State Preemption

Choosing Incentives Over Mandates for Minimum Urban Densities
Washington's House Bill 1923 is one of a number of bills under consideration this year on the West Coast that attempts to leverage the power of the state for the sake of new development.

Interactive Mapping Tool Illustrates the Impact of California's Big Housing Bill
University of California, Berkeley researchers have mapped the impact of SB 50, a bill that would allow new density around train stations and bus stops in cities all over the state of California.

Portland Completes Massive 20 MPH Speed Limit Overhaul
All of Portland's 3,000 miles of residential streets now have a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour. Similar changes could be coming to more Oregon cities in the future.

Bill to Ban Red Light Cameras Statewide Can't Get Past the Texas Legislature
A committee chair changed his mind about the consequences of a bill that would ban red light cameras in the entire state of Texas. The legislator didn't want, to paraphrase, blood on his hands.

Finding Ways for States and Cities to Work Together to Solve the Housing Crisis
The National League of Cities has a new report surveying local tools for addressing the housing affordability crisis. State partnerships are included.

How, and Where, a Big Transit Oriented Density Bill Would Allow Change in Oregon
Analyzing the potential outcomes of Senate Bill 10, one of two statewide upzoning bills under consideration in the state of Oregon this year.

Oregon First State to Implement Statewide Rent Control
Democratic legislators made short work of a huge shift in housing policy.

Tax Breaks Offered in Exchange for Affordable Housing in Downtown Phoenix
The state of Arizona doesn't allow local jurisdictions to charge affordable housing fees for new developments, so the city of Phoenix is offering tax breaks as an incentive instead.

Oregon to Consider New Densities for Transit Adjacent Neighborhoods
The Oregon Legislature is already considering one of the most sweeping and ambitious statewide land use reform bills in the country. A new bill would allow even more density around transit stations.

Statewide Rent Control Moving Through the Oregon Legislature
Democratic legislators in Oregon are pushing hard to approve a statewide rent control bill that would be the first of its kind in the United States.

Local Governments Weigh-in on Oregon's Statewide Upzoning Proposal
Local planners and elected officials are expressing their opinions about Oregon's House Bill 2001, which would allow fourplexes on single-family residential units around the state.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Legislation Proposed in Washington Sets a New Standard
If it approves HB 1797, Washington will pace the rest of the nation (even California and Oregon) on reforming zoning to allow more accessory dwelling units.

Huntington Beach Sues California Over 2017 By-Right Affordable Housing Bill
When it comes to housing lawsuits involving the state and new housing laws, Huntington Beach might be ground zero. Over a week before Attorney General Becerra sued the Orange County city at the behest of Gov. Newsom, the city sued the state.

California Sues Huntington Beach for Lack of Housing Development
California's new governor has sent a strong signal to local governments: build housing to comply with state law or else.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Proposes Plastic Bag Ban After Killing New York City's Bag Law
The Democratic governor proposed a ban on single-use plastic bags in his state-of-the-state address on Jan. 15. Nearly two years earlier, he signed a bill that prevented New York City from charging for bags as the District of Columbia and Boston do.

California Orders All Electric Buses by 2040
Converting all the public transit buses in California would save reduce carbon emissions in the state by 1 million metric tons by 2040.

Oregon to Consider Statewide Ban of Single-Family Zoning
Legislation in Oregon would follow the lead of Minneapolis in overturning single-family zoning—for all cities in the state with more than 10,000 residents.

SB 827: Part 2
California State Senator Scott Wiener has released the highly anticipated follow up to last year's failed bombshell of a housing bill, SB 827.

Los Angeles Approves Sidewalk Vending Ordinance
The new ordinance brings long-awaited legal legitimacy to sidewalk vending in Los Angeles.
A History of State-Mandated Upzonings in the Pacific Northwest
Past examples of state and provincial governments preempting the land use authority of local governments present several lessons on how to do state-mandated upzoning effectively.
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