Tahoe Truckee Region Land Use & Development Digest

Some residents fear development could destroy parts of the historic land.

Rumors are flying that California Forever is using dodgy tactics to gather signatures.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

The California Environmental Quality Act has often been used, or misused, to block housing construction and other projects. A new state appellate court decision could reduce that practice.

Residents of San Rafael say the project could bring noise, pollution and crime to the area.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

The Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe has a time-limited opportunity to purchase 232 acres on a Nisenan Village site called Yulića—the tribe’s best opportunity to re-establish a homeland in more than half a century.

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

Raging storms brought major damage to California’s coastline last winter. But in Half Moon Bay, a different kind of coastal upheaval is gaining momentum—one that could decide the fate of billions of dollars of property and affect hundreds of public beaches.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust recently paid almost $10 million for a 1.86-acre site formerly used for oil drilling. It could be converted into a community center, park and affordable housing.

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

The Fort Independence Indian Community is getting the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at no cost in 2024. Native Americans had lived on this land for centuries before the hatchery’s construction.

A 2021 state law has radically changed the housing equation in San Diego. Advocates, developers, and policymakers are split on whether it should be exported to other jurisdictions.

A shrubby Palmer oak tree in Riverside County is around 13,000 years old, making it California’s oldest tree and one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Some people are concerned that a proposed development could threaten the tree.

Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County—which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life—face a turbulent path.

Work on a new annex, visitors center and underground parking garage can legally begin after the state issued a final, court-ordered review of the project. Plans have been on hold since early 2021.

Locals for Affordable Housing aims to place a voter initiative on the November 2024 ballot modeled after Berkeley’s vacancy tax, which requires owners of homes that sit vacant more than six months to pay $3,000 for the first year and $6,000 every year after.

The irrigation bill, which aims to force businesses and institutions to remove their lawns, now goes to the governor.

A June budget deal required community colleges to raise their own money to build affordable student housing. Some campuses said that plan prevented them from building the dorms, even with help from the state to pay the debt.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks proposed legislation to help get around a court's rejection of a UC Berkeley housing plan. But even if the law is approved, its fate is in the hands of the state Supreme Court.

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District is excited to announce that its board of directors is updating the agency's strategic initiatives, and it wants the community's input to help create its vision for the future of Truckee.

Management of the Zephyr Shoals Beach at Lake Tahoe, which made world news for the amount of trash found after the July Fourth holiday, will be included with the Zephyr Cove Resort concession.

Placer County has released a draft environmental impact report for the proposed project, which would include construction of a museum and cultural center.

In an effort to improve lake clarity and reduce sediment loading from roadway runoff to protect the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe, Placer County is moving forward with construction of the transformative Lower Secline Water Quality project in Kings Beach.

The nonprofit Tahoe Fund is partnering with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association to launch a $50,000 matching campaign to address the 19 miles of trail that travel through Desolation Wilderness from Echo Lakes to Lake Aloha.

The Truckee Library building will close from July 17 through mid-October for updates. Library services and programming will remain available at the Truckee Library WorkSpace, the Joseph Government Center, Truckee Regional Park and other community locations.

Environmentalists and project proponents agree: Infrastructure bills crafted by legislators and Newsom are a good compromise to streamline development. The package aims to speed up lawsuits for solar farms, reservoirs and other infrastructure, and relax protection of some species.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council gave go-ahead to pursue annexing, or bringing into the city limits, parcels that are currently unincorporated.