California

Starpower Hired to Design California High-Speed Rail Station
The planning, engineering, and design team will develop the first four Central Valley stations on the train line.

Community Building Through Park Activation
Los Angeles County's popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program returns for the spring, providing opportunities for residents to come together in safe and welcoming spaces where they can access quality programming and a variety of services.

Holding Oil Companies Accountable for California's High Fuel Prices
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a first-in-the-nation bill that would penalize California's oil refineries for excessive profits. Will it lower the state's highest-in-the-nation fuel prices?

Lessons in Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
With HUD seeking comments on a revamped version of the Affirmatively Furthering fair Housing Rule, now is a good time to seek lessons from the one state to attempt to implement the federal rule at the state level.

Half of California Trucks to Be Electric by 2035
The state wants to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles across the board, but concerns linger about the technology’s road readiness.

San Francisco Rents Cheaper Now Than in 2020
Though ‘cheap’ is a relative term.

11,000 Housing Units Possible with S.F. Office Conversions, Study Says
A new study by SPUR and the Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco chapter estimates a specific number of apartment units that could be built from vacant office units in the city.

California Attorney General Wants to Get Serious About Housing
A bill sponsored by the AG’s office would give the state’s top attorney more power to intervene in lawsuits related to the state’s housing laws.

Federal Loan to Support San Diego Desalination Plant Overhaul
The financing will go toward funding an updated cooling system and ensuring the protection of local marine life.

Opinion: How California’s Environmental Law Empowers NIMBYs
Critics of a new provision calling “social noise” an environmental impact say the law can too easily be co-opted by anti-housing groups to block new development.

Proposed Pool Would Make an Olympic-Sized Play Area in the San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay is usually an undesirable place to swim, except for a hearty few. A development proposal seeking assistance at the state level would add a pool to the Bay’s waters to make the idea of going for a swim more appealing.

Confronting the Crisis on Public Transit
Problems, old and new, are threatening what remains of our public spaces. How we respond right now could be make or break for public transit.

Long Beach Residents Oppose Proposed Homeless Services Hub Near Rail Terminus
L.A. Metro’s “end-of-the-line” policy forces people experiencing homeless off transit every night at the same time and location. A proposed hub would provide services a few stops before the end of the line in Long Beach.

Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.

California Pledges to Provide 1,200 ‘Tiny Homes’ for Unhoused Residents
Critics of the plan say the effort is a drop in the bucket in a state where tens of thousands of people experience homelessness every night.

Infamous 315-Unit Lafayette Housing Development Finally Approved
In a dramatic sign of how far zoning reform has come in the state of California, CEQA wasn’t enough to stop a 315-unit apartment development first proposed 12 years ago in the city of Lafayette.

Los Angeles County Parks Department Releases Five-Year Strategic Plan
The L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation recently completed a strategic plan which details goals, strategies, and actions that reflect the agency's commitment to advancing equity.

San Francisco Nonprofit Accused of Neglecting Tenants, Misusing Funds
A major housing organization with city contracts is neglecting poor housing conditions in its buildings while amassing lobbying power and political influence.

Backlash to San Francisco Development Spotlights City’s Conflicting Priorities
Residents of the Bayview neighborhood say they support new housing, but object to a proposed building that would replace one of the area’s only green spaces.

Proposed Bill Would Strengthen California’s Renter Protections
The bill would improve on the 2019 Tenant Protection Act by further limiting rent increases and adding more eviction protections for California renters.
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