Search Results

I’m an urbanist and a sometime architecture critic, so I'm supposed to hate Solvang. The ersatz windmills. The fake half-timber walls. The fairy-princess towers. The kitschy buildings housing kitschy stores selling kitschy curios. Did I mention the windmills? Solvang is so ridiculous, it seems like it doesn’t even know the difference between Danish and Dutch. It goes nuts for anything with an umlaut. Or so I thought until a few weeks ago, when I visited Solvang for the first time in decades. What I found, beneath the ornament and frivolity, is a town that every city in California should aspire to become. Solvang’s secret is that it isn’t a fake town. It’s a real town only pretending to be a fake town. For starters, Solvang has real history. Mission Santa Ines is as exquisite as it is problematic. It is a quintessential California Mission, with whitewashed walls and a bell tower not quite as tall as you’d expect and yet in perfect proportion with the rest of the complex, and therefore a potent symbol of genocide and subjugation. That’s real architecture and real history. How a place like Solvang grew up around it is beyond me. Solvang gets attention for its style. It deserves attention for its substance. Fake windmills are no more or less admirable than fake arcades or fake tile roofs. Modernism taught us that style doesn’t matter, and postmodernism taught us that styles don’t matter. Timbers aren’t any less fake than girders. So I don’t care whether Solvang has windmills, bell towers, clock towers, or molehills. Solvang would be a tourist trap whether it’s Dutch or Danish or Spanish or Swedish. If you don’t believe me, check out downtown Santa Barbara, just 40 miles down Highway 101. So let’s get over ourselves. Solvang succeeds because it has good bones: the streets, the massing, the public realm, the relationship among buildings, the relationship between buildings and streets — and the way the urban landscape makes people feel. Forget the Danish kitsch. Solvang has great bones. Solvang’s main street, Mission Street, includes a predictable mix of restaurants, gift shops, and bakeries, with the odd second-floor office above. And a pleasant canopy of street trees. Something wonderful happens when you turn off Main Street: more of the same. More bakeries. More gift shops. More hanging signs. More half-timbers, more trees, and more umlauts. This pattern repeats itself for several blocks in several directions. In Solvang, you can walk out the door of one store, turn a corner, walk a block, turn another corner, and walk into another store. If this doesn’t sound like much, that’s because it’s not. But by California standards, it’s a revelation. If you don’t think so, then ask yourself why a town of 5,900 residents has 18 hotels. If we disregard the outliers — the big city downtowns and the idiosyncratic gems like Santa Barbara — the vast majority of California cities are built around strip malls (especially suburbs) and, at best, main streets (small towns). Many of California's most beloved small towns consist of little more than a single commercial main street. Consider Bishop, Weaverville, Willits, Truckee, Idyllwild--even Ojai. They're charming, but the charm diminishes the moment you turn a corner. The number of towns in which the “grid” includes more than a single street and more than 2-3 blocks is miniscule. Compare that with Europe, where almost every town, no matter its size, is built around a complete, pre-automobile core. Most cities and towns in California — and across the country — allow their downtowns to languish so their outskirts can thrive, chewing up cheap land and generating tax revenue. Of course, that’s a ridiculous bargain. The more city centers thrive, the more outskirts thrive. And the bigger those city centers are, the better the towns are. Naturally, even a state as large as California probably can’t handle more than one Danish capital. We don’t need another Solvang. And yet, other cities could take inspiration from it. They can mimic its streetscape, devise new design standards, and create something functional, attractive, and authentically Californian (whatever that may be). Fortunately, this is not some Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Thanks to a combination of demographic pressure, state policies (like SB 375), and changing tastes, California cities are upzoning, and they are expanding their downtowns. I’m thinking of places as dissimilar as Truckee, Temecula, and, almost, Redlands (where a downtown density plan was voted down last week). They are welcoming density. In its own fake way, Solvang illustrates that these efforts will be worthwhile. Maybe European-style urbanism doesn’t mean tilting at windmills after all. As for actual windmills: I think Solvang’s got us covered. Image courtesy of Prayitno, via Flickr .

