Bill Fulton says that California's new smart growth and climate change law doesn't really contain any new ideas, and it's unlikely to make a huge difference in California's growth patterns all by itself.
"The newspapers have been calling California's smart growth and climate change bill"precedent setting," but it's got nary a new idea in it. If you peel back the layers, you've got what old-timers like me call a "growth management law" – one that ties transportation funding to growth patterns.
The ideas in SB 375 -- which has passed the Assembly and appears certain to be signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger -- have been kicking around Sacramento for 20 years. The question now whether SB 375 – combined with all the other darned laws we already have in place here in California – will actually influence the state's growth patterns.
It's important to remember, however, that SB 375 is only one of several state laws and policies dealing with growth – and unless the Schwarzenegger administration is serious about using all of them consistently, the impact of the new law is likely to be reduced."
Thanks to Bill Fulton
Read the full story: SB 375 Is Only The Beginning
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