In Livermore, California, a developer spends $3 million to convince voters to pass a bond measure that would enable the developer to build on 1,400 acres of grassland adjacent to the city.
"Pardee Homes' spending to put Measure D on the ballot and get it passed is a sign of just how much is at stake here in the Bay Area, still one of the nation's hottest housing markets. Similar measures â€" though with smaller price tags â€" are on the ballot in Antioch, Brentwood and Pittsburg, three other East Bay cities along busy Route 4 where developers are spending big to ease so-called urban growth boundaries and build homes in Contra Costa County.
...Paul Shigley, editor of the California Planning & Development Report, said that urban planning by ballot box is not that unusual, but that Pardee's level of campaign spending to sway a city historically opposed to growth is 'incredible.' "
Read the full story: Spending Big at the Ballot Box to Build
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