CP&DR Podcast: Coronavirus; SB 50; Future of California Housing  Check out the March 26, 2020 episode of the CP&DR podcast.  Labor Dispute Kills Plan to Redevelop Concord Naval Weapons Station Amidst a labor dispute impasse, the  Concord City Council has parted ways with the developer of a massive Concord Naval Weapons Station massive mixed-use project. At 12,800 acres and 13,000 housing units, it was to be the Bay Area's largest housing development. "Both parties are kind of walking away," Mayor Tim McGallian said in an interview. Negotiations broke down between between developer Lennar and the Contra Costa Building and Constructions Trades Council. The disagreement spilled into public view at a meeting that drew crowds after city council was asked to step in to determine whether the labor agreement satisfies city-approved terms. The council decided not to confirm whether Lennar had acted in good faith or with whom Lennar could negotiate, and declined to continue Lennar's exclusive negotiating agreement. The city will be out $330,000 and will have to return any unspent money given by Lennar for the project. But pieces of the project may be salvaged; a new developer could use the specific plan drafted by Lennar, for example. "The project will still happen, just maybe not in its current form," said McGallian. "The whole thing is frustrating. But luckily we still have the ability to make it happen.” (Prior CP&DR coverage here and here .) APA Asks Newsom to Extend Deadlines for Applications, Project Reviews The California Chapter of the American Planning Association has issued several requests to Gov. Gavin Newsom to delay local government statutory deadlines in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has left planners scrambling to quickly shift operations on-line. APA is asking for a pause specifically in requirements related to review and approval of development projects, housing elements, HCD Grant Programs, Public Records Act, and Solar Permits and Wireless Telecommunication Facilities. In addition, the association is asking to a 120 day extension of SB 35 deadlines and provide that a Notice of Exemption or Notice of Determination can qualify for the states of limitation specified under CEQA guidelines by posting notices on the agency's website while a local or statewide shelter-in-place order is in effect. Newsom Curbs Evictions During Virus Crisis  Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order banning the enforcement of eviction orders for renters affected by COVID-19 through May 31. The order prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent and prohibits enforcement of evictions by law enforcement or courts. It also requires tenants to declare in writing, no more than seven days after the rent comes due, that the tenant cannot pay all or part of their rent due to COVID-19. To be protected, tenants should retain documentation but are not required to submit it to the landlord in advance. And the tenant would remain obligated to repay full rent in a timely manner and could still face eviction after the enforcement moratorium is lifted. The order took effect on March 27. Quick Hits & Updates Former Housing and Community Development secretary Ben Metcalf will join the UC Berkeley Terner Center leadership team as Managing Director. Appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015, Ben led HCD during a period of expansion of the state's financial and regulatory reach into housing and land use matters following the passage of the 2017 Housing Package. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) The Oakland A’s' proposed Howard Terminal ballpark is once again facing a lawsuit, this time by a coalition of shipping, steel, and trucking companies that contends Gov. Newsom lacks the right to exempt projects from lengthy environmental review processes. The A's applied to certify the project for the fast-tracking process after AB 734's expiration date on Jan 1, opening the door for a lawsuit against Newsom and the City of Oakland, who are both named in the suit. The Trump administration has sought to block California's climate agreement with Quebec, claiming that the carbon-trading provision is unconstitutional unless California seeks and obtains congressional approval. A federal judge rejected the administration's central claim within days of the hearing. San Diego is a step closer to putting a $900 million housing bond on the ballot after a key committee voted to recommend the property tax, which would pay for thousands of subsidized apartments for veterans, senior citizens, the disabled, low-income families, and the formerly homeless. If passed by two-thirds of voters, San Diego would receive matching federal funds. A new report reinforces a claim long made by progressive planners: more roads does not mean less traffic. Transportation for America found that over a 24-year period, 30,511 new lane-miles of road were added to the nation's largest 100 urban centers, a 42 percent increase. Traffic delays, meanwhile, rose by 144 percent. Population growth was 32 percent over the same time period. The County of San Mateo purchased  a picturesque mile of previously privately-owned beach property about eight miles south of Half Moon Bay. The city plans to build a fully outfitted public park with restrooms, hiking trails, picnic tables, interpretative signs, overlooks, and parking. Los Angeles Metro board members have decided Whittier will be the Gold Line's last stop. An alternate plan that would have run tracks parallel to the 60 Freeway fell out of favor because of a wide range of concerns, including a flood plain, a toxic waste landfill, and a lack of connections to minority, transit-dependent communities. The Riverside City Council rejected a 50-unit complex for homeless or low-income people on church property in a 6-3 vote, citing the size of the project and the 100 parking spaces (required by code) would disrupt the neighborhood. The project would have had 24 units set aside for supported homeless residents, 25 for low-income residents, and one unit for the manager.

