CP&DR - Articles

Fairfield Voters Will Decide on City's New Growth Strategy

Sep 1, 2003

Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 18 No. 09 Sep 2003

The November election in the City of Fairfield could provide a significant indicator of how the city of 103,000 people will grow during coming years. After many years of supporting pro-growth officials, the electorate will cast ballots on a policy that requires voters to decide on changes to the Solano County city's urban limit line, which the City Council tightened last year.

Report Questions State's Brownfields Program

Aug 1, 2003

CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

A new report by the state auditor suggests that California's brownfields program could be stronger. The state lacks an inventory of brownfields and even a definition of the term, which generally refers to abandoned industrial sites, gasoline stations and mines.

Green Light Burns Brightly for Growth in Placer County

Aug 1, 2003

Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

By percentage, Western Placer County's growth rate is about the fastest of any area in California. And the cities of Roseville, Lincoln and Rocklin — and Placer County itself — are planning for numerous large developments with tens of thousands of housing units.

Culture, Retail Create Downtown in SoCal Suburb

Aug 1, 2003

Morris Newman, Places, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

There is a certain kind of excitement — my guess is it is uniquely American — when cities reach a moment of transition, such as when a small city gets its first high-rise building. On the other end of the urban life cycle, another moment occurs when an aging downtown blooms with second-hand stores and ethnic delicatessens amid retirement homes and tattoo parlors.

Regulations Ensure Nighttime Skies Remain Dark

Aug 1, 2003

Stephen Svete, Trends, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

With all of the static energy burning away in today's world, it's no wonder a growing number of communities want to stay in the dark. A handful of communities are working with educational organizations and lighting manufacturers to dim the lights in an effort to limit nighttime lighting pollution.

Project's Growth Inducing Effect Doesn't Result in Compensation

Aug 1, 2003

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

A city that acquires land for two roads through eminent domain does not have to compensate the property owner for the growth-inducing impacts of the roads, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Extraction Rights Don't Equal Storage Rights, Court Determines

Aug 1, 2003

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

The right to pump groundwater does not equate to the right to store water in the same groundwater basin, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled. In perhaps the first published ruling of its kind, the court held that unused groundwater storage space is a public resource that must be managed for the public benefit.

Property Owner's 1st, 14th Amendment Claims to Get Hearing

Aug 1, 2003

CP&DR Staff, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

A Santa Barbara County property owner has been allowed to pursue a lawsuit alleging that the county violated his rights of free speech, equal protection and due process by giving him a hard time with proposed developments.

Property Owner's 1st, 14th Amendment Rights to Get Hearing

Aug 1, 2003

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

A Santa Barbara County property owner has been allowed to pursue a lawsuit alleging that the county violated his rights of free speech, equal protection and due process by giving him a hard time with proposed developments.

Governor's Bypass of Transit, Highway Planning Scheme Crashes

Aug 1, 2003

Insight, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003, William Fulton

Three years ago — back when California had money — Gov. Gray Davis came up with a clever idea to push more money into transportation projects in a way that would benefit his core political constituencies without raising taxes. Today, Davis's Transportation Congestion Relief Program appears to be self-destructing, along with the entire system of funding state transportation projects.

Second-Unit Ordinances Overhauled: State Law Forces Revisions in Many Cities and Counties

Aug 1, 2003

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

In response to a new state law that mandates the easier regulatory processing of second units, cities and counties across California have been revising their regulations. Most jurisdictions are relaxing their rules, although some cities and counties appear to be adding performance standards that could discourage second-unit development.

Voters to Decide on Reservoir Expansion in East Bay

Aug 1, 2003

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

Voters in the Contra Costa Water District will decide early next year whether to quadruple the capacity of five-year-old Los Vaqueros Reservoir in the hills east of Mount Diablo. The reservoir expansion would increase water reliability and improve water quality but would not provide more water for growth, water district officials insist.

University Off the Hook for Traffic, Fire Impacts

Aug 1, 2003

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

California State University is not required to fund mitigation measures that offset a new campus's traffic and fire safety impacts, the Sixth District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Interior Department Water Report Steers Clear of New Dams

Aug 1, 2003

Environment Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

A Bush administration framework for Western water is drawing praise from some surprising circles, while normal administration allies are showing skepticism or outright hostility.