California

Westwood, Los Angeles

Uber and Lyft Make 11,000 Trips a Week Without Leaving UCLA's Campus

Students at the University of California, Los Angeles are using ride-hailing companies to get between classes on campuses. The effect is far from the congestion and emissions reducing idea many hoped for from companies like Uber and Lyft.

February 4, 2019 - Daily Bruin

Salesforce Park

S.F.'s Transbay Transit Center Won't Reopen Until June at the Earliest

The Transbay Transit Center, opened for a brief stint in the latter half of 2018 before structural flaws were discovered, won't be open to the public again anytime soon.

February 2, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Lake Mead

Colorado River Deal Fails—Feds Step In

California and Arizona couldn't come to terms on a drought contingency plan for the Colorado River, compelling the Department of the Interior to act.

February 2, 2019 - KQED

Downtown Redwood City

Housing Politics: Think Regionally, Lose Locally

Two Bay Area city council members serving on a regional commission suffered the political consequences of supporting a controversial regional housing initiative, not from their constituents, but from their colleagues.

February 1, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Fuel Break Wildfire

California Communities Embrace Fuel Breaks as Effective Wildfire Strategy

Fuel breaks involve clearing vegetation that feeds fires in order to prevent the catastrophic and fast-spreading wildfires that have plagued the state.

February 1, 2019 - The Mercury News

Expo Line

Equity Considerations Delay Congestion Pricing in Los Angeles

After discussing a staff report on road pricing at their Jan. 24 meeting, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority directors paused to weigh the equity implications of charging motorists to drive on roads.

January 31, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

California Beach Town

Huntington Beach Sues California Over 2017 By-Right Affordable Housing Bill

When it comes to housing lawsuits involving the state and new housing laws, Huntington Beach might be ground zero. Over a week before Attorney General Becerra sued the Orange County city at the behest of Gov. Newsom, the city sued the state.

January 31, 2019 - SF Gate

San Francisco, California

San Francisco's Massive 'Central SoMa Plan' Faces Litigation

The Central SoMa Plan took more than seven years of planning and debate to approve. A new lawsuit, expected to be just the first of many, threatens to erase all that work.

January 30, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sprawl

New California Governor Follows Up Tough Housing Rhetoric with Action

Gov. Gavin Newsom, only weeks into his new office, had warned cities that his office would hold them accountable for failing to meet their housing requirements. On Friday, he directed Attorney General Xavier Bacerra to sue Hungtinton Beach.

January 30, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Interstate 405

A Train Instead of the 405: The Impossible Dream One Step Closer to Reality in L.A.

A rail transit project has serious momentum in Los Angeles, offering a potentially game changing alternative to the notoriously jammed commute on Interstate 405 over the Sepulveda Pass.

January 30, 2019 - The Source

California Wildfire

PG&E Promises to Keep the Lights on After Declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Pacific Gas and Electric has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of "actual and potential" liability.

January 29, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

L.A. Metro Jumps Into the Ridesharing Business

The Los Angeles County metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the launch of a one-year pilot program for on demand ridesharing, otherwise known as microtransit.

January 29, 2019 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Diego metropolitan Transit System

How to Integrate Light Rail and Bus Rapid Transit for Walkability and Housing

Better integration between San Diego's various transit modes—trolley (light rail), bus, bus rapid transit, and active transit—are key to increasing use and housing options, argues AVRP planner Howard Blackson III.

January 29, 2019 - UrbDeZine

Sports and Entertainment District

$1 Billion Mixed-Use Complex Halts Construction in L.A.

The example of Oceanwide Plaza, which recently halted construction across the street from the Staples Center, raises more questions than it answers about foreign investment in Downtown Los Angeles' revitalization.

January 28, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Sierra Nevada Drought

U.S. Appeals Court: Climate Crisis Justifies California Clean Fuels Rule

California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which requires fuel producers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020, has been opposed by corn ethanol producers and the oil industry since its inception in 2011.

January 28, 2019 - Transport Topics

Mixed-Use Development

Silicon Valley Tech Community Commits $500 Million to Fund Housing Crisis

A large group of technology and philanthropic foundations has announced multiple funds to help mitigate the crisis of housing affordability in the Bay Area. It's the second such effort announced already this year.

January 28, 2019 - The New York Times

California Beach Town

California Sues Huntington Beach for Lack of Housing Development

California's new governor has sent a strong signal to local governments: build housing to comply with state law or else.

January 27, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Malibu

A Plan for More Low-Cost Lodging on the California Coast

The promise of the California Coastal Act—to maintain public access to the Pacific Coast—is challenged by the extreme costs of coastal property. A new plan aims to put vacations and overnight stays on the coast in reach for more Californians.

January 26, 2019 - LAist

Hillsborough River

'Turning the Toxic Tide' in Florida

A series of editorial sets an environmental agenda for new political leadership in the state of Florida. Reform of the state's planning and development processes are included.

January 25, 2019 - TCPalm

The Peninsula

Regional Attempt to Address Housing Crisis Advances in Bay Area

A regional, comprehensive, and controversial approach to tackling the housing affordability crisis in the nine-county Bay Area, including strategies to render renter protections and new housing production, has cleared three major hurdles.

January 25, 2019 - KQED: California Report

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