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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. Modesto to Expand Sphere of Influence by over 12,00 Acres Modesto will move forward with the most aggressive growth option for its 2050 general plan, expanding the city’s sphere of influence by about 12,240 acres. City officials argue that growth is needed to increase revenue as Modesto’s general fund lags behind neighboring cities, $153.3 million in 2022 vs. $311 million in Bakersfield and $255.8 million in Stockton. Residents of Wood Colony and leaders in Salida fear the expansion could lead to annexation of historic agricultural land and parts of neighboring areas. Critics also question whether such large-scale growth is necessary given California’s slow population growth and demographic trends. The City Council approved the expansion on a 5-1 vote. State Park System to Establish Three New Parks in Central Valley California is aiming to establish three new state parks in the Central Valley in what would be the largest state expansion of the park system in decades. The three parks would include Feather River Park in Yuba County, San Joaquin River Parkway near Fresno, and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield, bringing the total number of state parks to 283, the highest of any state. The initiative aims to provide recreation and preserve history in communities that have historically had limited access to parks. The expansion is part of the broader “State Parks Forward” initiative, which seeks to grow the state’s 1.6-million-acre system and add 30,000 acres by 2030. Officials say the effort supports the state’s goal of conserving 30% of its land and coastal waters by the end of the decade, and the plan will now move into a public engagement and approval process before final decisions are made. Los Angeles Mayor Proposes New Climate Action Plan The City of Los Angeles is considering a new Climate Action Plan outlining how Los Angeles will reduce emissions and adapt to climate change, including doubling local solar power by 2030, transitioning city buses away from fossil fuels, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions at major hubs like the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles International Airport. The plan sets goals for water use, addressing risks from extreme heat, and expanding green spaces and includes 14 objectives and over 50 actions, “designed to deliver concrete, measurable climate outcomes.” Key goals include reaching 100% renewable energy by 2035, fully electrifying city buses by 2028, and installing 120,000 EV chargers by 2030. The city also plans to boost sustainable aviation fuel use, ban new oil and gas drilling, and phase out existing extraction. Water initiatives include recycling projects and increasing local water reliance to 70% by 2035 while cutting per-person usage. CP&DR Coverage: New Laws Lead to Flurry of High-Rise Proposals A recent confluence of new laws and economic conditions has resulted in high-rises being proposed, approved, and built in some unusual places. With the gradual resurgence of downtown areas after the pandemic, developers have looked to create towers in relatively low-rise areas -- as many as 24 in Beverly Hills, a half-dozen in Santa Monica, a 23-story tower near Pacific Beach in San Diego, a 22-story tower in San Francisco's Outer Sunset, and notably, a 25-story, 800-unit tower in SF's Marina District. With the overwhelming demand for new housing, some of these projects may come to fruition if they can survive the backlash. Quick Hits & Updates The Trump administration will pay $885 million to two energy companies, including Golden State Wind, to abandon offshore wind leases, such as a planned project off Morro Bay in California. In exchange, the company has committed to invest up to $765 million in a U.S. based liquefied natural gas facility. Officials say the agreements are part of a broader effort to move away from offshore wind, which the administration argues is heavily subsidized and unreliable. California is joining the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest environmental network, bringing together governments and organizations to advance solutions that protect ecosystems, wildlife, and communities. California is one of the first subnational governments to join the organization’s effort to expand tribal stewardship, scale nature-based solutions, build climate resilience, and protect marine ecosystems. Redwood City civic leaders have submitted thousands of signatures to qualify a November ballot measure that would impose stricter rent control and new landlord fees to fund a tenant protection program. The “Fair and Affordable Housing Ordinance”, which would apply to all buildings constructed before 1995, would cap annual rent increases at 5% or 60% of inflation, require relocation payments for certain evictions, and fund tenant protections through per-unit fees on landlords. The Campbell City Council has moved to close a loophole in California’s Starter Homes Revitalization Act that had allowed developers to replace occupied single-family homes with multifamily projects. The council voted to require that new single-family homes be built when existing homes are demolished, and now residents are considering legal action against 108 already-approved units. The law previously defined “vacant” as lots without usable structures but does not clearly say when the property must become vacant, a gray area that critics argue has allowed developers to buy and demolish existing homes to qualify for higher-density projects. A Los Angles couple has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming the historic designation of Marilyn Monroe’s final residence is an unconstitutional taking of private property. Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank, who purchased the property for $8.35 million in 2023, argue the city reversed previously approved demolition permits under public pressure and later declared the home a historic-cultural monument, effectively preventing them from using or redeveloping it. They claim the decision violates the Fifth Amendment by turning their property into a public attraction without compensation. A proposed $700 million solar project in near Soda Mountain Solar in the Mojave Desert has received state approval after nearly two decades of delays and environmental opposition. The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to clear the 2,670-acre project, citing its role in helping California reach 100% clean electricity by 2045 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The project still requires approval from the federal Bureau of Land Management before construction can begin. A new report from Circulate finds California Density Bonus Law was used to approve over 140,000 affordable homes between 2021 and 2024, and it was used 10 times more than every other housing streamlining law combined in 2024. In the same year, Bonus Law was approved for use in 47% of all homes in multifamily projects and 78% of homes in completely affordable projects. Bonus Law contains incentives for builders who include permanently affordable homes in new projects, giving developers permission to build up to twice the number of units that zoning would allow if they provide enough affordable units. New campaign finance disclosures reveal that Cloverdale Councilmember Todd Lands, who is set to weigh in on the largest land-use action in the city’s history, received major contributions from individuals tied to powerful real estate interests. His position on the Sonoma County Airport Land Use Commission means he will be asked to weigh in on the Revised Esmeralda Specific Plan, planned to be built adjacent to the Cloverdale Municipal Airport. The development includes 605 housing units and 177 acres of open space along the Russian River. While no specific builders have been chosen yet, the plan would create the zoning and regulatory framework for major future development. Research from UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies analyzes California’s definition of transit stops, and how adjusting the definition of where the stops themselves begin and end could create more opportunity to take advantage of housing bonuses. Currently municipalities count only the precise area of the station, but researchers argue that considering the surrounding land could make over 1.3 million additional acres eligible for bonuses. No city or agency currently uses this broader definition, but state law doesn’t explicitly prohibit it.

The battle over a proposed eight-story apartment building behind the historic Santa Barbara Mission is continuing – most recently with a judge’s ruling that the developer did not make a clear enough case for a builder’s remedy solution in correspondence with the City of Santa Barbara.

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Development Services Director City of Oceanside, CA

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. Voter Initiative to Curb Transfer Taxes Qualifies for November Ballot California’s secretary of state has certified a statewide ballot proposition for November that would sharply reduce local real estate transfer taxes and tighten rules on voter-approved tax increases. The debate is especially focused on Los Angeles’ Measure ULA “mansion tax,” which has raised more than $1 billion since 2023 for affordable housing programs. The proposition would cut transfer tax rates dramatically and, if passed, would be poised to override Measure ULA first. The measure, backed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, would cap municipal transfer taxes at one-twentieth of 1% of a property sale and require some local tax measures to pass with a two-thirds majority instead of a simple majority. Measure ULA, for example, passed with 58%. (See related CP&DR coverage.) Lawsuit Filed to Avert Mining in Mojave National Preserve The National Parks Conservation Association filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service and the Interior Department for allowing mining in the Mojave National Preserve. The dispute centers on the Colosseum Mine, a former gold and silver mine that closed in the 1990s, now owned by Dateline Resources Ltd., which wants to resume operations and explore rare earth minerals. The suit claims that the mine threatens sensitive habitat in the Clark Mountains, including bighorn sheep and the second-highest density of rare plants in all California’s mountain ranges. In 2022, the Park Service had accused the company of unauthorized work that damaged land and destroyed plants, but later dropped those demands and allowed operations to continue under approvals by the Bureau of Land Management from 1985. The lawsuit claims that the Park Service acted illegally, failing to secure a plan of operations or the necessary permits and approvals for operation. Surprise Deal Could Halt Removal of Two Dams in Mendocino County A deal proposed by federal officials could scuttle the long-planned decommissioning and removal of two dams on the Eel River in Mendocino County. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suggested that a Southern California water district may be interested in purchasing and continuing operation of the Scott and Cape Horn dams, running counter to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s plan to remove the dams as part of the $350 million decommissioning of the century-old hydroelectric project. Environmental groups, tribes, and Gov. Gavin Newsom supported dam removal to restore salmon habitat and improve river health, while some Russian River basin communities oppose it due to concerns about losing imported water supplies. PG&E stated it has not received an offer and believes it is too late to transfer ownership as decommissioning is already underway. Federal Report Cites Shortage of 10 Million Homes Analysis in the White House Economic Report of the President estimates that the United States has a housing shortage of about 10 million homes, to