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Los Angeles Cracks Down on Homelessness The Los Angeles City Council  voted 13-2 to criminalize homeless encampments around parks, libraries, and other public facilities in areas approved by the council despite substantial objection to the ordinance. The councilmembers who approved the ordinance maintained that the city would offer shelter and other services before law enforcement gets involved, though it's unclear how much and when. The two councilmembers who voted against the ordinance, in addition to homeless advocates, voiced concerns that there is not enough housing for those living on the streets, and forcing people into shelters is inhumane. The measure will head to Mayor Eric Garcetti, who will likely approve it. San Diego Arena Reconsiders Arena Redevelopment San Diego's effort to redevelop the Pechanga Arena with adequate affordable housing is back in action after the city had to abandon its partnership with developer Brookfield + ASM Global Development. The Department of Housing and Community Development determined that the previous plan violated the Surplus Land Act because it does not dedicate excess government-owned land to affordable housing. The city's new plan would again classify the excess land under the Surplus Land Act but also propose that any new development come with a renovated arena. If approved, any affordable housing developers from a state list can choose to build on the property, and if they reject the opportunity, another group, including Brookfield, could develop the property with 15 percent affordable housing. San Francisco Considers Income-Adjusted Congestion Pricing San Francisco is considering implementing "congestion pricing," which would charge residents for driving in its densest areas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage public transit use. While prices would likely depend on income level, with drivers making over $100,000 a year paying the full price, and those making less than $46,000 avoiding the fee, concerns remain that the legislation would make roads more private for those who can afford to pay the price. Fees would also depend on the zone in which and time at which a driver is entering. First considered in the city in 2004, the policy has been on the table for years but would take about three to five years to implement if approved. The Board of Supervisors will decide if the city should move forward with congestion pricing by the end of the year. Battle over Affordable Housing Development Arises in Livermore Skepticism about a 130-unit affordable housing project in downtown Livermore is raising concerns that a small group of wealthy residents are envisioning a city that embraces racist and elitist housing development. Save Livermore Downtown has been fighting the construction of affordable units, maintaining that the project would increase traffic and make Livermore’s downtown neighborhood feel less “open.” Additionally, planning commissioner John Stein made derogatory comments about the project, saying that it would create a “ghetto.” Meanwhile, the 222-unit luxury Legacy Livermore complex faced no opposition from Save Livermore Downtown, and construction on the project has made significant progress in the city where many residents have been forced out due to rising rent and home prices. Report Analyzes Pandemic's Effect on Renters UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation’s report , “Paying the Rent in a Pandemic: Recent Trends in Rent Payments Among Affordable Housing Tenants in California,” quantifies economic hardships faced by renters over the past year. The report established not only that 50% more households missed their rent payments throughout the pandemic but also that those who could not pay their rent were likely to miss several payments. Researchers also discovered that single-parent households and Black family households were particularly impacted by economic hardship and rent debt. While areas with meaningful rental assistance proved to minimize tenant vulnerability, the report acknowledges that, as the state reopens, missed rental payments are not disappearing but rather worsening, and future trends will depend heavily on the success of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rental assistance distribution.  CP&DR Coverage: Lancaster's BLVD Delivers The BLVD , designed by Pasadena-based Moule & Polyzoides, received its share of awards and fanfare when it was completed, but awards are fleeting. I finally visited The BLVD under the worst possible circumstances: high noon on a 110-degree day a few weeks ago. My curiosity was intense enough to endure the heat, and I was not disappointed. For all the plans that sound promising but never break ground, and for all the arguments and strife over so many development issues in California, The BLVD seems like a success. It really doesn't take much to make a place dramatically more intimate, appealing, and humane. Quick Hits & Updates Oakland City Council will review an ordinance designed to increase affordable housing availability by updating the city’s building and zoning laws. The ordinance would increase housing options, such as tiny homes, manufactured homes, recreational vehicles, and efficiency dwelling units. Long Beach’s 200-home Bay Harbour gated community may lose its exclusivity because it never constructed a public walkway required in the proposal when it was approved 44 years ago. While somewhat vague in its approach, the Coastal Commission stated that it would implement “enforcement action” to ensure greater public access to the luxury neighborhood. LA County has revealed its plan for returning Bruce’s Beach , a site dedicated to providing access to the coast to Black people in the early 20 th century, to the descendants of the original owners after Manhattan Beach used eminent domain to take the property. Officials are considering the complexities of returning property to private ownership, and the bill is awaiting approval from the Assembly. Parklets and parking lot dining areas popularized during the pandemic in Los Angeles's Al Fresco program will remain in place for at least the next year and possibly the next three years if approved by Los Angeles City Council. In Garcetti’s emergency ordinance, restaurants would not need to reserve on or off-site parking spaces, encouraging public transit use and heightened business density. A judge has put plans to construct a large residential complex at the redevelopment of the Downtown LA Southern California Flower Market on pause after the AIDS Healthcare Foundation sued over concerns for the project’s environmental impacts and its lack of affordable housing units. The project will now have to go through a state environmental review, delaying construction for at least another year. Woodside voters will have the opportunity to vote on Measure A , which would transform an open space lot behind Roberts Hardware into parking for an expansion of the Bakery. The measure, which could also allow for an alternative plan to build an amphitheater, would reverse limits to commercial development set by Measure J in 1989. In alignment with state housing laws designed to protect addicts, Morro Bay City Council denied a citizen appeal to the proposed conversion of Morro Bay’s Rodeway Inn into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, allowing the project to advance. The planning commission approved permitting for the 27-room center intended for operation in 2021. (See related CP&DR coverage .) San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is introducing a website called OnBoard that would boost public participation in key policy proposals to advance transparency and better represent the needs of the city. On the website, residents can more easily join the city's 46 boards and commissions that make decisions regarding its parks, policing, art, and more. The Biden Administration plans to reverse a Trump-era rule to bring back protections for part of the 3.4 million acres of forests across California, Oregon, and Washington that provide a habitat for the Pacific Northwest's spotted owl. Environmental group Oregon Wild found that the reversal, while valuable, takes inadequate action to fully protect the species because it will only concern 200,000 acres of forest. The proposed high-speed rail line from Southern California to Las Vegas is taking a step forward following Brightline West's decision to purchase 110 acres of land on Las Vegas Boulevard South that would serve as the Southern Nevada terminal station. Brightline West plans to develop a 65,000 square-foot terminal that includes sufficient parking and connections to ground transportation to promote ridership. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-08-21, which sets a September 30, 2021 expiration date for the suspensions of filing, noticing, and posting deadlines and tribal consultation timelines established due to the pandemic. The order also ends a COVID-related mandate to facilitate virtual public hearings and will require that public meetings be held in compliance with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act and the Brown Act. The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury released a report that reveals just how housing-deprived the county is, largely due to limited permit approval and wildfire damage. The Board of Supervisors must respond to the report by October 14. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff insists that the city will continue negotiations with the A's over the Howard Terminal development, but the team remains quiet after expressing its discontent with the city's approval of a term sheet against the A's wishes. The team is still deciding if it should continue negotiations or look to another city for their plan.

