News Briefs

Charles Lester, former Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission was dismissed from his role after nearly five years Feb. 10. The 7-5 vote took place behind closed doors after seven hours of public testimony, the majority of which supported Lester. Supporters of Lester say  pro-development commissioners were hoping to oust him. >>read more

Embattled California Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester released a twenty-page memo (pdf) detailing his accomplishments and reasons for remaining in his position. >>read more

A report by the Los Angeles Times indicates that transit ridership in the Los Angeles area has steadily declined since the Great Recession. >> read more

The San Francisco Planning Commission approved unanimously a fifteen-month period of controls on new developments in the Mission District. These new controls will require developers to provide information on how the projects will affect the neighborhoods economic diversity. Developers excused from the new regulations are those with 25 or more units or at least one-third of apartments reserved for low-income residents. >>read more

To address the state's intensifying homelessness crisis, state senators proposed a $2 billion bill to help provide up to 14,000 units of permanent housing for the state's mentally ill homeless population. California has roughly 116,000 homeless people. The monies, to be raised as bonds, would be repaid over 20 to 30 years with money from the tax for mental health services approved in 2004 (Proposition 63). >>read more

With a significant increase in cap-and-trade funding for 2016, the Strategic Growth Council announced the expansion of the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation program (SALC). SALC provides funds that compensate farmers and ranchers for creating conservation easements. >>read more

The San Diego City Council unanimously approved a new Climate Action Plan, one of the nation's most ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions by creating legally binding mandates for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. >>read more

The Pismo Beach City Council voted to impose a moratorium on all new development in anticipation of a drastic drop in water supply next year. >>read more

Sen. Diane Feinstein sent a letter to President Obama asking him to bypass Congress and designate over one million acres of land between Palm Springs and the Nevada border as national monuments under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Two bills previously sponsored by Feinstein to protect the area over the past six years have languished. >>read more