Vol. 20 No. 08 Aug 2005

California appears to be headed slowly away from the carbon age. However, the experience at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area — California’s oldest and one of the world’s largest wind farms — suggests that the move to renewable energy sources could have consequences.

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Development activity in San Bernardino County’s high desert is as hot as a mid-summer afternoon. With miles of wide-open spaces, the Victor Valley has become an affordable housing relief valve for Southern California. The area’s four incorporated cities and half a dozen unincorporated communities will see about 7,500 new housing units this year alone.

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An appellate court has thrown out a mitigated negative declaration that the City of Los Angeles approved for a 21-lot subdivision in the Sunland area. The court ruled that project opponents had made a fair argument that the project may have a significant impact on wildlife and traffic.

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Not often does a case already decided by the state Court of Appeal return to the same court for an interpretation of who won. However, the Fifth District Court of Appeal has issued a second ruling on a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) case from Merced County, making it perfectly clear that environmentalists won and the county lost.

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A ruling in an endangered species case from Arizona demonstrates how sharply divided federal judges are regarding the legal protections afforded to rare animals and plants.

In an extremely short opinion, a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 that the Army Corps of Engineers was not obliged to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regarding the impacts of two proposed housing developments on the ferruginous pygmy owl.

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An appellate court has ruled against a former San Diego Unified Port District commissioner who sued the district’s former attorney over faulty legal advice.

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A convergence of money, technology and landscape has given rise to a project that is both understated and remarkable. However, the set of forces, circumstances and personalities behind the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco is unlikely to be matched in the Bay Area or anywhere else.

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Four weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an expansive view of eminent domain by a 5-4 vote, President Bush went on national television to nominate D.C. Circuit Court Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to replace retiring justice Sandra Day O’Connor. O’Connor was in the minority on the eminent domain case, but she has been a key swing vote on many property rights cases. If Roberts is confirmed, will he move the court in a more conservative direction? Or will he maintain the moderate course of O’Connor?

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The latest news from around the state includes a new study of California's water future ... the governor's signing of a Bay Bridge funding bill ... a slow-growth initiative in Santa Paula that has been blocked from the ballot ... San Diego corruption ... and more.

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The City of Oceanside, which has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, is preparing for a major civic improvement: rehabilitation of a 465-acre former sand quarry for parkland and public buildings. However, financing for the project — estimated to cost more than $100 million over 25 years — is far from certain.

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