CP&DR Vol. 36 No. 7 July 2021

Report: Residential Upzoning Would Lead to Modest Gains In response to the progress of SB 9, UC Berkeley's Terner Center for Housing Innovation released a study that indicates that, while the bill might increase housing supply, it will not significantly address the state's housing crisis. While the bill would legally allow up to four homes on many single-family lots, most parcels would not see any more units, according to the study. The bill could allow for 714,000 new homes, but construction has a lengthy timeframe, and it's unclear how many homeowners are interested in redeveloping their property. The Assembly Appropriations committee is set to vote on SB 9 by August 27, and if approved, it will head to a final vote in the Assembly. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Southern California Housing Prices Continue to Rise Real estate markets across Southern California reached another all-time high in June, though the bidding wars of last year's market seem to be lightening up. Last May, the area's median home price set a record of $667,000, which June exceeded with $680,000. Last month, 27,012 homes were sold, compared to the 17,743 that sold in June of last year when the market was particularly stagnant. Experts suggest that prices continue to skyrocket because of the rise of the millennial buyer market, the demand for more work-at-home space, and low mortgage rates that are compelling the wealthy to buy out the middle class. At the same time, sales are increasing, which suggests that bidding wars are calming down as housing stock increases. SGC Funding Supports Vulnerable Communities During Pandemic The Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities Program has strengthened community response to the pandemic, according to reports released by UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation on the program’s impacts. Researchers found that, in the five underserved areas receiving TCC funding – Fresno, Ontario, Northeast San Fernando Valley, Stockton, and Watts – investment from the program paired with the prioritization of local knowledge to address residents’ needs quickly and appropriately. Some of the most valuable initiatives included food distribution, affordable housing construction, and displacement prevention. By identifying the most beneficial practices, the reports will be helpful in informing how to most effectively tackle other crises or goals, including climate action. (See related CP&DR coverage .) No Clarity Yet on A's Fate in Oakland The latest ambiguous development in the debate between the Oakland A's and the city over the waterfront ballpark and village construction at Howard Terminal is that the $12 billion project could still move forward. The City Council voted to continue negotiating with the A's but will require that the team accepts its affordable housing and community benefit demands, which the A's is still not interested in agreeing to. At this point, the A's will have to determine if they want to continue negotiating, though they still disagree with the the city's financial terms and are considering moving to different city such as Las Vegas. CP&DR Coverage: Court Rules Against UC Berkeley Housing In the latest legal wrangling over enrollment expansion at UC Berkeley, an Alameda County Superior Court judge has ordered the university to set aside its 2019 approval or a new housing project for students at the Goldman School of Public Policy. According to the local publication Berkeleyside, the city and the university may soon reach an out-of-court agreement on how to handle the impact of expanded enrollment – although a Berkeley residents group may challenge that agreement as well. Quick Hits & Updates  The Trust for Public Land is now $8 million closer to achieving its goal of purchasing Banning Ranch, a former oil field in Orange County, after receiving a grant from the state’s fish and wildlife department due to the project’s potential to restore a reliable, sustainable water supply and protect the area’s biodiversity. The conservationist group now has $68 million out of the $100 million required to transform the 384-acre oil field into a public park and nature preserve. As soon as summer 2022, Santa Cruz County will open its 6,000-acre national monument, Cotoni-Coast Diaries, to the public in an effort to increase public engagement in recreation and preserve the region’s natural resources instead of developing luxury housing on the site. The federal Bureau of Land Management’s plan includes two entrance points along Highway 1 that will open 27 miles of trails to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. The Del Mar City Council will not seek certification from the Coastal Commission of its sea level rise adaptation plan from, which could complicate public and private development processes, including one for affordable housing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. In addition to suggesting 22 suggested changes to the plan, the Coastal Commission disagrees with the city council over whether “managed retreat,” the process of moving property inland, should be included in the plan. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff’s will tentatively reject a lawsuit filed by the Samuel Laurence Foundation against the Coastal Commission over concerns about the environmental impact of radioactive waste disposal at the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station. While Beckloff still has 2-3 months to submit his final ruling, he noted in his tentative decision that, contrary to the belief of the Samuel Laurence Foundation, the commission’s approval of the permit to dismantle the plant is in line with its own regulations. The Sacramento Local Area Formation Committee approved the City of Elk Grove’s annexation of 390 acres at Grant Line and Waterman roads, which will pave the way for international tractor giant Kubota to begin operations in and bring 300 jobs to the city. The annexation is awaiting approval from city council and the planning commission, and, if authorized, Kubota could begin construction by the end of the year. Members of the Black Contractors Association of San Diego are calling on SANDAG to alter its plan to approve a project labor agreement platform that would impact billions of dollars in San Diego's future construction. The group has expressed concerns that SANDAG's platform would exclude Black contractors from construction opportunities. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors is making it easier for the city to create the United States' first public bank after it unanimously approved The Reinvest in SF ordinance that will unite community leaders and financial experts to submit a business plan to the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Officials believe that forming a public bank will help San Francisco invest in economic recovery, affordable housing, and sustainable infrastructure. The Biden administration reversed a Trump-era decision to halt funding for the California bullet train project after the state filed a lawsuit over the decision to take away funding. The settlement will reintroduce $929 million into the project, but officials are hoping for more federal funding to aid in the construction of the estimated $80 billion project that would connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. A San Francisco developer who built 29 apartments in his approved 10-unit building in San Francisco's Portola District has agreed to pay the city $1.2 million and comply with city building codes. City Attorney Dennis Herrera is also looking into several other buildings that do not satisfy the city's requirements as part of a larger investigation into the city's Department of Building Inspection, which approved the 29-unit building. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved an environmental justice element for the city’s general plan, which will require the plan to consider the disproportionate impact of environmental harm on low-income communities and communities of color. The new element will call on county officials to ensure access to safe and livable communities for all when implementing its climate action plan and regional zero-carbon program. Apple has officially spent $1 billion of its $2.5 billion pledge to tackle California’s housing crisis. The tech giant spent the majority of its first $1 billion on assisting first-time home buyers and funding affordable housing developments through the California Housing Finance Agency, while two homeless nonprofits, Destination: Home and Housing Trust Silicon Valley, received the rest of the money. The LAUSD Board is considering a project that would build 2,000 affordable housing units for teachers and other employees in order to prevent shortages in the profession and to address previous conversations about how to make the most of underused land. (See related CP&DR coverage .)

