raise a hotel tax to pay for tourism promotion and a convention center. The hotel tax would be raised from 12.5 to 15.5 percent and hotel owners could deduct up to two percent from the patrons for tourism marketing. The Chargers are pushing their own proposal, which would raise hotel tax to 16.5 percent, which would pay for the $1.8 billion stadium and convention center. With the hotel tax funds, the Citizens Plan wants to renovate Qualcomm Stadium into a tourist and higher education facility in Mission Valley and protect and preserve the river park.(See prior CP&DR coverage .) Federal Government Questions Use of Funds for Water Tunnels The Interior Department inspector general has begun an investigation looking into funding irregularities for the proposed water tunnel project known as California Water Fix. The $15 billion plan received complaints from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit that accused the project of taking $60 million federal money that was intended for fish and wildlife conservation. If the inspector general finds that the funds were misallocated, the state would be required to pay the money back, which could harm the tunnel project. Interactive Website Illuminates Transportation Data in Southern California UCLA's Lewis Center, in collaboration with the Southern California Association of Governments, released Revision , a new web application to better understand Southern California's transportation options. Metrics that the site can display include accessibility, livability, employment, health, commutes and will focus on growth near public transportation. By generating customized maps, users can see differences between neighborhoods, trends over time, Area Report, and Property Reports. Revision's area reports will compare over 10,000 census blocks in Southern California to countywide data or to one another. The website and visuals are available for Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. ULI Enters Debate over Future of Planning in Los Angeles The Urban Land Institutes's Los Angeles Chapter has released a Planning and Development Principles Statement for Los Angeles to advocate for a community vision, instead of the project-by-project negotiations that has been currently happening. Acknowledging that the city's 1995 General Plan Framework is outdated and that the city has "neglected" its Community Plans, the statement comes out in part as a response to the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, a proposed ballot measure that could constrain the city's ability to plan. The eight principles to help guide the way forward are 1) allowing all unique communities to thrive equally, 2) make great plans, 3) stick to the plans once they're made, 4) allow growth but keep neighborhood character, 5) provide adequate infrastructure, 6) commit to budget so all community plans can be reviewed and updated regularly, 7) EIRs should be reliable and trusted, and lastly 8) engagement from everyone. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) L.A. County Considers Tax for New Parks Los Angeles County is considering an initiative to use a parcel tax of 3-to-5 cents per developed square foot, to build parks. In some cities in the county, like Malibu, there are 13 acres of park for each 1,000 residents. El Monte and South El Monte have around one acre per 1,000 residents. A report by the county showed 51 percent of residents live more than half a mile from the nearest park, and in some areas the parks are in unsafe locations or rundown. Funds that could be generate by the proposed tax range from $191 million to $309 million. Funds would not be equally divided among the five supervisorial districts, instead funding would be distributed based on need. Four Finalists Chosen to Redesign L.A.'s Pershing Square Nonprofit Pershing Square Renew has selected four finalists for redesigning Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. The square, last redesigned in the early 1990s, has long been reviled as unattractive and unwelcoming. Agence Ter and Team's design includes a "smart" canopy, variety of themed gardens, and a main lawn that will show film screenings. James Corner Field Operations with Frederick Fisher & Partners include playgrounds, restaurants, hammock grove, and dog run to name a few amenities. These are the same designers of Santa Monica's Tongva Park and Manhattan's High Line. SWA I Morphosis's goal is to create a park that is active in the day and nighttime with many activities and a solar-powered hydroponic urban farming tower. wHY with Civitas, has a vine-covered shade structure, misting devices and uses alternatives and sustainable water filtration for the entire park. the public is able to vote and give comments. Funding for the project, which may cost in the tens of millions of dollars, has yet to be secured. $1.3 Billion Housing Measure Introduced Amid growing concerns for the state's housing supply, a group of Assembly Democrats has proposed legislation that would allocate $1.3 billion to help metropolitan areas increase housing supply. The bill would include local grants and tax credits to support construction of multi-family rental units, homes for farmworkers, supportive services for homeless and lower-cost housing statewide. Gov. Brown's 2016-17 budget proposal contained around $776 million for housing and transit from the cap-and-trade fund from carbon emission permits. Republicans, such as Marc Steinorth (R-Rancho Cucamonga) argue that instead of asking for more taxes, legislators should "encourage cities--even suburban ones--to focus on increasing housing supply, rather than tie their hands with out-of-date regulations." Beverly Hills Takes Lead on Autonomous Vehicles Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously to look into providing autonomous public transportation to shuttle residents from one location to another. Mayor John Mirisch hopes this small city of 5.7 miles can be a leader in adopting this new and innovative technology. While driverless cars are able to navigate in controlled-areas such as freeways and parking garages, city driving can become too chaotic. The city also plans to install fiber-optic cable to provide high-speed access throughout the city, which in the future, would allow the autonomous vehicles to communicate with one another. APA Awards Go to L.A., San Jose Projects in Los Angeles and San Jose received two of six National Planning Achievement Awards at the recent American Planning Association conference. People Street, a project of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, transforms underused areas of city streets into plazas or small parks. The program provides a guidelines and a "kit of parts" with preapproved design elements, to allow community members to spearhead projects in their neighborhoods. The San Jose project is a Water Pollution Control Plant that treats wastewater for over 1.4 million residents. The plant's plan has three goals: strengthen region's economy, restore sensitive bay habitats and provide new opportunities for recreation, and protect against sea level rise.  Lung Association Rates California's Air The American Lung Association's State of the Air 2016 report found two California cities ranked top of the list for most polluted cities in the nation. Bakersfield tops the list with most airborne particles and LA leads in harmful ozone pollution. Eighty percent of Californians, roughly 32 million people, live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution during some time in the year. Cities in California have made progress, businesses have spent $40 billion since 1992 to cut air pollution and have reduced pollutants by 80 percent since 1980 levels.