make up for lost homes in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, assuming “homebuilding and the growth of the single-family housing stock had continued at their historical pace instead of falling dramatically”. The report says this shortage has worsened affordability, with home prices rising 82% since 2000 while incomes increased only 12%, making ownership much harder for younger and first-time buyers. According to the report, reducing regulations via zoning fees, code requirements, and approval delays could help generate as many as 13.2 million additional homes. the Libertarian Cato Institute criticizes the report for disregarding tariffs' effects on construction costs, demonizing institutional investors, and mischaracterizing immigrants' demand for housing. CP&DR Coverage: Fulton on The Coming Battle Over Impact Fees There’s no question that an impact fee reckoning is coming in California – most likely from the courts and the legislature. A recent example in Menlo Park highlights the high fees associated with split lots under SB 9, reaching $127,000 in one case. Even though California courts have upheld fee systems under the Supreme Court Sheetz ruling so far, there will come a time when some court says the Nollan/Dolan test of 'reasonable relationship' to collect impact fees hasn’t been met, or the fees are being used incorrectly. But it’s not clear where that reckoning will leave California’s local governments, whether that may be falling back on higher property taxes or (very easily) creating new special assessment districts. Quick Hits & Updates The Clovis Planning Commission unanimously approved the Mixed Income Zoning Ordinance (MIZO) in a 4–0 vote, requiring developers of housing projects with 11 or more units to reserve at least 5% for lower-income residents. The policy is part of a set of reforms tied to the city’s settlement of the 2024 Martinez v. City of Clovis lawsuit, in which a court found the city failed to meet affordable housing obligations under state law. A recently certified November ballot measure in San Francisco called the Affordable Housing Guarantee Act would require that revenue from Proposition I’s real estate transfer tax be dedicated entirely to affordable housing production, preservation, and tenant stabilization. Prop. I, passed in 2020, raised taxes on property sales above $10 million and has generated more than $400 million, with projections of about $100 million annually in coming years. The proposal for reinstatement comes with new provisions to encourage housing construction by lowering transfer taxes. Construction of a new U.S. border wall near Tecate has triggered backlash from Kumeyaay communities in both Mexico and the United States over damage to Kuchamaa Mountain, a site considered sacred and historically used for ceremonies and healing. Residents and tribal leaders say heavy machinery and controlled blasting on the U.S. side are harming a culturally and spiritually significant landscape. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe in the San Francisco Bay Area has hired lobbyist Roger Stone, a longtime ally of Pres. Donald Trump, through his firm Drake Ventures. Last year petitioned the White House to take over management of the Presidio. Disclosure records show the tribe paid Stone’s firm at least $50,000 across late 2025 and early 2026, though the specific lobbying activities were not detailed. The filing shows no information on what the lobbying efforts consist of, but comes shortly after President Trump fired the Presidio Board of Trustees. SpaceX and the Coastal Commission have reached a settlement in a lawsuit over the commission’s attempt to regulate rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The lawsuit, filed in 2024, followed the commission’s denial of a plan to significantly increase SpaceX launches due to environmental and community concerns. After Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer reportedly pressured trustees to drop opposition to the Southeast Development Area (SEDA), the board of Fresno Unified School District is set to revisit the issue in May. Trustees previously tabled the resolution in a 4-3 vote after Dyer warned that opposition would damage city-district relations The district’s analysis found the buildout of the new area could trigger the closure of 11 schools and drain $200 million a year in funding. (See related CP&DR coverage.) The Department of Housing and Community Development has updated its guidelines to help communities understand and use the state’s Affordable Housing Preservation Laws. These laws are designed to protect existing affordable housing, especially as more than 47,000 subsidized rental units face expiring affordability restrictions over the next decade. The updated materials include a revised statewide guide and six new fact sheets tailored for tenants, tenant associations, public agencies, property owners, developers, and potential preservation buyers. Single women constitute a higher share of homeowners than men across the country, despite earning less than men and are more financially stretched, a survey by the National Association of Realtors found. About 51% of single women own homes compared to less than 50% of single men, and although single women earn less than men and are more financially stretched, they are less likely to have a mortgage. California saw one the fastest jumps in homeownership among single women in some of the most expensive housing markets nationwide like San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. A new report proposes major reforms to stabilize the state’s struggling home insurance market including options ranging from stronger regulation to creating a state-run wildfire insurance program. Major insurers like State Farm and Allstate have pulled back from the California market, especially in fire-prone regions. The report recommends giving the state more power to enforce coverage commitments and potentially revoke rate hike approvals if insurers fail to meet targets.