With a few exceptions, the quality of California's built environment is inversely proportional to the grandeur of its natural environment. Few landscapes illustrate this truism more vividly than that of northern Los Angeles County's Antelope Valley, where the majesty of the San Gabriel Mountains and the breathtaking expanse of the Mojave Desert meet the tract homes of Palmdale and Lancaster. Palmdale and Lancaster exist for, essentially, one reason: people of modest means cannot afford to live comfortably anywhere near central Los Angeles, so greater L.A. becomes "greater" still by flinging a few of its suburbs over the mountains and into the high desert. If the heat, distance, and aridity, weren't enough, these cities also suffer from a distinct absence of urbanism. They're mostly strip malls and boulevards, and the sidewalks look better suited for frying eggs than for cooling one's heels. In other words, they are typical suburbs. But, unlike in typical suburbs, residents can't just drive to the next town over to do some window shopping or have a night out on the town. Santa Clarita is 40 miles away. (And it's not exactly a paragon of urbanism.) But, "The BLVD" proves that high-desert exurbs can have nice things too. The BLVD , which is the brand name that refers to a nine-block stretch of Lancaster Boulevard, began life as a 1950s-style one-story retail strip in the heart of Lancaster, near the city's Southern Pacific (now Metrolink) station. It was and is the type where storefronts, rather than parking stalls, abut the sidewalk and where curb cuts don't cut through every single block. Even in its early heyday , it was surely nothing special, but vastly preferable to a bunch of strip malls. And yet Lancaster Boulevard was too wide. Four lanes of traffic separated one side of the street from another, and pedestrian amenities -- such as awnings and street furniture -- were scarce. In 2008, the city commissioned a redesign of the boulevard and implemented it over the next few years. Among other smaller upgrades, the plan removed the middle two lanes of traffic and replaced them with two facing rows of diagonal parking and an alameda of palms and shade trees. The result is vastly more intimate than its predecessor was. It's a little over-branded, but it feels like a real place, with a good dose of civic pride. And the whole thing took six months to build and cost the city under $12 million (in 2010 dollars).  The BLVD, designed by Pasadena-based Moule & Polyzoides, received its share of awards and fanfare when it was completed, but awards are fleeting. I finally visited The BLVD under the worst possible circumstances: high noon on a 110-degree day a few weeks ago. My curiosity was intense enough to endure the heat, and I was not disappointed. For all the plans that sound promising but never break ground, and for all the arguments and strife over so many development issues in California, The BLVD seems like a success. It really doesn't take much to make a place dramatically more intimate, appealing, and humane. According to the city, the project has attracted over 40 new businesses. The city's Museum of Art and History opened in 2012, and a mid-rise apartment building that looks straight out of San Diego or Los Angeles is under construction, adding just a touch of urban residential density. The parking spaces were full -- even on an unbearably hot day -- and folks were out and about. In a place defined by impossibly broad skies and faraway horizons, The BLVD feels downright intimate. I don't want to presume that The BLVD has solved all of Lancaster's problems or made the desert bloom. I also don't want to presume that, as much as progressive planners (myself included) might tout density and walkabilty, that residents of Lancaster don't like their single-family homes and multilane boulevards. But I have to believe that they appreciate an alternative. The BLVD might occupy just a few short blocks -- and the average Lancaster resident might not go there more than a few times a year -- but having at least one place that's special and pleasant in a place that is spectacular but also bleak. As delighted as I was for Lancaster, I couldn't help thinking that Lancaster per se is beside the point. A great many cities in California -- including the state's most expensive, most prominent cities -- suffer from the exact same problem that The BLVD solves. Throughout California, streets are too often conflated with thoroughfares. At some point, planners decided that the streets with the most vehicular traffic must also have the most commercial development. The most egregious example is that of Los Angeles's Wilshire Boulevard, where a vast array of the city's most important stores, offices, and civic institutions contend with never fewer than five lanes of traffic, and as many as nine, along its 15 miles (including a few miles in Beverly Hills, which, though fancier, is just as bad as the L.A. segments). The same could be said for Market Street in San Francisco, Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, and many other "main" streets throughout the state. And so, the streets that ought to generate the most foot traffic and provide the most dynamic pedestrian environments instead behave like miniature freeways. Lancaster's planners recognized the ridiculousness of this convention. In a sensible world, so would other planners. Streets with heavy pedestrian traffic should be small, pleasant, and human-scaled. That's how classic small-town main streets look, and that's how most commercial streets in Europe look. It's how key commercial neighborhoods in nearly every city in California could look. Planners just have to have the courage to take out a few lanes and plant a few trees -- and trust that drivers will find other ways to get across town. Or, just maybe, drivers be inspired to take a stroll every so often. If you can do it in the high desert, you can do it pretty much anywhere.  Cities don't get to choose their landscapes, but they do get to choose their streetscapes. The BLVD proves that, even amid a distractingly beautiful landscape, choosing something pleasant doesn't have to be that hard.

Bay Area Cities Appeal Housing Allocations The Association of Bay Area Governments received appeals from 28 local governments that will dispute their draft RHNA housing requirements for 2023-2031. The appeals came from 10 communities in Marin County, 6 in Santa Clara County, 6 in Contra Costa County, 3 cities in Alameda County, and 3 from Sonoma County. Instead of filing an appeal, Mountain View, Napa County, San Bruno, San Rafael, and St. Helena sent ABAG comment letters about their allocations. Up until August 30, 2021, ABAG will accept comments from the public, jurisdictions, and HCD on the submitted appeals, and a public hearing will occur in the fall. Los Angeles Plan Would Add Half-Million Housing Units Los Angeles City Planning and the Housing + Community Investment Department released a draft plan to provide nearly 500,000 additional housing units over the next eight years, with 200,000 units dedicated to housing for low-income residents. Their proposal, named “The Plan to House LA,” centers equitable development and aims to minimize displacement and homelessness. To achieve its goal and add 57,000 new units annually, the city plans to implement a rezoning program that would increase density allowances in resource-rich neighborhoods zoned for single-family housing while also protecting vulnerable communities. City Planning and HCIDLA is requesting recommendations from the public, and Los Angeles City Council will vote on “The Plan to House LA” in the fall. MTC/ABAG Release Draft Plan Bay Area 2050 The Draft Plan Bay Area 2050, which outlines the Association of Bay Area Governments’ and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s $1.4 trillion plan for the Bay Area’s future economy, environment, housing, and transportation, is complete and available for public comment. After three years of collaboration, the two groups have released their strategy to generate more public transit, confront the housing crisis, and protect the region against sea level rise. Also central to the plan is ensuring that all policy prioritizes resiliency to weather unforeseen crises and equity to better accommodate all Bay Area residents. The plan includes $468 billion in housing investments, $579 billion for transportation, $234 billion for economic development, among other investments. Adoption is anticipated this fall. A’s and Oakland Continue to Disagree Over New Stadium, Coliseum Redevelopment In the latest installment of the Oakland A’s Howard Terminal proposal saga, the city and the A’s continue to disagree on one particular matter: the infrastructure tax financing districts to support the development. While the team and the city are getting closer to agreeing on some previous points of contention, including affordable housing and non-relocation agreements, the A’s rejected the city’s financial requirements. Meanwhile, a