CP&DR

Courthouse Overhauls Remain on Slow Track

by Larry Sokoloff on Oct 1, 2003

Public Development, Vol. 18 No. 10 Oct 2003

California's judicial system uses a fast-track approach to bring cases to trial quickly, but the state's plans to repair the aging courthouses in which trials are conducted are on a slow track. It is a case of maintenance deferred, leading to decrepit courtrooms and unsafe, seismically unfit buildings.

Voters to Decide on Reservoir Expansion in East Bay

Aug 1, 2003

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

Voters in the Contra Costa Water District will decide early next year whether to quadruple the capacity of five-year-old Los Vaqueros Reservoir in the hills east of Mount Diablo. The reservoir expansion would increase water reliability and improve water quality but would not provide more water for growth, water district officials insist.

SFO Gets BART, But New Runways Are Unlikely

Jun 1, 2003

BART, Larry Sokoloff, Public Development, Public Transit, Vol. 18 No. 06 Jun 2003

San Francisco International Airport officials will celebrate the opening of a new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train connection this month while lamenting the delay of an unrelated plan to expand runways.

LAO Urges Improved Resources Bond Accountability

Apr 1, 2003

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 18 No. 04 Apr 2003

Since 1996, California voters have approved $11.1 billion worth of resource bonds. However, tracking how that money has been spent, how the remainder is proposed to be allocated — and even determining how much money is available — have proven tricky.

Planning Resumes On Connections Between Riverside, Orange Counties

Feb 1, 2003

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 18 No. 02 Feb 2003

During the next 12 months, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) plans to build a an additional westbound lane on the 91 Freeway for a few miles just west of Riverside County. Such minor highway work might seem unremarkable — except for the fact that the agency spent $207 million simply for the right to pursue the project.

Land Shortage Forces Joint-Use Schools Planning In Los Angeles

Dec 1, 2002

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 17 No. 12 Dec 2002

The Los Angeles Unified School District has embarked on a huge land-purchase effort as part of a massive school construction program. But because the cost of real estate in the region is so high — and available land is scarce — the district and other agencies are beginning to emphasize joint use.

California Infrastructure Inches Toward ‘Smart Growth'

Oct 1, 2002

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank has loaned nearly $180 million to local governments since June 2000, but whether the loans are promoting the type of "smart growth" that backers touted a few years ago is uncertain.

SF Locates Infill Opportunities On Transit Agency Real Estate

Aug 1, 2002

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Public Transit, TOD, Vol. 17 No. 08 Aug 2002

Spurred by a 1999 ballot initiative to find new revenue sources, San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency is examining some of its real estate holdings with an eye toward development opportunities. Muni has a development agreement with a hotel builder for one piece of prime property near the Ferry Building. Other properties could be developed with housing, stores and offices ï¿½ possibly above ground-level transit facilities.

The 55% Solution: Local School Bonds Winning Easy Approval

Jun 1, 2002

other, Public Development, Vol. 17 No. 06 Jun 2002

California is on the verge of an unprecedented surge in school construction. State voters' willingness to lower the threshold of approval for local school bonds from two-thirds to 55% has drastically increased the number of bonds issued by districts. If state voters approve the two largest bonds in California history — $12.5 billion in November and $13 billion in March 2004 — school construction would take off.

Cities Pressure San Francisco To Repair Hetch Hetchy

Apr 1, 2002

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 17 No. 04 Apr 2002

Worried about water reliability and feeling neglected, Bay Area water agencies that get water from San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy system are taking the situation into their own hands. The agencies are working with state lawmakers on various approaches that would force San Francisco to repair and update the system, and would even let the agencies raise the capital improvement money themselves.

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