The state Department of Water Resources sharpened plans for the construction of two 30-mile-long tunnels on the Sacramento River, releasing hundreds of pages of documents in its environmental impact statement detailing the project's changes from the original 2006 plan worth $15 billion. Among changes, the new details show that the plan will eliminate pumping plants on the east bank of the Sacramento River in favor of a gravity-fed system into the tunnels. The details also present a scaled-back version of the plan, with Gov. Jerry Brown only calling for 15,600 acres for habitat restoration of offset the effect of the tunnels -only one-sixth of the amount of the governor's original proposal - and dropping efforts to obtain a 50-year permit for the project, raising anxiety among water agencies that are expecting more reliability in their water deliveries. Opposition to the project arose following the release of the documents. Stockton-area farmer Dean Cortopassi is circulating an initiative that would force public work projects costing over $2 billion to receive voter approval before issuing revenue bonds, a potential hitch in Brown's plan to avoid a public vote by raising funds from water agencies in exchange for reliable water deliveries. Environmentalists and Delta residents still say that pushing huge volumes of fresh water into the tunnels would greatly decrease drinking water quality for the East Bay and northern San Joaquin Valley and continue to degrade fish habitats, even though the Brown administration is proposing to restore 30,000 acres of habitat in the Delta. Army Corps Approves L.A. River Plan The Civil Works Review Board of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers unanimously approved a plan, over a decade in the making, to restore 719 acres of the Los Angeles River, marking a key victory in the long-anticipated plans to reestablish riparian strand, freshwater marsh, and aquatic habitat while maintaining flood risk management on the river. The Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration project proposes restoration measures in and along an 11-mile stretch of the river to reestablish scarce riparian strand, freshwater marsh, and aquatic habitat, while maintaining existing levels of flood risk management. The city and the Corps are expected to share the $1.3 billion cost, but financial commitments have yet to be worked out.  "The vote today validated that the recommended plan is technically feasible, environmentally acceptable, and economically justified," said Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kim Colloton. "Our partnership with the City of Los Angeles is as strong as it was in 1898 when we were working on the breakwater for the Port of Los Angeles, and it has been providing benefits and functioning well for over 80 years. It's now time to make room for the river." In order for the Corps and the City to begin construction, Congress now must authorize the project under the  Water Resources Development Act and appropriate funds for it. Obama Designates Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument President Obama  declared  the Berryessa Snow Mountain a national monument in an effort to better coordinate management of the area and raise its visibility for additional tourism and economic growth. The 331,000-acre wild land area covering Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties is home to bald eagles, tule elk, and rare plants found nowhere else on Earth. It hosts historic Indian cultural sites from tribes that have inhabited the area for at least 11,000 years. Berryessa had been under mixed jurisdiction, with the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service governing various tracts. Officials believe that the new designation will better coordinate management of the area, possibly generating as much as $26 million in economic activity over five years under the joint management of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. "After years of tireless work by countless numbers of people, the Berryessa Snow Mountain region is finally getting the permanent protection it deserves," U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and the driving force behind the designation, said in a press release. "This national monument designation will provide a boost to our local economy, enhance recreational opportunities for tens of thousands of people, and protect important wildlife." Judge Rules in Favor of Four Rural Water Districts Potentially hindering the state's efforts to enforce curtailments of 1.2 million acre-feet of water diversion for senior rights holders in the Central Valley, a state judge ruled that the State Water Resources Control Board cannot impose broad curtailments of water usage to four Central Valley irrigation districts without giving each one an individual chance to defend itself. Judge Shelleyanne Chang ruled that the SWRCB cannot issue mass notices that property owners holding senior riparian rights must stop diverting water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys "without any sort of pre-deprivation hearing." Experts told the Sacramento Bee that the ruling could affect the authority from an executive order intended to streamline the curtailment process quickly in the fourth year of drought. "The court is sending the state board a message that the water users have been trying to send for a few months," Jennifer Spaletta, a lawyer for the Central Delta Agency, told the Sacramento Bee . "Water rights are