group of community members are demanding that the team commits to ensuring community benefits and building affordable units at its Howard Terminal location instead of executing the A’s plan to predominantly fund affordable housing elsewhere. Currently, the city is requiring that half of the A’s 30% affordable housing proposal be built onsite, which would result in 450 units. Statewide Housing Permits Jump 25 Percent According to an analysis of Census data analyzed by the Public Policy Institute of California, during the first four months of 2021, the number of new housing units authorized statewide increased 25% compared to the same period in 2020. Growth in March and April was particularly robust, with new permits exceeding 10,000 units in each month—the first time since 2007 that those months have seen such large numbers. Of course, this sharp increase is in comparison with the very low number of permits authorized at the start of the pandemic. In the first four months of 2021, residential permits in the Bay Area were higher than a year ago, but this increase was not enough to compensate for the major decline that we saw between 2019 and 2020. In contrast, other metros like Sacramento, San Diego, and Los Angeles actually saw increases in 2020 that have continued into 2021. Indeed, housing production in Sacramento has boomed since the pandemic started in response to a growing number of Bay Area residents relocating. Over the past 20 years, permitting for single-family homes has fallen from an annualized high of nearly 150,000 in 2004 to about 55,000 today; permitting for multifamily projects has fluctuated much less, from an annualized high of just under 59,000 in 2005 to just under 47,000 in April of this year. CP&DR Coverage: Planning Takes a Loooong Time We at  CP&DR are used to these long timeframes. Sometimes our biggest editorial challenge is choosing whether to cover a project next month, a year from now, or three years from some. Sometimes, it literally makes no difference, since a story today would end up being the same as a story a year from now. And yet, there are projects that, no matter how important strain even our patience and that illustrate just how creaky California planning can be sometimes. Here is our account of the state's longest-running planning and development stalemates .  Quick Hits & Updates The Jurupa Valley City Council voted 4-1 to allow EM Ranch Owner, LLC to apply for a general plan amendment to construct 1.5 million square feet of warehouses as part of a 250-acre mixed-use development along the 60 Freeway. While their vote does not signify approval of the project, concerns remain that authorizing this first step could result in warehouse expansion near homes, schools, and places of worship. (See related CP&DR coverage .) An environmental group will sue multiple state agencies over their plan to demolish the California Capitol annex to construct a new, modern office space for lawmakers. The Save the Capitol, Save the Trees coalition argues that the state must complete another environmental review and that there are alternatives to demolition, which would erase a historically significant building and surrounding trees. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research has opened its Challenge 2021 Grant Program Request for Proposals through September 13, 2021. The program will build off of its 2020 equivalent, which sought to increase community resilience in the face of climate change, by offering funding to community-based organizations and local and regional entities who center resilience in under-resourced communities. After the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided to ban all new vineyards located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Malibu Coast American Viticultural Area will sue the county because they believe the prohibition violates the CEQA. The group joins other vineyard owners who find that their agriculture is essential to offsetting previous and minimizing future wildfire damage and is already a sustainable practice that cares for a species native to the region. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to extend the urban limit line east of Blackhawk to accommodate a 125-home development on 30 acres in Tassajara Valley. The developer, FT Land, LLC, committed to devoting 727 acres to the East Bay Regional Park District for open space, which supervisors believe will end sprawl development. While neighborhood groups will not surrender, the City of Berkeley has agreed to drop its opposition to UC Berkeley’s construction project at Hearst and La Loma avenues, to enrollment increases, and to other housing and sports development plans. In exchange, UC Berkeley will have to provide $82.64 million over the next 16 to pay for the city’s increased police and fire department budgets, provide services for nearby residents, improve streets, and agree to city zoning standards and “collaborative planning” with the city. San Francisco is the next city likely to make outdoor parklets – crucial pandemic infrastructure – a permanent option for outdoor dining. Though contention over amendments adopted by city supervisors is complicating approval, most officials hope to move forward with the program because of its value in pandemic recovery. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to establish an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District for the Samoa Peninsula to promote sustainable development in energy, aquaculture, and international communication. Over 2,400 acres located southwest of the Samoa Bridge will be dedicated toward enhancing infrastructure and job growth. While anti-gentrification activists in San Francisco's Valencia neighborhood invoked the California Environmental Quality Act to challenge a tech-hub coffeeshop’s conditional use permit, the Board of Supervisors denied the appeal, likely allowing The Creamery to move into its 14 th and Mission Street location. Officials noted that they understood community members’ concern over displacement but that a CEQA appeal was legally irrelevant in this case. San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott will add Jason Hughes, volunteer advisor to former Mayor Kevin Faulconer, as a defendant in a lawsuit filed last year by the city over its lease-to-own agreement for the vacant 101 Ash Street property, on which the city has spent tens of millions of dollars. Elliott’s move follows the revelation that Hughes received a secret payment of nearly $10 million while advising the mayor on the Ash Street deal and the Civic Center Plaza agreement. The South Bay Cities Council of Governments has a plan to transform 243 miles of roads in south LA County into a 25 mph or less zone that could accommodate GEM cars, e-bikes, e-scooters, electric skateboards, and other zero-emission, low-speed forms of transportation. SBCCOG’s proposed Local Travel Network is intended to reduce emissions and traffic and increase rider safety. Oakland’s I-980 and San Francisco’s The Great Highway were included in the Congress for the New Urbanism’s “ Freeways Without Futures 2021 ” report, which highlights the country’s fifteen most disruptive freeways. The report proposes that, due to the severe damage caused by these highways, transforming their infrastructure could meaningfully help rebuild impacted communities and increase economic opportunity.

In the latest legal wrangling over enrollment expansion at UC Berkeley, an Alameda County Superior Court judge has ordered the university to set aside its 2019 approval or a new housing project for students at the Goldman School of Public Policy. According to the local publication Berkeleyside , the city and the university may soon reach an out-of-court agreement on how to handle the impact of expanded enrollment – although a Berkeley residents group may challenge that agreement as well. UC Berkeley’s enrollment has more than predicted in recent years, to almost 40,000 students, leading to a variety of disputes under the California Environmental Quality Act among the university, the City of Berkeley, and Berkeley residents. Last year, for example, the First District Court of Appeal ruled that the University must do a CEQA analysis not just on additions to the university’s buildings such as additional housing but also to the mere act of increasing enrollment. Meanwhile, in 2019, the City of Berkeley and a group called Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods sued the University over its CEQA analysis of the Goldman School’s so-called Upper Hearst project , which would provide the Goldman School with additional space of various kinds, including faculty and student housing. The building would be constructed on the site of the Upper Hearst Parking Structure on the corner of Hearst and La Loma just north of the campus. The University did a supplemental environmental impact report tiered off the EIR for its 2020 Long-Range Development Plan, the university’s equivalent of a general plan.

