The CP&DR Vol. 40 No. 8 August 2025 Report

The state has adopted its first-ever conservation blueprint to protect the western Joshua tree, hoping to safeguard the species from climate change and development pressures

Philips 66 filed redevelopment plans for its 440-acre refinery in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles, anticipating the plant's closure at the end of the year

Addition of hotel and subtraction of some affordable housing units did not remove vested rights. The ruling relied heavily on HCD's interpretations of the law. 

A Los Angeles hotel workers union has proposed a ballot measure requiring voter approval for major “event centers,” including sports facilities, concert halls and hotels, which city officials warn could delay or block several 2028 Olympic venues

The "Our Neighbor Voices" effort, which began in North County San Diego, would call for a constitutional amendment returning most land use power to local governments. 

An appellate court upheld El Dorado County's "averaging" system for calculating a traffic impact fee. But with an appeal inevitable, will the decision hold up?

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is proposing a ballot measure called the "Save Prop 13 Act of 2026" that would reinforce provisions of 1978's Prop 13

The CP&DR Vol. 40 No. 7 July 2025 Report

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a more expansive legal standard for exactions. But on remand, a California appellate court has found that the "averaging" system used in El Dorado County meets the narrower legal tests from the Nollan and Dolan cases.

The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, in partnership with urban planning expert Bill Fulton at UC San Diego, is developing a new Guideline to support California communities in giving new lives to their downtowns and main streets.

The Orange County Grand Jury is investigating why the Santa Ana Streetcar project budget increased to over $150 million per mile