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Marking a major expansion of Los Angeles’ rail network, Phase II of the Exposition Light Rail Line, from Culver City to Santa Monica, officially opened Friday, May 20. The extension realizes a long-sought goal of connecting downtown Los Angeles to the beach; the two combined phrases make the trip in 46 minutes. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other backers hope that the line will attract commuters who would otherwise travel on the heavily congested Interstate 10. It is also hoped that by reaching into the region’s affluent Westside the line will attract discretionary riders. Metro estimates that 64,000 riders will use the line daily by 2030. Built at a cost of $1.5 billion, Expo Line Phase II is one of several rail projects underway in Metro’s current construction plan. the design of the line has drawn criticism for having too many at-grade street crossings – 29 – and for not having signal priority in the City of Los Angeles. With the opening of Expo Phase II, Metro now operates over 100 miles of subway and light rail lines. (See prior CP&DR coverage  here  and here .) Report Describes Loss of Natural Lands in Western U.S. A new report called The Disappearing West , published by Truckee-based non-profit research group Conservation Science Partners, charts the transformation of the west’s natural lands by new subdivisions, roads, oil and gas production, agricultural operations, and other human developments. Between 2001 and 2011 nearly 4,321 square miles were developed in the 11 western states, with California losing the most natural land. They calculated every 2.5 minutes the West loses an area of natural land the size of a football field, that equates to a loss of over 430 square miles annually. Among California counties, San Bernardino lost the most land – 60,000 acres – followed by Riverside, Kern, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties. The report also found that only 12 percent of western land is protected as parkland or other type of preserve; California has the highest percentage of protected land in the West, at 24 percent. Completion of First Segment of High Speed Rail Pushed Back to 2022 The first segment of California High Speed Rail originally scheduled for completion in 2018 will not be done until 2022 according to revised contract with the federal government. The contract confirms that federal funds may be still used for the project even thought it is behind schedule. The delay has provided fuel for opponents of the project. Supporters say the delay reflects more ambitious plans and an improved vision, and they blame farmers and not-in-my-back-yarders for holding up construction with lawsuits and other protests. The Obama administration has given CHRSA an extension for the use of federal funds. The authority has 15 months to spend $2.5 billion from the federal government, but many feel the funds will still be spent after the deadline. Meanwhile, CHSRA has promised up to $500,000 each for cities including La Mirada, Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs to fund economic and environmental impact studies for the network’s eventual extension into Orange County. Friant Study Area Put in ‘Limbo’ by Fresno County Supervisors Fresno County supervisors voted , 5-0, to keep the Friant Corridor Study Area, a 5,364-acre section of land along the San Joaquin River between Fresno and the town of Friant, in limbo or “set aside.” While some groups are interested in developing the land, others, primarily environmental groups, say there is inadequate water available for development. A more complete study will now have to be done to include potential water supply sources. Twice the Fresno County Planning Commission has rejected the Friant Corridor Study. Developers Quad Knopf are interested in six “opportunity sites,” which include six percent of the study area. They are interested in expanding Lost Lake Recreation Area, kayak and canoe rentals, recreational fields, restaurants and convenience stores. Quad Knopf is not interested in residential development and thus did not complete an exhaustive comprehensive study including water supply. American Planning Association Launches Planning Assistance Program California Chapter of American Planning Association has launched a program that would offer planning assistance to financially constrained cities throughout California and Baja California. The Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) helps educate the community, engages and empowers the municipalities. Participants may qualify for AICP credit and team members help with short-term and future planning. The evaluations for pro-bono assistance consider community need, potential positive impact and community readiness in terms of local leadership and community support. The community then reimburses team members for transportation, food, overnight accommodations and facilities and materials to undertake the project. The program is based on a similar programs in Illinois, Washington, and New Jersey. Study Shows Shortage of Funding for Bay Area Transportation Projects Transportation research firm Trip has released a study indicating that the Bay Area’s transportation projects are severely underfunded. Of the 20 most critical projects, only three have full funding, 11 have partial funding, and six won’t get any funds until 2020. Trip ranked the top 20 projects green, yellow or red depending on their funding. Projects receiving yellow ranking is seismic retrofitting of the Golden Gate Bridge, MTC’s planned express lane and BART extension to downtown San Jose to name a few. Red, or projects with severe underfunding, are the Caltrain extension, BART improvements, Interstate 680 interchanges and Highway 152 realignment and widening. They also looked at projects in Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles. Innovative Developer Tapped to Revitalize Downtown Garden Grove The Garden Grove city council unanimously approved a project intended to transform the downtown of the suburban Orange County city into a walkable business-friendly area. Little American Business (LAB) Holdings, owned by Shaheen Sadeghi , are the developers behind the widely acclaimed Anaheim Packing House and Costa Mesa’s The Lab. LAB is purchasing 17 parcels, including 12 single-family homes, downtown and plans to convert each into an art gallery, brewery, yoga, or coffee shop. The plans call for preservation of buildings’ historic elements. Some in Garden Grove say that the city has not sought enough public input into the project and have expressed concerns about displacement. Oakland Adopts Impact Fees on New Market-Rate Units Oakland is adopting impact fees on new market-rate housing units to provide funds for transportation, infrastructure and affordable housing. The City Council approved the fees, 7-1, which mirror those in neighboring cities Emeryville and Berkeley. The city is divided into three geographic zones with different fees for the different areas. The lowest fees starting in September is $750 per market-rate unit is in the area east of 23rd Avenue (including Coliseum City) and the highest is $7,000 in downtown, uptown and Lake Merritt. The fees are designed in part to encourage developers that include affordable housing in their projects, as they would be exempt. However, many residents worry that the fees are too low and not phased in quickly enough to push for change. (See coverage of rent control this month.) Los Angeles County Seeks Tax for Homeless Services The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to pursue a “millionaires tax” that would pay for housing and services for the homeless. Additionally, the supervisors will look at the $1 billion per year the county spends on homeless single adults on things like emergency medical care, mental health treatment, cash assistance and incarceration. Both propositions would need two-thirds approval from voters, and the millionaire’s tax would need a change in state law because the county does not have the authority to increase income taxes. Meanwhile, The city and county of Los Angeles passed plans to approve $150 million in funding to reduce homelessness. The state is considering a $2 billion in bonds to build 10,0000 to 14,000 units for mentally ill homeless people statewide.  Unlike the millionaire’s tax, the proposal to look into spending on homeless services was unanimously approved. Updates & Quick Hits The Concord City Council voted unanimously to approve Lennar Urban to develop the Concord Naval Weapons Station despite accusations about an unfair bidding process and objections from residents. Orange County Transportation Authority will be cutting bus routes with low-ridership starting June 12 but majority of reductions take place in October. For June, route 172 and 173 between Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach will be eliminated, and Route 178 on Saturdays from Huntington Beach to Irvine. The 91/Perris Valley Line (91/PV), which will extend Metrolink service on the 91 Line, will begin operations June 6. It is the first extension of Metrolink since the Antelope Valley Line was built in 1994. The extension will extend 24 miles from the Riverside to South Perris and add four new stations. The extension cost $248 million and will serve approximately 4,000 riders a week. UCLA Professor of Regional and International Development in the Department of Urban Planning Michael Storper received the Royal Medal from the Royal Geographical Society for his “leadership in human and economic geography.” His research focuses on urban economies, with a focus on California. Airbnb estimates it brought in $920 million into the Los Angeles economy last year. The national Hotel and Lodging Association says does not account for the loss in affordable housing and stable communities. The city is working on whether to tax guests or adopting rules and regulating hosts. Enough signatures have been collected to place an affordable housing measure, Build Better L.A. , on the November citywide ballot. The measure would compel real estate developers to provide affordable housing for larger projects that seek exemptions from city planning and zoning rules. Two Chargers fan groups are asking  San Diego visitors to boycott three hotel chains that are they say are opposed the proposed stadium-convention complex in downtown San Diego . The groups say they are following the money and want transparency for campaigns and projects. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) What was an ongoing debate in San Diego has finally been put to rest. The city’s Climate Action Plan is enforceable to the extent required by CEQA, according to City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. The 3,000-unit Parkmerced development in San Francisco is encouraging residents to take public transportation or ride-hailing services by offering $100-a-month credit. It is assumed to be the largest such developer-sponsored program in the state, and supporters are hailing it as a model for incentivizing the use of alternative transportation modes.