Not unlike the fine vintages that come out of California’s wine-growing regions, real estate development in California takes time. There’s planting, watering, fermenting, and aging in oak barrels, of course. There are also endless discussions with stakeholders, haggling with elected officials, economic cycles that go up and down, CEQA lawsuits, policy changes, alien invasions, and an infinite number of other complications that get in the way of corkage. And, the larger the project, the longer it often takes to get a shovel in the ground. We at CP&DR are used to these long timeframes. Sometimes our biggest editorial challenge is choosing whether to cover a project next month, a year from now, or three years from some. Sometimes, it literally makes no difference, since a story today would end up being the same as a story a year from now. And yet, there are projects that, no matter how important strain even our patience and that illustrate just how creaky California planning can be sometimes. In some cases, we have written about them, written about them again, and then pretty much written them off. In others, we’ve been gratified to see improvements and even completions while also marveling at how many more grey hairs we’ve gained in the interim.  Herewith are California’s biggest, longest-running land use stalemates.  Hollywood Community Plan (City of Los Angeles) The Hollywood Community Plan has been more of a dud than a blockbuster. The planning process started in 2005, and a plan was approved in 2012, only to be sued into submission for reasons too arcane to recount. An organization leading the suit, the enterally piqued AIDS Healthcare Foundation, later sponsored a (failed) citywide slow-growth ballot measure . One of the driving complaints was — wait for it — delays in the city’s community plan update process. A revised plan is wending its way through city commissions now and, predictably, driving all the usual opponents nuts. No one in Hollywood is holding their breath. Keep the fainting couch ready.  San Diego Airport San Diego is, famously, the largest city in the country served by a single-runway airport. San Diego International’s inadequacy is nothing, though, compared to the intransigence of county stakeholders, who have rejected every feasible replacement , including Miramar Air Station, a partnership with Tijuana International Airport, and a floating airport in Coronado Bay called — not kidding — "Euphlotea.”  Suffice it to say, if the airport isn’t going anywhere (in fact, there’s a new proposal for a major multimodal hub on its perimeter and a new terminal), the least the city can do is change its name. It wisely abandoned the name of aviation pioneer and, unfortunately, white supremacist Charles Lindbergh some years ago in favor of its current generic name. But there is a native San Diegan who is a pioneer and champion in his field, a frequent traveler, a (low-altitude) flier, and a generally nice guy. The finest airport name for America’s finest city is, obviously, Tony Hawk International.  California High Speed Rail  In the time since the idea of a statewide bullet train first appeared in the pages of CP&DR in 2001, China has built enough miles of high-speed rail to span the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco 57 times. Meanwhile, California has built zero operable miles. Shortly after California approved bond funding in 2008, we were already thinking about its implications for cities in the Central Valley (especially high-density station-area plans), as if the line might actually get built. In 2013 , we tempered our expectations. In 2019 , we were cautiously optimistic that even a foreshortened HSR system could still benefit the state somehow.  These days, no article could fully capture the mess that is California’s most ambitious project and biggest disappointment. Funding is billions of dollars short. Land has been hard to acquire. The construction schedule for the useless Merced-to-Bakersfield segment is shot. Nobody knows how it’s going to get over, through, or around the San Gabriel Mountains. But, it’s still probably better than a Hyperloop .  Salton Sea Restoration (Riverside County) In 1906, the Colorado River breached some levees to create one of the world’s most godforsaken bodies of water at 220 feet below sea level. After a brief turn as the site of some short-lived Rat Pack-era resorts in the 1950s, the sea has threatened to dry up and blow toxic dust all over Southern California. The trouble is, nobody has the money or the water to do anything about it, and environmental engineers can’t even agree on how to fix it. Not long ago, someone proposed a new development near the sea. That proposal turned out to be little more than a mirage. Today, the sea continues to shrink, leaving behind a hellscape of dead fish, foul odor, and unbearable heat that is nobody’s version of the California dream. Tejon Ranch (Los Angeles & Kern Counties) The property known as Tejon Ranch has existed nearly as long as the notion of private property in California. Dating to the 19th century, it is a nearly intact vestige of a Spanish rancho. Efforts to develop a portion of it into a mixed-use exurb and resort community seemingly date back just as far. For the past 15 years, the Tejon Ranch Company has sought environmental approvals and monitored market conditions. Its development plan was finally approved in 2018. Even with that approval, the 19,000-unit master plan wouldn’t have been built for decades, if not centuries. To make matters worse for the developer, though, a judge recently ruled that the project poses an egregious fire danger, in violation of CEQA. So, it’s back to the drawing board and/or the courtroom. What’s a few more years for a project that’s already over 150 years old?  Concord Naval Weapons Station (Contra Costa County) On the one hand, the development of thousands of acres on the urban fringe has pretty intense implications for urban sprawl. On the other hand, the Bay Area needs housing, and the 2005 closure of the Concord Naval Air Station made it ripe for redevelopment. Lennar’s proposal for a 13,000-unit, roughly 2,000-acre smart growth redevelopment for the portion within Concord city limits seemed like a done deal. Then last year, the Concord City Council unexpectedly bailed out on a development deal with Lennar’s successor, FivePoint, over a technicality involving labor contracts. The project could yet be revived, but it’s hard to imagine how any developer will be willing to take the risk, no matter how great the Bay Area’s demand for housing is.  Hunters Point (San Francisco) Apparently every imaginable type of pollutant has been detected at San Francisco’s moribund shipyard at Hunters Point : chemicals, petroleum, radiation, bacon grease, the remains of Jimmy Hoffa — you name it. A master plan for 10,000 units of housing and 5 million square feet of commercial space was approved in 2016. Since then, after lawsuits and rulings and dissembling and promises, the toxins are expected to be remediated, and the project will move forward because it’s the largest housing development in the most housing-starved city in the country.  Brightline West (San Bernardino County) A strong contender for the title of most expedient high-speed rail project to be built in California, Brightline West (formerly known as DesertXPress), which would link Victorville with Las Vegas, has seemingly gone bust more times than a convention-goer at a Caesars Palace blackjack table. As a result, it bears the distinction of one of the most frequent guest stars in CP&DR’s news briefs for all the times it has received regulatory approvals, announced new rounds of funding, and threatened to shut down. And yet, the train appears to still have life in it; developers have announced a ground-breaking scheduled for in 2022. No matter how many fits and starts lie ahead, the smart money in Vegas is to bet on Brightline and anxiously wait for California HSR to go bust. Oakland Coliseum / New A’s Stadium (Bay Area) The Oakland A’s have been caught in a squeeze play of their own making, scampering back and forth between the decrepit Oakland Coliseum, several sites in San Jose, Jack London Square, and a community college campus. Now, they’re looking at a waterfront site at Howard Terminal in Oakland representing a total development budget of up to $12 billion. In the process, they’ve jilted San Jose and kicked dirt in the face of the City of Oakland, which is eagerly awaiting the redevelopment of the Coliseum. Ultimately, the A’s might end up in Las Vegas, Portland, or Montreal, thanks to a recent announcement by a clearly fed-up Major League Baseball that the team is now allowed to explore alternative markets.  