News
California breaks ground on world’s largest wildlife crossing
Courthouse News Service – April 22
A large group of lawmakers, environmentalists, and traffic engineers gathered last Friday in Agoura Hills to celebrate the start of construction on the world’s largest wildlife crossing. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will create a bridge strictly for wildlife that will span over Highway 101 and provide a vital link between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Sierra Madre Range. Mountain lions are the last remaining large carnivore in the Los Angeles region, where development and urban cityscapes predominate.
Surge of desert surf parks stirs questions in dry California
Associated Press – April 25
Hours from the California coast, surfers are hoping one of the next spots where they can catch a wave is in the desert. At least four large surf lagoons are proposed for the region around Palm Springs, which is more commonly known for art festivals, mountain hikes, and golf, and has no natural waves in sight. But some environmentalists and residents argue that water in the massive surf pools will evaporate quickly in the desert heat, wasting a precious resource, while proponents argue the waves will boost tourism, ramp up recreation, and use less water than ever-popular golf courses. Local water district officials say there is enough water in a 20-year plan to support the new wave pools and resorts.
San Diego housing density bonus is spurring affordable units: report
Smart Cities Dive – April 21
A San Diego program incentivizing developers to increase housing density has been used in thousands of projects throughout the city since it was established in 2016, according to a report from mobility advocacy nonprofit Circulate San Diego released last week. In 2020, 44% of eligible home projects used the city's building density bonus program, according to the report. Since 2016, the program was used on projects that created over 6,000 homes, 463 of which were deed-restricted affordable homes financed primarily without relying on public subsidy, and 95% of which were within a half mile of a high-performing transit stop.
Inglewood City Council approves $1.4B people mover
Urbanize Los Angeles – April 22
As construction hits a key milestone at the new people mover system linking the Crenshaw/LAX Line to the LAX central terminal area, another project seeking to link the 8.5-mile light rail line to nearby destinations is taking a step forward. Last week, the Inglewood City Council voted to approve plans for the Inglewood Transit Connector, a monorail-like system linking the Crenshaw Line's Downtown Inglewood Station to SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Biden administration phasing out incandescent light bulbs
NBC Los Angeles – April 26
The Biden administration is scrapping incandescent light bulbs, speeding an ongoing trend toward more efficient lighting that officials say will save households, schools, and businesses billions of dollars a year. Rules finalized by the Energy Department will require manufacturers to sell energy-efficient light bulbs, accelerating a longtime industry practice to use compact fluorescent and LED bulbs that last 25 to 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
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