CP&DR

Calfed Preferred Alternative Named; But Massive Report Postpones Peripheral Canal, Storage Issues

Aug 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 08 Aug 1999

State and federal officials early this summer released a "draft preferred alternative" for the Calfed Bay-Delta Program, which officials inside the process contend will overhaul the plumbing system on which most California residents, farms and businesses rely. Many observers outside the program, however, struggle to determine how significantly Calfed will alter water and land use policies. Although the full plan weighs in at 40 pounds, it is light on some crucial details that might have major implicat...

San Bernadino County Extends Its Influence Near Cities

Aug 1, 1999

Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 08 Aug 1999

San Bernardino County has adopted a policy that calls for the county to assume more control over land use in unincorporated areas within incorporated cities' spheres of influence. The policy concerns leaders of many cities in San Bernardino County who fear the county may compete with cities for desirable development and approve substandard projects that cities eventually must serve. The policy, which the Board of Supervisors adopted as a general plan amendment in June, is the latest in a se...

Voters Approve New L.A. Charter; Bay Area Projects, Ventura Redevlopment Defeated

Jul 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 07 Jul 1999

Community empowerment appears to have been the overriding theme during June's local elections. Los Angeles voters approved a new city charter that calls for area planning commissions, Pleasanton and Scotts Valley voters rejected separate city council-approved subdivisions, and Ventura voters defeated a redevelopment area backed by the City Council. Meanwhile, school bond proposals had mixed results, with bonds in Northern California generally doing better than those in Southern California. Passage of ...

Old Steel Mill to Become Warehousing, Retail Center

Jul 1, 1999

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 07 Jul 1999

An industrial business park, a commercial truck center and what may be the largest truck stop in the United States will create an estimated 5,200 jobs on a portion of the former Kaiser steel mill in unincorporated San Bernardino County, according to project backers. County supervisors unanimously approved a specific plan for a 320-acre industrial and commercial complex, and granted a conditional use permit for a 75-acre truck stop between the cities of Fontana and Ontario. Kaiser Ventures, owned mostl...

State Oficials Focus on Local Finance; But ‘Fix' May be Complicated

Jul 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 07 Jul 1999

The complex financial relationships among taxpayers, local governments and the state is receiving more study than at any time since the 1978 passage of Proposition 13. But "fixing" local government finance is turning out to be exceedingly complex and may require the approval of voters. Lawmakers threw a couple hundred million dollars worth of bones to local government with the $81 billion 1999-2000 state budget. But many people have their eyes focused on a state constitutional amendment that co...

Santa Margarita Watershed Planners Learn Lessons

Jul 1, 1999

Environment Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 07 Jul 1999

Rare Habitat, Sprawl-Threat Pose Challenges to UC Merced

Jun 1, 1999

Environment Watch, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 06 Jun 1999, William Fulton

Vice President Al Gore has promised to speed environmental review of the proposed University of California campus near Merced. Ironically, the likely "Smart Growth" candidate for president in 2000 has sided with a project proposed on rangeland outside Merced's earlier-adopted urban growth boundaries which contains habitat for endangered species. The campus and "university community" would rise on the western edge of a large vernal pool grassland, which is home to fairy shrimp — a federally listed enda...

Despite SB 50, Concerns Linger Over School Impact Fees; Some Cities Continue Charging More Than State-Allowed Maximum

Jun 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 06 Jun 1999

The long-running feud over school impact fees was supposedly settled with passage of last year's SB 50 and subsequent approval by voters of Proposition 1A, a $9.2 billion school construction and rehabilitation bond. Some city and school officials, however, continue to argue that schools need more money from developers than allowed by SB 50, and a few cities appear openly defiant of the law. In Livermore, for example, homebuilders still pay more than double the SB 50 cap of $1.93 per square foot as par...

Revised CEQA Guidelines Have Few Significant Impacts So Far

Jun 1, 1999

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 06 Jun 1999

Although new guidelines for implementing the California Environmental Quality Act went into effect in February — the first major overhaul in 13 years — no one is suggesting they have wrought a revolution. Nevertheless, the Davis Administration has vowed at least to review the changes made during the final months of Pete Wilson's second term. Several years of haggling among planners, attorneys, environmentalists, developers and state officials resulted in revisions to the CEQA guidelines issued by...

City Hall Joins Migration to Downtown San Jose

Jun 1, 1999

Paul Shigley, Public Development, San Jose, Vol. 14 No. 06 Jun 1999

Once the butt of many jokes, downtown San Jose has become an increasingly popular location. Among the latest to indicate interest in a downtown office tower is the city itself, which proposes building a $214 million Civic Center on the eastern edge of downtown. The city has completed an environmental impact report, and the City Council was expected on June 1 to approve the EIR, a new redevelopment area, a housing relocation plan, and a financing program. City officials hope the project will solve the ...