California
Chariot Gets a New Deal with San Francisco, Data Sharing Included
Ford-owned shuttle provider, Chariot, will be back on the streets in San Francisco after an October shutdown.

10 Great Places to Get High—As in Views of the City
Every U.S. city has high rises, but not all are created for tourists looking for great views. An L.A. County planner describes ten of his favorite towers for lofty views.

Could Los Angeles Have Made Better Use of Former Redevelopment Funds?
After a state decision to abolish California's redevelopment agencies seven years ago, Los Angeles still received some of that money, directing it to city services instead of affordable housing.

A New Wave of Reservoir Construction Set to Begin in California
Two massive water storage projects have been awarded $2.6 billion in funding from Proposition 1.

Los Angeles: Focus on Urban Design (Not Just Urban Planning)
By embracing timeless principles of urban placemaking, we can create walkable transit villages and make room for housing at every socioeconomic level. First we have to re-invigorate high quality urban design.

California Has 8 of the 10 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
Despite ever-stricter air-quality regulations and dropping emissions, the American Lung Association once again finds the state to have some of the worst air in the nation.
Oakland Slow in Keeping Its Promise to Help Small Businesses Deal With Transit Changes
Oakland created a fund of $4 million dollars to aid small businesses affected by the construction of a new BRT line on International Blvd. So far, none of that money has been spent, though some of the funding was supposed to be spent by 2017.

Four Interest Groups Contributed to the California Transit-Housing Bill's Defeat
Two journalists discuss what led to the defeat of the SB 827, the controversial bill which garnered national attention and lots of in-state opposition from groups that one would think would support the effort to address the state's housing crisis.

Under Zinke, Land in Montana Is Still Somehow Protected
Though he’s opened land all over the U.S. to industry, the Interior Secretary is actually pushing to conserve even more of his home state.

How SB 827 'Cleaved the California Environmental Movement'
Even before the bill was defeated, it exposed a major generational divide between anti-development environmentalists and their pro-density, pro-housing heirs.

BART's Transit-Oriented Development Bill Sets Disturbing Precedent, Says APA
AB 2923, which would allow the Bay Area Rapid Transit District to rezone their properties near stations for transit-oriented development, passed its first committee. The California chapter of APA objects to the preemption of local land use authority.

All About Single-Family Rentals
Single-family rentals are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. housing market—and they're not going away anytime soon, a new study suggests.

10 U.S. Cities Launch Anti-Displacement Network
More than half of American tenants are rent-burdened, putting them at risk of displacement. A national collaboration with PolicyLink hopes to help.

Homes, Not Parking
The Balboa Reservoir is the perfect spot for housing in San Francisco, Nicole Lindler argues, and the notion that it should remain a surface parking lot shows badly disordered priorities.

Opinion: L.A. Needs to End Land Use Policies That Block Housing Construction
Mark Vallianatos argues Los Angeles is still contending with the legacy 1920 era land use restrictions built on racist, exclusionary zoning policies, the remnants of which aren't worth saving.

Elon Musk Might Really Get to Build a Tunnel Below Los Angeles
A Los Angeles city councilmember even wants to throw in a CEQA exemption for good measure.

California's 'Aggressive' Housing Bill Dies Quickly, Not Quietly, in Committee
SB 827, the controversial housing bill proposed by State Senator Scott Wiener, had a very brief run in the California State Legislature.
USDOT Awards $96 Million to BRT Projects in Washington, Missouri and Commuter Rail in California
On April 9, FTA awarded $43 million for a new, 12-mile bus rapid transit line in Everett; $30 million to extend BRT 10 miles in Kansas City and $22.5 million to extend a North Bay commuter rail line two miles to a ferry terminal on San Francisco Bay.

Scooter Mania in San Francisco
Entitled tech bros! Disrupted sidewalks! Mass impound sweeps! Social media convulsions!

Bay Area Transit Agencies to Consider 20 Percent Fare Reduction for Low-Income Riders
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission could implement a 20 percent plan to offer fare relief for low-income riders.
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