After a seven-year legal battle, the California Supreme Court has ruled that a developer can move forward to build three single-family houses in the San Luis Obispo County community of Los Osos.

This blog is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report. You can subscribe to CP&DR here. Since 1956, KB Home built over 600,000 homes in California, from San Diego the Bay Area and many places in between. That’s more homes than are in many states. KB and other mega-homebuilders made suburbanization happen and created one of the biggest building booms and population shifts in modern history. They specialized in what we would now call sprawl—vast truck developments of hundreds or thousands of largely identical homes that spread outward from cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, in the Bay Area, to create entire suburbs and entire lifestyles. KB Home, formerly Kaufman and Broad, has been based in Los Angeles since 1963. Last week, the company announced last week that after six decades, it is moving to Phoenix. Why? “To reduce costs and place its employees in a more affordable housing market,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Ponder that for a moment: At the same time that many California families can no longer afford homes in California, home builders can no longer afford California. The longtime KB Homes headquarters in Westwood Of all the corporate flights that have taken place recently—including poignantly, that of Occidental Petroleum, which was based literally two blocks from KB's building—this one hits hardest. I have a vaguely personal connection to KB Home. As I wrote a few years ago, I grew up a mile and a half from its headquarters. I passed by its building on a regular basis. I went to school with descendants and heirs of the founders. The company seemed just as unbeatable and affixed to the Los Angeles area as other corporate giants like MGM, Lockheed, and In-N-Out. KB will maintain a presence in the state. It still has projects underway. But, it’s hard not to say that the company has given up on California--with little reverence for the riches it earned here. However much KB has paid in dividends, the costs faced by its employees and company are probably enormous--certainly compared to those in Phoenix. And, the business model doesn't work in California anymore. We've become a stagnant state, and we are losing population. You don't need a Ph.D. in real estate economics to know that developing real estate business in a place that is shrinking is probably not the best move. There are still places where sprawl works, and KB is still making a go of it, at least for now. Think about places like the high desert—Hesperia and Lancaster. It’s the same model they’ve been using since the Eisenhower administration. We've been talking big game for at least 20 years about smart growth. And yet, smart growth has proliferated in only minute increments. We have a few high-rise districts, like LA's South Park and downtown San Diego. A few mixed-use apartment buildings, like those in Sacramento's Midtown or maybe Santa Ana. Those are fine. We still haven't built any new places. I can't think of a new city district, or a substantially expanded city that is more pleasant, more humane, or more livable than something built a hundred years ago. Given KB’s capital and know-how, KB could have turned to infill. It could have built places that resemble its own hometown. In fact, they tried. For a hot second, there was something called KB Urban, launched in 2005. Several other homebuilders tried the same. Unfortunately, they came along at the very moment that the Great Recession hit—which was, of course, a creation of companies like KB Home. It wasn’t a great time to get into infill, and KB Urban’s web page lists all of six multifamily developments. What's ironic about KB, of course, is that its founders were very urban. Particularly Eli Broad, who's known as one of the great benefactors of Los Angeles. He loved this city, and he loved making it better through museums, theaters, and all sorts of charitable donations. At the same time, he was building places—the exact opposite of the place that he lived in and that he nurtured. Now, Eli Broad is gone. And so is his company. (As an aside, I fear that his style of philanthropy, for all the wealth in Los Angeles and California, may be a thing of the past.) Infill developers need big banks and other financiers to be willing to fund some weird new thing that doesn't have a lot of parking or that has ground-floor retail. And that's really hard. But, if you're KB and you have access to capital, do you want to tie it up in projects that take years, that are uncertain, complicated, and do little but raise the wrath of politicians and city staff? The most successful developers in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco are those who have superhuman patience and put in tremendous effort—you might call it an old boys' club. But, really, anyone would grow old trying to get stuff done in Los Angeles. So, you go to Ontario, Hesperia, and, yes, Phoenix. So here we are now—a shrinking state, shrinking in part because of high housing prices caused by shortage, caused in part by the reluctance of companies like KB to build homes and communities, which has been caused largely by regulatory and political indifference and indeed resistance. I don’t want to disparage tract homes; they serve an important purpose, and they were of their time. But I will disparage California’s failure to produce communities pleasant and/or affordable enough to make California worthwhile. If ever there was a sign that California needs to change course, this is it. Or, maybe KB’s departure means that all the new laws passed in Sacramento -- which seem quaint compared to the vitriol and chaos surrounding the current race for governor -- are too late. Once there’s a new sheriff in Sacramento (and I sincerely hope it’s not an actual sheriff) and possibly one in Los Angeles, this state needs to make a new land use ethos its top priority. By “ethos,” I don’t just mean new laws and plans. I mean a collective, communal set of beliefs and goals. I don't have a stake or stock in KB. I'm not going to wish them well in Phoenix, but nor am I going to bid them good riddance. What I do know is that someday they may leave Phoenix, too. Probably not because of over-regulation or lack of demand. But, they may find that the sun that shines there is a lot hotter than the one that shines on Westwood. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-04-14/l-a-s-trailblazing-home-builder-is-latest-to-leave-california

Every planner knows that it’s always tempting to replace strong, decisive language in a general plan with soft, squishy language: encourage, strive, explore. Call it the “shall versus should” debate. But, as a new court case from San Ramon suggests, “shoulds” have consequences.

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 . Trump Fires Board Overseeing San Francisco's Presidio President Donald Trump fired  all six Biden-appointed members of the Presidio Trust board with no replacement trustees announced. The board is appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and oversees the Presidio, the 1,500-acre former military base in San Francisco. The overhaul comes one year after President Trump proclaimed that the Presidio Trust should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”. Though the board is appointed by the federal government to oversee federal lands, the park has not received federal funds since 2013, relying on residential and commercial lease profits and philanthropic donations. The park, which includes 3,100 residents and over 300 businesses, reported $182 million in operating revenue in 2024. Officials say the Presidio’s legal protections and independent financial model should allow it to continue operating. (See related CP&DR coverage .) San Diego Voters to Consider Vacancy Tax The San Diego City Council voted , 8-1, to place a measure on the June ballot that would create a tax on empty homes. If approved, the city would impose an $8,000 tax on all vacant homes in 2027 and $10,000 from 2028 on, with additional charges on corporate-owned properties. The first round of taxes would be due April 2028. While average home prices hover around $1 million and rents for a one-bedroom apartment at $2,000 per month, city officials suggest  a tax on the estimated over 5,000 vacant homes could generate revenue to fund affordable housing projects and discourage owners from keeping units empty. The Budget Analyst’s office estimates the measure could generate city funds around an estimated $9.2 million in its first year and $10.4 million in the second, while The IBA's range is $21.4 in the first year and $24.2 in the second. Redondo Developer Drops Case In Exchange For No Sanctions Developer Leo Pustilnikov has withdrawn  a $120 million lawsuit against Redondo Beach claiming that the city had engaged in a “decades-long effort…to zone out of existence any economically viable alternative use” at the old AES power plant property. Leo Pustilnikov, who bought the property in 2020, signed a settlement agreement with the city to drop the claims in exchange for Redondo Beach not asking for money owed from court proceedings. Pustilnikov has proposed a large mixed-used development with over 2,500 housing units on the 51-acre site and filed plans under Builder's Remedy. The city countered that the site was not zoned for residential development. A city news release states that the property has been zoned for industrial use for decades and the case is being dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. Pustilnikov has four other active lawsuits against the city, but city officials have indicated that the settlement effectively prevents development on the AES site regardless of the outcome of those suits. “Mr. Pustilnikov was effectively threatening to bankrupt the city if we did not agree to his massive and illegal development scheme,” Mayor Jim Light told the Daily Breeze. “Now that the case has been permanently dismissed, the city is safe from this threat.” (See related CP&DR coverage .) State Launches Conservancy to Manage Imperiled Salton Sea The California Natural Resources Agency will create  the Salton Sea Conservancy, the state’s first new conservancy in more than 15 years. The new agency, established through SB 583, is devoted to restoration of the Salton Sea, including improving air quality, restoring habitat, and protecting public health. The state has committed about $500 million for projects such as the large Species Conservation Habitat Project, which aims to create wetlands, ponds, and vegetation to stabilize exposed land and support wildlife. The Salton Sea has been shrinking in recent years, exposing toxic dust from the lakebed and harming wildlife. State officials say the conservancy will also help maintain and expand existing restoration projects, such as newly flooded habitat areas that have quickly attracted fish and birds. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Large Data Center Nears Approval in "Lithium Valley" The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted , 4–1, to advance a major data center project near the city of Imperial by approving a key “lot merger,” despite strong public opposition and ongoing legal and environmental concerns. The proposed data center would be one of the largest in the U.S., but the developer needs to secure power and water agreements and comply with additional regulatory steps before construction can proceed. Reports suggest  the data center could require nearly twice the electricity used by all of Imperial County in 2024 and as much as 750,000 gallons of water each day. The data center is designed in part to complement the proposed "Lithium Valley" activities in the are. (See related CP&DR coverage .) CP&DR Coverage: Fulton on Evolution of the Planning Commissioner Recently, over 400 planning commissioners  from around the state gathered for the League of California Cities’ annual Planning Commissioners Academy in Anaheim, and one thing can be reported with certainty: planning commissioners aren’t happy with how things are going. And who can blame them? Their ability to deny projects is extremely limited by the Housing Accountability Act, and in many cases, the streamlining and approval process means projects never come to them before. Traditionally, a planning commissioner's job is a combination of the quasi-judicial role of applying development code to specific projects and the advisory role of providing recommendations to elected officials. However, these days, planning commissioners hold three roles instead of two: 1. Applying the rules on residential projects; 2. Interpreting the rules on commercial and industrial projects; 3. Advising the electeds on objective design standards and plans. Quick Hits & Updates San Diego  officials are weighing  a new proposal to redevelop land near Mission Bay Park while ensuring that housing is not built on parts of the park itself. The effort centers on AB 2525, which would exempt Mission Bay Park from housing and preserve it primarily for recreation and open space. City leaders say the goal is to allow some surrounding underused properties to be redeveloped and revitalized, while protecting the park from residential construction, and allowing housing would require amending the City Charter, which would require approval by two-thirds vote of San Diego voters. A nonprofit conservation group, Peninsula Open Space Trust, purchased  a 71-acre farm in Coyote Valley for $5.3 million to preserve it as farmland and open space. The property, owned by the O’Connell family since the 1950s, currently grows crops such as bell peppers, corn, lettuce, and pumpkins used by the nearby Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch. This purchase is part of a larger effort to protect Coyote Valley as a farming region, wildlife corridor, and natural buffer between San Jose and Morgan Hill. San Francisco  is considering  cutting its affordable housing requirement for new market-rate developments from 15% to as low as 5% after reductions made in 2023 failed to produce sufficient housing. A city advisory committee says lowering the requirement could make more projects financially feasible and help restart development. However, critics warn it could further reduce already limited affordable housing unless new funding sources are secured. The Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District (RPOSD) announced  more than $78 million in grant funding to build, plan, and improve parks and open space across the County. The funds, sourced from 2016 voter-approved property tax Measure A, will support 48 organizations including cities, non-profits, and public agencies to improve open spaces. Nearly two-thirds will go to communities identified as having high need, including extreme heat, poor air quality, and limited access to safe outdoor space. A UCLA study argues  that aspects of U.S. building codes are outdated, unsupported by strong scientific evidence, and unnecessarily increase housing construction costs while limiting innovation. The report says code rules accumulate over time without meaningful analysis, making mid-rise housing far more expensive than single-family homes and reducing design efficiency. It also claims the International Code Council’s rulemaking process gives outsized influence to industry groups, small jurisdictions, and officials who face pressure to avoid safety risks but not rising costs. Tri-Valley officials are advancing Valley Link, a proposed new rail system that would connect  Livermore and San Joaquin County commuters to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station after plans to extend BART directly to Livermore were abandoned. If funding is secured, Valley Link could begin construction in 2028 and open its first segment by 2031. Supporters say the project could bring new patrons, improve traffic, and support growth in connected towns, but critics question whether the region should spend billions on a new rail line when existing transit systems like BART face major budget shortfalls.

