News
Senator Kamala Harris introduces bill to boost local wildfire preparedness
Los Angeles Times – November 14
California Senator Kamala Harris introduced a bill last Thursday that would set aside $1 billion each year to pay for better infrastructure, land use, and evacuation route planning in fire-prone communities. The proposed legislation would benefit cities and towns throughout the country, but especially those in California, where many communities are vulnerable and residents are struggling to adapt to longer and more intense fire seasons. With funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Harris’ bill, called the Wildfire Defense Act, would award municipalities grants of up to $250,000 to develop defense strategies. This could include plans to fireproof critical infrastructure and homes, evacuate residents, particularly elderly and disabled people, and improve land use planning. Harris’ bill would also allow municipalities to use grant money to bolster their energy infrastructure with microgrids and battery storage, which can supply power to residents even when the main power grid isn’t providing electricity.
Chula Vista removes development fees and homeowner occupancy requirements for small ADUs
The San Diego Union-Tribune - November 20
Burdened by the rising costs of living, 67-year-old Chula Vista resident Robert Smith, a retiree, thought he would need to sell his house and move to another state. Then Chula Vista made it a bit easier to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs). So Smith converted his two-car garage into a one-bedroom unit and rented out the main house to a young family, a set-up that allowed him to stay in Chula Vista. The city has required that homeowners who build granny flats live on the premises, but that will now change. The City Council agreed last week to eliminate the so-called owner occupancy requirement and development impact fees imposed on ADUs smaller than 750 square feet. The council approved the changes to comply with a bill Governor Gavin Newsom signed last month. Senate Bill 13, which intends to ease requirements imposed on ADUs as a way to increase the housing stock across the state, takes effect in January.
San Francisco to vote soon on new settlement offered by Academy of Art University
ABC7 - November 19
The wheels are in motion to finally approve a settlement dating back several years between the City of San Francisco and the Academy of Art University, one of the city's biggest landlords. This week, the proposal will go before the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission before heading to the Board of Supervisors. The Academy of Art University owns more than 40 buildings in San Francisco, doubling its real estate holdings between 2000 and 2011. The Planning Commission determined that the academy was violating the city's land-use laws. "Illegal conversions of residential housing and single resident-occupancy hotels to uses that are prohibited by the planning code," explained San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin. In 2016, the City of San Francisco sued the university, which agreed to settle a few months later. Under the settlement, the university would pay the city $58 million.
L.A.’s quest for transportation fixes pulls Waymo, Lyft, and Verizon into a public-private alliance
Forbes – November 14
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has a new approach to jumpstart transportation innovation in the most traffic-clogged metropolis in the country: a public-private alliance that opens up the city to mobility startups and experiments, backed by a range of partners initially including self-driving tech leader Waymo, ride-share operator Lyft, the Avis Budget Group, and 5G service provider Verizon. The city says its “Urban Movement Labs” is a first-of-its-kind alliance involving tech and transportation companies, along with the operator of Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles’ Department of Transportation, the sprawling Port of Los Angeles, and the L.A. Cleantech Incubator. Input from L.A.’s diverse neighborhoods, nonprofits, and academics from UCLA, the University of Southern California, and Caltech will also help guide the effort. Like most big cities, Los Angeles is struggling to provide alternatives to single-passenger car use and reverse a drop in transit ridership–even though it has one of the most well-funded construction programs to expand light rail and subway service in the U.S.
California defies DOE on lightbulb efficiency standards
Utility Dive – November 15
The California Energy Commission on November 13 approved new lightbulb efficiency standards that will effectively prevent incandescent and halogen bulbs from being sold in the state starting in 2020. As a result of this move, California also adopted a 2017 decision to expand the amount of commonly-used bulbs that must meet requirements to be about 65 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs, about a week after California and other states sued the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for reversing the regulation.
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