On his way out the door, California Governor Jerry Brown created plenty of opportunities for the next administration to continue in his footsteps.
The last year of California Governor Jerry Brown's administration saw the state make ambitious moves toward 100 percent renewable energy, Vision Zero, and increased housing supply. In The Planning Report, State Senator Robert Hertzberg explains the motivations and opportunities that yielded this session's gains.
For one, legislators moved urgently to preempt any actions the Trump administration might take to steamroll California's environmental protections. A long tradition of bipartisan climate action paved the way for quick action this session. "I'm seeing an increasingly deep and sophisticated approach to energy and cleantech markets in the Legislature," Hertzberg says.
Strong economic growth and a budget surplus also allowed a greater number of priority issues to receive funding, he notes.
Hertzberg's own efforts this year included safeguards for data privacy and a controversial approach to bail reform. Read the full interview in The Planning Report.
Read the full story: Senator Hertzberg Assesses Just Concluded CA Legislative Session
Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States
Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.
Courts May Fine Cities That Fail to Build Housing in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed his first budget, the state's largest ever at $215 billion. Housing activists will be pleased to learn that it has, to use Newsom's terms, both "carrots and sticks" to compel cities to produce more housing.
California May Join Hawaii With 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2045
Senate Bill 100 by Sen. Kevin de León has one more hurdle to clear before it becomes law. While the state's greatest climate challenge isn't electricity generation, it will be helpful as more motorists turn toward electric vehicles.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority