Focus
Governor Newsom orders Coastal Commission to cease ‘erroneous’ guidance on Palisades rebuilding
SiliconValley – January 28
Governor Gavin Newsom stepped up his intervention on the California Coastal Commission last Monday, chiding the agency for providing “legally erroneous guidance” that threatens to create confusion and delay the rebuilding efforts for wildfire victims in Los Angeles County. In a new order issued on January 27, Newsom directed the commission not to issue guidance or take any action that interferes with or conflicts with his previous executive orders. The order also expands temporary housing for L.A. County’s firestorm survivors, loosening the rules for hotels and short-term rentals to more than 30 days. The order follows an earlier order to suspend a pair of coastal environmental laws, waiving California Environmental Quality Act and Coastal Act requirements, as well as a subsequent order issued January 16 to streamline the building of accessory dwelling units to assist in creating more temporary housing.
News
L.A. County says state housing laws stand in way of rebuilding. Advocates disagree
Los Angeles Times – January 29
A request by L.A. County officials to temporarily waive state housing laws as residents rebuild in fire-ravaged swaths of unincorporated areas drew the ire of housing advocates, who accused the officials of skirting efforts at boosting affordable housing. County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath, who represent districts blackened by this month’s wildfires, put forward a motion Tuesday with 41 steps they want department heads to take to speed up the recovery process. That included an ask to Governor Gavin Newsom to temporarily exempt the county from some of the state’s most significant housing laws intended to speed up the creation of affordable housing, including parts of Senate Bill 330, aimed at preserving affordable housing, and the Density Bonus Law, which encourages developers to build new units. Amy Bodek, head of the county planning department, said she believed the state laws could end up hampering recovery, incentivizing density at the expense of homeowners looking to rebuild what they had.
San Diego City Council will reconsider key ADU incentive in unexpected shift from pro-housing stance
The San Diego Union-Tribune – January 31
San Diego may roll back or eliminate a controversial city incentive that allows the owner of a single-family lot to build as many as dozens of backyard apartments on it. Contending the incentive is damaging community character in neighborhoods across San Diego, council members unanimously directed city planners last week to bring forward legislation that could kill the incentive. The council’s decision to review and possibly eliminate the incentive comes during a surge in the frequency of property owners taking advantage of it. The number of ADUs approved under the incentive has sharply risen since it was approved by the council in 2021 — from 34 in 2021 to 124 in 2022 and then to 281 in 2023.
Tulare challenges state of California environmental lawsuit over zoning changes
Visalia Times Delta – January 30
Tulare city officials responded to a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta that challenged its zoning ordinance update, describing the state’s legal action as “unfortunate” and its assertions as “false.” The city’s ordinance update allows cold-storage and other facilities to be permitted “by-right” in both light and heavy industrial zones, Bonta said. Bonta contends that these facilities have health implications in Matheny Tract and other neighboring communities, according to a Jan. 21 filing.
Trump rescinds federal program to boost low-carbon building materials
Canary Media – January 23
A federal effort meant to boost domestic manufacturing of low-carbon construction materials abruptly ended this week after the Trump administration moved to unravel a wide array of U.S. climate policies. President Donald Trump rescinded an executive order that established and supported a federal Buy Clean program. The Biden-era strategy pushed federal agencies to procure cleaner materials for public works projects. The idea was that the government, by using its massive purchasing power, could help jump-start the U.S. market for steel, cement, and other products made using less carbon-intensive methods.
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