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.
Biden to Designate 820,000 Acres for New National Monuments in California
President Joe Biden is set to designate two new national monuments in California: the Chuckwalla National Monument south of Joshua Tree National Park and the Sáttítla National Monument nearby the Oregon border. The Chuckwalla monument will protect over 620,000 acres of desert habitat crucial for wildlife and indigenous cultural sites, while the Sáttítla monument spans 200,000 acres of woodland and meadows important to the Pit River and Modoc tribes, preserving additional important wildlife and ecosystems. These designations, part of Biden’s efforts to preserve public lands, were influenced by significant support from tribal leaders and environmental groups, despite opposition from some local officials. The Chuckwalla monument's boundaries were adjusted to accommodate solar development interests, a concession aimed at balancing conservation with energy goals.
State Rolls Out Reforms to Property Insurance Regulations
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara introduced a new regulation aimed at addressing the home insurance crisis by allowing insurers to charge higher premiums to cover the costs of reinsurance as part of a broader set of reforms. The regulation is designed to make the state’s insurance market more appealing to insurers, many retreating due to wildfire losses. For the first time, insurers will be able to include reinsurance costs in their premiums, a practice common in other states but new to California. To ensure consumer protection, the regulation will cap these costs at an industry standard, while also requiring insurers to increase their coverage in wildfire-prone areas by 5% every two years. The regulation also enables ensurers to use predictive "catastrophe models" to identify high-risk areas. The move has been welcomed by industry groups, though critics argue it could lead to significant rate hikes and lacks safeguards to ensure insurers will actually write more policies in fire-prone areas. The regulation must still pass a review before it can become law and some insurers, like State Farm, have already ceased issuing new policies in California. (See related CP&DR coverage.)
San Francisco Gets High Marks for Urban Mobility Resilience
San Francisco ranks first in the 2024 Urban Mobility Readiness Index, evaluating cities' preparedness for future mobility challenges. The city excels in adopting technologies like autonomous vehicles (AVs) and robo-taxis, while investing in infrastructure, such as EV charging and public transit access, to reduce carbon emissions and improve traffic flow. Despite these advancements, San Francisco still faces challenges in expanding public transit and cycling infrastructure to match other leading cities. The index emphasizes the importance of consistent investment in both traditional mobility systems and new technologies to ensure resilience and sustainability. San Francisco's efforts highlight the need for a balanced approach to urban mobility, combining innovation with improvements to existing services to meet evolving transportation demands.
California Organization Receives National Award for GHG Reduction
The Southern California Clean Cities Coalition received two top awards at the national 2024 Clean Cities and Communities Training Workshop, recognizing its achievements in reducing gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These awards were based on data from the coalition’s 2023 Clean Cities Annual Report, which is submitted annually to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The coalition reported a 129% increase in GGEs reduced and an 814% increase in GHGs reduced compared to 2022. The analysis of these metrics is conducted by the DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to track the progress of coalitions nationwide. The Southern California coalition’s success highlights the role of regional collaboration, with substantial contributions from local fleet operators, including the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Foothill Transit. Moving forward, the coalition aims to increase participation from regional stakeholders, which will help further demonstrate the region's impact on promoting alternative fuels and cleaner vehicles.
CP&DR Coverage: Faith-Based Organizations Approach Housing Development Cautiously
Senate Bill 4, the Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act, signed in 2023, provides CEQA streamlining for 100% affordable projects built on properties owned by faith-based organizations and nonprofit colleges, making projects subject to ministerial approval so long as they conform to local design standards. But, only a few of those acres have been redeveloped so far. Uptake has been slow so far, though. Whereas colleges are accustomed to developing student housing and completing other capital projects, housing development is not typically on religious organizations’ agendas. Jurisdictions where SB 4 may hold the most promise are suburban cities that have traditionally been cool to new housing. In those cases, anti-housing city councils would not legally be able to deny a conforming project.
