Los Angeles streamlines ADU permitting with over-the-counter ADU templates -
Los Angeles Times – March 5 -
A new initiative by Eric Garcetti’s office in collaboration with Building and Safety aims to change the...more
Justice Department to appeal judge’s order on eviction moratorium -
Los Angeles Times – February 27 -
The Justice Department will appeal a judge’s ruling that found the federal government’s eviction moratorium to be...more
DOE orders sweeping review of Trump energy efficiency rules -
The Hill – February 19 -
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will review several of the Trump administration’s most controversial energy rules, teeing up a...more
Berkeley considers ending single-family zoning -
The Mercury News – February 12 -
Berkeley was the first city in the nation to introduce “exclusionary zoning” in the early 1900s, and now it could be one of the first...more
Huntington Beach loses housing case against the state of California -
Los Angeles Times – February 2 -
The city of Huntington Beach lost a lawsuit against the state of California, in which the city sought exemption...more
Biden executive order lays foundation for restoring fair housing rule -
The Real Deal – January 27 -
President Joe Biden has taken the first step toward reinstating a fair housing rule that was repealed last year. The...more
California lawmakers vote to extend COVID-19 eviction protections through June -
Los Angeles Times – January 28 -
Californians facing financial hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic will be protected from eviction...more
New bill would fight homelessness by raising California’s corporate tax rates -
The Mercury News – January 13 -
New, higher tax rates on large corporations doing business in California would raise $2.4 billion to fund...more
U.S. government creates new programs for data center efficiency and research -
Bisnow – January 10 -
The $2.3 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act approved last month, which included $900 billion for coronavirus...more
Despite limited success for housing bills in the 2020 legislative session, 2021 should present opportunities for developers -
Bullet Allen Matkins – December 21 -
During the 2020 legislative session, many housing...more
1/8/2021
/ Affordable Housing ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Density Bonus ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Low Income Housing ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
Urban Planning & Development
Green buildings 'unheralded hero' in emissions fight, experts say -
Bullet Smart Cities Dive – December 10 -
President-elect Joe Biden's plan to upgrade the buildings sector and make it more energy efficient could be...more
12/17/2020
/ Affordable Housing ,
California Energy Commission ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Electricity ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Environmental Review ,
Facebook ,
Green Buildings ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Housing Developers ,
Sustainability
Lawmakers weigh moratorium extension as eviction cliff looms -
Palo Alto Online – December 8 -
With California's eviction moratorium set to expire in less than 60 days and 2 million people at risk of losing their rental...more
12/11/2020
/ Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Eviction ,
Flooding ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Low Income Housing ,
Moratorium ,
Natural Gas ,
Popular ,
Rental Assistance Programs ,
Rental Property ,
Sustainability
Back rent in California nearing $1.7 billion, Federal Reserve study finds -
Orange County Register – November 12 -
California’s back rent is projected to reach nearly $1.7 billion by the end of the year, or almost a...more
11/20/2020
/ Commercial Property Owners ,
Community Development ,
Commuting ,
Electricity ,
Eviction ,
Green Buildings ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Mixed-Use Zoning ,
Rental Property ,
Sustainability ,
Telecommuting ,
Urban Planning & Development
California voters narrowly reject split-roll initiative, but approve changes to property tax exemptions; San Francisco voters approve higher taxes on businesses -
Bullet Allen Matkins – November 13 -
On November 3,...more
California voters reject measure to expand rent control -
Bullet SFGate – November 4 -
Voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a ballot measure that would have let California cities expand rent control in a state where...more
11/6/2020
/ Commercial Tenants ,
Eviction ,
High-Speed Rail ,
Homeless Issues ,
Local Ordinance ,
Moratorium ,
Public Parks ,
Public Transit ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Sustainability
Governor Newsom pledges extra $200 million for homeless housing -
Bullet The Mercury News – October 26 -
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $200 million boost to his Project Homekey homeless housing fund in San Jose...more
11/3/2020
/ Affordable Housing ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Board of Supervisors ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Governor Newsom ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Land-Use Permits ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Sustainability
Funding the next generation of efficient, electric, grid-interactive communities -
Bullet Greentech Media – October 19 -
U.S. homes and commercial buildings consume roughly two-fifths of the country’s overall energy...more
Governor Newsom calls for protecting 30% of state land in league with international effort -
Bullet Los Angeles Times – October 7 -
Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order last Wednesday to protect nearly a...more
California landowners and developers: Western Joshua Tree incidental take permits now required -
Bullet Allen Matkins – October 2 -
On September 22, 2020, the California Fish and Game Commission accepted the Center...more
New law aims to increase individual home ownership in California -
Bullet SFGate – September 29 -
A bill prompted by the Moms 4 Housing occupation of a vacant West Oakland home late last year and signed by Governor...more
10/2/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
Public Projects ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Communities Strategy
S.F.’s Embarcadero could be devastated by earthquakes and rising seas, study warns -
SFGate – September 19 -
The Embarcadero in San Francisco faces severe threats from both earthquakes that could undermine the city’s...more
9/28/2020
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Conditional Use Permit ,
Earthquakes ,
Environmental Policies ,
Flood Management ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Natural Disasters ,
Sustainability ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Wastewater
California commercial real estate ramps up use of alternative energy sources -
Bullet Bisnow – September 13 -
Stem is one of a number of alternative energy companies seeing an increase in demand from commercial real...more
9/21/2020
/ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Energy Projects ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Discrimination ,
Microgrids ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Sustainability ,
Wildfires
When roads heat up during the summer, the asphalt poisons urban air -
Fast Company – September 8 -
In the summer, dark asphalt roads and roofs absorb heat from the sun and then put it back into the air, which is...more
Bid to allow duplexes on most California lots fails after Assembly approval comes too late...California lawmakers nearly sent a bill to Governor Gavin Newsom that would have essentially ended single-family zoning across much...more
California bill would allow a duplex on most single-family parcels -
Los Angeles Times – August 26 -
The California Assembly is considering a bill, authored by state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego),...more
9/1/2020
/ Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) ,
Affordable Housing ,
Air Pollution ,
City Planning Departments ,
Climate Change ,
High-Speed Rail ,
Landfills ,
Local Ordinance ,
Single Family Housing ,
Sustainability ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Waste Management ,
Zoning Laws