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Nevada County Land Use & Development Digest



Learning Through Burning: Moss Landing Fire Exposes Need for Changes in Battery Facilities

02/15/2025

AS HOST TO the largest battery storage facility in the world, on a site that just had its fourth fire in four years, the people of Monterey County have grown to realize that Moss Landing is a learning laboratory for California’s green energy transition.

Tree Mortality Workshop Report

02/15/2025

Read on to learn about the recent workshop presented by the Nevada County Resource Conservation District with a focus on preventing tree mortality during prescribed fires.

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

02/14/2025

In the wake of the Los Angeles fires, State Farm asked for an “emergency” premium increase of 22% on average for California homeowners. Lara today denied the request pending more information.

Nevada City to Manage Miners Foundry Cultural Center

02/12/2025

In a bid to preserve the Miners Foundry Cultural Center, Nevada City announced a partnership to take over management and control of the facility. Read on to learn what's in store for this community asset.

Prescribed Fire Project Set for Near Nevada City

02/11/2025

This report details a prescribed burn project on 570 acres along the South Yuba River outside Nevada City. Read on for more information.

State Farm Asks for More Insurance Rate Increases After LA Fires

02/04/2025

State Farm, which already has rate increase requests pending, asked state officials to approve more insurance price increases.

New Regulations Proposed for Battery Energy Storage Facilities Following Moss Landing Fire

01/29/2025

In the wake of the fire earlier this month at Vistra Corporation’s Moss Landing Power Plant and Energy Storage Facility, the California Public Utilities Commission has proposed new standards for battery energy storage facilities.

Community Information Meeting On February 6 on Homeless Housing in Truckee

01/28/2025

Plan on attending a public meeting on February 6 at 5:30PM about the Hope Ridge House project for homeless housing in Truckee. Read on for more information.

Nevada County Board of Supervisors Name Projects

01/27/2025

The Nevada County Board of Supervisors attended their annual three-day workshop in preparation for the coming year, and listed their own project priorities as part of the process. Read on to learn more.

City of Grass Valley Prepares to Update Strategic Plan

01/24/2025

The Grass Valley City Council is preparing to initiate an update, with public input, of the city's strategic plan, which guides staff and policy into the future. Read on to learn more.

Report from Nevada County Board of Supervisors Workshop

01/24/2025

Read on for a report of the workshop held by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors as they prepare for and plan for the upcoming year.

Spotlight on the Nevada County Resource Conservation District

01/24/2025

Read on to learn more about the services offered by the Nevada County Resource Conservation District to landowners and managers.

LA Fires Damage Estimated at More Than $250 Billion

01/24/2025

Damages in the ongoing Southern California wildfires are topping $250 billion, on track for the costliest disaster in US history. Read on to learn more.

Trump’s Order Won’t Halt California’s Offshore Wind Leases. But Will It Derail the Industry?

01/23/2025

The president’s order has no immediate effect on offshore wind leases already authorized, including two large areas off California’s coast. But it sends a current of uncertainty through the fledgling renewable energy industry, which relies on federal and state support.

CA Earmarks $2.5 Billion for LA Fire Aid

01/23/2025

With President Donald Trump bound for Los Angeles today and once again threatening to withhold wildfire aid to California unless the state abides by his water policies, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills Thursday to provide $2.5 billion in state funding for wildfire response and preparedness.

Trump Jumps Back Into California’s Water Wars With a Pro-Farmer Decree

01/22/2025

It would be impossible to overstate the complexity of water supply management in California.

As the Fire Risk Fades, Los Angeles Is Busy Piecing Lives Back Together After Widespread Tragedy

01/22/2025

At the Pasadena City College disaster resource center, the long, methodical work of putting lives back together is underway.

Rebuilding in Paradise Offers Insight for Fire Ravaged LA

01/22/2025

A look at how the rebuilding effort is going in the California town of Paradise, wiped out in a 2018 fire, and how it offers insights for the tough road ahead for residents in neighborhoods destroyed in the fires of Southern California.

Will New Bond Funds Be Enough to Rebuild LA Schools — And All of California’s Other Crumbling Schools?

01/21/2025

Some schools destroyed years ago in the Sonoma and Butte fires are just now reopening. The long, expensive process of rebuilding in LA may eat up much of the money voters approved in November for school repairs statewide.

Learn About the North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project

01/18/2025

The preliminary draft record of decision for the North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project to manage 275,000 acres of land for resilience against wildfires is open for public comment. Read on for more information.

More Funding Allocated to Raise San Luis Reservoir Dam

01/17/2025

Read on for the latest progress in the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project to raise the dam at the San Luis Reservoir to add storage capacity.

California Lags in Making Homes Fire Resistant

01/17/2025

As wildfires ravage southern California, state mandated defensible space requirements legislated in 2020 haven't been encoded into enforceable regulations. Read on to learn why.

Almost 2,000 Responses to YubaNet Fire Season Survey

01/17/2025

Read on to hear what YubaNet readers had to say in a recent survey about wildfire concerns.

As LA Fires Destroy Homes, California’s Housing Crisis Is About to Get Worse

01/16/2025

The wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles County communities have destroyed at least 10,000 homes so far and more are in the path of still-uncontrolled flames.

LA Will Need Workers to Clean Up After Fires. It Can Be a Dangerous Job

01/16/2025

The LA fires have left domestic workers and day laborers jobless. They may soon be hired for wildfire cleanup work, where they can be exposed to ash and other toxins.

Business Tax Information for Short-Term-Rentals

01/16/2025

Homeowners who offer short-term rentals on their properties should read on for more information from Nevada County Assessor Rolf Kleinhans about the business taxes which could apply.

Nevada City Courthouse Community Meeting January 29

01/16/2025

Get ready to attend a community meeting on January 29 to hear a presentation on possible future uses for the Nevada City Courthouse. Read on for more info.

Jada Windows Expansion Advances

01/14/2025

Read on for more information about plans to develop a parcel on Whispering Pines Road in Grass Valley for the expansion of Jada Windows custom window manufacturing.

Nevada County Supervisors Approve Tiny Houses on Wheels Ordinance

01/14/2025

In their January 14 meeting, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved the use of tiny houses on wheels as housing. Read on for details.

LA Fires Could Drastically Drive Up Insurance Premiums — And Test California’s New Market Rules

01/09/2025

The state’s plan to fix the insurance crisis had barely rolled out when the Los Angeles fires began. Can the market recover and stabilize?

California Infernos in January? Here’s Why Wildfire Season Keeps Getting Longer and More Devastating

01/08/2025

As climate change warms the planet, wildfires have become so unpredictable and extreme that new words were invented: firenado, gigafire, fire siege — even fire pandemic. California has 78 more annual “fire days” — when conditions are ripe for fires to spark — than 50 years ago. When is California’s wildfire season? It is now almost year-round.

Two New California National Monuments To Be Declared

01/02/2025

Read on to learn about the two new California National Monuments to be declared by outgoing President Biden.

Featured

Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.