CP&DR

Lawmakers return to Public Bonds; Bills to Link Water, Planning Stalled by Builders, Wet Winter

May 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 05 May 1999

General obligations bonds to rehabilitate California's crumbling infrastructure and build new public facilities are rising toward the top of the state Legislature's agenda now that Gov. Davis' education reform package is complete. The bonds, which could start hitting the ballot as soon as next March, would pay for everything from roads and water systems, to parks, libraries and homes. Lawmakers have introduced $30 billion worth of general obligation bond proposals. Some of the proposals compete with o...

Cities Struggle To Regulate Adult Business

Apr 1, 1999

Adult businesses, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 04 Apr 1999

They raise the ire of homeowners and merchants, councilmembers and supervisors, police chiefs and chamber of commerce leaders. They are seen as blights on a town, attractions for the wrong element. They should be run out of town, is the common sentiment.

Rapidly Growing Contra Costa Considers Tighter Urban Limit Line; New Regional Planning Efforts Stretch From Bay Area to Valley

Apr 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Vol. 14 No. 04 Apr 1999, William Fulton

In the latest chapter in a long-running story, Contra Costa County and many of its cities appear to be ready to tighten up the county's urban limit line. The county is examining the creation of tighter boundaries in the controversial Tassajara Valley area and in fast-growing eastern Contra Costa County. Meanwhile, the county's Local Agency Formation Commission recently adopted a written policy committing itself to honoring the county's urban limit line wherever possible. Urban limit line tightening co...

San Bernadino County Planner Indicted for Hiding Public Records; Valery Pilmer Denies Wrongdoing in Failed Desert Landfill Propo

Mar 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 03 Mar 1999

The lengthy story of a proposal to bury Los Angeles County trash in San Bernardino County took a surprising turn when San Bernardino County's long-time planning director was indicted on charges of allegedly hiding, altering or destroying public records and lying about it in a sworn statement. Land Use Services Director Valery Pilmer pleaded not guilty after being indicted in late January by a special San Bernardino County grand jury investigating the Rail-Cycle landfill project. She has since been pla...

Smart Growth Hits the Agenda of California and National Leaders; Al Gore Supports ‘Livability Initiative' as an Elixir for Subu

Mar 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 03 Mar 1999

State and national politicians are jumping on the anti-sprawl bandwagon like never before, with no less than Vice President Al Gore launching a "livability initiative." Gore's proposal, which President Clinton mentioned during the State of the Union speech, promotes mass transit, open space conservation and development within existing cities. Pundits expect Gore may make the issue a cornerstone of his presidential campaign. Although new California Gov. Gray Davis has yet to discuss the subject...

Davis Administration May Deal with Growth Issues; Appointments, Budgets Suggest Direction

Feb 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Larry Sokoloff, Vol. 14 No. 02 Feb 1999

Despite the heavy emphasis on education issues, newly elected governor Gray Davis has sent some early signals that planning and development will also be important to his administration. The strongest signal yet has been his appointment of strong environmentalists to his Cabinet, as well as comments in his State of the State speech and the budget request he submitted to the Legislature during his first week in office. In his speech, the governor said: "After education and public safety, the most voc...

New Comission Tackles Cortese-Knox Act; Proposal Likely at End of Year

Feb 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Vol. 14 No. 02 Feb 1999, William Fulton

A new state commission is examining local govern issues and is expected to produce a proposed legislative overhaul of the Cortese-Knox by December. The 15-member Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century was created last year as a by-product of legislation making it easier for the San Fernando Valley to pursue secession from the City of Los Angeles. The commission is officially charged with reviewing the Cortese-Knox Act, proposing methods to increase public participation in l...

L.A. County OKs Newhall Ranch Development Project; But Approval Raises Familiar Water Supply Issues

Jan 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 01 Jan 1999

By importing water from at least three sources, the largest housing subdivision ever processed by Los Angeles County could actually enhance the health of the wild river that splits the project site, according to proponents. Opponents of Newhall Ranch, however, see the proposed 12,000-acre development as a threat to the Santa Clara River, the region's last undammed river, and to Ventura County farmers and urban water customers. No matter who is right, Newhall Ranch is being closely watched statewide by...

Zoning Ordinances Come Under Renewed Scrutiny; Cities, Counties Ponder Radical Shift or Simple ‘Tweak'

Jan 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Vol. 14 No. 01 Jan 1999, William Fulton

As California's post-recession economy picks up steam, many city and county planning departments are revisiting an important policy document that serves as one of the pillars of the community's planning. Contrary to expectation, however, this policy document is not the general plan. It's the zoning ordinance — a document that serves as the workhorse of day-to-day land-use planning but can easily be rendered obsolete or irrelevant by a rapidly changing economy or a highly political planning environmen...

Growth Results Mixed in November Balloting; Ventura Slow-Growthers Succeed, But Others Fail

Dec 1, 1998

Featured Articles, Larry Sokoloff, Vol. 13 No. 12 Dec 1998, William Fulton

In one of the most active election days of the decade for planning and development issues, pro-growth and slow-growth forces battled almost to a tie on local ballots around the state in November. Slow-growthers won some high-profile victories, most notably a near-sweep in passing a highly publicized series of urban growth boundaries in Ventura County. However, they lost other key races in San Diego and El Dorado counties. And - perhaps most surprising - most measures to allow or promote growth passed ea...