South Los Angeles and a section of San Diego south of downtown have been designated federal Promise Zones . Instituted in response to the recession of the late 2000s and administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the designation enables the country’s neediest neighborhoods to receive competitive federal grants to tackle poverty-related issues. This is the third round of designations; there are now 13 urban Promise Zones nationwide. Promise Zones are usually evaluated on number of empty foreclosed homes. After multiple unsuccessful applications, South L.A. won the designation in part because of high rates of multiple families living in a single apartment and one of the worst homelessness rates in the country; in San Diego’s Promise Zone, the youth unemployment rate of 40 percent was cited as a reason for the designation. Los Angeles is the only city to have two designations within its boundaries, with another area designated in 2014. Since the first designation, Los Angeles has secured nearly 30 grant awards in more than $100 million for education, workforce development, healthy food access and economic opportunity.  Initiative Would Significantly Revise Ventura County Open-Space Policy A proposed initiative in Ventura would weaken the existing open-space laws that were approved in 1995 and 2002. The Save Our Agricultural Resources (SOAR) and Hillsides Voter Participation Area ordinances were put in place by voters in order to give them a say in whether farmland could be converted into other land uses. Now, SOAR staff is updating its plan to include unincorporated county and assorted city measures. Opponents to the staff initiative have collected 30,000 signatures to place a new initiative, Sustain VC, on the ballot. The Sustain VC initiative would require voter approval to develop farmland and open space in unincorporated county, as well as designate up to 225 acres for food processing plants and rezone farm parcels. UC Berkeley Releases Tool for Analyzing Housing Supply Statewide The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley released a new Housing Development Dashboard , an interactive platform to allow stakeholders to easily understand and interact with land use measures and market conditions for housing production. The Dashboard was designed in response to the state’s housing affordability crisis with an eye towards evaluating the supply of housing statewide. The Dashboard is designed to simulate a variety of housing strategies and outcomes: Will a higher level of inclusionary housing stall production? How much more housing would get built if we streamlined the approval process? The Dashboard was built on multiple data sets and default assumptions about economic factors that influence housing production. Next the researchers assessed how various policies change the cost of development. Currently the system has a Development Calculator and Policy Gauge, although the latter is only developed for four Bay Area cities. Senate Approves Reconstitution of SCAQMD Board The state Senate approved a bill to add three state-appointed environmental justice members to the South Coast Air Quality Management District board. SCAQMD has come under fire for becoming more business friendly after the transition to the panel’s Republican majority, according to Senate Leader Kevin DeLeón (D-LA). This was evidenced by the SCAQMD vote, which fell along party lines, 7 Republicans opposed and five Democrats and one independent in favor. This bill would expand the board from 13 to 16 members, with the three new representatives appointed by the governor, Senate Rules Committee, and the Assembly speaker. Currently there are 10 locally chosen members and three state appointees. SCAQMD is in charge of improving air quality for 17 million residents, with an area that currently has the worst smog in the nation. Survey Gauges Los Angeles Voters’ Attitudes towards Transportation Options In anticipation of a major transportation measure on the November ballot, Los Angeles-based transportation advocacy group Investing in Place released  results of a survey of L.A. County voters and their priorities related to transportation funds. The survey found strong voter approval for using tax revenue from the potential L.A. County Transportation tax to fund alternatives to driving, and especially for investing in projects that improve walkability throughout the county. There is strong support for spending funds on freeways, rail transit and bus service, more voters are interested in methods that are alternatives to driving. For instance 83 percent of voters said they would be in favor of using funds to make it easier and safer for children to walk or bike to school. Additionally it is estimated that 19 percent of all trips in L.A. County are walking or biking, while those methods of transportation represent 39 percent of those killed in traffic collisions. Making alternatives to driving safer and improving sidewalks must be priorities for Los Angeles County. Feds Approve Redevelopment of L.A.’s Jordan Downs The City of Los Angeles has received federal approval to demolish and transform the 49-acre Jordan Downs, a public housing project in Watts that has been plagued with problems for generations. This revitalization will happen in multiple phases. The first phase, beginning this year, includes a public-private effort led by HACLA to rebuild 250 units of new affordable housing, 120,000 square feet of retail, nearly two acres of park space and an expansive community center. In later phases, there were will be additional public amenities and total 1,410 units of housing (both affordable rental and ownership). Updates & Quick Hits The San Francisco Planning Commission voted, 4-3, to reject a ban on chain stores on Polk Street after a proposed Whole Foods caused an uproar among residents. Planning commissioners said zoning should be amended to permit some retail establishments in while imposing restrictions on developments opposed by residents. Documents filed this week by state and federal officials assert that the proposed $17 billion Delta tunnels will not divert Northern California’s water to Southern California. Public hearings will begin end of July, with the first set dedicated to water rights and the second round on tunnels’ impact on the environment. California Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Kinsey will recuse himself from voting on the proposed Newport Banning Ranch project because of previously undisclosed private meetings with developers. Notices of ex-parte meetings must be filed within a week of the meeting; Kinsey failed to report two separate meetings last year. The Los Angeles City Council voted , 12-0, to provide $198.5 million in subsidies and loans to Related Cos. to build a mixed use development consisting of two towers across from Walt Disney Concert Hall.  The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved , 5-0, a farm-labor housing camp west of Orcutt. The Curletti Farm Employee Housing Project included 30 bunkhouses, common buildings for cooking, dining and laundry for Betteravia Farms which grows produce on 9,000 acres. Developers John Leung and Jean Lang, who had been developing a $1 billion, 65-acre El Monte Transit Village, are facing three counts of bank fraud and seven counts of making false statements to a federally insured institution. The city of El Monte is suing the two for forging signatures to obtain loans and lines of credit and both were arrested in 2009 for forgery, embezzlement, grand theft, burglary and fraud but charges were filed last week. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted , 10-0, to approve legislation that would require short-term rentals to post listings only if the resident is registered with the city, or face daily fines up to $1,000.

In a possible blow to High Speed Rail and climate-change programs like the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant program, the most recent cap-and-trade auction fell short of expectations. Only 2 percent of carbon credits were purchased -- 785,000 of the 43 million offered, all sold at the floor price of $12.73. The Department of Finance had anticipated revenues of $2.4 billion for the fiscal year. Three previous auctions met expectations, resulting in a total of $1.8 billion for the year. The rail authority was expecting $150 million and received $2.5 million from the $10 million that was generated last week. Some analysts suggest that emitters of carbon dioxide have cut back on emissions more than anticipated. Other reasons for the low turnout are because there is less need for credits, litigation may overturn the entire system and volatility by speculators in a secondary trading market. There is a $500 million reserve set up for volatility that could help close the gap, which will be decided on by Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature. Riverside to Reconsider Governance of March Air Base Riverside County supervisors are sponsoring a measure to ask the Board of Supervisors to restructure the March Joint Powers Authority, which in 1993 was tasked with overseeing the transition from military to civilian use. The former March Air Force Base is significantly smaller now and does not need the annual $600,000 subsidy. The remaining land would be parceled equally among the three cities: Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris. The JPA will still exist but its role would be as airport authority, overseeing civilian use of the March base and promoting base’s importance in case of downsizing or elimination by Congress. Disbanding the JPA has been considered before and failed, but the supervisors are more hopeful because the vision and most land has been developed. Sacramento May Shut Underperforming Light Rail Segment Sacramento Regional Transit is considering closing the Green Line to North Natomas and Sacramento International Airport indefinitely, after costing $44 million and operating for four years. This line averages only 440 boardings a day and costs $330,000 annually. Transit officials had hoped housing developments in the areas the Green Line served would come online more quickly. Another option, instead of closing a line, would be having every few Gold Line trains make the entire Green Line loop . Final decisions will be made in June, and the cuts would take place January 2017. RT has suffered from low ridership, increased costs, and less state and federal transportation funding. Fares were increased by 10 percent, making tickets the most expensive in the state. Lawsuit Filed by Critic of Inglewood Football Stadium Barbara Ohno, a former accountant for the city of Inglewood, is filing a lawsuit against Mayor James Butts and other officials because she claims to have been let go for “whistle-blowing” on alleged financial and accounting irregularities during the city’s pursuit of an NFL team. She says the city “engaged in faulty financial and accounting practices, fraudulent regulatory reporting, and reclassification of costs to depict a favorable, but false, financial picture.” City representatives say Ohno was a probationary employee released before completing her probationary period and that the city was never required to present financial data to the NFL. Los Angles May Subsidize Grand Avenue Project The City of Los Angeles may offer a financial aid package of $198.5 million over 25 years to Related Cos. to support the completion of the long-awaited Grand Avenue Project. Related put $50 million into constructing Grand Park and opened Emerson, a luxury apartment building nearby, two years later. Now, a pair of hotel and residential towers are planned across from Walt Disney Concert Hall but the funds are short. The proposed funds would help Related finish constructing a four-star hotel, 429 residential units, restaurants and stores on Grand Avenue. Related would be able to keep half of the taxes generated for the city. This subsidy package represents half of the funding gap, which an analyst says is so high because of the decision to hire Frank Gehry as the architect.  City Council will vote on the proposal next week and construction on the towers will begin next year. Los Angeles Sponsors Competition for Innovative Urban Solutions Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced the first Mayor’s Cup, with a $25,000 prize, for innovative solutions for promoting entrepreneurship, preserving affordable housing, supporting small businesses, and beautifying vacant and blighted spaces. The program is soliciting proposals from student entrepreneurs and local academics to incentivize creativity. Submissions must solve one of eight challenges posed by the program.  Finalists will pitch ideas to panel of business and government leaders; grand prize winners will work with City Hall for eight weeks to bring their proposals to life. Applications are due Oct. 15 and finalists will be announced early November. San Francisco Competes for  ‘ Smart City’ Grant San Francisco is one of seven cities pitching a transportation vision to U.S. Department of Transportation for a $50 million “Smart City” grant. The San Francisco plan includes Mayor Ed Lee, SF Municipal Transportation Agency, UC Berkeley, Google, Uber and Lyft. The plan includes autonomous buses, shared bikes, Uber and Lyft vehicles and parking structures converted into green space or affordable housing. The entire system would be available using a single smartphone app. More than 40 companies have pledged a combined $99 million should they receive the federal grant. This new system would improve safety, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow people to travel anywhere in the city in twenty minutes or less. The project will be implemented in three-year phases over the next decade. Quick Hits & Updates Madera County is creating a Department of Water and Natural Resources to streamline services for residents, ensure groundwater management, and deal with supply, quality and storage. Julia Berry, former executive director of Madera County Farm Bureau, is the new director of the department.A judge approved the Metropolitan Water District’s purchase of 20,000 acres in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. San Joaquin and Contra Costa counties asked the Superior Court to block the purchase arguing about the potential harm to the delta.In one of the largest commercial deals in recent memory in San Francisco, the Planning Commission approved two mixed-use towers totaling 2.3 million square feet in the Transbay district in South of Market. One tower is 850 feet with residence and offices and the other is 605 with residences and a hotel. City officials say the project supports walkability, increased public transit and restores historic buildings on site.KaBOOM! announced its 2016 Playful Cities USA that make it easy for kids to get “balanced and active play in their neighborhoods.” Out of the 257 communities that were recognized, 30 are in California. San Francisco and Kerman have been recognized as honorees ten times.The ongoing lawsuit on Bakersfield’s Centennial Corridor project must return to court earlier than expected because demolition contractors began dismantling vacant structures. The group suing, Concerned Citizens About Centennial Corridor, is asking for a preliminary injunction against further work on the project before the June 3 court date.The Del Rey Oaks city council unanimously approved a would-be ballot initiative clearing the way for  the development of a 54-acre RV park in the city. It is believed to be the first time the “Tuolumne tactic,” which enables a council to pre-empt a popular vote without CEQA review, has been used on a project that small.

