Rep. Richard Pombo has been trying to revise the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) for nearly a decade, having been handed that seemingly Sisyphean task by the GOP leadership shortly after the party took control of Congress in 1994. The Tracy Republican has never made much headway in what he calls an effort to "improve"- critics typically substitute "cripple" or "gut" - one of the nation's key environmental laws. >>read more

From rural counties experiencing modest urbanization to California's fastest growing areas, regional transportation impact fees are being levied on new development. Nearly unheard of five years ago, the fees are bringing in hundreds of millions a year across the state for road work. >>read more

A state appellate court has thrown out the environmental study for the Cal-Fed Bay-Delta Program. The Third District Court of Appeal found that the study failed to identify what water would be used to carry out the program, did not consider reduced exports of Delta water, and failed to provide known details of an "environmental water account."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ended the 2005 legislative year by vetoing one-quarter of the approximately 900 bills that lawmakers sent him. >>read more

Riverside is slowly inching into implementation of a redevelopment project at the city's western gateway. The city recently resolved litigation with Riverside County over the boundaries of the project area, and some small infrastructure projects are moving forward. However, a lawsuit filed by a group of project area residents is pending. Until it is resolved, full implementation of the redevelopment plan must wait. >>read more

The City of Bakersfield has proposed a 112-square-mile expansion of its sphere of influence, the first step toward a major expansion of the southern San Joaquin Valley city of nearly 300,000 people. >>read more

Construction of a sewage plant in the unincorporated San Luis Obispo County community of Los Osos has been halted following the successful recall of three elected officials who supported the plant. >>read more

With all the talk these days about New Urbanism in California these days, it is sometimes easy to overlook the old urbanists. These were planners of the 1950s and 1960s who worked in the context of urban renewal and Modernist architecture, trying to fight a rear-guard action against the rapid suburbanization of the time. >>read more

A settlement agreement between the City of Malibu and a developer has been thrown out by the Second District Court of Appeal because the agreement limited the city's police powers and was improperly adopted in closed session. >>read more

A developer that has fought a variety of government fees levied by numerous jurisdictions had its day in front of the state Supreme Court in October. But during an hour of oral argument, California's high court justices offered few hints of how they might rule. >>read more

A property owner's lawsuit against a San Francisco housing activist has been swatted down by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court found, essentially, that the First Amendment protected the activist's complaint about the property owners' plans. >>read more

The state Legislature wrapped up its business for the year without passing substantial land use legislation. A bill addressing Central Valley flooding threats failed to even get a vote in the state Senate, despite the attention focused on the flood catastrophe Louisiana. Bills seeking to alter eminent domain or redevelopment authority also failed to pass. >>read more

For four decades, North Natomas - a low-lying area just north of Interstate 80 - has represented what could be in Sacramento. Today, North Natomas is the state capital's primary growth area. Whether North Natomas is cutting edge or a lost opportunity, however, depends on one's viewpoint. >>read more

Two long-running growth disputes will add another chapter - and many disputes of more recent vintage will be aired out - when voters decide on local ballot measures in November. Voters in Livermore are scheduled to consider Pardee Homes' proposal to expand the city's urban growth boundary to permit development of a 2,450-unit housing project. Meanwhile, voters in Monterey County will decide a referendum of a 4,000-unit specific plan for Rancho San Juan, just north of Salinas. >>read more