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Shot Clocks Are As Big A Deal As CEQA Exemptions
The passage of AB 130 and SB 131 – the budget trailer bills from last summer – has shifted the landscape for planning in California in new ways. And although the impetus for these shifts came from the state’s desire to encourage more housing, there are pros and cons for both local governments and housing developers from the deal.
New Sponsors Rekindle Land Use Law and Planning Conference
After a one-year hiatus, the Land Use Law and Planning Conference , sponsored for over 30 years by UCLA and now by the W. P. Carey Center for Real Estate and Finance at Arizona State Unviersity and the California Planning & Development Report, is returning to downtown Los Angeles Friday, January 23. For its long history, the conference has served a crucial purpose for California’s land-use professionals: explain and discuss the myriad of new laws and legal cases that arise
Is Sacramento Ready For True CEQA Reform?
As the Legislature prepares to convene in January, another round of changes to the California Environmental Quality Act seems likely. The question is whether the 2026 changes will be incremental – clarifying, among other things, some of the “Swiss-cheese” holes punched in CEQA in 2025 – or whether someone in the Legislature will attempt a more comprehensive attempt at reform.
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Shot Clocks Are As Big A Deal As CEQA Exemptions
The passage of AB 130 and SB 131 – the budget trailer bills from last summer – has shifted the landscape for planning in California in new ways. And although the impetus for these shifts came from the state’s desire to encourage more housing, there are pros and cons for both local governments and housing developers from the deal.
William Fulton
3 days ago
A Cheeky Plan To Win CEQA Attorney's Fees Fails
A Berkeley citizen group lost its challenge to People's Park in the legislature and the California Supreme Court. But that didn't stop the group from claiming enough of a victory to seek $1 million in attorney's fees. An appellate court shot the idea down.
William Fulton
4 days ago
CP&DR News Briefs January 20, 2026: HCD Audit; Corporate Homeownership; L.A. Fire Zone Lawsuit; 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 . Audit Supports HCD Efforts to Encourage Housing Element Compliance An audit of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) found that the agency’s letters jurisdictions regarding noncompliant housing elements were generally able to
Emily Glennon
Jan 20
Since 2022, New Housing Has Caught Up With New Population
California’s housing cost is still the highest in the nation and Sacramento is still focused on increasing housing production. And although overall production has not gone up much in recent years, it’s outpacing population growth – at least according to the demographers at the California Department of Finance. The latest numbers show that between 2022 and 2025, California added one new housing unit for every resident – 349,000 new people and 364,000 new housing units, or a li
William Fulton
Jan 18
Benicia Properly Used SB 35 For Projects In Historic Arsenal District
A challenge to two SB 35 projects in Benicia by a local preservation group – arguing, among other things, that the projects involved historic structures and wetlands – has been struck down by the First District Court of Appeal. The ruling is unpublished and therefore cannot be used as precedent.
William Fulton
Jan 17
La Habra Housing Element Case Published
A case which says a city can delegate final approval of its housing element to the city manager -- and not hold a final approval -- has been published by the Fourth District Court of Appeal.
William Fulton
Jan 17
The Death and Life of Shakedown Street
Of the dozens of Grateful Dead songs that have been autoplaying in my head since the news of Bob Weir’s passing broke this Saturday, “Shakedown Street” has been in particularly heavy rotation. The bassline helps, but so does its commentary about American urbanism. The Dead’s landscapes rarely involved cities. Dead songs are vivid: fairy tales set in the real world, though its landscapes are more pastoral than urban. In “Truckin’,” we pass through the likes of Dallas, Houst
Josh Stephens
Jan 15
New Sponsors Rekindle Land Use Law and Planning Conference
After a one-year hiatus, the Land Use Law and Planning Conference , sponsored for over 30 years by UCLA and now by the W. P. Carey Center for Real Estate and Finance at Arizona State Unviersity and the California Planning & Development Report, is returning to downtown Los Angeles Friday, January 23. For its long history, the conference has served a crucial purpose for California’s land-use professionals: explain and discuss the myriad of new laws and legal cases that arise
Josh Stephens
Jan 14
CP&DR News Briefs January 13, 2026: S.D. Height Limit; S.F. Zoning Lawsuit; Saratoga Builder's Remedy; 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 . Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to San Diego Coastal Height Limit San Diego’s 30-foot height limit west of I-5 will go back into effect now that the California Supreme Court has declined to take a case overturning a vote that eliminated the height
Emily Glennon
Jan 13
Position Available, City of Gilroy, CA
City of Gilroy Is Hiring - Senior Planner
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Jan 10
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