Local Government News


May 5, 2008 
Board members have job security
If re-elected to a fifth four-year term on the county's Board of Supervisors next month, Dianne Jacob and Pam Slater-Price will join an elite club of supervisors to serve two decades.

April 23, 2008 
On Earth Day, L.A. passes a 'green' building law to clean the air
Los Angeles embarked on one of its most ambitious projects to combat global warming on Monday, becoming the biggest city in the nation to impose "green" building rules that would potentially cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade.

April 22, 2008 
L.A. and San Francisco vie for title of 'greenest city'
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a plan to slash his city's planet-warming greenhouse gases to 35% below the 1990 level by 2030, and make L.A. the "cleanest and greenest city in the country."

April 13, 2008 
Council will take another look at plant ban
OCEANSIDE - The Oceanside City Council will resume its discussion this week on whether to ban three invasive plants, including the giant reed arundo donax, that can worsen fire and flood hazards.

March 21, 2008 
Encinitas OKs hiring consultant to study land purchase
ENCINITAS ---- The council voted Wednesday to hire a consultant to look into the acquisition and development of county-owned property at Via Molena and El Camino. The proposal was part of the consent calendar, a collection of items that are typically approved in a single motion without comment. Councilwoman Teresa Barth objected to that, saying the matter should have been considered separately and held for public comment.

February 25, 2008 
Palo Alto wants bags recycled
Palo Alto aims to reduce the number of plastic and paper bags shoppers use through a new campaign designed to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags.

February 24, 2008 
Wildlife agency prods cities on habitat plans
NORTH COUNTY ---- Dissatisfied with the efforts of most North County cities to finish their pieces of a regional conservation plan, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has drawn a hard line against development on sensitive land.
 
Council seeks new way to raise its pay
SAN DIEGO - In the middle of what could be 11 straight years of budget woes, the San Diego City Council is trying to unload one of its more difficult fiscal decisions once and for all, by changing the way it boosts its own pay.
 
UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL
"Grab bag levy"
The San Diego Association of Governments is the region's planning agency - and, boy, does it have big plans: a tax increase to pay for up to $22 billion worth of environmental projects.

February 23, 2008 
UNION -TRIBUNE EDITORIAL
"In Pacific Beach, measuring the need - and support - for metered parking"
Just mentioning metering on-street parking spaces in the commercial/beach areas of Pacific Beach angers many residents. This laid-back community, they say, can handle cars circling blocks to find an open space.
 
Ready, set, mow -- Clearing effort starts in San Luis Rey riverbed
OCEANSIDE - During the ceremony, Col. Thomas Magness of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, congratulated his staff and the political leaders who worked for eight years to solve environmental concerns over endangered animals in the flood channel. Those concerns kept the clearing effort from moving forward since the levee project was finished in 2000.

February 22, 2008 
Mayor to run again in L.A.
Villaraigosa doesn't say directly whether he will seek the governor's job in 2010.
 
L.A. has $129 million to spend for parks
Los Angeles has yet to spend $129 million paid by real estate developers over the last decade to create new parks in the city's fastest-growing neighborhoods, according to an audit released Thursday by City Controller Laura Chick.
 
Bids to tax short-term vacation rentals OK'd
ENCINITAS - If you can't ban them, make money from them. That seems to be the philosophy of the Encinitas City Council, which voted late Wednesday to put two initiatives on the June 3 ballot that would levy a "hotel tax" on short-term vacation rentals.

February 21, 2008 
Vallejo in danger of declaring bankruptcy
Vallejo is on the brink of a dubious distinction - becoming the first city in California to declare bankruptcy.

City to pass the bucks on sidewalks?
To address a repair backlog, the L.A. council studies charging homeowners when property sells.

Former Del Mar Councilman Jerry Finnell dies at 67
DEL MAR -- Jerry Finnell, a former councilman who brought a career's worth of financial experience to City Hall, died Tuesday after fighting leukemia for 18 months, his relatives said.

Oceanside puts invasive plant ban on hold
OCEANSIDE -- Council members spent more than an hour Wednesday night debating whether to ban from the city the giant reed arundo donax and two other invasive plants, but in the end decided that they needed more information.

Encinitas approves beach smoking ban
ENCINITAS -- Following the lead of other coastal cities, Encinitas will now ban smoking at its beaches, the City Council unanimously decided Wednesday.

February 20, 2008 
Hunting Beach is going upscale
Surf City hopes to become an overnight destination with the addition of three oceanfront luxury hotels. But not everyone is happy.
 