Orange County Great Park  Shortly after the Wright Brothers took flight, Orange County voters rejected a ballot measure to establish an international airport at the site of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in part because of the promise of turning the base into a  massive park , funded by a housing development. Seventeen years later, the park has a few baseball and soccer fields — which are not exactly in short supply in Orange County — and thousands of feet of runway that have yet to be demolished much less redeveloped.  Klamath Dam Removals Disputes over the Klamath River date back over 150 years, when white settlers first displaced and subjugated the Indigenous Klamath peoples and claimed dominion over the river that sustained the tribe. Among the gravest insults is a series of dams that have alternated the river’s flow, disrupted the salmon population, and otherwise adulterated the landscape. In 2020, utility PacifiCorp reached an agreement with the tribe and nearby farmers to remove two dams in order to return the river to some semblance of its natural state. Recently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission threatened to undo the deal by refusing to indemnify the dams’ previous owner. That appears to have been resolved and the dams may yet come down, brick by brick. Honorable Mentions  Sometimes patience pays off. Any of the following projects could have made the list had we published it in years past, except that each has — praise to the CEQA gods — actually broken ground or, in one case, been put out of its misery. Grand Ave. Project (Los Angeles)  Back in the early 2000s , a multi-tower complex designed by quintessential starchitect Frank Gehry was supposed to revitalize downtown Los Angeles. Over 15 years and one massive recession later, downtown Los Angeles is pretty much revitalized. And the Grand Avenue Project is, finally, a steel skeleton rising over Bunker Hill.  Sacramento Railyards   It’s hard to call the Sacramento Railyards redevelopment a stalemate when the project is, finally, proceeding. Any project covering 244 prime urban acres with mixed use development is bound to take a while. But the rail yards  redevelopment, dating back to the early 2000s, has been particularly vexing for the flirtations of professional sports. Initially, the Sacramento Kings planned to build a new arena at the rail yards, but they pulled out in favor of a downtown site. Then an expansion Major League Soccer team was set to build a stadium. Just weeks ago, MLS announced that the Sacramento franchise was in jeopardy. The rail yards will get built, little by little, but it’s a slow train.  Los Angeles Football Stadium  The drama surrounding the development of a new stadium for a mythical NFL team was, generally, much more exciting than an actual football game. Proposals cropped up for stadiums in Irwindale, Carson, the City of Industry , and downtown Los Angeles , practically on top of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Then there were fleeting murmurs about renovating the Los Angeles Coliseum or maybe trying to convince Pasadena to let a team play in the Rose Bowl. Through it all, CP&DR was both amused and skeptical — surely LA has better things to do than get drunk and watch helmets clash on a beautiful, sunny Sunday? Ultimately, the City of Inglewood told everyone to holds its beer. It rammed through approvals for a massive stadium complex, partly thanks to the infamous “Tuolumne Tactic.” Lo and behold, the Rams and Chargers played full seasons at SoFi Stadium this year… in front of zero fans.  Cargill Salt Flats (Redwood City, San Mateo County) Developing an enormous parcel of ecologically sensitive wetlands in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world should be a piece of cake, right? Only for the delusional. In the early 2010s, the Cargill Salt company and developer DMB advanced a plan to build 12,000 homes on 1,400 acres in Redwood City. Facing opposition, the plan was withdrawn in 2012 only to resurface years later. Adding to the complexity have been rulings and regulatory changes surrounding the Clean Water Act and the definition of "Waters of the United States.” While the Trump administration was friendly to the project, the Biden administration’s more expansive definition, designed to protect more wetlands, may finally mean that the project is dead in the (salt) water.  Tell Us About Your Favorite Endless Stalemates! Catharsis is a group endeavor. CP&DR wants to hear from you . Tell us your favorite/least-favorite land use stalemates from your city or county. We’ll post them in a future blog. 

A's Attempt to Reach Agreement with Alameda County over Oakland Coliseum Site Questions hang over the future of the Oakland A’s ballpark and mixed-use development proposal at Howard Terminal due to disagreements between the A’s and the city council over commitments to community benefits and affordable housing. The city also argues that insufficient funding from Alameda County will threaten the future of the $12 billion development and necessitates that the A’s agree to a 45-year non-relocation agreement. A’s President Dave Kaval would not commit to any of those requirements. Meanwhile, Kaval has publicly considered moving development to Las Vegas or another city that he believes will welcome and approve their plan. Sacramento’s Sleep Train Arena to be Redeveloped into "Hub of innovation" The Sacramento Kings, City of Sacramento, and California Northstate University announced their plan to build a hospital and medical complex on the southwest portion of the Kings’ former Sleep Train Arena site in North Natomas. CNU will convert 35 acres of land into a teaching hospital, trauma center, and medical school, with demolition starting as soon as the end of this year. In addition to building 400 hospital rooms in the trauma center, the project could bring 3,000 jobs and housing to the area. Officials believe that the medical center will be a source not only of community care and health but of economic prosperity. CNU originally hoped to build its medical complex near I-5 in Elk Grove, but the proposal failed amid disapproval from the local community and environmental groups. CNU, the Kings, and the city champion project construction in this location, emphasizing that the medical complex will become a “hub of innovation.” Southern California Agencies Dominate APA National Sustainability Awards The American Planning Association celebrated multiple projects and agencies in California among its 2021 Awards for Excellence in Sustainability. Los Angeles County received the award for a Municipal, State, or Regional plan for its 2019 OurCounty Sustainability Plan, which prioritizes environmental justice in its approach. The APA honored the community-based program for its comprehensive and multifaceted goals, which include fast-approaching renewable energy and urban forestry deadlines as well as housing, clean water, and waste regulations. Meanwhile, the Southern California Association of Governments received the award for a Policy, Law, or Tool for its four-phase Regional Climate Adaptation Framework that centers public outreach and engagement. The APA honored the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation for its storm water project at Roosevelt Park designed to both enhance water quality and further engage community members in recreation. USC, PolicyLink Identify U.S. Metros Furthest Behind on Rent New data from national research institute PolicyLink and the University of Southern California Equity Research Institut e shows that, while California does not rank highly among states with the highest shares of households behind on rent, the state does have two metro areas --Riverside-San-Bernadino-Ontario (22 percent) and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (16 percent)--with high debt percentages. Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Alaska and Georgie have the highest share of renters with debt, each at 20 percent or more. At the opposite end of the spectrum, only 6 percent of renters and Utah and Maine are behind on rent. Coastal California residents, particularly in Central and Southern California, fared the worst. In Orange, Ventura, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Cruz counties, the average estimated rent debt per household all surpassed $5,000. Households in Santa Clara and Marin counties owned an average of $6,000. San Mateo county residents were hit hardest, with an average of $6,774 in rental debt per household. Data is available via USC's National Equity Atlas . CP&DR Podcast: Cole to Lead Congress for New Urbanism Rick Cole served as city manager in Azusa and Ventura (where he collaborated with CP&DR Publisher Bill Fulton), and in the past decade he served in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office and, most recently, as city manager in Santa Monica, from 2015 to 2020. The consummate Californian and longtime proponent of New Urbanist is now taking on a formal, national role, as the leader of the Congress for the New Urbanism itself. Cole official became CNU's executive director in May. CP&DR's Josh Stephens spoke with Cole about New Urbanism's influence on California, California's influence on it, and its prospects here and around the country now that it has gone from a radical upstart theory to a motivating force among many progressive planners, designers, and developers. Quick Hits & Updates  July 1, 2020 population estimates from the US Census Bureau indicate the pandemic trend of residents’ moving away from California’s biggest cities; throughout the year, Los Angeles, San Jose, and San Francisco all experienced population decreases, while San Diego’s population grew at a mere 0.2% in the past year, down considerably from its 9% growth during the decade. San Francisco, San Jose, and Long Beach were all members of the “largest one-year percentage losses.”  