To address the state's intensifying homelessness crisis, state senators proposed a $2 billion bill to help provide up to 14,000 units of permanent housing for the state's mentally ill homeless population. California has roughly 116,000 homeless people. The monies, to be raised as bonds, would be repaid over 20 to 30 years with money from the tax for mental health services approved in 2004 (Proposition 63). Backers of the bill say they hope that state funds will encourage local governments to address their respective homelessness problems. The Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Le'n also proposed $200 million from the state's general fund to assist with rent subsidies until the new housing projects are completed. A spokeswoman for Gov. Jerry Brown said, "the administration is supportive of efforts to empower local governments to tackle homelessness, poverty, and mental health issues in our communities and we will take a close look at the proposals in this package." Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that he embraces more state funding, while others criticized the proposal for not allowing local leaders to make financial decisions. Group Files Pair of Suits Against Warriors' Arena A citizens group called the Mission Bay Alliance recently filed suit to halt the development of The Golden State Warriors proposed $1 billion arena in San Francisco's Mission Bay. The arena was recently approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.  Parents fear that game time traffic to the Warriors arena, located 1,000 feet from UCSF Children's Hospital, could block life-saving care. The lawsuit argues that the plan violates California Environmental Quality Act for failing to consider other locations and for causing significant, air quality, noise, and traffic impacts. It also claims that the area plan violates a 1998 redevelopment plan, which, they say, does not include a sports arena. A separate suit filed by the group argues that UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood signed memorandum supporting the project without authorization from the UC Board of Regents. Sacramento Considers Rails-to-Trails Greenway            Sacramento officials are advancing a proposal for a defunct railroad right of way in the southwestern part of the city to be converted into a 4.5-mile long paved trail for bikes and pedestrians. Dubbed the Del Rio Trail, the project is currently in the planning stages and estimated to cost $17 million; the city recently received a $2.2 million grant from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments for environmental studies and other preliminary work. Supporters hope it will not only provide recreational space but also become an alternative route for commuters heading into downtown Sacramento. Residents surrounding the right of way, unused since 1978, have expressed support for the proposal, although a few cite concerns about increase in visitors to the area. However, California Department of Parks and Recreation envisions an extension of the Old Sacramento tourist train from downtown Sacramento to the Zoo. There are currently various options and ideas being discussed, and the City will begin community and stakeholder meetings this year. Los Angeles Drafts Regional Strategy to Combat Homelessness The City of Los Angeles released a draft Homelessness Strategy Report, which backers say lays the foundation for a regional approach to addressing the chronic issue. The report calls for expanded staffing, services, rental subsidies, and permanent housing for the city's homeless residents. Its recommendations will guide the Mayor Eric Garcetti's and city council's short- and long-term homelessness policy decisions. The report also identifies potential funding streams and begins to estimate initial costs that will help inform the mayor's proposed 2016/2017 budget. The draft, which is designed to complement a strategy being issued by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, will be heard by the Homelessness and Poverty Committee on January 13, with a follow-up meeting later in the month. It is expected to be considered by the full City Council in February. Garcetti said in a statement that his three top priorities center on "scaling up the Coordinated Entry System; preventing people at-risk for homelessness from landing on the streets; and balancing health and safety concerns with the rights and needs of people who are living in unacceptable conditions." Gas Leak Prompts Proposal to Halt Annexations  Los Angeles city officials are considering placing a moratorium on annexations near Porter Ranch. Since October of last year a gas leak from Southern California Gas Company in Porter Ranch has caused residents to become sick and nauseous while releasing a torrent of greenhouse gases. The SoCal Gas has placed 2,258 people in temporary housing with an additional 3,168 in the placement process. The process has been slow and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer went to court to force SoCal Gas to speed up the relocation process. In response to the crisis, County Supervisor Michael Antonovich asked County Local Agency Formation Commission Director Novak for a temporary ban on annexing unincorporated county areas into the city if they surround Porter Ranch and Chatsworth. At least one project, 188-home development, is currently planned in the area.  LAFCO will consider the moratorium Jan. 13. San Jose Backs Off of Affordable Housing Fee San Jose has approved a fee on new residential projects to support affordable housing and recently discussed a similar fees on commercial developments. The city council voted 7-4 to postpone a nexus study necessary to the implementation of a fee on commercial developments. Citing his desire to support jobs and businesses, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo voted against the study, telling the Silicon Valley Business Journal, "We're the only major city in the United States with a smaller daytime population than nighttime population." The city has a ratio of 0.84 jobs to employed residents, the lowest of any major city in the U.S. One supporter of the fee stated the vote was not on approving the fee on commercial development but only allowing the study to begin. Originally the motion would require the city to achieve a 1-to-1 ratio of jobs to employed residents before implementing the study. This language has been removed, which gives hope to Zwick and other housing advocates that in a few years this proposal will be discussed again. Three NFL Teams Officially Seek Move to L.A. Three National Football League teams have, after years of discussion and speculation, officially filed requests to move to the Los Angeles area. The Oakland Raiders have proposed a move to Carson while the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams submitted papers asking for approval to move to Inglewood, where they would share a stadium. The applications will be reviewed by an NFL committee in New York before a presentation at an owners meeting in Houston. To move a team at least 24 of the 32 owners in the league must approve. CTC Awards $96 Million for Rail Projects Of this sum, the California Transportation Commission announced that it will allocate $96 million to three main rail projects. The first, with $53.4 million will lower Fullerton Road Grade Separation Project, a $145.2 million project in the City of Industry that is in its final engineering and design stages. The second project with $42.2 million will purchase eight new zero-emission light-rail trains for San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The last rail project is $1.7 million to the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency for a yearlong demonstration program for the Pacific Surfliner to connect with current transit service providers. The CTC has allocated an additional $1 million to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority for maintenance on its rail lines between Auburn and San Jose. These investments will improve aging infrastructure, alleviate traffic delays and promote biking, walking and public transportation.    Pershing Square Competition Names Finalists In Los Angeles an international design competition to pick the "redesign" of downtown's Pershing Square, long considered one of the worst public spaces in the United States, is down to four finalists. Sponsored by the nonprofit Pershing Square Renew, the competition began with hundreds of architects and designers. The jury, consisting of city officials, development experts, neighborhood stakeholders and the public, voted end of last year. The finalists, chosen from a short list of 10 teams, are SWA with Morphosis, James Corner Field Operations with Frederick Fisher & Partners, Agence TER with SALT Landscape Architects, and wHY with Civitas. Entrants were charged with redesigning the square to make it more friendly to pedestrians and to integrate it better with the surrounding high-density neighborhood. The winner will be announced in March. There is not yet a timeline or budget for build-out. Tribe Proposes Major Casino in Sacramento County In Sacramento County the Wilton Rancheria tribe has submitted documents to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for an environmental review for a 282-acre casino and hotel resort along Highway 99. The 700-person tribe proposes a development with 2,000 slot machines, 84 table games, and a 12-story, 302-room hotel. The tribe has six other proposals including a shopping center, if the gambling development does not get approved. A public hearing will be held January 29th in Galt.  However tribal chairman Raymond C. Hitchcock said the project will take many years to begin because of the many approvals with agencies, Sacramento County, the City of Galt, and an agreement with Gov. Brown. Coastal Commission Withdraws from Landfill Discussion In North San Diego County, a debate over the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill is approaching an unexpected resolution . Though the site is 20 miles inland, the California Coastal Commission became involved in discussions because of a concern with contaminants flowing into the San Luis Rey River, wildlife, water supply and fish. Last month, the Commission withdrew its application in the debate and said "its initial concerns about the effects the proposed trash dump might have on the coast have been eased". The withdrawal is a victory for developers because of less permits required. However native tribes, city of Oceanside, and environmental groups are disappointed in the decision of the Commission.  Anti-Development Referendum Struck Down in Yuba County In Yuba County a petition  for a referendum to overturn approval of the Magnolia Ranch residential and commercial development has been rejected by the county clerk because of a lack of legally sufficient attachments made available to petition signers. The petition claims that Magnolia Ranch would use valuable agricultural land and harm their farming businesses. The referendum supporters received 3,344 signatures and a minimum of 1,242 are needed to rescind approval or call an election. The developers, CEM Investments, filed a formal complaint that the referendum supporters did not attach specific plan and project maps. The county counsel and county clerk agreed. Referendum leader Ernie Ehnisz said Hansen made a rushed decision and that opponents will go to Yuba County Superior Court. HSR Authority Names Contractor for Third Phase California High-Speed Rail Authority named Spanish construction company Ferrovial the winning bidder to construct 22 miles of the California High-Speed Rail. Ferrovial was the lowest bidder, costing $348 million for the job compared to the other three teams with bids between $377 and $582 million. The authority estimated bids for the contract would fall between $400-$500 million. This stretch would be the third section the High-Speed Rail Authority has contracted since 2013, and will begin north of the Tulare-Kings county line and continue south to Shafter.

