News
Senator Scott Wiener makes changes to controversial housing bill
The Mercury News – January 6
The architect of a controversial California housing bill has proposed several changes in an attempt to win over more supporters as the legislation moves toward a vote in Sacramento early this year. Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) this Monday unveiled two significant adjustments to SB 50 that would give cities at least two years to craft their own local plans to add more housing before the law kicks in and requires it. The revisions also give low-income people living near new developments priority for affordable homes in those buildings. Wiener said the latest version of the bill is an attempt to give local governments more flexibility — allowing them to decide to put taller buildings in certain areas and shorter buildings in other places, for instance. But under the proposed bill, cities would still have to add housing, the new development still could not increase car usage, and leaders cannot simply choose to add density to low-income areas without touching wealthier enclaves.
California suing Vinod Khosla over access to Martins Beach
SFGate - January 6
The California State Lands Commission and California Coastal Commission are suing billionaire Vinod Khosla to ensure the public has access to Martins Beach, a stretch of coastline south of Half Moon Bay that Khosla has argued for over a decade is his personal property. This Monday, the state commissions filed suit in San Mateo County Superior Court seeking to prohibit Khosla from erecting no trespassing signs and blocking the road down to the beach with a gate. In 2008, the Sun Microsystems co-founder paid $32.5 million for an 89-acre property that includes Martins Beach Road. He then gated off the road, cutting off access to the public. The move has prompted continued legal action to get the road reopened, and, in 2018, it seemed the case had finally been resolved in the public's favor when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Khosla's case. But the case got new life in November 2019 when the San Francisco-based 1st District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Khosla.
Academy of Art University will pay San Francisco for the affordable housing it eliminated
San Francisco Chronicle - January 7
The Academy of Art University will pay $37.6 million to San Francisco to build affordable housing — replacing units the city said the school illegally removed from the market — as part of an updated legal settlement approved this Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors. The school will also convert 9 of its 43 properties back to lawful use, restore 12 historic buildings, and pay $20.4 million in fines and fees — including $8.2 million for the city’s “small sites fund” to help keep low-income tenants in their homes. One of the biggest art schools in the country, the Academy of Art is also one of San Francisco’s largest landlords.
Federal judge allows California’s shift to energy saving light bulbs
Associated Press – December 31
A federal judge last Tuesday allowed California’s updated light bulb efficiency standards to take effect with the new year. U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller of Sacramento rejected a petition from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the American Lighting Association to temporarily block new minimum efficiency standards for light bulbs that the California Energy Commission adopted in November 2019. Judge Mueller said the associations are unlikely to succeed in their lawsuit, which argues that the state rules conflict with federal law. Mueller said state regulators appear to have acted properly under exemptions that gave special privileges to California and Nevada to adopt tougher regulations more quickly than the U.S. Department of Energy.
JetBlue to use alternative fuel source on flights out of San Francisco
Reuters – January 6
JetBlue Airways Corp. this Monday said it would use an alternative fuel source for flights leaving from San Francisco and plans to curb carbon dioxide emissions from jet fuel for domestic flights as it aims to reduce its carbon footprint. The aviation industry has been trying to combat climate change by trying to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 compared with 2005 levels and sees the emergence of lower-carbon biofuels as a vital step towards meeting this goal. Alternative fuels, derived from sustainable oil crops or from wood and waste biomass, would have the single largest impact in reducing emissions from each flight by around 80 percent, but is in short supply, according to the International Air Transport Association.
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