A local resident of Malibu, California helped to lead a campaign to get rid of plastic straws in the city, which culminated with a City Council ordinance passed in late February that officially bans restaurants and food vendors from offering or selling plastic straws, stirrers, or utensils to customers. The ban goes into effect on […]
April 13, 2018 | Category:
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
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california land use,
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Housing,
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LegislationThe sponsor of California State Senate Bill 827, Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) amended the proposed bill ahead of its first legislative committee debate. SB 827 has potentially significant land use implications and was previously summarized on this blog. To recap, the bill is an aggressive attempt to address the housing shortfall in California by overriding […]
This week, a federal judge in Wyoming stayed implementation of an Obama-era methane emissions rule. The Obama methane rule south to limit methane emissions from oil and gas projects by reducing leaking, flaring, and venting of natural gas in drilling operations. The Trump administration has moved to roll back the Obama methane rule, and in […]
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 […]
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 […]
February 26, 2018 | Category:
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
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Land Use LawProposed Assembly Bill (“AB”) 1905 by Assemblyman Tim Grayson aims to make it harder for lawsuits filed under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) to stop construction of roads and public transit. This legislation is specifically aimed at the road or transit projects that are included in state-approved regional growth plans. These projects have already […]
