Focus

U.S. wants to lease public lands for conservation, Interior Dept. says

Reuters – March 30

The U.S. Interior Department last Thursday proposed a new program that would allow it to offer leases of public land for conservation purposes, in much the same way as it currently offers acreage for drilling, mining, and grazing. The Biden administration's plan aims to protect landscapes from the impact of climate change and enable industries to offset their environmental footprints elsewhere. The move is consistent with the administration's stated goal to put climate change at the center of agency decisions.

News

New bill would let California’s attorney general jump into more housing fights

San Francisco Chronicle – March 28

As cities across California try to avoid complying with new state housing laws, Attorney General Rob Bonta is asking state legislators to give him another tool to rein in scofflaw municipalities. Bonta’s office is sponsoring a bill that would give the attorney general the unconditional right to wade into any lawsuit filed over a potential violation of state housing law. The measure, Assembly Bill 1485 by Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, comes as Bonta has increasingly sought to expand the state’s role in enforcing housing laws as California falls deeper into a housing shortage. Bonta’s work is only expected to grow as cities face aggressive state-mandated targets to build far more units by 2031.

Homes for the unsheltered in California on the horizon with $736 million in funding

The Center Square – March 31

Californians experiencing homelessness can expect more options for housing in the near future. Approximately $736 million in Homekey third round funding for local governments, to build or purchase housing has been made available, Governor Gavin Newsom announced. The Homekey model uses virtually every manner and opportunity to provide a broad range of housing options to state, regional, and local public entities to renovate buildings, acquire property, and develop residential units.

Record snowpack in California poses severe flood risk, officials warn

CNBC – April 4

Statewide snowpack is at 237% of the April average, ranking among the highest in state history, according to the fourth snow survey of the season by the Department of Water Resources. The size and distribution of the state’s snowpack is posing severe flood risk to areas of California, especially the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the southern part of the state’s vast Central Valley and is drained largely by the San Joaquin River.