CP&DR

Water Legislation Stirs Old Concerns

Aug 19, 2009

California, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, Vol. 24 No. 10 Aug 2009 - 2

State lawmakers say that water and the Bay Delta should be the Legislature's top priorities until it recesses on September 11. Democratic lawmakers have introduced a five-bill package that they insist provides a framework for moving forward with the co-equal goals of Delta ecosystem restoration and increased water supply reliability. Republican lawmakers, however, said the package leans too heavily toward environmental considerations at the expense of water reliability.

Climate Adaptation Plan Urges Development Changes

Aug 18, 2009

California, Climate change, CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Vol. 24 No. 10 Aug 2009 - 2

A draft "California Climate Adaptation Strategy" recommends that development projects and locations be reconsidered in light of rising sea levels, greater potential flooding and higher temperatures.

State Takes $2 Billion From Redevelopment

Jul 30, 2009

California, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Redevelopment, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

By shifting $1.7 billion from redevelopment agencies to state programs and schools, the state budget signed this week by Gov. Schwarzenegger could halt numerous redevelopment projects for years to come, according to the agencies and housing proponents. The tax increment shift could also mean the end for some redevelopment agencies.

In Brief: 2-Year Subdivision Map Extension Approved

Jul 30, 2009

California, CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Subdivision Map Act, Vol. 24 No. 09 Aug 2009 - 1

In the latest roundup of California land use news: The governor signs urgency legislation extending the life of all tentative subdivision maps by two years; the Los Angeles MTA approves its first congestion pricing project; a Desert Hot Springs development dream becomes species habitat instead; a developer takes its case directly to Mendocino County voters.

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.

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.

Planning, Development To Feel State Budget Cuts

Jul 1, 2009

California, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 24 No. 07 Jul 2009 - 1

While California's yawning budget gap remains wide open, the revenue and spending plan eventually approved by legislators will likely have significant ramifications for land use planning and development.

Researchers Question Value Of Enterprise Zones

Jun 26, 2009

California, CP&DR Staff, Economic development, In Brief, Vol. 24 No. 07 Jul 2009 - 1

There is no evidence that California's enterprise zone program – the state's largest economic development effort – has increased jobs in program areas, according to a Public Policy Institute of California study. "Our main finding is that, on average, enterprise zones have no effect on business creation or job growth," PPIC researchers Jed Kolko and David Neumark wrote.

Golf Course Built Without Permits Faces Uncertain Future

May 27, 2009

California, CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Vol. 24 No. 06 Jun 2009

In this month's roundup of land use news, both the developer of a Calaveras County golf course built without permits and the county must decide how to proceed after supervisors refused to approve the project after-the-fact; the Obama administation has reversed a controverial Bush-era Endangered Species Act rule; a conservation plan for an endangered salamander in Sonoma County has died; developer DMB Associates has announced it is abandoning a new town proposal in San Benito County but has a new 12,000-unit project in Redwood City; and a whistleblower lawsuit over redwoods logging has been settled.