Focus
Governor Newsom signs bill to fast-track climate-friendly transportation projects
CBS News – September 30
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that would fast-track approval of bicycle, rapid bus, light rail, and pedestrian projects in California. The bill, authored by senator Scott Wiener, expedites climate-friendly sustainable transportation projects by exempting them from CEQA. Senate Bill 922 builds on previous legislation from Wiener (Senate Bill 288) to waive such infrastructure projects from environmental and litigation hurdles that could add years of delays to green transportation projects. While Senate Bill 288 sunsets on Jan. 1, 2023, Senate Bill 922 would extend the law for another seven years.
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News
S.F. plans to rezone the city to allow the production of 34,000 new homes — many on the westside
San Francisco Chronicle – October 7
San Francisco planners propose to rezone portions of the city to allow for 34,000 new housing units — about 36% more than previously contemplated — under the latest draft of the state-mandated city General Plan Housing Element, which was published last week. The 34,000 new units would primarily be concentrated in commercial corridors — including the Sunset and Richmond districts — that have not seen much development in recent decades. The city’s Housing Element must plan for 82,000 units between 2023 and 2031, 46,000 of which need to be affordable to low- and moderate-income residents to meet state-mandated requirements.
As we previously reported, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) launched a review of San Francisco’s housing approval process in August, aimed at analyzing and removing obstacles to the construction of new residential projects.
L.A. City Council votes to end renter protections, letting landlords raise rents
Los Angeles Daily News – October 4
Los Angeles’ long-standing renter eviction protections due to COVID-19 hardship will be lifted at the end of January, the City Council decided unanimously on October 4. Under the action, landlords will be able to resume increasing rent on rent-controlled apartments, which account for three-quarters of the units in Los Angeles, beginning in February 2024. The council also voted to explore initiating universal just-cause rules, which would require specific reasons for landlords to evict tenants in all units, not just those under rent control. It also supported providing relocation assistance for all evictions deemed no-fault evictions.
San Diego planners pitch a new definition for ‘sustainable development’
KPBS – October 7
The San Diego Planning Department is proposing a new definition to replace “transit priority areas,” where the city aims to focus its future growth, after complaints from anti-density homeowners who say the current definition doesn’t make sense. Properties in “transit priority areas” are eligible for incentive programs that allow for much more housing density than regulations would otherwise permit. To avoid confusion, city planners propose creating a new category called “sustainable development areas” that would apply to local housing incentive programs. Rather than a simple half-mile radius around a transit stop, “sustainable development areas” would extend up to a mile along pedestrian pathways like sidewalks and bridges.
California tribes will manage and protect over 200 miles of state coastal areas
ABC News – October 9
Five California tribes will reclaim their right to manage coastal land significant to their history under a first-in-the-nation program backed with $3.6 million in state money. The tribes will rely on their traditional knowledge to protect more than 200 miles of coastline in the state, as climate change and human activity have impacted the vast area. Some of the tribes’ work will include monitoring salmon after the removal of a century-old defunct dam in the redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains and testing for toxins in shellfish, while also educating future generations on traditional practices.
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