complicated. They cannot send out these broad orders." The curtailments marked the first time since 1977 that the state has affected senior rights, and the state had curtailed the rights to more than 1.2 million acre-feet of water leading up to the ruling. Orange County Streetcar Moves Forward The Orange County Transportation Authority agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the city of Santa Ana for the $250 million OC Streetcar Project, outlining the roles and responsibilities, development, operations, and maintenance of the project. Under the new agreement, the OCTA is responsible for the design, construction, and operations, along with securing the funding, while the OCTA and the city of Santa Ana must both develop and participate in a public outreach program for the project. With construction expected to begin in 2017 and operations beginning in 2019, the route will stop at 12 stations from the Santa Ana train station, through downtown Santa Ana, and connecting to a new multimodal transit hub at Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove. L.A. County May Ban Utility-Scale Wind Turbines The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took preliminary steps to ban utility-scale wind turbines in the county's unincorporated areas, voting unanimously on a draft Renewable Energy Ordinance that would update the county's permitting and regulations on those projects along with small-scale wind and solar projects. After hearing complaints from residents of Antelope Valley that the large wind projects - originally planned to have a height limit of 500 feet- created fugitive dust and contributed to health concerns like valley fever, Supervisor Michael Antonovich proposed the ban in favor of regulations that would incentivize construction of small-scale projects mounted on roofs by streamlining the permitting process for those smaller projects. The county's Department of Regional Planning staff had recommended that the large wind farms, which typically generate electricity for off-site use and are contracted through a power-purchase agreement with a utility, be allowed but regulated. Oakland Considers Proposal to Keep Raiders Oakland City council members met in a closed session to discuss a proposal by San Diego developer Floyd Kephart in which Oakland and Alameda Counties would finance $100-140 million in infrastructure improvements before submitting plans to finance the $1 billion Oakland Raiders "Coliseum City" project he is heading. While activists rallied to decry the project, saying that Kephart should guarantee local jobs, affordable housing, and public services, Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan defended Kephart's request to be freed from obligations to improve infrastructure. "Even if all the sports teams and Floyd Kephart disappear, we should still develop that site," Kaplan told the San Francisco Chronicle. She added that transit-oriented development - such as a massive sports complex, convention center, or shopping mall near the Coliseum BART station - will create jobs, boost the economy and encourage people to use public transportation. Judge to Deliberate on Sacramento Arena Following Final Arguments A lawsuit over a public subsidy given to fund a new downtown stadium for the Sacramento Kings will go to a judge following final arguments in which plaintiffs argued that the city committed fraud by hiding the full value of its investment. Specifically, they argued that rights to 3,700 parking spaces at the former Downtown Plaza and entitlements to build six digital signboards near freeways amounts to a secret subsidy given by the city without any public disclosure. Attorneys for the city said that the plaintiffs were tossing unproven theories in hopes that one would stick. "They failed to really produce any evidence that there was a collusion or conspiracy among city staff, city officials, the city council to defraud the public," Assistant City Attorney Matt Ruyak said at the hearing, according to Capitol Public Radio . Expedited Review Environmental Approved for Potential S.D. Football Stadium The San Diego City Council voted, 6-3, to approve a $2.1 million expedited environmental review for a new Chargers stadium, hoping to convince the NFL to force the non-complicit Chargers -- currently pursuing a joint venture in Carson with the Oakland Raiders -- back to the bargaining table, . Officials hope that the vote will show the NFL that San Diego is serious about building a new stadium in the wake of a looming visit of NFL executives to San Diego in July and a meeting of NFL owners in Chicago on August 10, along with Mayor Kevin Faulconer's hopes to put a stadium proposal on the ballot in December or January. The proposal would build a new stadium at the Chargers' existing site at Qualcomm Stadium, though the Chargers were in favor of a downtown site. The council members in opposition called the spending an improper use of taxpayer money. "Without a financing plan for this project, we are simply not being serious," as Councilman David Alvarez said at the meeting, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. U.S., Mexico Move Towards Tijuana River Agreement The U.S. and Mexico are preparing to sign a binding formal agreement to regulate pollution that has plagued the Tijuana River watershed on both sides of the border. The agreement, known as a "minute" and expected to be completed before the end of the summer, would set up a bilateral framework composed of government agencies