Focus

New bill would permit housing at California’s churches, mosques, and synagogues

The Mercury News – December 6

Just one day after the start of the new legislative session, Senator Scott Wiener announced Senate Bill 4 — the “Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act.” The bill would remove red tape for religious groups and nonprofit colleges that want to build low-income housing, making them immune to certain lawsuits, appeals, and denials as they go through the permitting process. If passed, the bill would automatically re-zone land owned by religious entities and nonprofit colleges to allow for housing, while also exempting projects on that land from lawsuits brought under the California Environmental Quality Act. The legislation would apply only to 100% affordable housing projects.

News

Los Angeles considers proposed wildlife district

Los Angeles Daily News – December 7

Los Angeles and Mumbai are the only two metropolises in the world where big cats — mountain lions and leopards respectively — live in dense urban areas. A 2016 study by UCLA and the National Park Service found that the mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains faces a steep decline and possible extinction in the near future. The Los Angeles Planning Commission on December 8 approved a proposed wildlife district aimed at saving wildlife and balancing their existence with development. The plan will now go to the Los Angeles City Council. Other regions are pursuing similar concepts to address wildlife connectivity in urban settings.

East Bay landlord group to appeal eviction moratorium ruling

The Real Deal – December 7

A landlord group suing Oakland and Alameda County over their eviction moratoria says it will appeal a ruling last month that allowed the moratoria to remain in place until a trial. The Housing Providers of America had asked the court to toss out the moratoria before a full trial because they violated landlords’ constitutional rights, the San Francisco Business Times reported. A judge disagreed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler wrote that the moratoria were not unconstitutional because they are “temporary and not indefinite” and do not absolve renters of their obligation to pay rent.

Newland Sierra property sold to San Diego spa, ending years-long development fight

The San Diego Union-Tribune – December 5

The controversial Newland Sierra housing development, long envisioned north of Escondido, appears to be officially dead. After years of legal wrangling, the nearby Golden Door spa announced a deal to purchase the nearly 2,000-acre plot. Newland Communities tried for more than a decade to build the roughly 2,100-home project in the Merriam Mountains. However, Golden Door and several other environmental groups opposed the housing development in court based on concerns about wildfires and greenhouse gas emissions from new car trips.

Palo Alto seeks greater say in Stanford growth plan

Palo Alto Online – December 6

As Santa Clara County prepares to adopt a new plan to govern Stanford University's growth, Palo Alto officials are pushing for more housing, expanded shuttle services, and a seat at the table in the coming negotiations. The 2000 Stanford Community Plan created a "housing linkage" policy that requires Stanford to construct housing concurrent to or prior to academic development. The updated version would significantly firm up this requirement by requiring that most of the new housing be built on Stanford's campus or on contiguous Stanford-owned lands in Palo Alto.

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