California

On Wednesday, backers of California's embattled $68 HSR project were grilled by the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), who wants to kill it.

January 17, 2014 - The Fresno Bee

As California faces its third dry year in a row, following the driest year in the state's recorded history, communities are facing the prospect of water rationing. However, some of the state's largest cities have been spared for the time being.

January 17, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles congressional representatives are leveraging the federal appropriations bill to advance legislation requiring the U.S. DOT and the FAA to develop ways to lessen the impact of helicopter noise on residential neighborhoods.

January 16, 2014 - San Fernando Valley Business Journal

For urbanists who have reduced their carbon footprints by driving less and living more densely in smaller homes, researchers from UC Berkeley have some bad news. Your reduced emissions are canceled out by those in the suburbs ringing your city.

January 16, 2014 - Los Angeles Times - Science Now

Nearing the 20th anniversary of the last large earthquake to strike the L.A. region, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a year-long effort to identify ways to protect the city's vulnerable buildings and critical infrastructure from the next rumbler.

January 15, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The Northern California marijuana industry is booming, but issues with water consumption and downstream pollution produced by the large-scale cultivation of marijuana are threatening populations of salmon already on the brink of extinction.

January 14, 2014 - NPR The Salt

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio enters office with strong progressive credentials, similar to those of Los Angeles’ recently-termed-out Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Can New York find lessons from the Los Angeles political experience?

January 14, 2014 - The Nation

Call it the Lac-Mégantic effect - the July 6 conflagration that leveled the downtown, killing 47 people, has implications for all jurisdictions where oil and freight trains run. Cities must recognize that rail insurance policies are woefully lacking.

January 14, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Construction and permitting for large solar facilities like those located in the desert at the border of California and Nevada is nearly non-existent. Uncertainty over expiring tax credits is only partly to blame.

January 13, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Before San Diego can begin to fix its "busted sidewalks and busted sidewalk policies," the city is embarking on a high-tech $1 million effort to assess the quality of its pedestrian infrastructure.

January 13, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

After unceremoniously dispatching the state’s redevelopment agencies amidst California’s recent fiscal crisis, Governor Jerry Brown has formulated a new scheme for cities to achieve their redevelopment goals, but there's a catch.

January 13, 2014 - California Planning & Development Report

BART and Bombardier Transportation have completed a two-part, $1.5 billion deal to modernize the BART fleet. The new cars are expected to test in 2015 and commence operation between 2017 and 2021.

January 10, 2014 - The Press Republican (Northeastern New York)

California's Office of Planning & Research has been tasked with moving environmental analysis away from standards based solely on level of service. The agency has released its preliminary evaluation of alternative methods of transportation analysis.

January 10, 2014 - California Planning & Development Report

New fault maps could change the game for developments in Hollywood and nearby neighborhoods according to a 1972 law known as Alquist-Priolo Act, which forbids building directly atop active earthquake faults capable of rupturing the surface.

January 10, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles 2020 Commission released a report that presents a scathing portrayal of Los Angeles, including a section on the city’s broken planning process.

January 9, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Pressure is mounting for a decision regarding the future of Crissy Field, an iconic site in the Presidio of San Francisco currently in the final stages of a design competition.

January 9, 2014 - Huffington Post

One of the Obama administration's most promising anti-poverty initiatives will marshal federal grants and expertise from numerous agencies to improve infrastructure, services and opportunities across a wide swath of Los Angeles.

January 9, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The Google ferry was launched Jan. 6 at the Port of San Francisco for its inaugural trip to Redwood City, where Google workers would presumably be bussed to its Mountain View HQ. No word yet whether it was greeted by protests met by its buses in S.F.

January 9, 2014 - SF Gate: The Tech Chronicles

A $3-billion street repair bond measure being drafted for the November ballot reflects L.A.'s traditional preference for automobiles over other modes of transport. Pedestrian advocates are fighting to fund sidewalk repairs. Will the pols listen?

January 8, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The infamous shuttle buses using Muni stops in San Francisco to transport workers to companies outside the city will require permits and payments under a new 18-month pilot program.

January 8, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle