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Hollister's incumbent council was voted out, then passed a vast expansion of the city's sphere of influence as lame ducks. An referendum was threatened and, after three months, the new council pulled the plug -- threatening the city's ability to meet its RHNA obligations.

The fact of the matter is that nobody quite knows. Will developers be required to pay into the state's new fund? Will regional VMT mitigation banks emerge? How do you measure the mitigation?  It's on LCI -- formerly OPR -- to figure it all out. 

From infill housing exemptions to streamlined approval under the Permit Streamlining Act to a reduced administrative record, here's what you need know about the Legislature's sweeping actions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed major infill housing reform with the budget, meaning the changes take place immediately. But on the non-residential side, it's still "Swiss-cheese CEQA," and there's no relief for greenfield proejcts. 

Regional planning agencies are promoting "mobility hubs" to encourage multimodal transit. Development opportunities may follow. 

The Wiener bill, which squeaked through the Senate last week, would effectively take away land use authority from local governments -- and hand it to transit agencies, at least for the land they own. It's maybe Wiener's most aggressive bill yet -- but he has shown a willingness to compromise to get it through. 

Environmentalists, unions force Wiener to back off of SB 607. It's unclear what the final bill will look like.

LCI would set mitigation fees and funds would likely to become another state source of affordable housing money.

13 bills are included. Two would permit tax-increment-style financing and entitlement incentives for adaptive reuse and commercial-to-industrial conversations. Those bills are already in the Senate.

Councilmembers stick to their guns in reaffirming Main Street-oriented specific plan, rejecting big boxes and drive-throughs.

The name of California’s most storied economic region — Silicon Valley — betrays reality. The San Francisco Peninsula does not mine silicon. And, really, it’s not even a valley.