The City of Sacramento  released  a preliminary environmental impact report for a new version of the long-discussed  redevelopment  of its downtown rail yards. The EIR describes a dense neighborhood of up to 21,000 residents on the 244-acre site, with residential structures ranging from five stories to 15. Included in the plan is a Kaiser Permanente medical campus, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, a 1,100 room hotel, and 3.9 million square feet of office space. The plan is designed to discourage the use of cars, by having offices and light-rail stations nearby. The 3,700-page EIR identified expected traffic problems, need for new schools, appropriateness of proposed 450-foot riverfront residential towers, noise and light pollution, as well as the potential use of the transit. Much of the issues are related to the stadium and potential for noise and light pollution and increased traffic before sold-out events. Additionally, the site already has soil and groundwater pollution that must continue to be filtered and cleaned. Construction is estimated to begin in 2018 and will take several decades. L.A. Metro Revises $120 Billion Expenditure Plan The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority  released  a revised expenditure  plan , to be approved by a November ballot measure, that would fund an estimated $120 billion of transit and highway projects, road improvements and pedestrian and bike paths. Titled the Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan, the plan would impose permanent countywide sales tax, augmenting and extending one that was approved by voters in 2008. The Metro board will decide whether to put the plan on the November ballot at its meeting this month. A previous version of the plan had called for a half-cent sales tax that would expire in 40 years. In the revision, the agency is recommending a “no sunset” measure that would raise billions in perpetuity. This means nine projects could be accelerated for a combined 42 years earlier than previously expected and saving approximately $9.4 billion. In addition to funding major projects, the plan would return 20 percent to 88 cities across the county to fix roads, repair potholes and add bicycle and pedestrian paths. A recent survey showed 72 percent of residents were in favor of a permanent tax for sustainable transportation. The new plan would cost the average county resident about $25 more a year. Sacramento Measure B Transportation Tax Moves Forward The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors  submitted  Measure B for the November ballot asking voters to raise sales tax for transportation improvements. The county tax would increase a half-cent for thirty years. Seventy percent of the estimated $3.6 billion revenue would go to road projects with a “Fix It First” theme in the first five years, this includes repaving streets and filling potholes. Thirty percent would go to Sacramento Regional Transit (SRT), which operates buses and light-rail trains in the area. SRT is required to spent 75 percent of its allocation in the first five years on replacing old buses, doing maintenance and improving security, rather than expanding routes. If the sales tax went into effect, Sacramento County’s rate would become 8.25 percent and City of Sacramento 8.75 percent in April. Since the reduction in gas tax, many counties across the state are considering similar measures. Major Redevelopment Approved for Los Angeles Airport Property The Los Angeles City Council approved a major  redevelopment  for the northern edge of Los Angeles International Airport. The 340 acre- LAX Northside Plan Update calls for 175,000 square feet of community and civic uses and 50 acres of recreation and open space to be developed adjacent to the airport on land owned by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which is a city agency. The plan is a comprehensive update of a denser land-use plan initially conceived in the 1980s. The land was acquired in the 1970s and 1980s as a buffer between the airport and surrounding residential communities. The project is envisioned as a center of employment, retail, restaurant, office, hotel, research and development, education, civic, airport support, recreation, and airport-buffer uses that support the needs of communities surrounding LAX. The plan envisions 175,000 square feet of community amenities like open space, recreation facilities, restaurants, retail space, and a campus-like office space. LAWA will oversee the implementation of the plan. Bus Rapid Transit Line to Break Ground in Fresno After years of discussion, Fresno will finally begin  construction  on two new bus rapid transit lines to provide faster connections from the north and east ends of the city with downtown. The system, operating on the city’s busy Blackstone and Kings Canyon/Ventura corridors, should be operational in November 2017 and will cost around $30 million. Most of the money comes from U.S. Department of Transportation grants that include new buses, reinforced bus parking areas and new shelters, modifications to traffic signals and vending machines to buy tickets. It is estimated that improvements could cut travel times in half. The Fresno system provides nearly 14 million rides annually, with 1.6 million annual passengers on the two corridors that will be upgraded to BRT. Fares will increase 25 cents next year to help pay for the new and improved system. Del Mar Seeks Dramatic Cuts to Energy Use The City of Del Mar became the second city in San Diego County to  declare  its goal of switching to all-renewable energy by 2035. The Climate Action Plan, approved last week, follows many of the same measures as San Diego’s in reducing city’s carbon emissions. The goal is 50 percent reduction by 2020 and 100 percent by 2035. The plan seeks to boost the number of people who commute by bike or on foot, and triple the amount of tree cover to assist in cooling and capturing carbon. Energy use accounts for 36 percent of the city’s baseline greenhouse gas emission levels and adding solar arrays and upgrading buildings to conserve energy is a major step in cutting energy. Transportation accounts for 17 percent of GHG emissions and is another focus of the Climate Action Plan. A rise in sea level would disintegrate the bluffs surrounding the small, coastal city and its streets and structures would be swamped with severe flooding. However, unlike San Diego, Del Mar’s targets aren’t legally mandated and therefore a guide and not a contract. Casino Hit with Lawsuit over Water Use Bertsch-Ocean View Community Services District in Del Norte County is  suing  the proposed new casino by Elk Valley Rancheria, Del Norte LAFCO, and Crescent City for not consulting with them before decided to use their water and tie into the city’s sewer treatment system via Bertsch Tract water lines. It is estimated the casino would use 60,000 gallons of water a day. The Bertsch-Ocean Community wants the decision reversed and claims the correct documentation for the proposal was not received by the city. According to the lawsuit, an EIR or Negative Declaration was not completed which means “Del Norte LAFCO abused its discretion, acted arbitrarily and capriciously.” Adding another building to existing waterlines and pumps will result in wear and tear that the current homeowners will have to pay for. Updates & Quick Hits OCTA unanimously  approved  $26.7 million in funding for 17 community transit circulators, such as shuttles or bus trolleys, for all the local agencies that applied. Funding went to Dana Point’s Pacific Coast Highway Trolley, Lake Forest’s shuttle service and San Clemente’s rideshare proposal to name a few. Smart Growth America released a  report  on foot traffic and Walkable urban places (WalkUPs). The report found that WalkUPs in 30 of the largest cities across the country now have greater market shares do car-oriented suburbs. The San Francisco Bay Area ranked sixth out of the 30; Los Angeles was 17th and Sacramento and San Diego came in towards the bottom, at 23rd and 24th. San Jose city officials have  agreed  to spend more than $100 million over the next decade to reduce tons of trash that flows into creeks and into the San Francisco Bay, repair miles of leaking underground sewage pipes and clean stormwater contaminated with harmful bacteria. This result comes after a lawsuit brought on by Baykeeper, a conservation group based in Oakland, claiming San Jose violated the Clean Water Act. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff  introduced  a federal bill to create the Rim of the Valley Corridor in the Los Angeles area. The bill would add 193,000 acres of wild lands along the Los Angeles River to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The federal bill would double the size of the recreation area and increase the amount of trails, roads and facilities. Sen. Barbara Boxer is expected to introduce companion legislation in the Senate. A  deal  between China Railway International and a U.S. company to build XpressWest, a high-speed rail from Victorville to Las Vegas has been called off. CRI blames difficulty with federal regulatory requirements: that high-speed trains must be manufactured in the U.S. The Chinese company originally stated it would provide $100 million for the 230-mile route. (See prior CP&DR  coverage .) Three counties in the Bay Area — Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco --will be  asked  to vote on a tax to come up with $3.5 billion to repair and rebuild BART commuter rail. The measure would increase property tax bills between $35-$55 per parcel per year for 30 years. However, this measure will not pay to extend BART nor cover the cost of adding stations to the existing system, instead it will replace tracks and ties, install new electrical cables and tunnels and control rooms.

Embattled California Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester released a twenty-page  memo  (pdf) detailing his accomplishments and reasons for remaining in his position. Several commissioners have called for Lester's  removal , citing poor job Over 17,000 letters have been received from the public, letter with 153 signatures from staff of the agency, and numerous comments from political representatives of the state in favor of Lester as director. Environmentalists and supporters of the current leader of the agency say the ousting has little to do with Lester personally, but is instead a move by pro-development groups to gain control of the Commission. The commission is expected to discuss Lester's possible ouster at its Feb. 10 meeting in Morro Bay.  SGC and HCD Post Notice of Funding Availability for AHSC Program The Strategic Growth Council and the Department of Housing and Community Development announced the 2015-16 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Application for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program. A copy of the NOFA is available  here  (pdf). Application access is available through the  Financial Application Assistance Statewide Tool  (FAAST); search for 2015-16 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. Concept proposals are due via the FAAST system by 5:00 p.m., Weds., March 16. SGC is holding three remaining statewide workshops this week in Riverside, Los Angeles, and San Diego to assist applicants interested in applying for the 2015-16 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program. Small group or one-on-one consultations will also be offered to interested applicants on a first come, first served basis. For more information click here. Agenda, presentation materials, and additional guidance are also available on the AHSC  website . AHSC Program Staff will respond to questions sent to  AHSC@hcd.ca.gov , with answers to  frequently asked questions  posted on both the SGC and AHSC websites on a regular basis.  Inland Empire Highway Project Faces Lawsuit The Federal Highway Administration is facing a second lawsuit trying to block construction of a 16-mile, six-lane freeway connecting Perris and San Jacinto. Last May, County Transportation Commission brought the initial lawsuit, which was dismissed. The new claim is brought on by a coalition of environmental groups including Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club. The proposed project will cost $1.7 billion and environmentalists argue it will increase sprawl, traffic, increase air pollution and threaten wildlife. Moreno Valley Considers Massive Annexation The City of Moreno Valley is considering annexing 30 square miles of rugged, sparsely populated unincorporated Riverside County north of the city, bringing the city limits all the way to the San Bernardino County line. The move would increase the city's size by roughly 60 percent. Backers of the annexation say it would enable the city to promote hillside residential developments and development of vineyards, both of which are largely lacking in Moreno Valley currently. After the study is completed, the City Council must decide to file annexation with the county LAFCO. (See prior coverage of Moreno Valley.) Bakersfield Hires Firm for Station Area Plan The Bakersfield City Council voted, 6-0, to hire urban planning and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill to design a station area plan for the High Speed Rail project. The Rail Authority is studying two alignments through Bakersfield: one that would bring the train along the Union Pacific tracks through the middle of the city, or one paralleling the Burlington Northern Santa Fe route north of downtown. The conceptual alignment, along the Union Pacific tracks, would require taking of fewer land parcels but could hurt Kern County's chances of receiving a heavy maintenance facility for the train and the station would not be located in downtown Bakersfield. Bakersfield Planning Director Jacqui Kitchen told the Californian that the city wants "to make sure we get as much functionality out of this effort as we can, and that it's a process that really results in something that is useful regardless of whether the station is built or not." Dam Removal on Klamath May Proceed In the wake of a partisan congressional impasse, PacifiCorp has announced that will proceed with removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in Southern Oregon/ Northern California. While many groups, including the states of California and Oregon, have long sought for the removal of the dams, PacificCorp's current proposal would exclude habitat restoration and other provisions of the Klamath Agreement. That agreement, made between farmers, tribes and environmental, promises habitat restoration and a reliable supply of water. PacifiCorp will contribute $200 million and Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed an additional $250 million. Farmland Group to Preserve Land on S.F. Peninsula Palo Alto-basd nonprofit Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), has announced it will spend $25 million over the next ten years to preserve farmland between Pacifica and Santa Cruz County. The group will purchase private property, and resell it at a 90 percent reduction to farmers, with conservation easements in place to ensure that it remains arable. The area has lost an estimated 200,000 acres of farmland since 1984, with farmland in San Mateo County now among the most expensive in the nation. The program is intended to halt developments of hotels, golf courses, and second homes on the Pacific Coast while tripling the acres of protected farmland. Eyeing up to 2,250 acres, POST hopes to promote organic crops and conventional growing, while allowing Bay Area restaurant and markets the option to purchase local produce. Veterans Administration Releases Plan for L.A. Campus In a move to address the growing homeless crisis in Los Angeles, a master plan has been released for converting a neglected West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus into a residential community with 1,200 permanent units for disabled and traumatized veterans as well as 700 short-term units. The proposal includes a village for women who have suffered sexual trauma, gardens, theaters, sports fields, gym facilities as well as recreation centers for non-homeless veterans. Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed to house all homeless veterans by the end of this year, and a recent survey suggests there are fewer than 800 homeless veterans in the city, down from over 2,000 the previous year. The development would be on VA land, financed with public and private funds.  S.F., Sacramento Rent Increases Tied for Second Nationally San Francisco and Sacramento are tied for the second-highest rent increases in the country last year. Their 10 percent increases rank second, beyond only Portland, with 14 percent. The analysis from Yardi Matrix, shows in Sacramento "renter by necessity" appreciated 0.8 percent in the last three months while "lifestyle" renters dropped by 0.5 percent in the same time period. The difference between the two groups is those who cannot afford to own, such as younger adults or lower middle-income groups, and those that choose to rent because of location or preference. Sacramento's rise in rental prices is a result of the limited supply of available units, the ratio of new units to overall is 0.7 percent, lowest among the top 30 markets. High Speed Rail Commission Names New Members The nine-member board of directors for the California High-Speed Rail Authority has gained two new members. Lorraine Paskett, a Glendale attorney and CEO of Cambridge LCF Group is a consultant on energy, water and environmental issues. She replaces James Hartnett of Redwood City who became general manager of Caltrain in March 2015. Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) replaces authority vice chairwoman Thea Selby. Lowenthal was a member of the Long Beach Unified School District and City Council before her election to the state Assembly in 2008. Gov. Jerry Brown will appoint the final member.