CP&DR’s inaugural podcast episode: Bill Fulton and Josh Stephens discuss how California's planning departments are adapting to remote work; how the legislature has promoted housing development even with the failure of Senate Bill 50; and how the virus crisis may exacerbate the housing crisis. Related Articles:  Virus Crisis Forces Planning to Go Virtual Wiener Loses Again. Or Does He? What Does California Housing Look Like In A Post-COVID World? Huntington Beach Ends One Housing Fight, with More to Come Via Anchor Podcast:  Mar. 26, 2020: Coronavirus; SB 50; Future of California Housing

CP&DR Vol. 35 No. 3 March 2020

Across the state, nearly every municipal planning department has retreated from its offices but otherwise remains open for business, at least to some extent. With the state essentially shut down for the next few weeks, with weeks or months of uncertainty thereafter, attending to matters that are measured in decades — such as general plan updates — may seem futile.

With Governor’s Encouragement, Cities Halt Evictions During Epidemic  Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order encouraging local governments to pass eviction moratoriums as a statewide shelter-in-place order keeps thousands out of work. Some cities have taken steps to protect tenants affected by the coronavirus, including Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, but ultimately decisions are being left to cities and counties. Some city law enforcement officers, including San Francisco and Alameda County's sheriff's offices, are acting unilaterally by pausing eviction enforcement, reasoning that keeping people in homes prevents more people falling into the vulnerable category that is already prevalent in Northern California.The order also requests that banks and financial institutions forgive late mortgage payments and delay foreclosures if homeowners cannot make payments due to lost wages. The executive order will remain in effect until May 31, but state lawmakers are anticipating the need for longer-term solutions. State Assemblyman Phil Ting says he plans to introduce a bill that would freeze evictions for as long as a year and block home foreclosures. The moratorium would not, Ting stressed in a statement, mean tenants and mortgage holders would not pay eventually, but rather give involved parties, including banks, time to work out a payment plan. Encinitas Sues State over Housing Element Compliance  The San Diego County city of Encinitas , which has been involved in a series of disputes over housing, is looking to the courts to decide whether the Department of Housing and Community Development Department has authority to revoke the city's compliance status after voters approved Proposition A, a measure that requires the city to obtain voter approval before up-zoning properties for development. Measures that would allow the city to act unilaterally have failed, once in 2016 and again in 2019. In a dramatic turn of events, the court exempted Encinitas from public vote requirements temporarily in order to meet the city's housing planning requirements. Once again Encinitas is getting squeezed on both sides, unable to win approval to fulfill state housing planning requirements, and at risk of losing the right altogether if the state wins the suit. The state is seeking a permanent exemption from the general public vote requirement, arguing Encinitas will continue to fail to meet state housing planning requirements. Mayor Catherine Blakespear framed the issue as one of local control versus state overreach: "We need a judge to determine the ultimate question of how far the state can go in clawing away residents' ability to vote in Encinitas.” (See prior CP&DR coverage .) UC Berkeley Program Encourages Implementation of Complete Streets  UC Berkeley's SafeTRECT is accepting applications from cities for a free Complete Streets Assessment by professional planners and engineers for the areas the city chooses for evaluation. If selected, cities are awarded professional consultation to assess high-injury areas and to provide safety recommendations that ensure safety for the full spectrum of street users, including persons on foot, on bike, on transit, scooter, car, or wheelchair. The program is explicitly for technical experts, primarily city planners and engineers, who will meet with a wide range of city personnel from Public Works personnel to planning departments to police, depending on need. Relevant personnel are invited to co-conduct a field audit in order to zero in on safety concerns and discuss potential solutions. "The people who do the assessments," said Jill Cooper, SafeTREC's co-director, "have strong backgrounds in bike and pedestrian safety and mobility. They are looking at safety in a different way" that can prompt any number of solutions from policy changes to traffic signal timing adjustments, new pedestrian or bicycle facilities, pavement markings, or roadway geometry changes. Quick Hits & Updates HCD released the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Housing Program draft guidelines, under which low-interest loans are available as gap financing for rental housing developments near transit that include affordable units. Localities may apply for grants up to $10 million for infrastructure improvements necessary for the development of housing near transit. The Los Angeles City Council voted to approve $47 million in loans for the development and preservation of affordable housing across Southern California. Eleven projects -- three of which are within LA city limits -- will add more than 850 apartments to the region. Sen. Nancy Skinner has introduced a bill that would force corporate developers to rent properties within 90 days or face government seizure of the property through eminent domain. If enacted, the bill would also give cities authority to levy fines against property owners for empty units. Housing advocates are eyeing Google's 50-acre campus near Diridion Station in San Jose as a high-opportunity area for new housing. SV@Home,  a housing advocacy organization, conducted an analysis of the surrounding 240 acres, and found that after accounting for land consumed by supportive infrastructure, nearly 60 acres would be left over that could accommodate 15,000 housing units in addition to the between 3,000 and 6,000 homes Google is planning to build. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) A magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the Rose Canyon fault would devastate San Diego, says a new study by the Earthquake Engineering Institute. The ground would shift 6 to 7 feet, enough to collapse buildings and bridges, cut gas and water service, displace 36,000 households, and cost an estimated $38 billion in building and infrastructure damage. In a split vote, Pleasanton city council approved the broad outlines of a revitalization project that has been on hold for years. The move to begin the East Pleasanton Specific Plan is a welcome development for housing advocates who have long seen an opportunity zone on the east side of town. The regional council of the Southern California Association of Governments voted to adopt an eight-year regional housing plan, but not without significant pushback from some city representatives who say the new methodology -- which allocates affordable housing requirements according to transit and job proximity-- led to unfairly high housing targets. The SCAG Regional Council is expected to publish a draft of the RHNA allocations on April 2. Sacramento's new bridge will cost $210 million dollars and will have a first-of-its kind combined lift and arch bridge. The bridge will have walkways for pedestrians, buffered bike lanes and three lanes for vehicle or potential light rail traffic.

An appellate court has affirmed a Superior Court judge’s decision to set aside Agoura Hills’ approval of a mixed-use development project until an environmental impact report is completed for the project. What’s significant about the case is the fact that the Second District Court of Appeal didn’t defer to the city’s judgment but, rather, drew its own conclusions about the adequacy of mitigation for native plants and oak trees.

Huntington Beach bills itself as “Surf City USA.” The name invokes chill dudes at one with the ocean. Or it can invoke combative localism protecting a prized break from invading kooks. When it comes to housing, Huntington Beach’s attitude is decidedly the latter. It recently settled one housing-related dispute with the state but is fighting another suit and has filed one of its own. When Gov. Gavin Newsom came into office and pledged to force cities to accept their fair share of housing, Huntington Beach was the first city he targeted. The city had long argued with the Department of Housing and Community Development about a shortfall of 413 low-income units required by its 2013 Regional Housing Needs Allocation numbers. Newsom took the dispute a step further by filing suit against the city to force it into compliance. A year later, the city adopted a revised specific plan that adds zoning for the required 413 affordable units and has tentatively brought the city back into compliance with HCD and Newsom’s good graces. The city has also sued the state to exempt it (and other charter cities) from two housing bills that strengthen the ability of HCD and the Attorney General to enforce the law against Huntington Beach. It was a long process — originating nine years ago. In 2011, the city adopted the Beach Edinger Corridors Specific Plan (BECSP) to spur development on two of the city’s biggest commercial corridors. The area was, and is, largely a collection of low-rise commercial properties such as strip malls. The plan included streamlined project approval, no floor:area ratio or density caps, and reduced parking standards. the plan was designed to accommodate 4,500 new residential units, and, in its first year of adoption, several projects of over 100 units were approved. The plan won an Award of Merit from the California chapter of the American Planning Association. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) Even so, the plan concerned some residents. “With the Beach Edinger Corridor Specific Plan, it was a lot in a very short amount of time,” said Huntington Beach City Council Member Kim Carr. “I don’t think people were prepared for this shift in what the city as doing.”

California Lags in Production of “Granny Flats" California cities get a C+ for measures meant to boost the number of granny flats, or accessory dwelling units, according to a survey by Berkeley housing researchers. Even as the state has loosened restrictions, some cities have imposed barriers like mandating parking spaces, large lot sizes, and additional fees for ADU construction. Not all cities received low marks. Oakland, San Jose, Concord and San Francisco scored above average, but homeowners in Northern California were more likely to run into high permit costs, while Southern California residents became enmeshed in onerous parking regulations and demands for large lots, the survey found. Local planning departments have been an impediment as well, as they have been slow to adopt state law changes and have not standardized the permitting process for homeowners and developers. Nonprofits are looking to fill the knowledge gap: The Housing Trust Silicon Valley expects to roll out a short-term loan program to homeowners to build ADUs, which would then be rented out to low- and moderate-income residents. Housing Groups Propose 10-Year Plan  Affordable housing advocacy group Housing California and nonprofit California Housing Partnership have announced California's Roadmap HOME 2030 , an initiative to develop and implement a 10-year policy blueprint for statewide housing and homelessness solutions. The goal is to move beyond a piecemeal approach and purpose long-term structural and systems change policies necessary to address California's housing affordability challenges. According to the organizations, the Roadmap will be released in the fall. The two coalitions are working with more than three dozen partners and experts from many sectors touched by housing affordability and homelessness. The Roadmap will describe the full scale of the need for affordable homes, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable; illustrate what it will take to meet the need by 2030 by setting ambitious goals and putting forward a comprehensive and evidence-based framework of statewide policies and investments; and shape the policy agenda in Sacramento to win concrete legislation and investments. UC Riverside Report Touts Multifamily Housing Development  A new report out of UC Riverside's School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development makes a case for multifamily housing in Los Angeles County, where one-sixth of building costs is attributable to land alone. Compare that figure to other southern California cities, including Anaheim, Oxnard, San Bernardino, and Riverside, where land accounts for less than two percent of total development costs, and it becomes clear that density can have an outsize influence on affordability. Building a condominium in Los Angeles costs $100,000 more, on average, than building in surrounding areas. "Affordable housing by definition is multifamily housing, and where land is expensive, that cost needs to be distributed among more people in order to promote affordability," said Adam Fowler, Director of Research at the Center for Forecasting. The report also examined countywide data and found that the median condo price-to-housing income ratio in Los Angeles is 7.7, which is 61 percent higher than the recommended ratio. "While officials can't control the costs of labor, building materials, or other market variables," said Hoyu Chong, the report's author, "they can support changes to zoning and land use that will have a meaningful effect on reducing housing unit costs and increase affordability for Southern California families.” Quick Hits & Updates  Mountain lions may land on the endangered species list after a recommendation by the state Fish and Game Commission. Six populations are under review, including those in the Santa Monica Mountains in Ventura and Los Angeles Mountains. If the determination as endangered species is made, development projects in surrounding areas could be required to lessen any impacts to the species. The Strategic Growth Council  is now accepting applications for round 6 of the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC). SGC is inviting cities, counties, resource conservation districts, land trusts, Native American tribes, and non-profits to apply for funding for projects that limit sprawl and promote infill development.  USC has issued an update to its 2015 "Getting Real about Reform" report that explores how much additional revenue would be generated through the 1-percent general tax levy if commercial and industrial property were assessed at market value. The authors estimate that under such a system, an additional 11.4 billion dollars, or between 10.3 and 12.6 billion dollars, in property tax revenues would be available in 2021-22.  Indio City Council members unanimously approved a resolution to adopt the results of a feasibility study to provide Amtrak train service between Los Angeles and Indio. The proposed "Coachella Valley-San Gorgonio Pass Rail Corridor Service," which is the early stages of the environmental review process, would extend span 141 miles from Indio to Los Angeles Union Station. A landmark housing project that will add 1,200 new single-family and multi-family units in Paso Robles was unanimously approved by city leaders. The project will occupy 356 acres across four land parcels. The first phase is slated to begin as early as this summer and units will be ready for sale 18 to 24 months after construction begins.  At a press conference, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin announced the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA, a city ordinance aimed at preserving affordable housing in Berkeley. With TOPA, tenants have the right of first and right of first refusal on the property they live in, giving them a chance to purchase the property as a subordinated right purchase. A case before the U.S. district court will determine whether Costa Mesa's tough new regulations for sober living homes - mandated around the clock supervision, minimum distance between facilities and special permits - violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act. A tentative ruling holds that a sober living home operator can't make a blanket claim that everyone it serves is disabled and entitled to federal protections. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) To meet a likely mandate to zone for and produce 6,000 affordable housing units by 2029, Santa Monica's Planning Commission discuss recommending by-right zoning for 100 percent affordable housing developments. Planning Commissioner Richard McKinnon recommends standardizing conditions like corporate housing restrictions and sustainability features in order to allow market rate housing by-right as well. Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield of California are pledging $45 million to help with the homelessness crisis. The funds may be directed towards building affordable housing with units set aside specifically for formerly homeless families and towards helping with rent subsidies.

"Light Touch" SB 50 Returns Sen. Scott Wiener has unveiled a new version of his SB 50 in a new bill, SB 902. The new bill would permit duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes by right in most residential neighborhoods in California, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. The bill would also permit local governments to override voter-approved initiatives to permit projects of 10 units or more. Wiener called the new bill "baseline zoning for the state." The  Los Angeles Times account of SB 902 can be found here  while the bill's text can be found here .  League of Cities Proposes Housing Plan Based on Local Control  Meanwhile, the League of California Cities unveiled a production proposal that, if fully implemented, would lay the foundation for the immediate production of much needed housing. With broad support from the board, which consists of mayors, council members and appointed officials, the proposal has a better chance at implementation than previous proposals that "missed the mark," League President John Dunbar said in a statement The proposal emphasizes the need to secure long-term funding, pointing to SB 795, a property tax levy, and ACA 1, a bill that lowers voter threshold for affordable housing funding approval, as two currently pending bills that could create a long-term funding pool. The proposal also includes a menu of immediate actions cities would be required to choose from and adopt spur housing production. Cities may, for example, adopt an accessory dwelling unit ordinance, an inclusionary housing ordinance, or a transit-oriented development (TOD). Or cities may approach the program from a cost standpoint: reduce development fees, develop objective design review standards, and streamline housing approval processes. The proposal, which has been shared with Gov. Gavin Newsom's office and legislative leaders, will be a key topic during the League's Legislative Action Day, April 22. Thousands of Affordable Units at Risk in Bay Area An annual report from California Housing Partnership, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, warns that while the Bay Area didn't lose affordable apartments due to conversions to market-rate housing last year, low-income residents are more at risk than ever. As outlined in the report, since 1997, the Bay Area lost over 2,000 subsidized, rent-restricted apartments. Another 5,300 are at risk of disappearing as tax credits and subsides from federal and state agencies are set to expire. Los Angles County has the largest concentration of at-risk homes, with more than 5,000 subsidized affordable units converted to market-rate units since 1997, but counties all over California have lost affordable housing stock, including Alameda County (683), Contra Costa County (410), San Francisco County (115), San Mateo County (201), and Santa Clara County (719). Statewide, over 15,000 affordable units have been lost; another 31,800 are considered at risk. "We could actually see a situation where instead of increasing the stock of affordable housing, we're falling further behind," said Jeffrey Buchanan, director of public policy for Working Partnerships USA, a San Jose nonprofit that advocates on behalf of renters.  Survey Details Automobile Use In Los Angeles  Concerns over safety and convenience are keeping Los Angeles drivers in cars and out of public transit, according to the new USC Dornslife/Union Bank LABarometer mobility survey . Personal vehicles are overwhelmingly Los Angeleno's preferred method of transportation, with 89 percent of respondents saying they use cars to travel in or around Los Angeles County. Ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber were used by 44 percent of respondents, though infrequently. Only 35 percent say they used public transportation last year. Safety concerns are overblown, experts say. "It's fascinating that people believe they are safer in cars than in public transit. That's simply false," said a USC Professor of Psychology and Business, noting 40,000 highway deaths per year. That doesn't mean riders are imagining hazards. Walking is by far the most common way people get to public transit, and the LABarometer shows that harassment and assault are more common on sidewalks than anywhere else, particularly for women. Long transit times was the top concern for bus riders (46 percent), followed by behavior of other riders (45 percent), lack of cleanliness (37 percent), and safely getting to and waiting for the bus (36 percent). For metro users, distance to stops and behavior of other riders were top concerns (nearly tied at 39 and 38 percent), safety on the metro and on the way to the metro were concerns for 30 percent and 29 percent of riders, respectively. "Our findings suggest that safety improvements could get more people on the Metro," said Kyla Thomas, director of the LABarometer and a sociologist with CESR. "but improving convenience for daily activity is likely to get people to use the Metro more frequently, as a real substitute for the car.” Quick Hits & Updates  Following the failure of SB 50, State Sen. Scott Wiener has introduced  a bill that would allow faith institutions and nonprofit hospitals to build 100 percent affordable housing on their property by right, even if local zoning would have prohibited that type of housing. If SB 899 passes, churches, faith institutions and nonprofit hospitals will be able to build up to 150 units of affordable housing without having to go through rezoning and discretionary approval processes. California Office of Emergency Services is updating the California Adaptation Planning Guide. The second Public Review Draft is now live for review and comment through March 31. Anyone who has a stake in climate adaptation planning is encouraged to provide comments and feedback. A proposed measure, "Limitations on Navigation Centers," may appear on the November 2020 San Francisco ballot. The initiative would put a two-year cap and 100-bed limit on navigation centers, and require that "any new navigation center must open in the census tract with the largest number of unsheltered homeless" people in the city. Los Angeles legislators are considering a change to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance that would protect tenants from rent hikes that outpace inflation rates, essentially removing the floor and capping annual increases at 60 percent of the consumer price index. The rule change would affect tenants in roughly 600,000 apartments covered by the ordinance, which generally applies to buildings constructed on before Oct. 1978. A San Diego developer is attempting to establish a clear delineation between market rate tenants and affordable housing tenants, going so far as to have two separate entrances and block low-income tenants from using luxury amenities like the building's rooftop deck. Housing advocates are pushing back, saying the separation amounts to segregation, but the development is allowed under city rules.  Newly released passenger data shows that ridership on the new Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit Line is slowly starting to recover after a 2.2 percent drop in its second year of service from 721,600 to 706,000. Commuters, who are driving the rebound, are increasingly using SMART as an alternative to driving to work on Highway 101. (See prior CP&DR coverage .) A year after the state sued Huntington Beach "for willingly refusing to comply with state housing law," Huntington Beach City Council voted to approve the acquisition of a vacant parcel intended for an affordable housing project, which will span the neighboring property as well. The city will use $3 million from a low-moderate income housing asset fund reserved for the development of affordable housing.

