The U.S Department of Labor is holding up the distribution of billions of dollars in transit funding destined for San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles and other California cities due to a new state pension law's impact on transit workers.
"The federal government is withholding about $2 billion from transit agencies across California, including $268 million earmarked for bus, rail and street projects at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority [Metro]," reports Dan Weikel. "The money has been held back since December because the U.S. Department of Labor contends that a new state pension law violates the Federal Transit Act in the way it treats unionized workers of transportation agencies."
"If the dispute is not resolved soon," he adds, "Metro officials say that $3.2 billion in grants and federal loans could be withheld from such projects as the subway extension to the Westside and the regional rail connector in downtown Los Angeles. They added that those projects, which have the potential to employ an estimated 43,000 workers, could be delayed as a result."
Read the full story: Legal dispute prompts feds to withhold $2 billion for transit
City of Los Angeles Tops 4 Million in Latest State Population Report
As usual, California's fastest growing counties were inland, far from coastal job centers. The big surprise was that the fastest growing city was an affluent Silicon Valley suburb that had been sued in 2012 by affordable housing advocates.
Denser Neighborhoods Could Save Bay Area $31 Billion
Walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods do more than just lower greenhouse gas emissions of their residents - they save them money too, states a new report, "Windfall for All", from the Bay Area's TransForm, a coalition of over 100 non-profits.
CA officials have the power to fix the state’s riskiest dams. They’ve never used it
California’s 40 most hazardous dams would endanger up to 1.5 million people if they failed.
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.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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.
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
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The Architects Foundation
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Montrose County
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