In allowing People's Park housing project to go forward, high court defers to the Legislature's action to override a lower court ruling that drunken noisy students can be a significant impact under CEQA.
Advocacy group is time-barred in challenging high-profile TOC case in the context of a specific project approval. But city must re-do seismic analysis on Santa Monica Boulevard project.
The state recently approved Beverly Hills' housing element, bringing a contentious situation to a close. Most other housing elements have also been approved and the state is negotiating with the remaining cities and counties to reach agreement.
Patterns since the beginning of the pandemic suggest that there might be a slight rebalancing of population and housing in California. But persisently high prices seem to show that other factors are at work.
Combination of legislation and administrative changes would expand state housing agency's oversight and power over local government housing elements in many significant ways.
All four of California's largest cities -- L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose -- have taken steps to dramatically expedite housing projects, especially affordable housing projects.
The law says it's supposed to promote "affordable housing," but L.A. judge throws the lot-split law out because it doesn't guarantee deed-restricted below-market rate units.
The staff recommended upzoning half the the city, excluding the fire-prone Berkeley Hills. But the planning commission has recommended rezoning all of Berkeley including the hills.