A Sacramento civil rights group is attempting to wage a major fight against the city’s specific plan for an area including an 84-year-old public housing project. So far, however, the group’s attempts to use the California Environmental Quality Act to promote an alternative plan has failed.

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 . Uncooperative Property Owners Jeopardize Costa Mesa Housing Element Costa Mesa has run  into major setbacks in meeting the state’s housing mandate after several large property owners withdrew their sites from the city’s housing element. These withdrawals, including parcels owned by South Coast Plaza operators and a former 1,050-unit project site, resulted in the loss of about 5,863 potential housing units. The changes were largely prompted by legal uncertainty following a California court ruling that affected how “mixed-use overlay” zoning can be used to count housing capacity. ( CP&DR 's coverage of the overlay case can be found here .) City planners had previously relied on these overlays to show compliance with a state requirement to plan for 11,760 new housing units by 2029, even if many sites were only theoretical. However, property owners argued their land should be removed from the list, saying the new interpretation made future development uncertain. City staff say they will try to identify new sites to make up the shortfall. The City Council approved the amended housing element unanimously, even as some officials criticized state housing rules. State Reaches Agreement with Hollister over Housing Element The City of Hollister reached  a settlement with the State of California over the city’s over two-year delay in adopting a compliant General Plan Housing Element. The city must adopt a compliant 2021–2029 Housing Element and complete required rezoning to reach full compliance by June 19. The city also agreed to establish a housing trust fund and contribute $300,000 to support housing for low-income, very low-income, and vulnerable residents. The city failed to meet state deadlines for planning how it will accommodate its required share of regional housing needs (RHNA). State officials emphasized that housing elements are essential for addressing affordability and homelessness, and that cities must actively plan for housing growth rather than delay it. (See related CP&DR coverage .) Updated ADU Handbook Seeks to Streamline Development of Backyard Units Statewide The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released its 2026 ADU Handbook , an update to the 2025 Handbook outlining California’s ADU laws. Between 2023 and 2026, new legislation focused on removing local barriers, speeding approvals, and making rules more consistent across cities and counties. Local governments are now generally limited to using only objective, clearly measurable standards when reviewing ADU applications, reducing denials due to personal and subjective judgment. Permit agencies must act faster, including determining application completeness within 15 business days and approving or denying completed applications within 60 days in many cases. The laws also expanded what can be built by allowing ADUs in detached garages, increasing allowable heights, protecting the right to build at least an 800-square-foot ADU under certain standards, and reducing parking replacement requirements. Owner-occupancy rules were loosened, with ADUs no longer requiring owner occupancy in most cases, while JADUs have more specific occupancy rules depending on shared facilities. Fees were reduced or limited for smaller ADUs and JADUs, making them more affordable to construct. California Hit by Decline in International Immigration U.S. Census data shows  a sharp decline in international migration, with large urban counties and the border most affected. Los Angeles experienced a loss of nearly 54,000 residents and net immigration of -67% compared to the previous year, while San Diego County lost about 5,300 people. El Centro, an area that has historically served as a gateway to California, lost more people to other countries than it gained. The U.S. population still grew by 1.8 million people last year, but low birth rates and immigration led to one of the slowest population growth rates in U.S. history. Among 75% of all U.S. counties, overall population growth including immigration, domestic migration, births and deaths either slowed or declined. (See related CP&DR coverage .) CP&DR Coverage: SB 79 Cleanup Leads 2026 Legislative Agenda A revision  to SB 79 that could expand its reach appears to be barreling through the Legislature quickly right now. Passed last year, SB 79 requires midrise zoning around major transit stations in urban counties, though cities are allowed to move the required density around in the vicinity of the station. Beyond that, the 2026 legislative session doesn’t appear to be shaping up to be as dramatic