Mayor's climate aide gets $160,000 a year
In his quest to make San Francisco the greenest city in the nation, Mayor Gavin Newsom recently created a $160,000-a-year job for a senior aide and gave him the ambitious-sounding title of director of climate protection initiatives.

Santa Monica looks at banning 'single-use' plastic bags
The Santa Monica City Council delayed action late Tuesday on the drafting of an ordinance that would ban "single-use" plastic carry-out bags at all stores and restaurants within the city and would require retailers to charge a fee for paper bags.

L.A. plugs solar power
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other municipal leaders unveiled a green energy initiative Tuesday by the city's utility that they predict will create as many as 400 union jobs over the next three years to install and maintain solar panels on city buildings and other structures around Los Angeles.

February 19, 2008 
State bar seeks details of meeting with Aguirre
SAN DIEGO - The State Bar of California has asked the San Diego City Council to divulge details of a 2005 closed-door meeting in which council members discussed pension litigation with City Attorney Michael Aguirre.

City's next step in recycling
SAN DIEGO  – Major commercial buildings, large multifamily housing complexes and events requiring a permit in San Diego must offer recycling starting this week.

February 18, 2008 
Parking fees being considered
PACIFIC BEACH - It's not just La Jolla that's considering charging for street parking. A nascent debate is brewing in Pacific Beach over whether to install meters to increase turnover in parking spaces near the surf and raise money for public improvement projects.

Oceanside council to examine appointment process
OCEANSIDE ---- Councilman Jerry Kern says he wants to know who are the mayor's choices for appointments to city boards and commissions 72 hours before a vote is taken. Kern said putting the appointment choices in the agenda will also open the process to the public.

February 16, 2008 
SANDAG edges closer to selling bonds
SAN DIEGO - Buoyed by its recent upgrading on Wall Street, the San Diego Association of Governments yesterday moved toward selling $600 million in bonds to pay for highway and transit improvements.

February 14, 2008 
Encinitas approves $457K for capital program
ENCINITAS -- By unanimous votes, the Encinitas City Council pumped $457,000 into its capital improvement program Wednesday. The money will pay for street and drainage projects, environmental studies at the planned Hall property park and improvements at wastewater facilities.

February 10, 2008     
Decide on garage first, city staff tells council
Workshop to look at Cedros Crossing
SOLANA BEACH - In a last-ditch effort to prevent the proposed Cedros Crossing development from evaporating, the Solana Beach city staff has this recommendation for the City Council: Take it a step at a time.

UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL
The Mayor's Veto
City Council retreats on critical charter reform
The City Council faces a historic opportunity to bolster accountability at City Hall through a package of charter reforms. Lamentably, however, most council members appear more committed to preserving their own bureaucratic dominion than to strengthening San Diego's civic structure.

Lawmakers seek to expand photo-enforcement of traffic laws
Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, plans to introduce legislation for the third time this year that would allow Beverly Hills police to enforce speed in neighborhoods using photo radar technology. Two previous attempts to allow a pilot project there - in 2005 and 2006 - failed amid concern that allowing cameras on residential streets amounts to an invasion of privacy and fears that other cities would soon follow suit.

Private firefighting company set to launch
Municipal firefighters could be joined by fall's wildfire season by at least a private company that has started operations in San Diego County, according to fire officials. Firefighters would deploy to private residences and fend off blazes with a gel-water mixture proven effective ---- if expensive ---- in last fall's fires.

Red-light camera violations go unpunished
Police and O.C. courts rarely follow up on unpaid red light camera tickets. Since 2004, as many as 25,000 red light runners have walked away without penalty.

SLO to explore $13M sewer funding
With substantial growth anticipated along the city's southern boundary, the San Luis Obispo City Council on Tuesday will consider spending as much as $13 million to upgrade sewer lines along Broad Street and Tank Farm Road.

February 9, 2008     
Security measures vary for local public meetings
Local city leaders shuddered yesterday as they contemplated the events that took place 1,800 miles away - the shooting deaths of two council members and three other city employees at a public meeting in a St. Louis suburb.

130 county employees reach tentative deal
The contract, if approved by the union membership and the county Board of Supervisors, will give members of the Ventura Employees Association an immediate raise of 3.22 percent, followed by annual raises of 2.5 to 3 percent.

DWP pushes for hike again
On Friday, just a few days after voters upheld a citywide telephone users tax, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power renewed a proposal to raise its water and electricity rates.

Bid to roll back SLO water rate increases sinks
A signature-gathering effort in San Luis Obispo to turn back water rate increases earmarked for the Nacimiento Water Project will not meet an elections deadline next week.

Richmond considers cameras
Richmond city officials might add video surveillance cameras to the list of improvements they would be willing to help small-business owners fund.

Reed recasts 911 fee opinion
As a candidate for San Jose mayor in 2006, Chuck Reed hammered his opponent for supporting a fee that funds the city's 911 emergency dispatch service, telling voters he "opposed a new phone tax without a vote of the people."

February 8, 2008 
Plans advance for Leucadia highway improvements
ENCINITAS ---- Plans to beautify a 2-mile stretch of North Coast Highway 101 advanced Thursday, as design consultants addressed the Encinitas Planning Commission and a staffer announced dates for public workshops later this month.
   
February 7, 2008 
MAYOR OF IMPERIAL BEACH OP-ED
Imperial Beach coastal development
We believe we have a hotel that meets our goals and the ideals, goals and mission of the Coastal Act and the Coastal Commission, but the commission's staff has persuaded two commissioners to appeal the decision of our City Council, which was made after reviews by our Tidelands Advisory Committee, our Design Review Board plus a full environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Coastal Commission OK's Oceanside riverbed clearing
OCEANSIDE -- A plan to clear overgrown brush from the San Luis Rey River channel won unanimous approval from the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday morning. The approval means that some clearing work can begin March 1, before a small endangered bird that lives in the riverbed starts its six-month nesting season, officials said.

February 6, 2008 
City Council votes unanimously to put charter measure on June ballot
Carlsbad residents will have a chance to vote on making their town a charter city and giving it more independence after the City Council voted unanimously last night to place the issue on the June 3 ballot.
   
Councilman can use '04 funds, panel says
San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein can use a quarter-million dollars left from his 2004 council campaign in his run for city attorney, the city's Ethics Commission has concluded.
   
Penalties reduced for Vista, Carlsbad
Vista and Carlsbad will pay $700,000 in penalties for a pipe break that spewed 7.3 million gallons of raw sewage last year into Buena Vista Lagoon, under terms of a proposed settlement.

February 5, 2008 
Faces changing at City Hall
CARLSBAD -- Nearly half of Carlsbad's 711 full-time employees have been in their jobs for three years or less, after a 2004 change in the city's retirement policy led to an exodus of city workers.
  
Officials' raises could be placed on June ballot
San Diego voters may be asked in June to grant two years of pay raises to the city's elected officials, then tie future increases to an outside factor such as Superior Court judge salaries or growth in the Consumer Price Index.
  
New power supplies key to plant's demise
Chula Vista wants the South Bay Power Plant shut down so the land can be used to redevelop the bayfront, but state utility regulators have told the city that can't happen until more power supplies come on line.

February 4, 2008     
Unions bracing for tough bargaining
SAN DIEGO - Each of the employee unions in San Diego city government has begun or is fast approaching contract talks - never an easy prospect, but one complicated this year by continued budget deficits and a June election.

Modesto council ponders road-fix tax
Modesto's City Council on Tuesday could decide to take a second crack at asking voters for a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for road repairs.

February 3, 2008 
Encinitas considering tax on vacation rentals
ENCINITAS ---- City officials say they plan to ask voters in June whether they would support taxing short-term vacation rentals.

January 27, 2008     
Ordinance on hiring day laborers may sunset
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance in May 2006 establishing a fine of up to $100 for a person who solicits work from a motorist who is driving or parked in the middle of the road. The motorist also could be fined.
     
Oxnard to have one more trash can to encourage recycling
On Feb. 5, the City Council is expected to hear a report and provide feedback on a proposed three-can system. The change would cost the city about $3.15 million, but trash and recycle pickup rates would not go up, said Dennis Scala, the city's interim director of Environmental Resources.
     
Overnight parking ban proposed for RVs, trailers
SAN DIEGO -Three City Council members have proposed a pilot program prohibiting overnight parking of these vehicles on public streets in certain neighborhoods.

January 25, 2008     
Moonlight Beach facilities deteriorating
ENCINITAS ---- At one of North County's busiest beaches, the lifeguard station is falling apart and the restrooms are grungy, officials say.
     
SANDAG seeking greenhouse gas estimate
SAN DIEGO ---- Regional officials are trying to get a handle on the amount of greenhouse gases being generated by San Diego County residents and their economy, as a first step toward curbing emissions that scientists say are contributing to changing the world's climate.

