Focus
Mayors announce Global Green New Deal at C40 Summit
Smart Cities Dive – October 10
Ninety-four mayors announced their support of a Global Green New Deal at the C40 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, last Wednesday. The group recognized a global climate emergency and committed to keep global heating under the Paris climate agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Global Green New Deal was announced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with backing from the C40 member cities. The group also announced that 30 of its cities have peaked greenhouse gas emissions, with the recent additions of Athens, Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; Venice, Italy; and Austin, Texas.
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News
Governor Newsom signs bill to open Hollister Ranch beaches to the public
Los Angeles Times – October 10
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill designed to open the exclusive beaches at Hollister Ranch — a significant move forward under his administration on an issue that has stalled for decades in the face of powerful landowners. The law declares that the public must be allowed to enter the ranch by land and access some of its 8.5 miles of shoreline by April 2022. Further access would be phased in under a comprehensive plan to be developed in the next two years. It is also now a crime, punishable by tens of thousands of dollars in fines, for any action by a person or group “to impede, delay, or otherwise obstruct the implementation of” public access to these coveted beaches and surf breaks in Santa Barbara County. Assemblywoman Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), who wrote the bill, said the legislation comes after almost 40 years of efforts to open this stretch of coastline to the public.
Coastal Commission postpones hearing on Del Mar sea-rise plan
The San Diego Union-Tribune - October 15
Del Mar and the California Coastal Commission have mutually agreed to postpone Wednesday’s hearing on the city’s plan for adapting to rising sea levels. The Coastal Commission staff had recommended that the board reject Del Mar’s plan unless the city agrees to a list of 25 detailed modifications. Del Mar’s City Council agreed last week to stand by the plan as it is, with no changes. At the heart of the difference is a disagreement over the commission’s recommendation that all cities consider “managed retreat” as part of their plan for adapting to rising sea levels. Del Mar says that strategy, which encourages cities to move homes and other structures away from the water, would not work because of the high property values in the small community.
Banning cars on San Francisco’s Market Street, once a radical idea, approved unanimously
San Francisco Chronicle - October 15
Banning cars on San Francisco’s Market Street may have once been a radical idea. But this Tuesday, the Municipal Transportation Agency board voted unanimously to do it, with undiluted support from just about everyone: bicycle activists, politicians, city bureaucrats, parents, health care workers, business owners, ride-hail companies, and Mayor London Breed. The plan that kicked off nearly a decade ago will start construction in January, with a ban on private cars east of 10th street on the city’s downtown spine. It will restrict commercial loading on the street to certain hours, extend the Muni-only lane from Third to Main Street, widen sidewalks, replace the ancient bricks with concrete pavers, and add a sidewalk-level bike path with a protective curb. Crews will also build a streetcar loop east of United Nations Plaza, allowing the F line to shuttle from Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Judge dismisses Stanford suit challenging Santa Clara County’s affordable housing law
CBS Bay Area – October 14
Santa Clara County officials have welcomed a judicial order last Thursday that dismissed a Stanford University lawsuit challenging a county ordinance that requires the university to include affordable housing units when it develops market-rate housing. In that decision, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Stanford had not provided any basis for the court to determine that the county’s affordable housing law was unconstitutional. Thursday’s ruling is a critical step in requiring developers to be accountable for the effects of their large-scale development without affordable housing, county officials said.
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