California

San Diego Not Even Close to Meeting Permanent Housing Goals for Homeless
The city’s new $6.5 million "bridge shelters" are providing a place to stay, but not accomplishing what they set out to do.

Big Oil Wins Climate Change Lawsuits
The courts are no place to be deciding on the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change, ruled a Northern California federal district court judge in a "stinging defeat" to San Francisco and Oakland that wanted Big Oil to pay mitigation costs.

More States Hoping to Monetize Highways
The commercialization of highway rights of way is largely prohibited by federal regulations, but states are looking for new ways to generate revenue from billboards and rest stops.

California's Law to Streamline Housing Already Having a Big Effect
A mega-project adding 2,402 units of housing, including 1,201 affordable units, is on a fast track to approval in Cupertino, California, thanks to a 2017 state law.

California Gas Tax Repeal Initiative Qualifies for November Ballot
The initiative is much more than whether to repeal taxes and fees enacted by the passage of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 which brings in over $5 billion a year. The measure is a means to increase GOP turnout to retain House seats.

Opinion: Government-Controlled Energy Won't Get Cities to 100 Percent Renewable
A Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is a key tool for the Climate Action Plan of many California cities. According to one former mayor, they don't work.

San Francisco Bay Area's Rail Transit Projects Among the Most Expensive in the World
The problem of expensive transit investments isn't unique to New York City.

LA Times: City Council Should Take Responsibility for Lack of Transit Oriented Development
The Los Angeles Times editorial board has strong words for the Los Angeles City Council about planning for transit oriented development.

Rent Control Falls Short of the Ballot in Multiple California Cities
Support for rent control is building at the state level in California. Support hasn't been as easy tt rally at the local level, however.

Scooter War Now a Scooter Competition
Three scooter companies, Lime, Bird and Spin, removed their scooters from the sidewalks of San Francisco earlier this month and applied, with nine other companies, for five permits to operate up to 2,500 scooters in a tightly regulated pilot program.

Plans for Immigrant 'Detention Centers' Revealed at Military Sites Around the U.S.
Plans for temporary facilities designed to house between 25,000 to 45,000 people have been revealed by Time Magazine. Sites in Alabama, Arizona, California,

When Gentrification Follows Transit Oriented Development
From an environmental perspective, transit oriented development is hard to argue. From a socio-economic perspective, transit oriented development must make room for all income levels, according to this opinion piece posted on the NRDC website.

Proposed Tower Would Redefine Height on the West Coast
A 77-story skyscraper proposed for Downtown Los Angeles would be the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.

Should Ride-Hailing Vehicles Reduce Emissions?
Driving an electric ride-hailing vehicle may be good for the planet but costly for the driver who may have to limit the distance of rides and search for fast-chargers. Uber is trying to help out.

California Realtors Hope Ballot Initiative Will Put More Homes on Market
A ballot measure to enable older homeowners in California, particularly empty nesters, to downsize without losing their tax benefits granted to them by the 1978 Proposition 13, has qualified for the November ballot.

Making the Bay Area Resilient By Design
The Resilient By Design Bay Area Challenge has produced nine designs to address sea-level rise and flooding around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Light Rail Recommended for the San Fernando Valley
Transit planners with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority have recommended light rail for the planned East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project.

40 Years of Prop 13
The Public Policy Institute of California recently checked on the public opinion of Proposition 13, California's controversial and game-changing property tax cap.

Doug Ford, Elected Ontario Premier, Promises End of Cap and Trade
The brother of former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford decisively won the election on June 7 to be the next premier of Ontario, ousting current Premier Kathleen Wynne. His first order of business: end the province's emissions trading program.

Interactive Maps Explore Barriers to Opportunity
A pair of interactive maps and a report compare access to opportunity in two very different neighborhoods. In both places, residents confront "friction of distance" and feel their input on public decision-making is limited.
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