January 23, 2008     
Plastic-bag ban unravels
Los Angeles County supervisors backed off a threat Tuesday to ban plastic shopping and grocery bags that environmental experts call unsightly and destructive.
     
L.A. trash may be gold mine
Under the massive citywide recycling program - known as the Zero Waste Plan - most of the 3,600 tons of trash picked up daily in Los Angeles will be recycled, reduced to compost or turned into alternative energy by 2030.

January 21, 2008     
It's surf, sun, sand and -- sobriety?
Newport Beach seeks to rein in unlicensed 'sober-living' homes for recovering addicts, but faces suits from the firms and their foes.

January 21, 2008     
Short-term hires filling City Hall vacancy glut
CONCORD - After many staff members left last year, well-respected replacements brought in to serve as a quick fix.
     
Encinitas to regulate surf camps
ENCINITAS -- The City Council on Wednesday ordered its Parks and Recreation Department staff to draft regulations governing commercial activities such as surf camps on city beaches. The vote was 5-0.

January 20, 2008     
Santa Cruz attraction waits on funding
SANTA CRUZ -- Organizers behind the proposed Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center haven't run into any environmental roadblocks to stop the project from going forward, though rounding up money to pay for the $11 million tourist attraction is a different story.
     
Eye on the Environment: Tax breaks save county farmland
Last month, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved 12 contracts with landowners, ensuring their land will remain as open space or in agricultural production.

January 19, 2008     
Council considers stricter restrictions on political signs
CARLSBAD - Mayor Bud Lewis, who was re-elected after a last-minute push that included posting dozens of candidate signs, proposed last week that the city ban such signs from roadway medians, or vegetated strips located in middle of the city's major roadways.
January 13, 2008     
Four county department heads set to retire in March
Springtime will be a season for cake, of the office farewell party variety, at the Ventura County Government Center.

January 11, 2008     
Encinitas updating its e-mail policy
ENCINITAS -- The e-mails arrive at City Hall by the thousands and city officials are examining which of them to keep and how to store them.

January 10, 2008     
Ventura County seeks to protect mobile home tenants
Seeking more control over mobile home park conversions, Ventura County supervisors took steps this week to tighten the rules to better protect tenants and prospective buyers.

January 9, 2008     
Search firm to start hunt for Carlsbad's next city manager
CARLSBAD -- The search firm hired to coordinate the hunt for Carlsbad's new city manager won't start its advertising campaign until next month, but the city already has begun hearing that people want the job.
     
Plan for toll lanes on L.A. County freeways is in fast lane
If they can win a huge federal grant, Los Angeles County transportation officials said Tuesday that rush-hour toll lanes could become a reality on three local freeways by spring 2009.

January 5, 2008     
Vans get farmworkers to the fields
Granted millions of dollars in state transportation money, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties are set to become the latest counties to join an agricultural ride-share program for unlicensed and uninsured farmworkers.

January 4, 2008     
Permit holdups stall riverbed clearing
OCEANSIDE -- A huge effort to clear the clogged bed of the San Luis Rey River, where officials say overgrown brush is worsening the risk of floods and fire, may be pushed back until fall, city officials said Friday.

     
Carlsbad coastal bluffs to gain new plants
CARLSBAD -- Part of an approximate half-mile stretch of Carlsbad's coastline may get a much-needed makeover in April.

December 23, 2007     
Santa Monica eateries going green
New rules have most restaurants using biodegradable food containers. But the cost worries small vendors.
     
Fees would kill Oceanside harbor hotel project, owner says
OCEANSIDE ---- Local businessman Shantu Patel says he wants to put a new face on the downtown GuestHouse Inn, but is worried that hefty new fees being considered by the California Coastal Commission could be a death knell for the project.

December 21, 2007     
Just saying no to paper or plastic
Free reusable shopping bags are scooped up in upscale Pacific Palisades and working-class El Monte.
     
Environmental awareness a natural for consultant
ENCINITAS -- When the city's Environmental Advisory Committee takes shape early next year, a familiar face will be at the helm. Jacy Bolden, a consultant from Los Angeles, has secured a $164,000 contract to advise the soon-to-be-formed committee through June 2009.

December 18, 2007     
Proposed bill would help cities shut down nuisance liquor stores
Assembly Bill 960, introduced by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, would allow cities to buy back the liquor licenses of shops deemed to be magnets for crime, in hopes of making neighborhoods safer and cleaner, Hancock said Monday

December 14, 2007     
Council bans coastal time-share expansion
SOLANA BEACH - Concerned that valuable hotel rooms could be converted to private residences and shut out tourists, the Solana Beach City Council has banned new time shares and other similar "condominium-hotel" arrangements.
     
