California

Palo Alto Expands Church ‘Safe Parking’ Program
The city is considering adding commercial lots to the program, which provides safe parking and amenities for people living in cars.

Report: California’s Orphan Wells Still Pose Health Risks
Tens of thousands of idle oil wells litter the state. Taxpayers are often on the hook for cleanup.

Healing Neighborhoods Through Park Equity
Learn more about ways to improve park equity with Norma García-González, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Catherine Nagel, the executive director of the City Parks Alliance.

Brightline West Awarded $3 Billion in Federal Funding
The high-speed rail line will cut travel time between Southern California and Las Vegas roughly in half.

Winter Fun at Los Angeles County Parks
L.A. County is offering a winter edition of its popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program, providing opportunities for residents to come together and have fun in safe and welcoming spaces.

Sacramento Council Approves Upzoning Proposal
If given final approval, the plan would increase the allowable floor area ratio to permit denser housing development in single-family neighborhoods and near transit.

Upcycling a Landfill into a Regional Park
Los Angeles County is working with a consultant team led by Studio-MLA to transform 142 acres of the Puente Hills Landfill into parkland, creating the first new regional park in the county in over 35 years.

LA Pledges to Add Thousands of New Bus Stop Shelters
The city’s bus riders will finally get some relief from sun and rain.

San Diego Trolley Nation’s Most Popular Light Rail
The system's ridership benefited from an extension project and free transit for youth.

San Jose Affordable Housing Development Gains Approval
A proposed project is moving forward with reduced building heights and all-affordable units.

Fire Officials Say More LA Freeway Underpasses at Fire Risk
The city’s fire department is surveying other underpasses for hazardous materials and other code violations that led to the November 11 fire that shut down a key interstate segment.

San Diegans at Odds Over ‘Granny Towers’
A provision in the city’s ADU ordinance allows developers to build an essentially unlimited number of units on single-family lots.

Study: Equity in Car Share Programs Requires Low Cost, Broad Coverage
Data from a Los Angeles car share program showed its impact on underserved communities was ‘limited by its small footprint.’

Federal Court Dismisses Huntington Beach Housing Lawsuit
A federal judge on November 13 dismissed a lawsuit the Orange County city filed against the state and the Southern California Association of Governments in March in an attempt to exempt itself from state housing laws.

California Completes First Coastal Erosion Mitigation Project
Caltrans moved a segment of the state’s celebrated Highway 1 inland by 400 feet to avoid erosion caused by sea level rise.

The Promises and Limitations of Modular Housing
Converted shipping containers offer the promise of fast construction and low costs, but face regulatory and accessibility challenges.

Evictions on the Rise in California
As rent costs continue to grow and eviction protection programs lapse, eviction rates are spiking across the state.

Tollways for Sacramento?
Road pricing terminology can be confusing, particularly since Californians see so little of it. For example, a Sacramento TV station calls proposed express lanes on Interstate 80 from Solano County to Sacramento a ‘tollway.’

After Underpass Fire, California to Review Land Lease Program
The state leases space under freeways to boost revenue, but their contracts are loosely enforced.

Tenderloin Greenway Closer to Reality
The Golden Gate Greenway will provide much-needed permanent park and community space in the dense neighborhood.
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