and the nonprofit sector to address the watershed's three major issues: sediment control, solid waste management, and water quality. The Tijuana River Watershed covers 1,735 miles of Baja California and San Diego County, and pollution from discarded tires in Tijuana, sediment erosion from Mexican canyons, and other pollution have affected water quality on both sides of the border for the past three decades. Judge Throws Up Roadblock for Uber Ride-Hailing Service A California judge dealt a blow to ride-hailing service Uber, recommending that the Silicon Valley-based company be fined $7.3 million and be suspended from operating in California for evading a 2013 state law designed to ensure that drivers are doling out rides fairly to all passengers. In the ruling, Karen V. Clopton, chief administrative law judge of the California Public Utilities Commission, said that Uber's annual report concerning data about rides provided through the app did not include hard numbers on customers who requested cars to accommodate service animals or wheelchairs, or raw numbers on requests tabulated by ZIP Codes.  While a $7.3 million fine would be just a drop in the bucket for the company backed by $5.9 billion in venture capital, the suspension of Uber's services in its own backyard would be a major symbolic blow as it faces litigation in other cities in the U.S. along with countries throughout Europe.  "It's not a market they would want to jeopardize their existence in over not handing over some spreadsheets," Juan Matute, the associate director of the UCLA Lewis Center and the Institute of Transportation Studies, told the LA Times.

The Mountain View City Council specified the number of houses it is prepared to build in the city's North Bayshore business district, choosing the densest option of building 9,100 units in the area that's home to Google, LinkedIn, and Microsoft. "It gives us the most flexibility moving forward," Vice Mayor Pat Showalter said at the meeting, according to the San Francisco Business Journal . "It's not all going to be built. So having more areas where it's allowed is better." Getting to that number of units would require a revision of the final Environmental Impact Report, which the previous council had approved without any residential space. After that, voters put a pro-housing council majority into office last November as housing advocates said approving office space with no housing would aggravate traffic issues and promote suburban sprawl. Councilmembers supported a land-use plan that would allow residential uses for over 60 acres of land, most of which is owned by Google. Mountain View currently has 31,000 households.  Downtown L.A. Subway Project Falters Los Angeles' Downtown Regional Connector project -- considered as a crucial missing link in Metro's expanding mass transit network -- is already encountering cost overruns and schedule delays, even before tunneling has begun. Half of the project's $92.7 million reserve for unexpected cost has been expended because of complications with underground utilities, and a Metro analysis indicates that the estimated $1.42-billion price tag for the subway connection needs to grow by $130 million, or 9%, to cover the added expenses and replenish the reserve fund. The project will be a 1.9-mile connection between the 7th Street subway station near Staples Center to the eastern edge of Little Tokyo near Union Station, and is seen as the linchpin of an unprecedented boom in rail construction for Metro. "These kinds of stumbles that we're having here are very common in construction projects, but especially when you're doing it in a huge business area, in a downtown environment," said Metro spokesperson Pauletta Tonilas. "It's not a surprise that we've hit some bumps in the road." Bay Area Group Calls for Penalties on Cities that Shirk Housing Obligations A controversial new report from the Bay Area Council suggests that Bay Area cities that do not build enough housing to keep up with the region's growth should be punished by having their ability to approve or reject development projects stripped. The "Roadmap for Economic Resilience" report suggests creating "super agencies" to supersede local planning authorities in approving and funding projects, and it suggests that the state could expand "by right" approvals in which cities are powerless to block a project if it complies with local zoning and building codes. It also said that the area's 26 transit agencies need to begin coordinating their planning immediately. "The mission of the report isn't to say, 'It must be done this way,'" Jim Wunderman, the council's chief executive officer, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's to start a region-wide conversation. ... We don't, in any way, want to put local governments out of the business of deciding what goes in their neighborhoods." L.A. Earthquake Upgrades to Begin in February As early as February, Los Angeles officials will start instructing some property owners to initiate earthquake retrofits  on thousands of wooden buildings in the city. The orders will apply to "soft-story" wooden apartments with weak first floors that are often held up by slender columns over carports.  