CP&DR - Articles

OC Planning Department In 'Critical Condition'

Jul 30, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Orange County, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

Orange County's Planning & Development Services department "is in critical condition," according to an internal county audit released in late July.

Farmland Disappears At Record Pace

Jul 30, 2009

California, CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

California's farm and grazing lands decreased by 275 square miles from mid-2004 through mid-2006, according to the state Department of Conservation. A total of 81,000 acres of prime farmland were lost to urban development or other changes, the greatest decrease in prime farmland since the state started the farmland mapping and monitoring program in 1984.

State Funding Doesn't Match GHG Goals, Committee Says

Jul 29, 2009

California, Climate change, Environment Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

California's continuing budget woes, coupled with the nation's stubborn recession, could hinder the state's ability to meet its ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. This is one of the chief concerns of the Regional Targets Advisory Committee, which will recommend how the California Air Resources Board should allocate greenhouse gas emissions-reduction targets among the state's metropolitan planning organizations.

Environmental Groups Excluded From Rancho Cucamonga Preserve

Jul 29, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Habitat conservation planning, Legal Digest, San Bernardino County, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

Two environmental groups that sued the City of Rancho Cucamonga and developers to gain ownership of 86 acres of habitat mitigation land have failed to persuade an appellate court to reverse a devastating lower court ruling.The Fourth District Court of Appeal rejected the argument put forth by The Habitat Trust for Wildlife and Spirit of the Sage Council that the city, developers and San Bernardino County had collaborated to deny the environmental groups' right to own the property.

State's High Court To Review Another Prop 218 Controversy

Jul 29, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Local government finance, Marin County, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

The California Supreme Court has taken up another Proposition 218 case. This one involves voter secrecy in fee elections.

Public Officials Win Attorney Fees For Suing Own Board

Jul 23, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Orange County, Parks and open space, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

Two members of the board overseeing the Orange County Great Park who sued the public agency over access to executive recruitment information should have their attorney fees paid, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Preparing and Reviewing CEQA Documents: A Nuts-and-Bolts Seminar: UCLA Ext - Friday, July 24, 2009:

Jul 16, 2009

Court Refuses To Consider RHNA Lawsuit

by Paul Shigley on Jul 15, 2009

Housing, Orange County, Paul Shigley, SCAG, Vol. 24 No. 08 Jul 2009 - 2

A courtroom is not the location to settle disputes over regional fair-share housing allocations. So ruled the Fourth District Court of Appeal on June 30 in a closely watched case involving the City of Irvine. As a result of the ruling, the city apparently is stuck with having to plan for development of 35,000 additional housing units ï¿½ equal to about half of its existing inventory ï¿½ over the next five years.

Suisun City Redevelopment Advances Into Second Phase

Jul 15, 2009

Downtown planning, Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Solano County, Vol. 24 No. 08 Jul 2009 - 2

Ten years ago, Suisun City was one of the nation's great redevelopment success stories. Plagued by violent, drug-dealing gangs, it literally bulldozed their strongholds to make room for a fancy civic center. The city reclaimed its neglected waterfront and approved the construction of hundreds of homes in a traditional neighborhood development.

The Solano County city became a case study for planners, new urbanists and journalists. But all the success and awards have not lessened a feeling that Suisun City's redevelopment still has a long ways to go.

SD County's Creeks, Farmland Key To New Habitat Plan

Jul 15, 2009

Environment Watch, Habitat conservation planning, Larry Sokoloff, San Diego County, Vol. 24 No. 08 Jul 2009 - 2

San Diego County has been a national leader in habitat conservation planning, setting aside areas where rare and endangered species can thrive in the midst of ongoing development. Now, 12 years after a plan for the southern, inland part of the county was adopted, a second habitat plan has been released, this time for the inland North County.

In Brief: AG Challenges Pleasanton Growth Management

Jul 15, 2009

Alameda County, CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Vol. 24 No. 08 Jul 2009 - 2

This collection of news briefs from around the state includes Attorney General Jerry Brown's decision to join a lawsuit over Pleasanton's growth management ordinance; a court's rejection of the state's diversion of transit revenues to balance the general fund; approval of the Hollywood Park reuse plan; and the introduction of a new groundwater study and modeling tool for the Central Valley.

Government Property Acquisition Costs May Rise

Jul 13, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Eminent domain, Legal Digest, Los Angeles County, Vol. 24 No. 08 Jul 2009 - 2

A state appellate court has issued a ruling in an eminent domain case that could have expensive ramifications for government agencies. The court ruled that a business owner isn't required to have a written lease in order to seek compensation for lost goodwill resulting from a government taking of property.

Court Exempts Church From Historic Landmark Process

Jul 9, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Historic preservation, Legal Digest, San Francisco, Vol. 24 No. 08 Jul 2009 - 2

A state appellate court has blocked San Francisco from considering an historical landmark designation for a 98-year-old church building. The court ruled that, under state law, the building is exempt from local regulations to protection historic landmarks. >>read more

Bureaucratic Compliance With SB 375 May Not Reduce Driving

Jul 1, 2009

California, Climate change, Insight, Vol. 24 No. 07 Jul 2009 - 1, William Fulton

Now that the age of greenhouse gas emissions reduction is upon us, I think there's an important point worth making: Government agencies in California can try to comply with SB 375 – or they can focus on reducing driving. There is a lot of overlap between the two, but they are not exactly the same thing.