California

Facebook Could Partner With Local Transit Authorities to Repair Defunct Rail Bridge
The Dunbarton Rail Bridge has been out of service since the 1980s. In a potentially groundbreaking development, Facebook is interested in repairing the bridge to serve multi-modal commuters.

San Francisco's Next Mayor a Self-Described 'Pro-Housing' Politician With Support From YIMBYs
London Breed is the first African American female elected mayor of San Francisco, and she brings high hopes that a pro-development approach can help mitigate the city's housing affordability crisis.
A California City Approves its First-Ever Apartment Building
A small city in the South Bay Area, south of San Jose, has approved its first multi-family housing project—because state law mandated it.

A Kinder and Gentler Approach to Scooters
It's a temporary experiment, but Santa Monica will not cap the number of scooters operated by private companies in the city.

Initiative to Split California into Three States Qualifies for November Ballot
Should the "California Three States Initiative " pass on Election Day, the Golden State will be a step closer to splitting into three states: California, Northern California, and Southern California.

High Cost of Housing Driving Up Homelessness, Study Finds
A new study from UCLA confirms what past studies have found, that rising rents and housing prices are fueling California's homelessness crisis.

The 'Head Tax' Failed in Seattle; Cities Still Want the Tax to Support Housing, Transit
If your city was home to some of the wealthiest, largest companies in the country, would you tax them to raise money for more housing and transit service?

Means-Based, Transit-Fare Discounts Take a Leap Forward in the Big Apple
The 2019 New York City budget includes $106 million to subsidize half the transit fare for qualified residents for six months. The city joins the ranks of Seattle, Toronto, and the Bay Area that offer income-based discounts for transit fares.

Looking Back to Find the Future of San Diego
An advocacy group is republishing the 1974 regional plan for sustainability, and finding that it's just as relevant now as it was then.

California and Auto Industry Agree on Vehicle Emissions Standards
Normally having the California Air Resources Board and the auto industry in agreement on emissions standards would be enough, but the Trump administration wants to ensure that California plays no role in setting standards.

Two States to Decide on Gas Tax Measures on Election Day
California voters will likely decide on whether to repeal a 12-cents gas tax increase while Missouri voters will decide whether to increase the state's 17-cents per gallon gas tax, fourth lowest in the nation, by 10-cents per gallon over four years.

Winners and Losers of the California Primary
With national media focused on individual candidates, propositions that dealt with park and water bonds, transportation spending, cap-and-trade, and rainwater may have been overlooked. Plus, a measure to increase bridge tolls in the Bay Area.

Dismal Poll Findings for Bay Area: Half the Respondents Want to Leave
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.

California Evictions Much Faster and More Frequent Than Previously Thought
About 500,000 tenants face eviction every year—triple previous estimates. And over a million may be involuntary displaced despite never making it to court.

Widening I-80 from Davis to Sacramento: HOT Lane or HOV Lane?
Caltrans is studying a plan to widen 16 miles of Interstate 80 through Solano and Yolo counties, over the Yolo Bypass. Initially, the plan called for a carpool lane, but uncertainty about funding makes a toll lane a possibility.

Bad News for L.A.'s Homelessness Strategy: Public Restroom Plan Falls Apart
The city's failure to deliver public restrooms is not the first sign of trouble for its sweeping homelessness plan, but it’s a painful one for the residents of Skid Row.

California to Invest $1 Billion in Electric Trucks, Buses, Charging Infrastructure
The investment comes not from the state legislature but from two regulatory bodies, the Air Resources Board and the Public Utilities Commission, authorizing the expenditure of VW settlement funds and utility ratepayer funds, respectively.

Editorial Exposes Bay Area Housing Hypocrisy
Cities can't have it both ways on the housing crisis, asserts an SF Chronicle editorial. Case in point: Berkeley passes a resolution to declare homelessness a state of emergency while opposing legislation to allow BART to develop its parking lots.

Landowners Restrict Access to California Beach
A homeowners group has successfully moved to severely limit public access to the beaches of Hollister Ranch, a 14,500-acre parcel to the west of Santa Barbara.

Bad Break for Scooter Rental Company in its Hometown
Years before there was e-scooter-share, there was electric (Vespa-like) scooter-share in San Francisco by start-up Scoot. Now that they are ready to launch electric bikeshare, the city won't let them, unlike Barcelona, Spain where it began service.
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