In this week’s election, Bernie Sanders won big in the Democratic presidential race, and local measures to promote development and smart growth got slaughtered. Coincidence? Only partially.

Package of Bills Takes Aim at Development Fees  Seven bills aimed at slashing development and impact fees -- which comprise up to 18 percent of the cost of new Californian homes -- have been proposed in the legislature recently. The bills, jointly authored by five Democratic assembly members, aim to combat the housing crisis in California. If passed in full, the package would substantially modify the way fees are assessed, including nexus standards reform; impact fee reduction for affordable housing units and units built using the state's density bonus program; tie fees to median home prices; and assess fees on a per-square-foot basis, giving developers the option to build smaller, more affordable units without being penalized. Impact fees would be payable "under protest," allowing developers to defer fee negotiations and continue building. Overall, the package pares down requirements and development costs, with one exception: cities and counties would be required to report essential housing data to HCD, including the number of new housing units that have been issued a completed entitlement, a building permit, or a certificate of occupancy. The bills are currently being sent to Assembly Committees where they are expected to be heard in the spring.  Ruling Stalls Approval of 72,000 Oil Wells  Kern County oil producers will no longer be allowed to use a single environmental report for 72,000 new oil wells after an appellate court ruled that the report concealed impacts on air quality, drinking water, and wildlife. Kern County officials ignored threats to public health from particulate soot, and impacts to drinking and agricultural water supplies, the panel ruled. The environmental impact report had set a cap of 3,647 new well approvals a year, for a total of 72,900 permits over 20 years, but the sweeping ruling invalidates the entire policy until county officials can demonstrate CEQA compliance. While the decision is a blow to the industry, the overall concept of blanket approval and quick permitting remains intact. "We're committed to this ordinance. If we need to fix it, we'll fix it," said Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Director Lorelei Oviatt, who helped craft the policy. "I'm very pleased we won on the very important issues for this innovative approach ... covering 2.3 million acres." Her statement gets to the heart of environmentalist's concerns. "The scheme they set up is basically rubber-stamping all the applications that come across the county's desk for oil and gas wells, and all of the ancillary equipment," said Hollin Kretzmann, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. There's no word yet whether there will be an appeal, but one more timely option on the table would be to kick the matter up to state authorities. Bakersfield-Palmale Segment of High Speed Rail to Cost $18.1 Billion The segment of California High Speed Rail from Bakersfield to Palmdale would incur significant losses, financial and otherwise, says a draft environmental statement by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The rail line route would cut through 253 residential housing units, 311 businesses, 175 farm fields, a homeless shelter, and an alternative high school. Among impacts that are "significant and unavoidable under CEQA" is the relocation of a section of the iconic Pacific Crest Trail. The estimated $18.1 billion price tag is a reflection of the route's challenging terrain. To achieve 4,000 feet of elevation - as crossing the Tehachapi Mountains requires - plans call for 9.3 miles of tunnels,15.8 miles of elevated structures, and 75 overpass or underpass structures to cross highways. A federal bill, H.R. 5805, has been introduced in the House of Representatives by by Rep. Jim Costa that would authorize $32 billion in federal funds for high-speed rail corridors, but whether those funds make it to California is an open question as the federal administration has been show to disburse funds and has tried to take already granted funds back. LAO Analyzes Costs, Benefits of Governor’s Climate Proposals The Legislative Affairs Office has issued a report examining Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed investments related to climate change. The four main proposals evaluated by the LAO include a $965 million cap-and-trade expenditure plan, $25 million for expanded climate adaptation research and technical assistance, $250 million for a new climate catalyst loan fund, and a $4.8 billion climate bond. The report sets forth a series of key issues for the legislature to consider, including thinking broadly - beyond the governor's recommendations - about its climate change-related priorities. Since the climate catalyst loan, for example, comes out of the General Fund, the legislature will have to weight multiple priorities before those funds are issued to their ultimate destination. A common thread throughout the report is California's potential contributions to the private sector and impacts beyond the state's borders. Because California emits roughly 1 percent of global greenhouse gas gases,. the most significant effect of California's climate policies may be how they influence greenhouse gas reduction activities in other jurisdictions. If California were to successfully implement cost-effective policies, for example, a reasonable assumption is that other states or even countries could follow suit. Quick Hits & Updates The California High-Speed Rail Authority estimates the state bullet train project will cost $80.3 billion, up from a previous estimate of $70 billion, mainly because the plan pushes back the completion of a high-speed rail link between Silicon Valley and the Central Valley by 18 months, to late 2031. But, managers insist they are on pace to meet a 2022 federal deadline for laying track along the first segment in the Central Valley. New figures from BART indicate that ridership has decreased during off-peak hours, particularly on weekends and at night. The total amount of rides outside of commuting hours have dropped by nearly 10 million, from 62.2 million in 2015 to 52.7 million in 2019. In a survey of 662 BART riders, reasons for not taking rides in off-peak hours includes lower frequency of trains on the weekend and the rail system not reaching places BART riders want to travel to. Crime, lack of cleanliness, and homeless riders were also cited as reasons riders chose alternative transit options. