California

San Francisco's Market St. is the main street in town, but has had mixed success as a public space and a history of accidents involving pedestrians and bikes. Mayor Newsom has announced a new effort to improve safety and the public realm.

The Los Angeles Times has mapped the city's medical marijuana dispensaries, and found many that fall within a proposed buffer that would keep the outlets away from schools, parks and libraries.

Palm Springs has rediscovered a historic district that's been on the books for 23 years, but has been somehow forgotten until this week. Preservationists see this as a huge win, a way to protect the unique neighborhood and showcase its architecture.

San Francisco's notoriously congested Market Street will soon see a lighter load of traffic, as officials roll out a pilot project that will ban private vehicles from the roadway.

In an important step toward a bus-only lane on LA's busy Wilshire Blvd., the city council approved beginning an Environmental Impact Report for the project, to only minimal skepticism from the councilmember from the wealthier part of the area.

As part of their Envision 2040 process, the City of San José is soliciting user input through a web-based wiki.

Architect Ronald Rael proposes preserving the discarded span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge and turning it into a park and mixed-use development, in the spirit of NY's High Line.

The city of San Francisco has barricaded two new large swatches of land to be used as part of its Pavement to Parks projects, and is enjoying a flood of support from residents, businesses, politicians, and local educational institutions.

Coming off the heels of two high-profile crashes with dozens of injuries, the San Francisco Municipal Railway is working to ensure operators are trained and accidents can be avoided.

At a time when developers are having trouble getting loans to build, San Francisco is taking steps to improve empty lots with art, retail, and other temporary investments in neighborhood vitality until construction can resume.

Turnstiles are coming to the Los Angeles subway. Some say the move will help raise revenue for the city's transit authority, given its recent increases in ridership.

Chris Carlsson at Streetsblog looks back at how people have used San Francisco's public space, from the hippie uprising of the 1960s to streetclosures and farmer's markets today.

A California judge rules that the California High Speed Rail Authority's environmental impact report was inadequate. Plaintiffs celebrate ruling as a victory, but the Authority doesn't see it as a setback.

Water saver or environmental hazard? Questions are compounding about artificial turf as more homeowners ditch their grass for fake lawns. Contradicting city policies muddy the issue in the arid Southwest.

Water restrictions on farms in the state have atrophied jobs in the fertile Central Valley, giving communities some of the highest rates of unemployment in the state. As jobs dry up, the need for aid is surpassing what's there to give.

After a 7-2 approval by the City Council, Berkeley's new zoning plan may face a public vote. A signature drive by the two dissenting council members has gathered enough signatures to force the vote and is in the validation process.

Caltrain, the California passenger rail train, intends to electrify its rail system by the time high-speed rail comes online. This is at odds with freight railroads, however, and may lead to an increase in trucks on the road.

Randy's Donuts in Los Angeles is one of a dying breed of donut shops sporting enormous donut rings on their roofs, examples of a dying style called "mimic architecture".

As California moves forward with its plans for a high speed rail network, one hub is coming into shape. This review looks at the new hub planned for the Southern California city of Anaheim.

As wildfires rage in Southern California, some experts are calling for a revision of policies that encourage controlled burns to reduce fire risks.