ParkScore , a project of the Trust for Public Land, ranked the 100 largest U.S. cities on their needs for parks by using mapping technology and demographic data on a 0-to-100 scale. Five California cities as appear in the top 20: San Francisco with 77.5 (ranked 5 overall), Irvine 75 (8), San Diego 71.5 (12), Oakland 70 (14), Sacramento 67.5 (17); other cities fared poorly, including Stockton 40 (82), Santa Ana 38.5 (83), and Fresno 29 (97). The score, out of 100, is based on acreage (median size of parks), investments and amenities (spending per resident), access (percentage of people within ten-minute walk of a public park). Twenty points are given for median park size and another twenty for percentage of city area. Twenty for investment and forty for percentage of population within short park distance. West Coast Cities Agree to Climate Change Pact            San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles and three other West Coast cities have agreed to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change under the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy. The plan encourages zero-emission vehicles, reporting of energy usage for large buildings and install more charging stations for electric vehicles. These cities are working with California Gov. Jerry Brown, governors of Oregon and Washington and the premier of British Columbia. Together this region hopes to build an electric car-charging network that allows individuals to drive from Southern California to British Columbia.  Grand Jury Faults Shasta County LAFCO A new Grand Jury report  criticizes  Shasta County Local Agency Formation Commission for failure to meet deadlines and poorly managed staffing. Between 2001 and 2012 the agency did not complete any mandatory reviews of special districts or municipal services in the county. The agency then depleted its budget in order to finish the required paperwork. The report contends that the agency “is not fulfilling its purposes and programs.”  It cites complaints voiced by city staff in Anderson, who said that the agency delayed on an annexation. The report also recommends review of executive officers performance and a revision of the budget to bring back staff that had hours cut. Income Gap Grows in Silicon Valley In the past 25 years the gap in Silicon Valley between wealthy and lower income groups has increased dramatically, according to a new report from the California Budget and Policy Center. For instance in San Mateo County (where the gap is largest), the top 1 percent earn roughly $4.2 million annually which is 46.2 times more than the average income of the bottom 99 percent. The report analyzes these trends and speculates on what could be exacerbating income inequality in the region. The report makes further links between inequality and economic mobility for future generations, income inequality and economic prosperity, and Silicon Valley’s role in combating inequality. The report looks at the dwindling middle class of Silicon Valley, and what could be done to allow this group to afford to live and work in one of the wealthiest areas of the country. Giants Ask City for Tax Break for Stadium Depreciation The San Francisco Giants are asking the city for millions of dollars of property tax refunds, claiming the value of AT&T Park has dropped below $200 million. This means in the 2011 to 2014 term the property-tax bill be slashed in half for $8 million total. The Giants will make a case with the San Francisco Assessment Appeals Board that deals with such disputes. City officials valued the park at $407 million in 2014, while the Giants said it was more like $158 million. A similar case was made in 2003 when the Giants sought refunds from the years 2001 to 2003, the Appeals Board agreed and gave the Giants $3.6 million in refunds. Then the two groups came to a truce and agreed to a ten-year payment schedule that kept the value constant. The agreement has now expired and both groups are making bids to estimate the value of the property. Updates & Quick Hits Humboldt County Supervisors voted unanimously to support removal of four hydroelectric dams in the Klamath River by 2020. Instead of seeing congressional approval, the decommission of the dams is now through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The removal will cost $450 million. Humboldt County is asking AirBnb to pay county lodging tax. This means the company will deduct 10 percent of gross revenues from its renters in unincorporated Humboldt County.  San Jose has moved up to the third-most expensive to city to rent in after San Francisco and New York. Zumper, an apartment rental website, announced that Boston moved down to fourth while Oakland and Washington D.C. are tied at fifth. This means three Bay Area cities are in the top five most expensive cities. A group of non-union construction companies and workers, Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction, announced its opposition to the Chargers’ initiative for a downtown stadium and convention center. The Chargers recently announced they would partner with labor unions and ban non-union construction workers for the $1.8 billion project. Kings County officials have decided not to appeal  a Sacramento County judge ruling that the high-speed rail system did not violate promises made to voters in the 2008 bond initiative.

The San Jose city council  voted , 6-5, to reduce annual rent hikes in a third of apartments, which is a move to stabilize rent in one of the nation's most expensive cities. The city has 44,000 rent-controlled units that can raise rents only 5 percent per year instead of 8. The city's housing department suggested tying annual rent to inflation like other CA cities while Councilman Peralez pushed for only 4 percent increase annually. The council approved another housing item: an anti-retaliation ordinance that would protect renters against requesting repairs and being evicted. The Council also approved, 7-4, to eliminate a program that allowed landlords to pass debt off to renters unless they were "major improvement costs." San Joaquin River Rated As Endangered The San Joaquin River ranks second on American Rivers' recently released annual list of America's Most Endangered Rivers. While other river's threats were mining, mountain top-removal, and harmful dams, San Joaquin River's biggest threat is poor water management, exacerbated by the recent drought. The San Joaquin is not only a source of drinking water, but shortages could also threaten billions of dollars in agricultural production and fisheries. The river basin has four million inhabitants along with two million acres of arid land. The system has been managed primarily for agriculture, hydropower and flood control and the dams and levees have harmed the rivers habitat and recreation opportunities. Recently, water utilities, conservation groups and state agencies have begun to work together to create sustainable solutions. Lawsuit Filed Against Hollywood Palladium Project AIDS Healthcare Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles for improper and illegal planning approval process for the Palladium Residences, a controversial residential and commercial development in Hollywood. The proposed project, which includes two 30 story towers with 731 residential units, with 37 units designated at lower rents, was approved by City Council in a 12-0 vote on March 22. The foundation, whose headquarters is near the Palladium, is a major funder and supporter of Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, which seeks to halt the growth of these "megadevelopment" projects throughout the city. "We believe and assert in our lawsuit that the pattern and practice of the Mayor, City Attorney, City Planning Department, City Planning Commission, and City Council operating in defiance of an express City Charter limitation on authority to process and grant general plan amendments is a willful failure to comply with public duties imposed by the City's fundamental land use laws," said AHF President Michael Weinstein in a statement.  Environmental Groups Sue MWD Over Purchase of Delta Islands On April 14th the Planning and Conservation League, Food and Water Watch, San Joaquin County, Contra Costa County, and the Central Delta Water Agency sued the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) charging that its claim of complete exemption from environmental review for the proposed purchase of 20,000 acres of Delta islands and farmland is illegal and unjustified. The lawsuit asks the Court to enjoin MWD from purchasing the property unless and until it completes the environmental review required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). MWD has promoted this land purchase to clear the path for the "California Water Fix" twin tunnels project and remove obstacles to its completion. The purchase would also enable physical changes affecting the properties that may harm the Delta environment and could cost California ratepayers and taxpayers billions of dollars. Plaintiffs allege that the land purchase by MWD is part of an attempt to take more water from the Delta for MWD use and that the environmental impacts resulting from that activity would be "significant" and outside any exemption from CEQA. Congress Members Oppose Central Valley Water Deal California Democrats in Congress are challenging a settlement meant to end decades of litigation over a contentious federal water project in Fresno and Kings counties. The Westlands Water District and farmers have been litigating since hundreds of thousands of acres of land are contaminated with high levels of salt and minerals. The Obama administration would forgive $375 million in Westlands debt and create long-term agreements for water delivery in exchange for taking responsibility of the contamination. However opponents, primarily democrats, argue it gives too much to Westlands and could harm others with water cuts, financial costs and environmental damage. Opponents of the deal are asking US EPA, Natural Resources Committee and the Obama administration to review Westland's finances.  Fresno Annexation Area May Be Downsized by LAFCO A battle between the City of Fresno and the Local Agency Formation Commission is brewing over the fate of a proposed 9,000 acre expansion of the city. LAFCO is proposing to eliminate 2,560 acres from the Southeast Development Area, which was approved 10 years ago but has yet to be developed. The city has been focusing on infill and may want to bank the land for up to 40 years. Up to 45,000 homes may be built in the area if it is kept intact. A city typically has 20 years after annexation to develop land before it risks being taken back by the county. Postponing a scheduled vote in April, the commission will give Fresno another month before changing the borders but the city must defend its position and provide evidence for water for the development. Local school districts however, have purchased lands and $30 million in unused bonds to develop a North Campus. Another school district purchased 159 acres for $17.5 million and without residents and students; the taxpayers are paying investments to a new school for no one.  City Manager Bruce Rudd said the city has ten years to design and begin building, he estimates 9,000 homes may be built by 2035.

