A proposed “wild-fire fix” bill (PL 115-141 of March 23), sponsored by Senator Simpson (R-Idaho), includes various provisions to address forest and fuels management. The provision proposes to categorically exemption from environmental review hazardous fuels reduction projects less than 3,000 acres and authorized pursuant to the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003. The House approved […]
International Energy Agency (“IEA”) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to support decisions by governments and the private sector to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy. On March 23, 2018, the IEA issued its first “Global Energy and CO2 Status Report.” Some recent reports claim that the IEA has been guiding governments toward energy decisions […]
March 31, 2018 | Category:
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
Lawsuit | Tags:
California,
california land use,
CEQA,
court case,
lawsuit,
Mitigated Negative Declaration,
MNDThe Second District Court of Appeal upheld an infill project approved by the City of Covina in the case Covina Residents for Responsible Development v. City of Covina (Cal. Ct. App., Feb. 28, 2018, No. B279590). The project at issue involved a 58-unit, mixed use, infill project located about a quarter-mile from a commuter rail […]
The City of Santa Barbara has been awarded a $10 million grant by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to offset the $72 million cost of reactivating the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant. The plant came back online to supply water to city customers in May 2017. It provides an important source of drought-proof […]
Despite a bad start to the rainy season in California, the recent storms across the state have helped ease fears of insufficient water for the coming growing and recreation season. The significant fires of the past year and unusually dry start to the winter had many concerned, but a weather pattern shift in late February […]
From CNBC: Californians fed up with housing costs and taxes are fleeing state in big numbers Californians may still love the beautiful weather and beaches, but more and more they are fed up with the high housing costs and taxes and deciding to flee to lower-cost states such as Nevada, Arizona and Texas. “There’s nowhere in the United States that you […]
Over 3 years ago, state voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion bond measure to pay for new water projects, $3 billion of which was intended to be set aside for reservoirs and other water-storage projects. The funding is directed to projects that fulfill the following benefits: ecosystem improvements, water quality improvements, flood control, […]
At a forum on March 8, 2018 in Sacramento, Newsom said California must break down barriers to building because it ranks “49th out of 50 in the United States in per capita housing units. Only Utah can lay claim to being lowest in per capita production.” “California ranks 49th among the 50 US states for […]
In an unpublished opinion, Bussard v. City of Santa Rosa, the First District Court of Appeal upheld the City’s approval of a small infill housing project. (Case No. A148882, Feb. 6, 2018.) Project opponents argued that the development violated the Santa Rosa General Plan and the Santa Rosa City Code. The trial court denied the […]
The Little Hoover Commission released its report, “Rethinking Forest Management in the Sierra Nevada.” In this report, the Commission recommends a series of actions to address the crisis surrounding California’s forests. Poor management policies that interrupted the natural and historical cycle of fire, combined with a changing climate, have left forests in California vulnerable to […]