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sided with the California attorney general's office and HCD, asserting Huntington Beach must respond to a state lawsuit accusing the city of falling out of compliance with the state housing mandate. UCLA Luskin research team won the 2019 Pyke Johnson Award from the Transportation Research Board for a recent paper about the mobility needs of aging adults. The award-winning paper, "Physical Accessibility and Employment Among Older Adults in California," found that adults age 60 and older are able to stay in the workforce longer when they have access to a car or to public transit, or if they live in an urban area. More than half of all California counties should begin preparing for a large and long lasting period of declining student enrollment by as much as seven percent, according to projections from the California Department of Finance. Since funding is allocated on a per pupil basis, schools will contend with shrinking budgets. There is at least one silver lining: with continued economic growth, lower enrollment could result in funding increases for K-12 schools of up to $100 per student in each of the next several years. The San Bernadino County Transportation Authority voted to initiate a $3 million study to explore three rail access options and choose a "preferred alternative" that would allow car-free access to Ontario International Airport. In broad strokes, officials are looking at either extending the Gold Line from Pomona to the airport, building a heavy-rail line from Metrolink's Rancho Cucamonga station, or converting existing cargo train tracks to a heavy-rail passenger service from Metrolink's Ontario-East Station. San Diego's Planning and Development Services has created an online portal through which the public can track progress on the general plan and local development, as the city seeks to add up to 60,748 residences. The portal includes text summary reports, maps that show how many residences have been built in each unincorporated community, the capacity the general plan would still allow to be built in each community, and a search tool, all updated quarterly. Los Angeles Metro expects to receive a $1.3 billion grant for the purple line, a Los Angeles County subway line that will connect downtown to the Westside, the last piece of major funding needed to finish the project. The nine-mile project, which will run beneath Wilshire Boulevard, is expected to generate 78,000 new daily trips. Los Angeles is considering a car-free zone on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The initiative, Bringing Back Broadway, includes a streetscape master plan that would extend sidewalks and divert traffic. A new streetcar loop for Broadway is also in the works; nearly $590-million has been secured for construction and operations. The Coastal Commission unanimously rejected a massive seawall barrier proposal that would protect expensive homes on Dana's Point's Strands Beach from landslides. Commissioners objected to the large taxpayer expense that would predominantly benefit wealthy homeowners, as well as the loss of beach that would occur as a result of the plan. CCC rejected a similar proposal in 2012, signaling commissioner's preference for protecting coastline over private property. President Trump signed a presidential memorandum that is intended to divert water to Central Valley's agricultural regions, once again setting up a legal battle between the state and the federal Justice Department. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra immediately responded, saying in a news release that California will challenge the action. Implications are unclear for Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent announcement that he will seek "voluntary agreements" to manage delta resources. The developer of Cupertino's Vallco Mall filed a complaint against the city of Cupertino, setting the stage to sue the city over general plan amendments made in August. The company had "no choice" to file a claim, Sand Hill managing director said in an email, alleging the amendments would amount to "downzoning" the project and "radically the value of the Site, as they left no potential for a project that can feasibly be built.” (See prior CP&DR coverage .) The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has created Housing Central Command, a new initiative to establish real-time awareness of LA's permanent supportive housing portfolio across all jurisdictions and funding streams. Developed by HUD, the crisis response model will allow homeless service agencies and government authorities to coordinate with a common set of housing inventory data. A San Mateo development is on track to be the first success story for AB 1763, the bill that allows projects near major transit hubs to be built taller and denser. A developer is relying on the new law to bump a five-story, 164-unit project up to a seven-story complex with 225 units for low-income families.  San Francisco's car ban on Market Street went into effect last month. Newly released data from Inrix, a traffic analytics firm, shows worries regarding traffic snarls on surrounding streets were unfounded. An independent data set provided to the San Francisco Examiner confirms Inrix's findings, which show negligible, slightly slower car travel times, while Muni and bus times have seen a commensurate boost.