Planetizen Newswire
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Santa Clara County
Both phases of the extension of BART beyond the Warm Spring Station Fremont, into Santa Clara County and San Jose, have been delayed. The first extension, to the Milpitas and Berryessa stations, was expected to be complete by the end of 2019.
The Mercury News
A $450 million bond referendum will come before San Jose voters this November. Mayor Sam Liccardo promises it is "a necessary but not sufficient tool" to provide stable housing at an epicenter of the housing crisis.
Next City
To paraphrase Bill Clinton, it's the housing, stupid! In addition to the troubling findings of the Bay Area Council poll, a California housing report found that Silicon Valley had the highest percentage of residents leaving their counties.
The Mercury News
Could development fights in the home of the biggest tech companies be avoided if cities just talked to each other?
The Mercury News
The oldest commuter rail line west of the Mississippi is also unique in another way—it lacks a dedicated source of operating revenue. Legislation has been introduced to allow Peninsula counties to vote to increase sales taxes by 0.125 percent.
The Daily Journal
Up against an unexpected federal requirement to produce substantially more funds for a crucial rail project, San Mateo County's transportation authority showed the importance of "self-help" counties that control local transportation sales tax funds.
The Daily Journal
About 50 transportation measures appeared on local ballots on November 8, 2016. To date, Planetizen reviewed outcomes in nine regions in six states. Here we compare the measures in terms of revenue, taxes, projects, and reasons for failure.
Planetizen
BART won big on election night with the passage of Measure RR, a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond measure. But the San Francisco Chronicle observes that results from two other local ballot measures suggest a mixed message on the rapid transit system.
San Francisco Chronicle
Voters appear to have passed the most contentious ballot measure in San Francisco, Proposition Q, that allows city workers to remove tent encampments if shelter is available. Voters in other Bay Area counties passed taxes for affordable housing.
San Francisco Chronicle
A new survey has found that every day more than 800 tech buses are traveling on the region's roadways, carrying around 34,000 passengers daily
San Francisco Business Times
Voters in six Bay Area cities in four Bay Area counties will determine the outcome of eight ballot measures on rent and eviction control. Two of the cities will have city council-sponsored measures competing against voter initiatives.
San Francisco Chronicle
Last week the Los Angeles City Council and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved housing initiatives. "Build Better LA" requires large developments to have affordable units. Silicon Valley voters will vote on a $950 million housing bond.
Planetizen
The city of Palo Alto, the county of Santa Clara, and the Housing Authority of Santa Clara County have joined forces to acquire the 4.5 acre Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, thus saving 117 low-income families from eviction.
Palo Alto Online
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority unanimously approved the 30-year, half-cent transportation sales tax for the countywide ballot in November. $1.5 billion in tax revenues would go to Phase II of a BART extension in the Silicon Valley.
Planetizen
The number of social impact bond programs in the United States has expanded quickly, to eight, with examples found in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Utah, and, now, California.
Governing
San Francisco and the Bay Area, known for their exorbitant housing prices and not unrelated, strong NIMBY attitudes, could be softening their opposition toward increasing density in their neighborhoods.
San Jose Mercury News
A proposed $800 million facility in Santa Clara County will put recycled water on the tech boom's doorstep.
San Jose Mercury News
The county of Santa Clara is exploring the possibility of establishing an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone—a relatively new land use incentive enabled by recent statewide legislation.
Seedstock
The greater Bay Area is enjoying a substantial increase in road maintenance funding from local measures, like bonds, city and county sales taxes, and development fees, part of a growing trend in compensating for a shortage of state gas tax funds.
Inside Bay Area.com
After 25 years, Santa Clara's light rail has failed to live up to its promise, proving to be “among the least successful in the nation” reports Mike Rosenberg, while “serving as a constant reminder that the car is still king in Silicon Valley."
Oroville Mercury Register