as 2025, with one possible exception. The exception is the so-called Building an Affordable California Act, or BACA – the proposed ballot initiative put forth by the California Chamber of Commerce that would make significant changes to the California Environmental Quality Act. The Chamber will likely move forward with the initiative – unless business interests are primarily focused on using it to gain leverage for changes to CEQA during the legislative session. Quick Hits & Updates A former Greyhound bus station in downtown Bakersfield, long known for its neglect and criminal activity, is being redeveloped  into a new upscale apartment complex called Greyhound Flats. The station, built in 1958 after major earthquakes damaged the city, became infamous over the decades for criminal incidents and was eventually demolished in 2022 after Greyhound service moved elsewhere. San Diego Unified School District is moving forward with a plan to redevelop six district-owned properties into nearly 3,000 housing units, mainly to help teachers and staff afford living in the region. The current projection far exceeds the district’s official goal to house 10% of its workforce by 2030, which would require about 1,350 units, in case of stalling issues like those at other public developments like Seaport Village and Midway Rising. The San Ramon City Council unanimously rejected  an appeal that sought to stop the massive Orchards redevelopment project, clearing the way for Sunset Development to move forward on a 144-acre former Chevron campus at Bishop Ranch. Plans call for about 2,600 homes, 125,000 square feet of retail space, a 2.5-acre park, and a greenway connection to the Iron Horse Trail. The appeal argued that the city failed to properly follow CEQA and had not properly analyzed traffic impacts, but city leaders said proper legal procedures were followed. YIMBY Law is appealing  a Marin County Superior Court decision that upheld Sausalito’s housing element to clarify whether California cities must complete an Environmental Impact Report for Housing Elements. Sausalito adopted its Housing Element before finishing an Environmental Impact Report, which it eventually completed, but the appeal argues that court did not rule on whether such review is legally required in the first place. The group argues that inconsistent rules across cities create uncertainty, delays, and higher costs because environmental review may get pushed from the planning stage onto individual housing projects instead. San Diego’s City Council Rules Committee voted  unanimously to advance a proposed ballot measure that would tax vacant second homes. The measure would impose an $8,000 annual tax on homes left unoccupied more than 182 days a year, rising to $10,000 thereafter, with an additional surcharge of up to $5,000 for corporate-owned properties. The U.S. General Services Administration announced  the sale of the Chet Holifield Federal Building in Laguna Niguel, California to global real estate firm CBRE as part of a campaign to reduce a ‘bloated’ federal real estate portfolio. The 90-acre property is home to the 1 million square foot Mesopotamian-inspired  ‘Ziggurat’ building. The LA Metro Board has allocated  an additional $3.9 million toward study and design of San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments’ bus rapid transit, bringing the total so far to $8 million. The money funds outreach, environmental clearance processes, and finalizing designs. Eventual construction of the project is already funded by $635 million courtesy of Metro’s Measure M. More than $100 million in state transportation grants for projects in Boyle Heights, Skid Row and Wilmington are at risk because City of Los Angeles officials say  they lack sufficient staff to complete the work. The funding issues stem from last year’s $1 billion city budget shortfall, which led to departmental cuts and the elimination of vacant positions in agencies such as engineering and transportation. Planned improvements include new sidewalks, protected bike lanes and high-visibility crosswalks in some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods. Sacramento Republic FC and Wilton Rancheria, the federally recognized tribe that owns the team, will build  a 20,000-seat stadium at the Railyards in Sacramento, expected to open in 2028. The venue will serve as a major sports and entertainment hub, hosting soccer matches, concerts, and large events. The project is part of a broader redevelopment effort aimed at transforming the Railyards area and boosting the local economy. A new report  from the Streets For All shows how LA County can leverage property value increases within two miles of stations to capture land value and fund nearly all High Speed Rail projects inside the county. The report suggests that the county could make $15-23B in net present revenue by accelerating property appreciation.