San Joaquin County Land Use & Development Digest

In a dispute over whether he can convert his three-story condominium’s garage into its own ground-floor apartment, one Carlsbad resident is waging a battle against his homeowners association.

The timing could not have been better — or worse.

You read that right. The City of Manteca has a problem with gophers, and is considering deploying owl boxes to help deal with it. Read on for details.

In the days and weeks following the January Los Angeles County wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his office moved quickly to manage the response and begin recovery efforts after the blazes were contained. Since then, the governor has been singularly focused on the region, describing his approach as “an extended period of engagement” with L.A. during a press conference in Altadena last week.

Against the recommendation of his staff experts, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara denied a request from State Farm to green light “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders.

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.

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.

Property owners of a new 369 home neighborhood will fall under a Community Facilities District, paying for their own police and fire protection and other services through annual assessments on their property tax bill. Read on for more information.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

On January 9, a community meeting was held to discuss the 1,577-acre Pacific Gateway project south of Tracy. Read on for details about the project and feedback from neighbors.

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.

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.

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.

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.