Officials with the Imperial Irrigation District have proposed a smaller plan for restoration of the Salton Sea, reducing the cost from $9 billion to $3.15 billion. That money, gained through mitigation funds from companies that emit greenhouse gases and from a $7.5 billion water bond, would fund new, shovel-ready projects and geothermal energy development around California's largest lake, which is dying due to diversions and drought. "It's a bargain compared to $9 billion, which everyone agrees has only served to impede any real discussion about what to do," Kevin Kelley, the Imperial Irrigation District's general manager, said at a board meeting. Specifically, the plan calls for $150 million in immediate funding from the $7.5 billion water bond as a stop-gap measure while local officials develop a long-term plan. That money would pay for pilot projects designed to cover parts of the lakebed with small pools, which would suppress dust and provide habitats for fish and birds. Once a prime destination for outdoor recreation, the sea has been shrinking for 12 years because of a massive rural-to-urban water transfer deal in 2003. The decline could become a public health and environmental disaster costing as much as $70 billion if nothing is done to slow sea's degradation, according to the Pacific Institute. Cities Ask U.S. Supreme Court to Reconsider Plan to Save Santa Ana Sucker Fish Two cities and ten water agencies have  asked  the Supreme Court to take up a case against a plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to save the endangered Santa Ana sucker by designating critical habitats. The request comes on the heels of a Ninth Circuit Court ruling holding that federal agencies can unilaterally add land to Habitat Conservation Plans under the Endangered Species Act (see CP&DR coverage 29 June 2015). The cities and agencies argued that the designation would unfairly restrict water uses on the Santa Ana River, limiting the agencies' ability to recharge groundwater aquifers with captured runoff from rainstorms in those areas and flood control operations that affect more than 1 million Southern California residents. The designation of more than 9,000 acres of land -- particularly in the northern reaches in the 96-mile-long Santa Ana River watershed-- as critical habitat requires federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service before they carry out, fund or authorize any local action that could destroy or alter the habitat's functionality. The Santa Ana sucker, a five-inch-long bottom-feeder, was listed as a threatened species in 2000, and since then it numbers have continued to decline because of diversions, dams, erosions, pollution, and species invasion. Opponents of the expanded HCP have said that the designation does little to help the sucker's complex life cycle. Oakland Businesses Take Issue with Public Art Fee A business group in Oakland filed a lawsuit against the city contesting a development fee used to fund public art. The City Council approved the fee in November 2014 to require developers of projects costing more than $200,000 either to install public art on site or to devote one percent of a commercial project's budget to public art and one-half percent for residential projects, with the ordinance stating that public art is "important for the vitality of the artist community as well as the quality of life for all Oakland residents." The two plaintiffs, the Business Industry Association of the Bay Area and Pacific Legal Foundation, called the fee unconstitutional, saying that the requirements violate the Fifth Amendment's prohibition against "uncompensated takings" because funding art has no connection to the effects of development. "I would interpret this lawsuit as a preemptive strike against the current administration, with the goal of preventing the upcoming development fees from being too onerous," Alex Ludlum, a land associate at Polaris Pacific who works with developers to identify building sites in Oakland, told the San Francisco Business Times . Feinstein Introduces Federal Proposal for Drought Relief Sen. Dianne Feinstein unveiled legislation to combat California's water crisis, introducing a $1.3 billion proposal for water storage, desalination, and other projects that will likely come into conflict with a rival proposal in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. While the House's plan heavily favors San Joaquin Valley growers by rolling back environmental protections and pumping more water there, the two sides could come together over common provisions like storage projects and control of invasive predator species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Feinstein, who is known for deal-making and has connections to agribusiness, said she consulted with 12 environmental groups in crafting the bill after facing criticism last year from environmentalists who said that she failed to include them in negotiations with growers. Feinstein said her bill would not alter the Endangered Species Act, a key objection that environmentalists had to previous legislation."It's definitely a big boost in federal support. It's almost 10 times more than what the feds have provided so far, which is not a lot," Ellen Hanak, a senior fellow at the  Public Policy Institute of California and director of its Water Policy Institute, told the L.A. Times . Comment Period Closes on S.F. Arena EIR A proposed Golden State Warriors arena in San Francisco's Mission Bay is making progress as the ownership closed public comment on its draft Environmental Impact Report and gained the endorsement of a key medical center nearby. Despite the fact that the project will have significant, unmitigable impacts on traffic in areas like the Bay Bridge and as many as 11 key intersections in the South of Market, the University of California, San Francisco endorsed the project under the condition that the city negotiate a traffic "trigger" mechanism that would kick in during large dual or overlapping events. UCSF, which owns a six-story hospital complex across the street from the project, said that the Warriors' plan to beef up public transit and funnel arena-bound cars onto certain streets and hospital vehicles onto others created a workable plan, so long as the trigger mechanisms lead to a plan that will make the hospital accessible at all times. A powerful coalition of opponents of the project, known as the Mission Bay Alliance, said that the project is "fatally flawed," and that its effects on neighborhoods and traffic would "threaten patient access to lifesaving care and be a disaster for the Mission Bay neighborhood, the hospitals and city as a whole," as Bruce Spaulding of the Mission Bay Alliance told the S.F. Chronicle . Poor Air Quality Plagues California National Parks A new report by a national conservation group gives a handful of California's national parks an 'F' grade for pollution based on air quality, visibility, and climate change. The National Parks Conservation Association flunked Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite for routinely having unhealthful levels of ozone -- a lung-damaging pollutant in smog -- during the summer season, with the air quality at Sequoia and Kings Canyon rated worst in the nation as haze blocked 50 miles of scenery on average at the two parks. While levels of ozone within cities have tapered off dramatically in decades because of new regulations, parks face a different challenge as the ozone can be pushed by the wind over long distances and into high-elevation areas far from major pollution sources. The conservation group recommended strengthening federal regulation of the EPA's regional haze rule, wherein states must restore the clarity of more than 150 national parks and wilderness areas to natural levels by 2064. Many parks are off-track by several decades, including Joshua Tree, where natural visibility is not expected to be achieved until 2106. SPUR Recommends Strategy for Downtown San Jose Bay Area urban think tank SPUR released six recommendations for revitalizing downtown San Jose as a city center with people who live and work in walkable, livable neighborhoods. Citing decades of investment and trends of youths working and living in urban centers, SPUR consolidated six ideas to bring more people to downtown San Jose: welcoming all uses of space while holding out for jobs near regional transit, making sure that developers follow key urban design principles, promoting a larger area of Central San Jose with downtown as the core, making the area easier to get around without a car via public transportation, retrofitting the area to be more pedestrian-oriented through placemaking and road redesigns, and building downtown as a cultural and creative center of the South Bay. Transportation Connections Considered for Burbank's Bob Hope Airport A new study outlines potential transportation improvements to improve traffic congestion and air quality at Bob Hope Airport as it hopes to begin extensive improvements, replacing a terminal and building a high-speed rail station at the airport. The study, paid for mosty by a $5.4 million federal grant, found that the airport is ideally situated to be the "epicenter for multi-modal connectivity for the San Fernando Valley," but that it has a lack of direct connection to Metro trains, bus or light rail, and about three-fourths of airport employees and passengers drive their own vehicles to the airport. A 58-acre airport-owned property is currently being marketed for sale, hopefully making room to fund short-term improvements like increasing frequency of Metrolink trains serving the airport along with longer-term improvements like an extension of the Metro Red Line, which could likely come 20-30 years down the road. Carlsbad Plan May Be Retooled in Favor of Cars The Carlsbad Planning Commission recently approved an update eight years in the making to the city's 1994 General Plan, with a caveat. The commission forward the plan to the City Council with the recommendation that the council adjust it it to better accommodate car mobility and reduce housing estimates in its northeast quadrant. In particular, the Planning Commission took issue with the mobility section of the plan, which emphasized pedestrian- and bike-friendly streets in compliance with California's Complete Streets Act of 2008. "I'm tired of hearing about how everything is about the bikes," Commission Chairwoman Victoria Scully said at the meeting. "We need to keep these major streets a priority for the cars." Explaining that aspect of the update, city traffic engineer Doug Bilse said that the city had to stress additional roadway safety in lieu of driving efficiency in making car lanes smaller while widening bike lanes. L.A. Metro Considers New Relationship with Developers Los Angeles's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has proposed changes to its Joint Development Policy concerning the way that the agency partners with developers for development of project on the land it owns. Mostly including provisions regarding affordable housing, the proposed update increases from 31 percent to 35 percent the amount of joint development housing that would be affordable. It also would discount the price of Metro-owned land for a developer willing to build affordable housing up to a maximum of 30 percent equal to the percentage of affordable housing developed. Additionally, it would place emphasis on projects that would provide first/last mile facilities like walkways and bike parking. Hermosa Beach Announces Plans to Go Carbon-Neutral The Los Angeles County beach city of Hermosa Beach released plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to become carbon neutral by 2020. Specifically, the city has implemented a new app by consultant Brendle Group that can calculate the carbon output of every bit of energy the city consumes. It then plans to identify some of the cheapest, quickest routes to reducing carbon output -- including replacing all streetlights and lighting in city facilities -- to get started. The City Council also allocated $50,000 to invest in electric vehicles for parking-enforcement officers and staffers who carpool to office, a chunk of around $420,000 in carbon offsets the city would need to buy in order to become carbon neutral by 2020. "The South Bay is becoming a model for working together to create and implement programs to address greenhouse gas emissions and resource conservation," South Bay Cities Council of Governments Executive Director Jackie Bacharach told the  Daily Breeze .  L.A. Officials Want to Reopen Historic Funicular Calls are growing for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board to reopen the Angels Flight funicular, a 298-foot transportation system akin to an uphill streetcar ride between Bunker Hill and Downtown that has been shut down since 2013 because of safety issues. Seeing the system as a vital historical landmark as well as a valid form of transportation, downtown business and cultural leaders urged Metro to help fund the reopening, saying that the 50-cent fares provide an important connection between the Historic Core and Bunker Hill. Advocates say that the Metro could easily make room in its budget for the funicular's $360,000 annual operating costs. The transportation system has been variedly shut down and reopened over the past several decades. In one accident in 2001, one of the rail cars careened down from the hill and killed and 83-year-old tourist. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation following a 2013 derailment found that the operators had been using a small tree branch to override the train's emergency stop settings.

