Focus
Proposed revisions to draft Joshua Tree Conservation Plan
Allen Matkins – May 5
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) held its second meeting on the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Draft Conservation Plan) on April 16, 2025. Though no formal action was taken, the Commission received a presentation from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), discussed potential revisions to the Draft Conservation Plan, and heard additional public comments. CDFW is expected to release a revised Draft Conservation Plan by the end of May for consideration at the Commission’s June 11-12, 2025, meeting.
News
White House Council on Environmental Quality releases draft NEPA template following CEQ’s rescission of longstanding regulations
Allen Matkins – April 22
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) circulated a draft template dated April 8, 2025, among federal agencies to assist in updating their procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQ included a cover letter with the template clarifying that federal agencies may adopt, modify, or disregard the suggested procedures, which do “not establish new requirements, create legal obligations, or represent CEQ's final position on how agencies should implement NEPA.” Nonetheless, the draft template includes notable potential departures from NEPA practice under CEQ’s previous regulations — originally adopted in 1978 — and appears to prioritize shorter environmental review periods and greater adherence to statutory time limits, while narrowing opportunities for public input.
States sue over freeze on funding for electric-vehicle charging
The New York Times – May 7
A coalition of states led by Washington, Colorado, and California sued the Trump administration this Wednesday, charging that it was unlawfully withholding billions of dollars allocated by Congress for electric-vehicle charging stations across the United States. The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law provided $5 billion to states to build stations around the country. So far, 71 stations have been built, with many more in development, according to the research firm Atlas Public Policy. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, states that federal agencies have unlawfully frozen those funds and halted approvals for new stations, depriving states of critical resources, and damaging the growing electric-vehicle industry.
Bill to protect mobile home residents after disasters advances in California Senate
Santa Monica Daily Press – April 25
Legislation aimed at protecting mobile home park residents from displacement in the wake of natural disasters passed out of the California Senate Housing Committee with broad support. Senate Bill 749, authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Pacific Palisades), seeks to expand affordable housing protections by making it more difficult for landowners to convert mobile home parks to market-rate uses following disasters like wildfires, floods, or earthquakes.
Debate over North Beach historic designation will keep simmering
San Francisco Examiner – May 6
The State Historical Resources Commission has delayed a hearing to consider the application to add historical protections to 625 buildings in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. The California agency made the decision in response to a letter complaining that some business owners within the proposed district had not received proper notice about the application. An earlier hearing to take up the matter scheduled for February had already been postponed at the request of Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Los Angeles civic and business leaders call for new local authority to oversee post-fire rebuilding
Los Angeles Times – May 7
A 20-member commission of community and business group leaders, along with urban planning experts, is calling for creating new local government authorities to oversee and coordinate rebuilding after the L.A. wildfires. The rebuilding authorities would have the ability to buy fire-razed lots that property owners want to sell and guide the rebuilding process. Similar authorities were established after other major disasters, such as the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The proposal is one of several preliminary recommendations in a report issued by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery, which was formed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to help inform the recovery efforts.
San Diego’s unpopular ADU incentive ‘has been exploited’ by developers, needs ‘guardrails,’ planners say
The San Diego Union-Tribune – May 2
The San Diego Planning Commission harshly criticized a controversial city incentive for backyard apartments last Thursday and said reforms were needed to stop the incentive from damaging neighborhood character. The commission voted unanimously to recommend a two-story cap for all new backyard apartments — also called accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — and directed city officials to explore three other specific options seeking to shrink the homes’ impact on neighborhoods. City planning staff agreed to flesh out those options before the City Council is scheduled to finalize a rollback of the incentive in June.
*This article may require a subscription to read.
[View source.]