Quick Hits & Updates
The Berkeley City Council approved zoning changes to support research and development by allowing biosafety level 2 labs in mixed-use light industrial zones while prohibiting higher-risk level 3 and 4 labs throughout the city. The changes, aimed at fostering innovation, include a reduction in parking requirements and easier approval processes for smaller R&D labs near UC Berkeley and other key areas. The decision is part of a broader effort to grow the city's innovation sector, which includes biotech, climate technology and sound equipment manufacturing, as well as to provide financial incentives like tax exemptions for small R&D businesses.
The Berkeley City Council approved zoning changes to support research and development by allowing biosafety level 2 labs in mixed-use light industrial zones while prohibiting higher-risk level 3 and 4 labs throughout the city. The changes, aimed at fostering innovation, include a reduction in parking requirements and easier approval processes for smaller R&D labs near UC Berkeley and other key areas. The decision is part of a broader effort to grow the city's innovation sector, which includes biotech, climate technology and sound equipment manufacturing, as well as to provide financial incentives like tax exemptions for small R&D businesses.
San Francisco's transportation director, Jeffrey Tumlin, is resigning after five years at the helm of the Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), where he led the agency through a fiscal crisis exacerbated by declining revenues from parking and transit due to the pandemic. Tumlin’s tenure saw improvements in Muni service, but the agency faces a looming $300 million deficit starting in 2026, with potential cuts to services, including the historic cable cars, which Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie has vowed to preserve. (See related CP&DR coverage.)
The redevelopment of the Rancho San Pedro housing complex near the Port of Los Angeles has been recommended by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission, with plans to transform nearly 20 acres into the One San Pedro project, which will provide up to 1,553 new homes, including 1,090 affordable units. The project, slated to take 14 to 20 years, will also feature commercial spaces, public parks and a replacement housing building for existing residents during the redevelopment process.
A new development proposal for a controversial parcel in San Francisco to replace the Sloat Garden Center, has been submitted by San Francisco Development Corp. and Housing America Partners for a 22-story, 446-unit mixed-income complex with a mix of market-rate and affordable senior rental apartments for 2700 Sloat Blvd. Despite being a scaled-back version of a previously proposed 50-story tower, the plan still faces potential opposition from local residents and officials, with concerns about the building's height and its impact on the Sunset District.
After years of requests from local residents, an agreement has been reached to create the Modoc Multi-use Path, a new one-mile trail connecting Goleta and Santa Barbara. The County of Santa Barbara, La Cumbre Mutual Water Company and the Trust Land of Santa Barbara County have partnered to develop this ADA-compliant bike and pedestrian pathway.
San Diego is moving forward with a law aimed at preserving low-income housing by requiring owners of subsidized apartment buildings to notify the city if they plan to sell. The law, which received unanimous approval from a city committee, would give city-approved developers the right to make a first offer on these properties and potentially outbid other buyers. The goal is to prevent the demolition of rent-restricted apartments in favor of market-rate housing, especially as rent restrictions expire.
San Diego County's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) has recommended directing more development to Oceanside, citing its capacity for growth and transportation infrastructure. However, local officials argue that Oceanside is already overdeveloped and that the recommendation disregards the city's existing growth plans and residents' opposition to further development in certain areas.
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's report Preserving Affordable Homeownership highlights the growing partnerships between community land and trusts (CLTs) and municipal governments to address the housing affordability crisis. These partnerships allow individuals to purchase homes on leased land from CLTs, keeping homes affordable over time by limiting resale prices, and the report provides recommendations to strengthen such collaborations for long-term housing affordability.
The San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission approved the annexation of a 1,370-unit housing project in Nipomo, despite opposition from the Nipomo Action Committee (NAC), which raised concerns about environmental impacts and infrastructure challenges. The project, which includes affordable housing, retail space, a Cuesta College campus and recreational facilities, has faced legal challenges, including a lawsuit from the NAC.
Caltrain's newly electrictrified train service attracted over 753,000 passengers in its first month, a 54% increase compared to October 2023, marking its highest ridership since the pandemic. The switch to electric trains has boosted ridership significantly, with weekday and weekend numbers both surpassing pre-COVID levels—weekend ridership increased by 38% and weekend Saturdays and Sundays saw jumps of 169% and 142%, respectively.
