San Joaquin County Local News: Land Use & Development


All Local Land Use & Development News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: 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

The Williamson Act, passed in 1965, now keeps more than 16 million acres of farmland out of the hands of developers. Here's how the law puts the brakes on the development of California agricultural properties.

Image caption: 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

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Image caption: 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

How California’s 10 state conservancies buy up open land and shield it from developers to preserve the natural environment for public use.

Image caption: Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does

What is the California Coastal Commission? How one of the state’s most powerful agency protects public access to the state’s scenic coast from Mexico to Oregon.

Image caption: 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

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: 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 laws determine what can be built and where. These laws have shaped California, but are they really just tools for social engineering? The history of zoning is closely tied to racial segregation, as well as the state's shortage of …

California Local Pin Marker From LodiNews...

02/07/2025
Read on for more information about the PCE soil contamination found in downtown Lodi, and the ongoing efforts to remove it.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

02/05/2025
Read on for more information about the proposed 4-C Ranch development of 68 homes in East Manteca.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/04/2025
State Farm, which already has rate increase requests pending, asked state officials to approve more insurance price increases.

California Local Pin Marker From Tracy Press...

01/31/2025
Read on to learn more about the 36-unit condominium project on C Street recently approved by the City of Tracy Planning Commission.

California Local Pin Marker From Tracy Press...

01/31/2025
In their January 22 meeting, the City of Tracy Planning Commission considered a proposed business park on 169 acres. Read on to learn more about the project and how to give your feedback before the public comment deadline of February 10.

California Local Pin Marker From Stocktonia...

01/30/2025
Repairs to the Victoria Island Levee have been complete, just in time as an atmospheric river approaches the region. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

01/30/2025
Read on to learn more about upcoming developments in River Islands at Lathrop, including a new rental neighborhood and grocery store.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

01/29/2025
Read on learn about Manteca Mayor Gary Singh's desire to build a plaza honoring local veterans.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

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.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

01/28/2025
Read on to learn more about the City of Manteca's "growth management ordinance," and how the city remains in compliance despite a record year of new housing permits.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

01/27/2025
Read on for more information about projected 2025 population increases in Manteca, Lathrop, and Tracy.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/22/2025
At the Pasadena City College disaster resource center, the long, methodical work of putting lives back together is underway.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/22/2025
It would be impossible to overstate the complexity of water supply management in California.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

01/21/2025
The recent explosive growth in the City of Manteca is demonstrated by the recent announcement that a record 1,306 permits for new housing were issued by the city in 2024. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

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.