Focus
Commission approves Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan
Allen Matkins – August 19
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) took final action to approve the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Conservation Plan) at its August 13, 2025, meeting. As detailed in our previous alert, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) released the Draft Conservation Plan to the Commission on December 12, 2024, as required by the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act. The Conservation Plan sets forth management practices and guidelines for the avoidance and minimization of impacts to western Joshua trees. Now that the Conservation Plan has been approved, applicants pursuing projects that affect the western Joshua tree may be required to comply with various aspects of the Conservation Plan as a condition of local, state, or federal approvals.
News
Cupertino doubles down on housing law dispute, rejects state’s interpretation
Cupertino Today – August 25
The City of Cupertino has issued a formal response to a Notice of Violation (NOV) issued by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) last month alleging the city violated state housing law when it rejected two “Builder’s Remedy” housing proposals earlier this winter. In a press release, the city asserted that HCD’s interpretation of the Permit Streamlining Act (PSA) was incorrect. As explained in the HCD NOV, the city’s interpretation is inconsistent with the PSA and was “also expressly rejected in a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling which concluded ‘that when an applicant receives an incompleteness determination pursuant to section 65943 – not just the first incompleteness determination – an applicant has 90 days to respond.’”
Denser housing near transit stops? L.A. City Council opposes state bill
Los Angeles Times – August 20
The Los Angeles City Council recently voted to oppose a state bill that aims to vastly expand high-density housing near public transit hubs, arguing that the state should leave important planning decisions to local legislators. The council voted 8 to 5 to oppose Senate Bill 79, which seeks to mitigate the state’s housing shortage by allowing buildings of up to nine stories near certain train stops and slightly smaller buildings near some bus stops throughout California. The Assembly Appropriations Committee will next determine whether the bill, which passed the Senate, goes to the Assembly floor for a vote.
Electrification push is yet another source of San Francisco housing tension
San Francisco Examiner – August 22
San Francisco is pushing ahead with rules intended to hasten the city’s transition to an all-electric building stock, including its homes. But one measure — a recently passed mandate requiring property owners carrying out major renovations to install all-electric equipment — has stirred pushback from the city’s developers, who warn that it will further add to the cost of building housing in San Francisco. In response to those concerns, the legislation's author, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, introduced numerous carve-outs intended to blunt the potential cost impacts. Others argue that the cost concerns are overblown.
L.A. moves forward with plan to allow fewer stairs in many apartment buildings
LAist – August 20
The Los Angeles City Council voted on August 20 to advance plans that would allow apartment buildings up to six stories tall to include just one staircase. Proponents said the change would make it feasible to build new apartments on smaller plots of land. And, they said, cutting down on space for stairs could make room for larger apartments suitable for the kinds of young families who have been fleeing the city. The ordinance still needs to come back to the council for a final vote.
San Diego proposes keeping low-density housing near Clairemont trolley stops
KPBS – August 26
For well over a decade, San Diego has been debating what kind of housing to allow around the Blue Line trolley stations in Clairemont. Now, almost four years after the trolley's arrival in the neighborhood, city planners have an answer. City staff, who work under the direction of Mayor Todd Gloria, recently released a new draft of the Clairemont Community Plan Update. The proposal would allow taller buildings and higher density housing in the neighborhood's inland core.
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