Focus
California Senate rejects controversial housing bill
San Francisco Chronicle – January 29
A contentious bill to increase the housing supply in California by boosting dense construction around public transit and in wealthy suburbs was defeated in the state Senate on Wednesday, potentially capping a yearlong battle over its fate. The Senate rejected SB 50, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, on a vote of 18 “yes” to 15 “no,” following a nearly two-hour debate in which lawmakers split along geographic rather than partisan lines. The measure needed 21 votes to pass the 40-member house. The bill ran into opposition from lawmakers who expressed concerns that it would strip too much control from communities and did not provide enough affordable housing. Wiener was granted reconsideration to take up the bill again Thursday, a final shot to get it out of the Senate, though such a motion is often a mere courtesy from colleagues. SB 50 would have eased the development of small- and medium-size apartment and condominium projects by raising height limits, removing density restrictions, and reducing parking requirements. Under the bill, cities could not have blocked residential buildings of at least four or five stories within half a mile of rail stations and ferry terminals, provided they met other local design standards.
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News
L.A. could thwart Westside evictions under plan approved at City Hall
Los Angeles Times – January 28
Tenant activists have complained that the Ellis Act has led to tens of thousands of evictions in Los Angeles. The California law allows people to be ejected from rent-stabilized apartments if the landlord is getting out of the rental business, which can include turning the building into condos. Under the Municipal Code, the city can refuse to take a key step toward converting a residential building into condos if two conditions are met: the rental market in the area has seen a “significant” cumulative effect from such building conversions, and the vacancy rate in the area is 5 percent or less. Council member Mike Bonin, who represents much of the Westside, wants the planning department to gather that information for a long list of areas, including the Pacific Palisades, Westchester, Del Rey, Brentwood, Venice, Mar Vista, and Palms. That information could then back up a decision “to cease issuing Ellis Act clearances” in those areas until the vacancy rates have increased, according to the proposal approved this Tuesday.
Orange County cities push back on state-mandated housing goals
The Orange County Register - January 24
In recent weeks, more than a dozen city councils from Orange County have sent letters to the state Department of Housing and Community Development objecting to the way the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) calculated housing goals for its 191 member cities. Now that the state has approved that formula, city leaders will have to take the fight to the regional agency where it started a few months ago – and they could end up opposing each other as they try to haggle for smaller numbers. SCAG calculates housing goals for cities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Imperial counties. The state’s decades-old process seeks to ensure cities plan for – and don’t stand in the way of – future growth with homes at a range of income levels. State officials have signaled they will enforce the goals more rigidly than ever before, threatening possible fines or loss of local control over development.
L.A. City Council member wants more notice of demolitions for potentially historic buildings
Curbed L.A. - January 27
Los Angeles City Council member Paul Koretz is proposing to extend the notification period required before the demolition of potentially historic buildings. Under the proposal, property owners looking to demolish buildings built 45 or more years ago would be required to give 60 days of notice, rather than the 30 days mandated under the current rule. The current regulation went into effect in 2015, spurred by the swift demolition of an Art Deco structure in Hollywood that was designed by the architects of the El Capitan Theatre. The council’s planning and land use management committee approved Koretz’s proposal, but it still needs the approval of the full council.
Car-free Market Street launches in S.F.
NBC Bay Area – January 28
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) this Wednesday morning launched the Better Market Street project, which will eliminate private vehicles on one of the city’s busiest streets. A more than 2-mile stretch of Market Street will be used only by buses, taxis, bicycles, and commercial vehicles, as well as emergency vehicles like police cars and fire trucks. The SFMTA Board of Directors unanimously approved the plan in October, garnering praise from the city’s pedestrian and bicycle advocates who had been pushing for the project’s approval for years.
San Ysidro School District commits to rolling out zero-emission buses
The San Diego Union-Tribune – January 28
The San Ysidro School District has committed to fully transitioning to zero-emission buses beginning no later than 2021, a decision hailed as a crucial step in the fight against poor air quality in the community that lies along the U.S.-Mexico border. San Ysidro’s proximity to the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere has long led to poor air quality. Local leaders of Mothers out Front, a national coalition that works on the issue of climate change, said the district of about 4,200 students is the first to make a pledge to switch to zero-emission buses, though 15 districts in the state already started to use electric buses.
USGBC releases ranking of top 10 states for LEED certification
Commercial Property Executive – January 24
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its annual ranking of the top 10 states for LEED green building. The latest figures indicate the volume of projects awarded LEED certification is on a downward trend, marking a year-over-year moderation in the number of projects/square feet pursuing and receiving the green building certification. USGBC’s list is based on 2010 U.S. Census data and the number of LEED-certified square feet through 2019. Leading the rankings is Colorado with 102 LEED-certified buildings, with the next positions occupied by Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota, Oregon, and California.
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