California

California State Parks Awards $57 million to Improve Access to the Outdoors
To advance the state's "Outdoors for All" initiative, the park agency is providing funding to 125 low-income urban and rural communities.

Extending the Life of California's Largest Power Plant
Gov. Gavin Newsom has notified the U.S. Department of Energy of his interest in using funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant slated to close in three years.

New Park Proposed for San Diego's Waterfront
The Port of San Diego and USS Midway Museum are working together to convert Navy Pier into a new public park on San Diego Bay's North Embarcadero.

L.A.'s San Fernando Valley $909 Million Closer to Light Rail
The last time rail transit crossed L.A.'s San Fernando Valley was in the early 1950s.

Caltrain Electrification Project Faces Budget Shortfall
The agency is seeking an additional $260 million to complete electrification of train lines between San Francisco and San Jose.

Southern California Freeway Expansion Plans Scrapped
After more than a decade of planning, Caltrans has officially dropped the I-710 Corridor Project, a plan to widen Interstate 710 for a long stretch of the freeway near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Bay Area Transit Stations To Feature Local Writers
A contest in the San Francisco Bay Area will select 30 short stories that will be available at special vending kiosks at transit stations.

The Social and Economic Benefits of Green Schoolyards
New research suggests that switching from asphalt to green, park-like schoolyards brings economic benefits in addition to public health improvements.

Dams on the Way Out on Two California Rivers
The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is about to commence on the Klamath River. Due to a recent development, a dam on the Eel River is also on expected for decommission.

Federal Funds Helping to Create New Parks in San Diego County
The Beyer Park project in San Ysidro and Sweetwater Park development in Chula Vista each received $5 million grants from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The Importance of Pocket Parks
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved the development of a new pocket park in Walnut Park, one of the most park-poor communities in the county.

More Funds to Transform the Puente Hills Landfill into a Regional Park
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved an additional $28 million to support the development of the Puente Hills Regional Park at the landfill site.

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

Strip Malls as a Housing Solution
The American strip mall may be a dying breed of commercial development, but could the buildings serve a new use as sustainable housing?

One-Fifth of California AirBnb Rentals in Fire Risk Areas
An analysis of Airbnb properties across the state shows that despite the high fire risk in many parts of the state, the company and hosts frequently don’t provide adequate warning and evacuation instructions to guests.

Number of Unhoused People Lower in San Francisco, but Growing Across the Bay Area
While the city saw fewer people experiencing homelessness for the first time in years, homelessness across six Bay Area counties grew by 8 percent.

Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.

Fewer People Experiencing Homelessness in San Francisco
In a first since 2015, the number of people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco declined from the year prior, according to preliminary analysis of the city’s most recent Point-in-Time count.

California Coastal Commission Rejects $1.4 Billion Desalination Project
The unanimous decision by the Coastal Commission on May 12 might have dealt a fatal blow to the costly seawater desalination project proposed for Huntington Beach, but it was not 'a referendum on the future of desalination in California.'

Southern California City Raises Development Fees on Housing
In the midst of a historic housing crisis, the city of Santa Ana is raising fees on housing construction, which housing advocates fear will drive developers from the city.
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