News Briefs

A federal judge ruled in favor of the City of Fresno, allowing the city to keep more than $250 million in federal grants threatened by the Trump administration over diversity-related language in city planning documents

A judge has ordered the owners of the long-abandoned Hawthorne Plaza Mall to either redevelop or demolish the 35-acre property by August 2026, after decades of failed plans and community frustration

Governor Newsom and California lawmakers struck a deal to dedicate $1 billion annually from 2030 to 2045 for the state’s high-speed rail project

The Attorney General's Office and the Department of Housing and Community Development reached a settlement that will bring the Los Angeles County city of Artesia into compliance with the state’s Housing Element law

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced six new legislative reforms, including eliminating the screen or fence requirement for driveways to allow people to park in their own driveways, loosening restrictions on historic building usage to keep spaces occupied and avoid disinvestment

The Yucaipa City Council narrowly approved an update to the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan, clearing the way for the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center, a two-million-square-foot warehouse and office project

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

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

California Forever has reprioritized its plans for a new city in Solano County with an expanded vision that includes a 2,100-acre advanced manufacturing site known as the “Solano Foundry.”