An estimated 15,000 buildings -- both wooden and concrete -- across the city will be strengthened under Los Angeles' new landmark retrofitting laws. Owners of the city's largest apartment buildings containing 16 or more units will receive the first wave of orders, after which they have one year either to submit proof that the building doesn't need retrofitting or to submit plans for retrofit or demolition. Property Owners Force Repeal of Rent Control in Richmond The Richmond City Council voted to repeal a rent control ordinance following a successful petition drive by property owners in the area. The ordinance was passed by a City Council vote instead of a voter referendum and was therefore subject to repeal if enough opposing signatures were gathered. It would have prevented landlords from increasing rents more than 2 percent each year and made it more difficult to evict tenants. Councilwoman Gayle McLaughlin, who supports rent control, said coalition groups are drafting a new policy with simpler and clearer language to be voted on by the city council in the near future, after which it will be put up for a referendum for Richmond voters. Los Angeles Faces CEQA Suit over Drilling A group of environmental advocates are  suing  the City of Los Angeles, alleging that the city has violated the California Environmental Quality Act by rubber stamping plans involving oil drilling near homes. Officials have exempted most plans related  o oil drilling and extraction from CEQA requirements "under the basis of there being no change in land use," because many sites predate the 1970 passage of CEQA, according to a report prepared last year by the Planning Department. The lawsuit, which comes from Youth for Environmental Justice, the Center for Biological Diversity and the South Central Youth Leadership Coalition, could find only one instance when Los Angeles required an Environmental Impact Report for oil drilling, and it came in a largely white neighborhood. The groups are arguing that oil drilling sites should be fitted with much more stringent conditions like taller walls, better sound protection, and less-polluting equipment. Redwood City Approves Affordable Housing Fee The Redwood City City Council approved a new affordable housing fee on development in the city.  The move, which would charge developers $5 to $25 per square foot for commercial projects over 5,000 square feet and residential projects of five or more units to generate $3 million per year., was opposed by business and developers' groups, who argued that the fee would raise housing prices and bring development to a halt. "I think when it comes to the situation that we're in right now, the rules are different," Vice Mayor Rosanne Foust, who supported the ordinance, told the San Jose Mercury News. "And if one housing developer decides, 'you know what, I'm not interested in paying that fee,' my guess is there are four other housing developers that are going to be behind him." Developers who agree to build affordable housing or provide land for such a project could be exempted from the fee. Wind Farm Proposed for Coast off Morro Bay Plans to build the state's first offshore wind farm are gaining steam as a Seattle company released a plan to install 100 floating turbines up to 636 feet tall about 15 miles off Morro Bay. The project would generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, capable of powering 300,000 homes. However, some environmentalists are already wary of the project. "California places a great deal of value on the Pacific coastline and what it looks like when you travel there. People don't want to look out and see a floating industrial facility," said Susan Jordan, director of the California Coastal Protection Network in Santa Barbara. California currently draws 8 percent of its electricity from its 1,883 wind turbines. It needs to increase that and other renewable sources to follow Gov. Jerry Brown's landmark law requiring state utilities to provide 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Report: San Diego Facies Housing Crisis A new report from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the London Group finds that San Diego County is building itself up for an affordable housing crisis that could choke economic growth. The report finds that home building has slowed dramatically since the 2008 recession with only 3,153 multifamily units  and 2,272 single family units being built since 2008, respectively corresponding to 44 percent and 64 percent of what SANDAG anticipated. The report predicts that there could be a shortage of 45,000 to 118,000 single family homes by 2050. "Ultimately we pay the price in those companies that are not growing or moving out or expanding elsewhere," economist Gary London said. "The other path is that we become a boutique region where we basically become a region that mostly accommodates the haves and leaves out the have-nots." Restoration Begins on Portion of Salton Sea Officials began work on a $3.5 million project to restore 420 acres of Red Hill Bay on the southeastern shore of the beleaguered Salton Sea, which has been dying for decades. Recently, agricultural runoff, which is crucial to the sea's water levels, has been declining. The modest project, which is slated for completion in early 2017, is a signal that restoration of the 35-mile-long sea is not a lost cause. The Pacific Institute, an environmental think tank, has warned that a loss of water in the sea exposes the sea bottom laden with pesticides and salt, potentially causing an impending disaster to public health, property values, agricultural production, the environment, and the recreation industry. The Salton Sea Authority has set a goal of restoring 12,000 acres of shoreline habitat in the next five years, and another 25,000 acres starting in 2020.