Focus
Protesters target L.A. over skid row zoning plan
Los Angeles Times – July 16
A coalition of advocates, including the Los Angeles Community Action Network and the Inner City Law Center, on Tuesday accused Los Angeles of wanting to give the bulk of skid row over to luxury housing developers. The coalition is protesting a city plan that would rezone parts of skid row, plus the adjoining downtown fashion and arts districts, from warehouse and industrial uses to residential. The plan, which must clear several hurdles before going before the L.A. City Council for approval in 2020, would limit development in the heart of the 50-block area, which is now lined with tent cities, to housing that’s affordable for people who earn $10,000 to $58,000 a year. But the newly permitted housing in the outer rings of skid row could be market-rate. If the city plan is approved and implemented, 100,000 new housing units could be built by 2040, accommodating 176,000 new residents.
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News
To cut carbon footprint, S.F. moves to eliminate vehicle emissions by 2040
San Francisco Chronicle – July 16
San Francisco officials want to shrink the city’s carbon footprint by eliminating the greenhouse gases emitted from cars, trucks, and other vehicles by 2040. The city took the first step this Tuesday, when Mayor London Breed and Supervisors Vallie Brown and Aaron Peskin introduced legislation to install more electric-vehicle charging stations in both public and private parking lots and garages. Vehicle exhaust represents 46 percent of all emissions in San Francisco, making transportation the biggest contributor to the city’s carbon footprint. About 44 percent of emissions come from powering and heating commercial and residential buildings, according to the city’s Department of the Environment. City officials have also introduced legislation that would require large commercial property owners to switch their buildings to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. That ordinance is waiting for a hearing before the city’s Land Use Committee.
State bill barring the short-term rental of second homes in San Diego County’s coastal communities has been shelved
San Diego Union-Tribune - July 10
Last Wednesday, a state bill that would have sharply curtailed the short-term rental of homes in San Diego County’s coastal communities was held for a year by its author, Assembly member Tasha Boerner Horvath, D-Encinitas, even as the legislation had cleared the California Assembly and multiple Senate committees. While the proliferation of short-term rentals has drawn sharp criticism from homeowners in single-family neighborhoods, Boerner Horvath said her main motivation for authoring the bill was to preserve long-term housing, which she said was being eroded as increasing numbers of homes are converted to short-term rentals. By converting Assembly Bill 1731 to what is known as a two-year bill, Boerner Horvath is able to revive it next year with possible changes without having to entirely restart the process.
Berkeley becomes first city in California to ban natural gas in new buildings
Berkeleyside - July 17
Berkeley will no longer allow natural gas pipes in many new buildings starting on January 1, 2020. It’s the first city in California to pass such a law, officials said. Public support was unanimous during 45 minutes of comment from community members and representatives of the University of California’s Office of the President, PG&E, and the Sierra Club, among others who spoke. The new law would apply only to building types that have been reviewed and analyzed by the California Energy Commission. Each time the state expands its models and analyses, according to the way the ordinance was designed, the city will be able to update its law without returning to council for a new vote.
San Mateo considers new green building codes
The Daily Journal – July 15
City officials in San Mateo are considering various measures to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, including incentives for developers of new construction to electrify their buildings, requirements for solar panel installation, and expanding the capacity of parking spaces to charge electric vehicles. Because cities can propose ordinances more stringent than California’s Energy and Green Building codes, the proposed measures up for review in recent months are dubbed “reach codes.” Andrea Chow, the city’s sustainability analyst, said if the proposed codes are adopted by the City Council in August and later this year by the California Energy Commission, they will go into effect on January 1.
Windsor approves $100 million eco-friendly apartment complex
The Press-Democrat – July 9
After five years of planning, officials in Windsor have approved construction of an eco-friendly 360-unit apartment complex, called the Mill, which will include all electric mechanical components, such as heat pumps for water and cooling, and appliances powered by solar panels installed throughout the 20-acre property. Town leaders touted the $100 million housing development as being zero-net energy, meaning energy used by apartment tenants on an annual basis will be renewable and generated on-site. It is believed to be the largest apartment project with such aggressive energy efficiency measures set for construction in Sonoma County, said Peter Stanley, a project manager with ArchiLOGIX, a Santa Rosa design and consulting firm.
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