CP&DR

Proposition 218: Appelate Court Upholds Rental Tax; No Election Necessary

Aug 1, 2000

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Vol. 15 No. 08 Aug 2000

The Fourth District Court of Appeal has turned away a Proposition 218-based challenge to the City of San Diego's tax on rental residences. The court held that the tax is an excise tax that is not subject to the provisions of Proposition 218, the "Right to Vote on Taxes Act" of 1996. San Diego began assessing a "rental unit business tax" on apartments and hotels in 1942. The tax evolved over the years, and in 1992 was extended to cover all residential properties available for rent, including ...

Oakland Shows How to Gain Attention

Aug 1, 2000

Deals, Morris Newman, Vol. 15 No. 08 Aug 2000

Doctor, I need to tell you why I am lying on the couch today. In my line of work, as you know, I report on public-private deals for California's most distinguished land-use newsletter. And, for the most part, I perform my job without major psychic distress or disturbance (except for occasional bouts of rage when I learn that redevelopment agencies have declared open fields of wildflowers to be "blighted" in order to build power centers.) But something has happened recently. I ...

Increased Scrutiny Slows Dairies: Legal and Political Challenges Strike at Central Valley Expansion Plans

Aug 1, 2000

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 08 Aug 2000

Although Wisconsin may be home to the "cheeseheads," California is actually the nation's largest dairy state. In fact, with annual production at $3.6 billion and rising, the dairy industry is the largest agricultural sector in California. But these are not the best of times for the industry. The Chino dairy preserve in San Bernardino County, the center of Southern California's dairy industry for decades, is pegged for urban development (see CP&DR Local Watch, March 2000). And building new fa...

Mamoth Lakes Redevelopment Plan, EIR Invalidated

Aug 1, 2000

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Mammoth, Vol. 15 No. 08 Aug 2000

An appellate court has thrown out the Town of Mammoth Lakes' redevelopment plan and the plan's EIR. The Third District Court of Appeal held that there was no substantial evidence that the 1,139-acre redevelopment project area was blighted or even predominately urbanized. The court also ruled there was no evidence that current conditions prevented economic development. As for the EIR, the court ruled that the town's program EIR was inadequate and the town should have thoroughly analyzed all 72 projects i...