Defending a federal agency's discretionary authority, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 22 upheld a 2009 restriction on water pumping meant to protect chinook salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The ruling was a victory for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and other federal agencies, and for environmental groups backing the federal position. It was a defeat for Southern California water agencies that had challenged the restriction, including the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Westlands Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Kern County Water Agency and State Water Contractors, backed by the California Department of Water Resources as intervenor. Judge Richard Tallman issued a ruminative, painstakingly illustrated and contextualized opinion . It quoted John Steinbeck's East of Eden on the heartbreaking effects of dry conditions in California farm country, yet concluded: "People need water, but so do fish." Tallman was joined by the other members of the three-judge panel: Judge Johnnie Rawlinson and temporarily sitting district judge Thomas Rice. As the opinion's first footnote explains, the ruling was separate from, but "informed" by, the Delta Smelt opinion issued earlier this year by Judge Jay Bybee in San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Auth. v. Jewell , 747 F.3d 581 (9th Cir. 2014). That ruling also emphasized deference to agency discretion in reaching scientific conclusions. (See http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-3448.) The two opinions had one panel member, Judge Rawlinson, in common. The L.A. Times ' Bettina Boxall has more details , including suggestions that the recent opinion was an unsurprising sequel to the Delta Smelt opinion and that, although some of the water agencies have sought review of the smelt opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court, the high court is unlikely to take up the matter. The case is San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority v. Locke . Bills Effective January 1, 2015: a Rundown of Rundowns It's surprisingly tough to find a public list of all new laws taking effect January 1, 2015, or of all those affecting land use. Local papers will offer grab bags of important new provisions on drivers' licenses, drug sentencing, sick leave, and prevention of cruelty to interns. But about land use? Here are some sources: The League of California Cities' 2014 Legislative Report provides a 208-page description of new statutes relevant to city officials, placed in the League's context, as of November 2014. All bill texts and histories can be found on the Legislature's official site , and laws likely to take effect January 1, 2015 can be found by searching for bills from the 2013-14 session bearing the 2014 statute year . Unless another date is specified in its text, a new law is likely, but not certain , to take effect on the January 1 following its enactment. The Littler employer-side law firm reports Governor Jerry Brown received 1,073 bills from the Legislature and signed 931 in 2014. For new laws specific to land use, many that were in the last crop to win approval are in CP&DR's own summary of the Governor's late-September signing decisions affecting California land use, and in Governor Brown's September signing and veto announcements . Another important land use law collection, excerpted as part of the CP&DR summary, is the "Greatest Hits" list prepared by the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance. It shows the whole year's complement of major bills handled by that committee. Among other legislative tallies, the Housing California list shows fates of bills affecting homelessness, housing funding, and landlord-tenant relations. (Per apparent error, that site shows AB 1537 , on default housing densities in Marin County, as having been vetoed. In fact that bill was signed into law.) Some bills from 2014 are already in effect -- notably the June budget bills, which enacted policy legislation as well as spending decisions. For example, SB 861 imposed new safety and cleanup rules on the petroleum industry and gave the Coastal Commission's staff new enforcement authority to impose fines administratively. SB 862 extensively redistributed the state's cap-and-trade revenues and created the new Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities cap-and-trade program. (The Governor's signing announcement on the June budget bills lists the rest of the bill numbers.) Phase-in provisions apply in some cases, e.g. the SB 270 statewide ban on single-use plastic carryout bags has phase-in dates running from January 1, 2015 to as late as 2020. Plastic Bag Promoters File Signatures to Challenge Statewide Ban Opponents of recently enacted SB 270 said they had submitted more than enough signatures December 29 to qualify a statewide ballot challenge against California's new ban on single-use plastic bags. The petition's sponsors, the American Progressive Bag Alliance, had to collect at least 504,760 California voters' signatures to qualify the measure. The Sacramento Bee reported the group claimed more than 800,000 signatures. County elections officials have eight days from submission of the signatures to verify them. The League of California Cities wrote that if the measure qualified it would prevent implementation of SB 270 until a statewide election in 2016. The Sacramento Business Journal reported earlier that the chief funder of the campaign was bag manufacturer Hilex Poly. SB 270 passed the Legislature in August after fierce multimedia and legislative lobbying and a last-minute reversal by the United Food and Commercial Workers (see http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-3564 ). Many localities have created their own plastic bag restrictions, in part because SB 270 has a grandfather clause for existing local laws on the subject. Governor Jerry Brown delayed signing the bill until September 30 but signed it with a high-visibility statement announcing the first statewide ban of its kind. Kruger Confirmed to State Supreme Court Leondra Kruger , a respected litigator for the U.S. Justice Department who has argued a dozen cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, was confirmed to serve on the California State Supreme Court by the state Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Sacramento Bee described the commission's review as a "brief, friendly hearing" though it did include a query from Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye regarding her limited practice experience in California. A Month for Large Projects The news this month was thick with major construction plans, largely residential, in and around California urban areas. A few of the stories: Oakland's Brooklyn Basin project , with 3100 units, is about to start construction. (Via CACities) CSU-Sacramento is working with developer Westpark Communities to revive plans for a satellite campus at Placer Ranch north of Roseville. SPUR and Socketsite were celebrating the findings of a San Francisco municipal report saying more than 50,000 units of new housing, in 958 different projects, were in the "pipeline" for future construction in the city. L.A. Curbed reported on a plan "to turn Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza into a 24-hour community" including 961 residential units and a hotel. In the city of Alhambra, a former Mervyn's department store is headed for replacement by a mixed-use complex with extensive retail and 260 luxury housing units . The ARTIC transportation hub in Anaheim -- not residential, but legitimately huge -- opened in early December . Meanwhile, some current uses are being pushed to peripheries. The Sacramento Bee followed some of the low-income, troubled tenants being evicted from the downtown Hotel Marshall through their efforts to find and keep new housing. The paper reported the building was to be replaced by a market-rate hotel.

Two environmental groups have sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Secretary of the Interior for opening up 400,000 acres of public land in Southern California for fracking, which they claim violates the National Environmental Policy Act.  The groups, The Center for Biological Diversity and Los Padres Forestwatch, claim that the federal government's environmental report erroneously analyzed impacts to air quality by assuming that only 40 new wells will be drilled each year, though the plan estimates that 4,000 wells will be drilled in the plan's lifetime. The suit alleges  that fracking, which involves high-pressure injection of water and chemicals into shale rock to fracture the formations and extract oil and gas, pollutes groundwater and can cause earthquakes. California's oil producers are increasingly turning to fracturing to extract oil, with Kern County containing 2,361 fracked wells in 2014 and Ventura County containing 456 of them, according to the lawsuit. San Diego Loses Ground in Effort to Keep Chargers Possibly undermining months of work to create a viable proposal for a new pro football stadium in San Diego, the San Diego Chargers issued a statement that a Dec. 15 public vote on a new stadium would be impossible because the city won't be able to craft a legally defensible Environmental Impact Report within that time.  "The various options that we have explored with the city's experts all lead to the same result: Significant time-consuming litigation founded on multiple legal challenges, followed by a high risk of eventual defeat in the courts," Chargers' special counsel Mark Fabiani said in a statement.  The timing of the vote is important because the NFL could move a team to Los Angeles by 2016, and city officials have emphasized that they could indeed meet the Dec. 15 deadline, but that the Chargers have been unwilling to play ball. "It appears the Chargers have pulled the plug on San Diego even though the city and county have gone out of their way to try and accommodate the team," Mayor Kevin Faulconer's Task Force spokesman Tony Manolatos told the Union-Tribune . "Instead of working collaboratively on a solution, the Chargers have thrown up one road block after another in San Diego while working aggressively on stadium plans in Carson." Santa Ana Considers Downtown �Wellness District' The Santa Ana City Council took a step to establishing a "wellness district" for the preservation of Latino commerce in the city's downtown, voting to begin drafting a resolution and figuring out how much it will cost to implement. Supporters cite a study last year by The California Endowment that said the city could bring in an additional $137 million in spending to the downtown by bringing back Latino customers who, despite living so close to the downtown, have been lost to big-box retailers. Among the proposals aimed at promoting community wellness and supporting local vendors, the council vote directs city staff to draft an implementation plan for branding Fourth Street as "Calle Cuatro," supporting the creation of microfarms and a mercadito, and creating a community advisory committee on economic development. L.A. Considers Legalization of Street Vending; Curbs on Homeless Encampments The Los Angeles City Council passed a preliminary measure that would make it easier for law enforcement to break down the city's homeless encampments by reducing the amount of warning time that homeless people are given before authorities seize their belongings from public sidewalks and parks.  The measure would reduce the warning time to 24 hours from 72 hours, and it would also allow authorities to seize bulky items like couches, tables and larger tents -- anything that won't fit in the city's 60-gallon trash bins -- without notice. Through the ordinance, the city would store the belongings for 90 days in a skid row warehouse, complying with a court injunction from 2012 barring the city from seizing and immediately destroying homeless people's unattended property. "We spend $100 million on homelessness, and 85% of our response is law enforcement," Councilman Gil Cedillo, who cast the sole dissenting vote, told the L.A. Times . "That tells us our strategy is not working." The Los Angeles City Council is also weighing whether or not to legalize street vending , possibly becoming the biggest city next to New York to have a legal street vending program. Southern California Public Radio took a look at cities in the LA metropolitan area where it is already legal for policy comparisons. SPCR finds that some vendors hop over to Pasadena, pay about $400 a year in city fees, and obtain a city permit to stay in the lucrative market. Additionally, Santa Ana allows up to 200 pushcart vendors to legally operate, but they must remain mobile. L.A. Mayor Garcetti Co-Launches National 'Climate Action Agenda' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, an organization he co-founded with Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia and Mayor Annise Parker of Houston, has called on President Obama to fight for the strongest possible climate agreement at the upcoming 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris. The nationwide coalition of mayors also announced that 27 mayors from across the country have signed on to support the President and the U.S. delegation in Paris in pushing for strong action on climate change. Other California members of the organization include the mayors of Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Monica.  