A report from TransForm proposes a roadmap for BART officials on how to most effectively supply affordable housing and decrease traffic and greenhouse gas emissions. The report stresses that the most effective strategy for BART, which could transform about 250 acres of land across 27 of its 50 stations, is to not overbuild parking. A study by American Forests proves a disparity in tree coverage in San Diego neighborhoods, with wealthier and whiter communities having more trees than low-income communities and communities of color. The study determines that the city would need to plant 4 million more trees in order to achieve tree equity, as trees provide shade, act as a carbon sink, and can minimize heat-related illnesses. On June 2, Rancho Cucamonga City Council enacted a 10-month moratorium on new gas stations to contemplate the future of the city’s sizable number of gas stations considering the boom in electric vehicles and environmental justice concerns. San Diego City Council will consider a proposal that would allow some businesses to use their parking spaces for other purposes and eliminate parking space minimums for businesses, which currently pay up to $25,000 per stall. The proposal, which officials hope will encourage walking, biking, and transit use, will only concern businesses located within a half-mile of a major transit stop. On September 30, 2021, the suspension of public agency requirements associated with the filing and posting of CEQA notices implemented due to COVID-19 will come to an end as the pandemic tapers off. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order will, by the same deadline, end the 60-say suspension of time frames for tribal consultation when drafting environmental impact reports, negative declarations, and mitigated negative declarations. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a proposal to construct new office, apartment, and retail developments on the site of the city’s Flea Market, known as La Pulga to Spanish-speaking residents, that includes a plan to sustain the jobs of current market vendors who feared displacement. The agreement ensures that vendors will be able to operate on 5 acres within the new development and will receive a $5 million security fund when the current market closes for construction, though many believe that these protections are inadequate. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is proposing a “right to housing” ordinance that would both require the city to house its growing number of residents living on the streets and require homeless individuals to accept housing if it is offered. Housing advocates have voiced concerns that the law, which is awaiting approval from Sacramento City Council, does not center individual dignity and could escalate tent sweepings due to its obligatory nature. The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is monitoring the progress of California’s Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC) through annual reports on five sites receiving TCC funding: Fresno, Ontario, Northeast San Fernando Valley, Stockton, and Watts. The reports will share how TCC funding has impacted communities, evaluate the success of TCC-funded projects, determine which policies should be implemented in the future, and consider how communities have changed independently of TCC investment. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Proposed changes to the City of Long Beach’s zoning code intended to increase affordable housing development have been approved by the Planning Commission and will head to the city council for review. The regulations would incentivize developers to build affordable units by loosening other requirements, including those related to parking and height. The changes will only concern neighborhoods zoned for at least five housing units and will be key in constructing the 15,346 affordable units required by the Community Development’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment from 2021 to 2029. The Animal Legal Defense Fund and three California residents sued the National Park Service in San Francisco federal court for its construction of a decades-old fence at Point Reyes National Seashore that is responsible for the death of 152 tule elk — over one-third of the their population — who lacked access to food and water. The fence was intended to prevent resource competition with nearby cattle, but, with harsh drought conditions, the activists ask that the National Park Service provide food and water to the native elk species.

Orange County Cities Proceed with Lawsuit Over Housing Allocation The Orange County Council of Governments filed a lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Community Development over its housing requirements for the upcoming Regional Housing Needs Allocation cycle. The HCD determined that Southern California will have to build 1.34 million homes by 2030, while Orange County cities believe that the department severely overestimated the amount of new housing required and believes that 651,000 new housing units is more accurate. In its lawsuit, the council of governments maintains that the HCD did not follow appropriate guidelines to provide a correct estimate and used inaccurate population forecasts and vacancy rates for the region. Meanwhile, the cities must submit their updated general plans by October to accommodate the housing requirements set by the HCD. New Lawsuit over Toxins Threatens to Stall Hunters Point Redevelopment A group representing 9,000 environmental justice advocates in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood filed a lawsuit to stop the construction of 12,000 new homes proposed for Hunters Point shipyard and its surrounding Candlestick Park over concerns about gentrification and the health impacts of toxic pollutants. The group asks that Lennar Corporation and FivePoint Holdings press pause on the current construction unless the developers prove their commitment to preventing a major release of toxic pollutants at the site contaminated from Cold War ships carrying atomic-bomb fallout. The Navy, which is in the process of cleaning up the shipyard, and public health officials have previously rejected the claim that the site’s toxicity is connected to community health inequities in the area that is predominantly home to people of color and working-class residents. A hearing is scheduled for July 29, but the San Francisco Department of Public Health stated that freezing construction due to dust release is unlikely because the developers must already adhere to city health codes.  Proposed Passenger Train Route from Los Angeles to Coachella Valley Moves Forward The proposed development of a 144-mile train route from Los Angeles to the Coachella Valley looks promising after having gone through environmental review, which officials consider to be a meaningful achievement for the rail service’s progress. The estimated $1 billion plan--sponsored by Riverside County Transportation Commission, in collaboration with the Federal Railroad Administration and Caltrans--would have stops in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties and make two round-trips per day. If completed, the rail service would not only expand public transportation options and increase access to jobs but also save over 107,000 car trips per year, limiting both traffic and pollution. Moving forward, the project must go through an additional review of the proposed station locations and existing infrastructure along the route, and it will require federal funding. Report Cites Role of Greenbelts in Mitigating Wildfire Damage A new report from the Greenbelt Alliance, The Critical Role of Greenbelts in Wildfire Resilience Today , presents the case for protecting and growing greenbelts in areas threatened by wildfires. The report recommends to legislators the expansion of four types of greenbelts: open space and parks, agricultural and working lands, zones placed inside communities, and recreational greenways. The group’s research suggests that strengthening greenbelts will protect wildlands from wildfires, increase wildfire resilience and defense, protect