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Los Angeles Ballot Measure Could Jeopardize Olympics Projects
A Los Angeles hotel workers union has proposed a ballot measure requiring voter approval for major “event centers,” including sports facilities, concert halls and hotels, which city officials warn could delay or block several 2028 Olympic venues. The initiative would apply to both permanent projects and temporary structures exceeding 50,000 square feet or 1,000 seats, potentially prompting elections for sites like the Convention Center, Venice Beach and Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. City leaders and Olympic organizers argue the measure could jeopardize essential projects, drive events to other cities and harm the local economy. Unite Here Local 11 says the proposal responds to business efforts to overturn the city’s newly approved $30 minimum wage for hotel and airport workers, and argues large developments often overburden communities without delivering proportional benefits. The measure is still under review and, if it qualifies, would likely appear on the June 2026 ballot, intensifying political tensions ahead of the Olympic Games. (See related CP&DR commentary.)
Oakland Presents Residents with Three Visions for Growth
The City of Oakland is soliciting feedback in Phase 2 of the city's General Plan Update, with three "Options for How We Stabilize and Grow" as different plans for how and where Oakland invests and plans for new homes, jobs, and infrastructure in the next 20 years. It's an innovative approach to public outreach. The announcement described the options as "a tool to help the community consider tradeoffs and preferences for Oakland's future". The city released a survey open until Sept 24 for constituent feedback on the plans. The "City of Neighborhoods" plan emphasizes developing 18 walkable mixed-use neighborhood centers and community gathering centers. The "Connected Corridors and Gateways" option proposes "transit-oriented development", concentrating residential and commercial growth into higher-density areas along major transit corridors where redevelopment potential is highest. The "Midtown Waterfront District" option entails a wholesale transformation of old industrial land along the Central Estuary into a new neighborhood, redeveloping old commercial and industrial properties with an emphasis on environmental sustainability and public shoreline access. (See related CPRDR coverage.)
State Attempts to Keep Benicia Refinery Open
California officials are attempting to find a company to purchase and continue operating for Benicia petroleum refinery near Oakland before current owner Valero Energy's planned closure of the facility in April 2026. Valero also says operations at the rest of its California plants are under review. With California drivers already paying some of the highest fuel prices in the country, the rare move reflects an effort on the state's part to prevent prices from rising even further. As of the announcement on July 23, California gas prices averaged to $4.48 per gallon, compared to a $3.15 average nationwide. Studies from UC Davis and USC found that Valero closing its plants in California could increase gas prices to $6-8 dollars per gallon as the state would be more reliant on expensive fuel imports. Industry experts say finding a buyer before the April closure could be difficult, and will require an aggressive timeline.
CP&DR Legal Coverage: Housing Dispute in Fresno; Palisades Tahoe Development
The City of Fresno has been ordered to overturn its decision to deny a multifamily housing project and instead approve the 82-unit project. City staff had recommended approval of the project. But the Fresno Planning Commission voted to deny it, claiming it violated the city’s General Plan, and the City Coucnil upheld the Planning Commission’s decision. But Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert Whelan said that the Fresno City Council violated the Housing Accountability Act because the alleged General Plan violation was not identified within 30 days. Whelan ruled that the developer’s original application should have been deemed complete and that the minor deviation from the code was not required. He also gave the city 60 days to determine whether the project qualifies for an Article 32 exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act.
After many years of litigation and controversy, environmentalists have reached a legal settlement with the owners of the Palisades Tahoe ski resort that will limit the size of the resort’s expansion. The settlement ends 14 years of fighting in the courts and at the Placer County Board of Supervisors over the project. The first application was filed in 2011. Placer County originally approved the project and certified a related environmental impact report in 2016.
Quick Hits & Updates
Solano County has indefinitely postponed an Aug. 20 General Plan summit at the request of all seven city managers, who said they lacked time to prepare and wanted a more collaborative process. The delay comes amid tensions over Suisun City and Rio Vista’s exploration of annexing land owned by California Forever, a move county officials have criticized as financially driven and potentially harmful to agriculture and infrastructure planning. (See related CP&DR coverage.)
Spacex has proposed a plan to launch 95 rockets a year from Vandenberg Space Force Base amidst an ongoing lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission, which previously rejected a Space plan to launch 50 rockets per year in October 2024. The CCC raised concerns about the lack of environmental and wildlife impact monitoring, as well as the company operating as a federal contractor and bypassing the permit process despite 87% of launches involving no equipment or missions for U.S. agencies.
The state Senate narrowly passed SB 79, which would allow four- to nine-story apartment buildings near high-frequency transit stops to boost housing supply and public transit use. Supporters say it addresses the state’s housing shortage, while opponents warn it could fuel displacement, override local planning authority and give transit agencies too much control over land use. The State Senate also passed SB 92, 28-3, with bipartisan support changing the state's density bonus housing law to allow benefits only for residential housing uses and no other elements of mixed-use projects. SB 92 is designed to prevent developers from exploiting the law to build projects with little affordable housing. The bills now go to the Assembly.
Los Angeles has unveiled updated designs for its $2-billion Convention Center expansion, which would add 190,000 square feet of exhibit space, a rooftop terrace and a three-level atrium connecting the South and West Halls over Pico Boulevard. While officials hope the project will boost the city’s ability to host major events, its timeline is complicated by funding challenges and the 2028 Olympics, with construction potentially pausing during the Games and resuming for completion in 2029.
The Pacific Legal Foundation is suing East Palo Alto over the city's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. The ordinance requires residential projects with fewer than five units to designate one unit as affordable housing or pay a fee. The PLF is representing a family that wants to build an ADU on a lot neighboring their house, but would have to pay a $54,000 fee to do so without renting it out as affordable housing.
A group of community members used a loophole in state laws to appeal against the proposed construction of an affordable housing complex for homeless people in San Francisco, despite lawmakers attempting to hasten construction. The complex, to be constructed by Mission Housing, would place 350 new homes and on-site social services above the 16th Street Mission BART Station. The neighbors' appeal letter raised concerns that the complex would excacerbate issues of homelessness, drug use, and safety in the area.
A group of community members used a loophole in state laws to appeal against the proposed construction of an affordable housing complex for homeless people in San Francisco, despite lawmakers attempting to hasten construction. The complex, to be constructed by Mission Housing, would place 350 new homes and on-site social services above the 16th Street Mission BART Station. The neighbors' appeal letter raised concerns that the complex would excacerbate issues of homelessness, drug use, and safety in the area.
A group of community members used a loophole in state laws to appeal against the proposed construction of an affordable housing complex for homeless people in San Francisco, despite lawmakers attempting to hasten construction. The complex, to be constructed by Mission Housing, would place 350 new homes and on-site social services above the 16th Street Mission BART Station. The neighbors' appeal letter raised concerns that the complex would excacerbate issues of homelessness, drug use, and safety in the area.
A proposal for a train station at Camp Pendleton has resurfaced in SANDAG’s 2025 regional transportation plan, aiming to extend Coaster service beyond Oceanside to serve tens of thousands of military personnel and civilians on base. While the idea received early Pentagon support and would improve access to the region’s largest employer, the project has stalled for over a decade due to funding gaps, security concerns and the challenges of building on restricted federal land.