S.F. Giants Revise Housing Plan; Downtown S.F. Towers Face Opposition The San Francisco Giants have revised plans for a large mixed-use project next to AT&T Park to include an unprecedented amount of affordable housing, garnering the endorsement of all 11 supervisors and prompting Supervisor Jane Kim to withdraw her threat to draw up a countermeasure lowering allowed building heights and require half of all residential units to be designated affordable. Kim's opposition had drawn scorn from fellow supervisors who had worked on the deal with the Giants. The new proposal for the 28-acre project built on land controlled by the Port of San Francisco will include 40 percent of its 1,500 apartments priced to various levels of affordability, with 12 percent available for people making $32,000 to $39,000, 21 percent for people making $64,200 to $85,000 and 7 percent for people making $108,000. Community organizers are gearing up for two battles over plans for high-rises near San Francisco's waterfront, with former mayor Art Agnos rallying neighbors of the 160 Folsom and 75 Howard developments to oppose them based on the shadows the buildings would throw on nearby Rincon Park. 160 Folsom is set to be designed by architect Jeanne Gang with a twisting, staggered condo tower reaching up 400 feet, 100 feet higher than the limit and requiring an amendment to the Redevelopment Plan for the Transbay Project Area. Backed by developer Tishman Speyer, the full version would contain 399 condos, 141 of which-- roughly 35 percent -- would be below market rate, and a reduced version would stay within the 300-foot limit and include 318 units. Opponents of the tower have referred to it as a "wall on the waterfront." Meanwhile, the 75 Howard development hasn't been able to get community support for its project, even after offering additional affordable housing and offering to reduce its tower height to 220 feet.  Anaheim Approves Controversial Hotel Tax Break In an attempt to attract larger conventions and high-spending tourists to the city, the Anaheim City Council passed a tax break projected to be around $133 million for developers wanting to build luxury resorts there. Under the plan, developers of hotels that meet AAA's guidelines for four-diamond ratings would get to keep 70 percent of their bed taxes for up to 20 years. Of the remainder, 10 percent of the taxes would go to city coffers, while 20 percent would pay off bonds that funded improvements to Anaheim's city resort district in 1996. Mayor Tom Tait, an opponent of the measure, said that room taxes, which account for nearly half of the general fund's revenue, would be kept by hotel developers rather than going back to Anaheim's coffers to help pay for city services. "We are giving checks to hotel developers, but we have better needs for our money," Tait said at the Council meeting, according to the O.C. Register . San Diego Gives Boost to Recreational Area The San Diego City Council helped solidify plans for a 55-mile hiking and bicycling route on a "coast to crest trail" from Del Mar to Julian by approving a new 50-year agreement to continue jointly funding the project with the county and four North County cities.  San Diego officials had previously threatened to stop participating in the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority, but following a long list of policy changes primarily related to control over the park's financial decisions, the city agreed to a pact along with Escondido, Poway, Solana Beach, and Del Mar. Since the formation of the JPA in 1989, 34 of the park's planned 55 miles have already been acquired and preserved. Navy Plans $1 Billion Campus in Imperial Beach The Navy issued its record of decision to relocate its Coronado-based Navy SEAL command center from Coronado Island to a 600-acre, $1 billion campus along the Silver Strand near Imperial Beach.  SEAL officials have said their current World War II-era buildings are mostly obsolete and force them too often to train away from home, on top of frequent deployments. Built over a decade at a cost of $700 million for new buildings and $300 million for infrastructure improvements, the new project has prompted concern among nearby residents and those interested in birds and plants there. Tesla Expands Presence in East Bay Tesla Motors Inc. closed a deal leasing the Page Technology Center in Fremont, absorbing the last remaining vacancy related to the implosion of solar panel-maker Solyndra in 2011 and beginning its biggest expansion in Northern California since it leased a 431,000-square-foot former Chrysler assembly plant in Lathrop last year. The deal will aid Tesla's manufacturing sector as it preps to start deliveries of its Model X crossover in 2017. Tesla's and other companies' new leases in Fremont have driven the city's industrial vacancy rate down from 5 percent at the end of the first quarter to 2.1 percent, Cushman & Wakefield analyst Sethena Leiker told the San Francisco Business Times .

Following the announcement two weeks ago of the finalists for $120 million worth of grants through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant program, two metropolitan planning organizations in southern California are calling foul. The five-county region covered by the Southern California Association of Governments, by far the largest metropolitan planning organization in the state, had only 12 of 54 finalists. By contrast, Alameda County alone had eight finalists.  Darrell Johnson, CEO of the Orange County Transportation Authority, and SCAG President Carl Morehouse both wrote letters ( here and here , via CALCOG) to officials at the Strategic Growth Council decrying what they call a selection process that unfairly allocates AHSC funds. "It is unclear how the process for selection on the next step is reasonable or consistent with the legislative intent of the authorizing legislation," wrote Morehouse. He called for SGC to accept full proposals from some of the applicants that had been rejected. Meanwhile, Johnson contended that the grant guidelines inappropriately excluded a streetcar project in Santa Ana that is one of OCTA's high-priority projects. Assuming that the selection process goes forward as planned, SGC and its partner department, Housing and Community Development, may revisit guidelines and consider geographic apportionment for the 2016 grant process. New L.A. City Health Element Uses Planning to Reduce Health Disparities Los Angeles officials have adopted new planning guidelines to reduce sharp health disparities across the city. A joint effort between the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the city's Planning Commission and the California Endowment, the new guidelines include such goals as ensuring 75 percent of all residents are within a quarter of a mile of a park, increasing the number of Angelenos who live within a mile of a farmers market, and improving access to grocery stores. With a city analysis showing that Brentwood resident live 12 years longer than Watts residents, and more than 30 percent of children in South L.A. and Boyle Heights are obese, the guidelines seek to establish targets not traditionally part of health policy. "The built environment has an enormous impact on health," Beatriz Solis, director of the California Endowment's Healthy Communities program for the Southern Region, told the  Los Angeles Times . Report Calls for Orange County to Build More Housing Orange County needs to embrace mixed-use and infill development to fill a desperate housing shortage, according to a new report from the Orange County Business Council. The county today faces a shortage of 62,000 homes; that could increase to 100,000 by 2040 according to job and housing projections. However, there also is no longer enough open land to build more single-family homes.  The housing shortage stunts growth in the county as workers and potential residents are crowded out, according to economist Esmael Adibi. Orange County has already seen its age 25-to-34 population shrink 7 percent over the last 15 years, and nearly 40 percent of workers there commute more than an hour a day. "Everything else being equal, housing costs are a major, major factor to slowing down growth," Adibi told the Los Angeles Times . Monterey County Offers Downtown Vibrancy Grants Monterey County is offering its cities a matching grant of up to $10,000 to work with a consultant in revitalizing and energizing their downtown areas. Funding for the project comes from money the county expects to save from the consolidation of Salinas-area office leases into the recently purchased Schilling Place office complex in South Salinas to help local cities boost their downtown cores. Specializing in downtown retrofitting through zoning an code changes, the consultant, Miami-based Dover, Kohl & Partners, is already working in Monterey County with the city of Fort Ord in a broad urban redesign. Seeing the opportunity of having a big-name consultant in town, Supervisor Jane Parker formed the proposal. "Word is starting to get out and because of Dover Kohl being here, it kind of shined the spotlight and made it more concrete for people. My thought was, �Let's take advantage of a world-class team being in town,'" Parker told the Monterey Herald . L.A. Transportation Authority, Don Shoup Win American Planning Assoc. National Award The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has received the American Planning Association's National Planning Excellence Award for a Best Practice for its First Last Mile Strategic Plan & Planning Guidelines. The guidelines to improve Los Angeles's first and last mile transportation connectivity, providing a toolbox for localities to build support and resources for developing active transportation infrastructure like sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and clear signage directing users to regional transit hubs. Planners say that public support for the program has been strong because of the simplicity and clarity of the guidelines, which use infographics and imagery instead of complicated and overly technical planning jargon to convey the benefits of a multi-modal system. Meanwhile, UCLA Professor of Planning and "parking guru" Donald Shoup has been named the recipient of the National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Pioneer; see last week's CP&DR briefs for a note about Shoup's retirement. The awards will be given out at the APA conference in Seattle in late April.  S.F. Think Tank Calls for Seamless Transit A new report by urban think tank SPUR calls for the creation of an integrated transit system in the Bay Area that would make it easier for riders to navigate the labyrinthine transit systems there. The report, titled "Seamless Transit," says that the Bay Area's myriad transit authorities, divergent maps, schedules, fares, and uncoordinated capital planning and investment has made the the system less efficient and less usable. SPUR suggests helping travelers use transit by coordinating marketing and transit information by creating a common regional transit map, standardizing fares, and creating regional passes. L.A. to Spend $1.3 Billion to Fix Sidewalks In a landmark agreement, Los Angeles is  pledging  to spend over $1.3 billion over the next three decades to fix its massive backlog of broken sidewalks and other infrastructure issues in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the agreement following a lawsuit filed by attorneys for the disabled, the city must spend $31 million annually on sidewalk and other improvements beginning in the next budget year, then increasing to $63 million in future years to adjust for rising costs. The city said that it plans to start by repairing sidewalks around parks, and in areas that are heavily trafficked, close to hospitals or workplaces, or that are requested by people with mobility challenges. It's unclear whether the promised money will completely eliminate the backlog, as about 40 percent of city sidewalks need repairs according to the Bureau of Street Services. The city has not identified any new funding sources for the settlement. Oakland Clears Path for Coliseum City Development By certifying the environmental impact report and voting to accept a specific rezoning plan, the Oakland City Council cleared a path for the Oakland Raiders or other developers to step forward and commit to its new Coliseum City proposal. The approval shows the council's optimal vision for the site: Three new sports venues, 5,750 homes and nearly 8 million square feet of urban retail and office space with convenient access to BART and the highway. However, Oakland's sports teams have shown tepid interest at best, with the Raiders pursuing a joint venture in Los Angeles and the Oakland A's and Golden State Warriors showing no interest. Fruition of the project is highly contingent upon the interest of at least one sports team in moving there. Officials are also not sure how the public could pay for more than $100 million in new streets, utilities and other infrastructure improvements that would be needed to build the homes, offices and shops for the multibillion project.