Ruling in Favor of San Francisco Narrows Scope of Clean Water Act
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the City and County of San Francisco, narrowing the scope of the Clean Water Act and limiting federal regulatory power. The case centered on whether cities are responsible only for meeting pre-set pollution limits or if they must actively prevent contamination beyond those thresholds. The ruling overturns a 9th Circuit decision that had sided with the EPA and California regulators, who argued San Francisco was failing to prevent harmful bacteria from entering the ocean. Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion warned that strict EPA requirements could lead to harsh penalties even for cities following their permits precisely. California Attorney General Rob Bonta had urged the court to uphold the EPA’s authority, citing risks to state waters. This decision continues the conservative court’s trend of limiting federal regulatory power, following similar rulings on environmental oversight.
San Diego Tamps Down ADU Fervor
The San Diego City Council voted to scale back a controversial housing incentive that, critics say, allows an excessive amount of ADU development on single-family lots in certain neighborhoods. in some cases, density bonuses led to small apartment buildings with multiple units to be classified as ADUs. The rollback removes the program in eight zoning areas with larger lots to prevent excessive development beyond the city’s original intent. Additional proposed changes include new parking requirements, infrastructure fees and stricter rules on property boundaries to prevent loopholes. The city also plans to allow ADUs to be sold separately, expanding homeownership opportunities. While some council members pushed for a full repeal, the compromise aims to preserve affordable housing incentives while addressing community concerns over large-scale backyard development.
Goleta Order to Process Builder's Remedy Project
A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled against the City of Goleta, ordering the city to process a 56-unit housing project that includes 13 affordable units. The developers submitted the project under Builder’s Remedy. Goleta initially refused to process the application, citing a prior 2011 proposal for the site, but the court rejected this argument. Attorney General Rob Bonta supported the developers, emphasizing the need for affordable housing and warning cities against obstructing state housing laws. The ruling is a significant setback for Goleta, though the city may appeal. Meanwhile, supporters argue the project is well-suited for its location, near schools, transit and existing housing developments.
Williamson Act May Benefit Corporations More than Farmers in Fresno Co.
A Fresnoland investigation reveals that Fresno County’s Williamson Act tax break, originally designed to protect small farms from urban development, overwhelmingly benefits large agribusinesses and out-of-state investors. In 2022 alone, just 120 farming operations—less than 1% of recipients—received half of the program’s $5 billion in tax breaks, diverting funds from local schools and public services. Tax records show that subsidies meant to preserve farmland now flow to corporate giants, including a $240 billion Canadian pension fund, which received a $1.6 million tax break for its Fresno land holdings. Small farmers receive minimal relief while mega-growers and hedge funds see soaring benefits, with top landowners' tax breaks increasing by 300-700% over the past decade. Critics argue the program has strayed from its intended purpose, accelerating farmland consolidation and benefiting financial firms rather than the local agricultural community.
CP&DR Coverage: the Roots of the Housing Crisis
California’s housing challenges are so acute, it’s easy to assume that it’s an endemic phenomenon. It’s similarly easy to assume that the state’s slow-growth ethos and constricting regulations, including the statewide California Environmental Quality Act and the hundreds of local zoning codes that limit development, are to blame. USC demographer professor of planning Dowell Myers does not dispute these phenomena. But, according to a newly published study, they are actually tangential to deeper economic causes that have led to what he describes as not just a local housing crisis but, indeed, a national housing crisis. CP&DR spoke with Myers about the study and its implications for housing production in California.
Quick Hits & Updates
The Coastal Commission is seeking public input to guide the development of its 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, which will shape the agency's efforts to protect and enhance California’s coast and ocean over the next five years. Interested individuals can submit their priorities via a public input form by March 31, 2025, or participate in virtual public listening sessions scheduled throughout March, with sessions in both English and Spanish. The process will include public feedback, tribal consultations and a draft review before the final plan is adopted in Winter 2025.
The EPA is seeking to delay approval of California’s Regional Haze Plan, which aims to reduce pollution in Yosemite, Sequoia and other national parks, citing staffing shortages as a primary reason. Critics argue that the recent layoffs at the agency contradict its claims of being understaffed, warning that delays will prolong air quality issues in already heavily polluted parks.
The Trump administration has begun staff reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages California's water infrastructure, raising concerns from water agencies that the cuts could compromise water delivery systems and public safety.
The U.S. General Services Administration published and then quickly removed a list of 440 federal properties it considers for sale, including prominent office buildings in San Francisco, part of an effort to cut costs. This move follows significant staff reductions in the GSA’s San Francisco office, with nearly 40% of employees in Region 9 receiving termination notices.
Two weeks after the Trump administration announced a compliance review of California's high-speed rail project, CEO Ian Choudri stressed the need for new funding sources to ensure its completion. He warned that without stabilizing the funding, inefficiencies could further delay the project, which has already faced significant budget and timeline increases.
Bay Area-based law firm Meyers Nave has merged with The Sohagi Law Group, a California-based environmental and land use law firm, strengthening their in-house team in complex development and regulatory matters.
After more than three years of discussions with local residents, a developer has received approval to convert a 1960s-era shopping mall in Marin County, near San Francisco, into a large mixed-use development featuring over 1,400 new homes.
The number of apartment permits issued in Los Angeles has fallen nearly 45% over the past five years, according to Crosstown, worsening the city's already severe housing crisis. Factors such as high borrowing costs, restrictive zoning and the impact of Measure ULA have contributed to this decline, which is compounded by a shift toward more expensive, less dense single-family homes.
Riverside County is facing a major expansion in warehouse development, with over 42 million square feet of logistics space proposed across multiple projects. These projects represent seven of the ten largest warehouse projects in the state. Critics worry that the county lacks the infrastructure to handle the increased truck traffic, air pollution and environmental impacts that come with these massive facilities.
Caltrain's new electric trains use regenerative braking to return about 23% of the energy consumed back to the electric grid, exceeding initial performance expectations. The agency's electricity costs are lower than originally anticipated and they expect to receive $6 million annually in energy credits, all while providing service powered entirely by renewable energy. A recent poll shows that over 80 precent of riders hold a favorable view of Caltrain.
Sorrento Valley and Kearny Mesa are San Diego's top employment centers, but traffic congestion along the 805, which connects them, causes significant delays, with only 4% of commuters using public transit. SANDAG plans to address this with the Purple Line, a high-speed, high-capacity rail line connecting underserved areas like Chula Vista and City Heights to major job centers, reducing travel time to 45 minutes and expected to serve 30,000 daily riders when completed in over 15 years.