biodiversity, and foster green spaces inside urban areas. Their approach also includes concentrating growth in existing cities and towns in order to limit wildfire risk to residents and confront the housing crisis. CP&DR Commentary: Multiple Cities Embrace Multi-Family CP&DR’s Bill Fulton parses the numbers on California’s recent housing production statistics. California’s four largest metropolitan areas – with a population of approximately 30 million people – produced about 76,000 new housing permits during the pandemic year, down about 5% from the year before. For the four largest metro areas in Texas – with a population of 20 million, or about two-thirds of California’s – the total number of new housing permits during the pandemic year was about 190,000 or almost 2 ½ times as much. In the three coastal metros, more than 60% of new housing construction is now multifamily. Quick Hits & Updates In an effort to increase available and equitable housing, the City of Oakland will participate in a nationally-funded program that provides services to address the housing crisis in cities with populations under 500,000. The city’s Housing and Community Development Department will share its ideas with several other smaller cities throughout the US to increase resource availability and innovation knowledge. Northern California has borne the brunt of the state’s extensive wildfire damage, totaling over 4.2 million acres in 2020 due to an extreme fire season, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle. Siskiyou County and Shasta County were the hardest hit areas, losing 540,000 and 420,000 acres in the past decade, respectively. California is home to 31.6 million acres of forestry, but the reciprocal relationship between climate change and deforestation threatens the state’s expansive tree cover, and hot, dry conditions are in place for an unrelenting 2021. The Center for Biological Diversity is urging the US Fish and Wildlife Service to consider California’s Santa Ana speckled dace and Temblor legless lizard for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The fish, which is native to Southern California streams, and lizard, which lives in a small area of the San Joaquin Valley, face several threats, including dams, invasive species, oil and gas drilling, and climate change. The White House released a statement that details the legacy of systemic racism in the housing market and emphasizes the evils of exclusionary zoning laws, which are to blame for over 30% the racial wealth gap, helped form “heat islands,” increase housing prices, and jeopardize children’s health and well-being. The authors communicated that existing policies are embedded with discriminatory practices that particularly harm Black families and wrote that the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan would tackle these inequities by expanding affordable housing, implementing a community-based approach, and reforming exclusionary zoning. Malibu Coast Vintners and Grape Growers Alliance Inc. filed a lawsuit alongside John Gooden, president of Montage vineyards, in response to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ decision to ban all new vineyards located in the Santa Monica Mountains. The petitioners argue that the ordinance has legal faults and hope that the California Environmental Quality Act will be considered in court to protect the area that has faced extensive damage from the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Los Angeles and San Jose were two cities considered in research from the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies on the amount of space occupied by roads in US cities. Researcher Adam Millard-Ball, in considering how public space could be reimagined due to and following the pandemic, determined that US roads — which average 55 feet wide — composed an average of 18% and up to 30% of city land area. The San Diego Association of Governments is considering a road charge for each mile driven within California that would replace its gas tax, whose effectiveness is diminishing due to the rise in electric and fuel-efficient vehicles, and fund part of its $160-billion plan to develop public transit. SANDAG expects that the plan, which reflects proposed statewide initiatives, would produce $34 billion for transportation infrastructure improvements but is still contemplating how to charge drivers. The electric bike share company Bcycle will expand its operations in Santa Barbara and establish docks and two kiosks along the waterfront, in the Funk Zone, and on Coast Village Road. The Coastal Commission voted unanimously to reject an appeal filed by a local resident over worries about the docks’ interruption of ocean views. The Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista approved essential documents for the Gaylord Pacific resort and its nearby convention center, two parks, and streets, paving the way forward for a huge, $1.23 billion waterfront project proposed for completion as early as 2025. After this step, the port, city, and the authority must file a Validation Action and then issue Authority Bonds to begin construction, which is projected to take place by late 2022. The final environmental impact report for the Bakersfield to Palmdale section of California’s high-speed rail project is complete and will be submitted to the High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors for review starting on August 18. If approved, the 80-mile segment will be the first in Southern California to be environmentally cleared and will bring the statewide approval total to 300 miles. Results from a public opinion poll about California’s high-speed rail project evidence weakening public support for the transit system. While 41% of voters voiced their support for continuing construction, 42% expressed that resources should be dedicated elsewhere, such as to local rail projects in dense city centers. The results act as reasoning for state legislators who are challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request to use $4.2 billion in voter-approved bond funding for the first segment of the system from Merced to Bakersfield. Community group Save Livermore Downtown is suing the city for its approval of a 130-unit affordable housing development, maintaining that the city’s proposal does not align with its Downtown Specific Plan and needs a more comprehensive environmental review to consider existing contamination at the location. Save Livermore Downtown requests for the court to negate the city’s approval of the Eden Housing development until it resolves the issues raised by the lawsuit. The group also believes that the project will increase traffic congestion, produce insufficient parking, and change neighborhood character. Union City City Council approved a proposal by Newport Beach-based developer Integral Communities to construct nearly 1,000 apartments and condominiums, including affordable units, on 26.5 acres near BART’s Union City Station. The development aligns with Union City’s attempt to transform the industrial area into a neighborhood with high-density housing and commercial development. The city has conducted toxic cleanups and approved multiple policy changes to accommodate this project, such as raising the average density in the area. The City of Oakland could sell its 50% share of the Oakland A’s current Coliseum site to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, an Oakland-based developer that prioritizes economic prosperity for the Black community. While the A’s hope to purchase the city’s share for full ownership to develop housing, offices, retail, and parks, the AASEG wants to work with the A’s to build a Black business district and bring a Black-owned football team to the city. The San Diego Association of Governments is prioritizing high-speed rail and high-density housing in its $160 billion long-range transportation plan. Simultaneously, four cities — Coronado, Solana Beach, Imperial Beach, and Lemon Grove — are suing SANDAG for its existing housing requirements, though housing expansion would be central to forming the denser, walkable neighborhoods promoted by the transportation plan.

The Permit Streamlining Act – designed to force public agencies to make decisions quickly – requires some kind of notice before a project is “deemed approved” because the agency missed the deadline. But what kind of notice?

In a case from San Francisco, the U.S. Supreme Court has punched another hole in the “ripeness” requirement for a taking, saying that a property owner doesn’t have to seek all administrative remedies if the government “has reached a conclusive position”.

One industry that didn’t slow down during the pandemic was construction. Even as office-based businesses went remote and retail businesses shut down, construction activity forged ahead. But given California’s housing crisis, did housing construction actually increase during the pandemic?