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Legislative Roundup: Newsom Signs Most Bills But Vetoes Advanced Manufacturing Exemption
A roundup -- and explanation -- of all the relevant planning and legislation that will beome law this year.


CP&DR Vol. 41 No. 9 September 2026 Report
Subscribers -Log In to read the CP&DR Vol. 41 No. 9 September 2026 Report


CP&DR Vol. 41 No. 8 August 2026 Report
Subscribers -Log In to read the CP&DR Vol. 41 No. 8 August 2026 Report


It's Time For California To Have Only One Definition Of Infill
There are more than 20 definitions of infill in state law and policy. It creates a needle that's almost impossible to thread.
Cal Supremes Expand CEQA By Changing Standard On Class 1 Exemption
Cal Supremes say test for Class 1 (minor) exemption is the nature of the change, not the risk of environmental harm
Will We Recognize CEQA Next Year?
Probably not. CEQA will exist, but if the Chamber of Commerce initiative passes, it will become nothing more than a checklist against existing law.


Judge Fines Huntington Beach $160,000 For Housing Law Violations
Plus, the city must pay $50,000 a month going forward if it does not pass a compliant housing elements. The Attorney General may go after other cities in the future


Cal Supremes Clip Coastal Commission's Wings
The court was forced to interpret the meaning of a confusing map in the Local Coastal Plan. The justices concluded that the project was outside any environmentally sensitive area.


Cities And Counties Push Back Against Newsom On Housing Elements
Most of the 15 jurisdictions are located in the San Joaquin Valley. Many expressed surprise, saying they are actively going back and forth with HCD on their housing elements.


Cities Contemplate Massive Upzoning Wrought by SB 79
SB 79 goes into effect July 1, bringing massive upzoning that could, at full build-out, more than double the populations of many cities.
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Categories
Discretionary Lot-Line Adjustment Case Published
A recent appellate case declaring that a lot-line adjustment was not ministerial has been published, meaning it can now be used as precedent in other cases.

William Fulton
42 minutes ago
SF's Tiered CEQA Review For Housing Project Upheld
An appellate court has upheld San Francisco’s decision to use streamlined environmental review for a proposed housing project that incorporates an historic library, essentially upholding the city’s use of tiering off of its housing element environmental impact report. The ruling is unpublished and therefore cannot be used as precedent in other cases.

William Fulton
49 minutes ago
CEQA Barely Survives A Mock Execution At Cal APA – But "It May Need Some Botox"
The question posed in one panel at the California Chapter, American Planning Association, conference last week was whether the California Environmental Quality Act should live or die. Everybody had a paddle – not to swat each other, but to vote yes or no. And despite the fact that most of the people in the room make their living as CEQA practitioners, the vote was surprisingly close.

William Fulton
50 minutes ago
Additional Housing In UC Santa Cruz's Long-Range Plan Is Not A CEQA Mitigation
In a complicated but unpublished ruling, an appellate court overturned a Santa Cruz judge's decision.

William Fulton
50 minutes ago
Cocktails and Condos at Infill Summit
The recent Infill Summit revealed equal parts optimism and frustration over the state of development in California

Josh Stephens
14 hours ago
CP&DR News Briefs: October 6, 2026: Transit Cuts; Statewide Conservation; L.A. Housing; and More
This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report. You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here. You can sign up for CP&DR’s free weekly newsletter here. San Diego County, Bay Area Contemplate Transit Service Cuts if Funding Dries Up San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System released a draft proposal that would eliminate 33 of its 95 bus routes, ending service to SeaWorld, Cabrillo National Monument, Tierrasanta and par

Emily Glennon
6 days ago
Legislative Roundup: Newsom Signs Most Bills But Vetoes Advanced Manufacturing Exemption
A roundup -- and explanation -- of all the relevant planning and legislation that will beome law this year.

William Fulton
7 days ago
Developer Sues Menlo Park Over Sunset Magazine Project
The battle over redevelopment of the Sunset Magazine headquarters in Menlo Pack has reached fever pitch, with the city refusing to back down in its resistance to the project and the developer filing a lawsuit asking that the city be hit with at least $6.6 million in fines.

William Fulton
7 days ago
2026 APA California Awards
The following awards were announced October 4 at the conference of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association, held in Los Angeles

CP&DR Staff
Oct 5
California APA Conference Returns to Los Angeles after 10 Years
This year's edition of the conference of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association arrives in a subdued version of Los Angeles

Josh Stephens
Sep 30
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