Parking meters get smart
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - They take credit and debit cards and will even send you text messages when they need more money. And no, they are not your children, they actually are talking parking meters. New, fancy, high-tech ones.

December 12, 2007     
Parks, Ridley-Thomas to duke it out for Burke's supervisorial seat
For the first time in more than a decade, a high-stakes race is under way for a Los Angeles County supervisorial seat in an election that could significantly reshape the region's longtime political power base.
     
Coastal Commission kills extra fees for Oceanside beach resort
OCEANSIDE -- Passionate testimony Wednesday from the entire Oceanside City Council convinced the California Coastal Commission to waive controversial per-room fees for new hotel projects being built near the city's waterfront.

December 11, 2007     
Vallejo swears in 2nd new mayor in week; judge won't block recount
Vallejo got a new mayor - for the second time in a week. Osby Davis was sworn in Tuesday night after a Solano County judge declined to block results of a recount in the city's mayoral election that put him ahead of Mayor Gary Cloutier by two votes.

December 5, 2007     
Daly's measure would set aside taxes for affordable S.F. housing
San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly put finishing touches on a proposed City Charter amendment to set aside a share of annual property taxes to support affordable housing development in the city, setting the stage for a City Hall debate over budget priorities and possibly giving voters their say on the issue next fall.

December 1, 2007     
San Diego port, border in line for $400 million
Following a decision last week in Sacramento, San Diego County is in position to snare a significant chunk of the $500 million it was seeking from state bond proceeds for transportation projects that speed the delivery of goods.

November 27, 2007     
Judge upholds Laguna Beach's funding of day labor center
An Orange County Superior Court judge has rejected arguments by illegal immigration opponents who want Laguna Beach to stop funding a controversial day labor center.
     
City hopes to persuade its residents to create habitats in their yards
CHULA VISTA - Chula Vista's goal is to become a Community Wildlife Habitat Area. The National Wildlife Federation will certify the city when at least 300 of its 230,000 residents have their yards designated as NatureScapes.

November 25, 2007     
UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: Tuneup needed
San Diego's two-year experiment with a "strong mayor" form of government has strengthened accountability at City Hall. Now, at least, voters know exactly who is in charge - Mayor Jerry Sanders - and therefore who merits praise or scorn for the performance of our municipal government. No longer does a powerful but unelected city manager working behind the scenes orchestrate the actions of the City Council.
     
State, feds expected to help in covering the costs
Early tallies show that local governments spent more than $80 million fighting the October wildfires, but they are counting on federal and state agencies to reimburse them for most of the costs.

November 21, 2007     
DAN WALTERS: Competing plans cloud the debate
Californians should be prepared to be confused over two measures headed for next June's ballot, both of which purport to reform how state and local governments seize private property under a process called "eminent domain."
     
DAVID LAZARUS "Flood of plastic bags in L.A. needs solution"
Los Angeles City Councilman Ed Reyes stood Tuesday on the bank of the L.A. River and pointed at the white plastic bags hanging from scruffy trees in the waterway. We'd ventured to this most dubious of L.A. landmarks as, hundreds of miles to the north, San Francisco on Tuesday became the first city in the nation to officially ban use of traditional plastic bags by supermarkets.

November 19, 2007     
Study names Mission Viejo safest city in U.S
A controversial new study based on annual FBI crime statistics names Mission Viejo the safest city in the nation. Lake Forest ranked 10th and Irvine was No. 11.

November 15, 2007     
L.A. lawmakers getting 4% raises
A salary schedule approved by voters in 1990 means that 18 officials, including the mayor and City Council members, will receive the increases without debate. Villaraigosa says he'll turn his down.

November 14, 2007     
County leaders told to cut greenhouse gases
OAKLAND - Underscoring the urgent need to combat global warming, Attorney General Jerry Brown warned county leaders from across the state Tuesday that they must reduce greenhouse gases when planning new developments or run the risk of costly lawsuits.

Encinitas debates smoking ban at beaches, parks
ENCINITAS -- After years of resistance by the City Council, Encinitas is poised to become the next and one of the last coastal cities in San Diego County to enact a smoking ban at beaches.
       
Divided City Council re-elects Peters as president
SAN DIEGO - Scott Peters will keep the post through 2009 after being elected to a third straight one-year term, but for the first time, the vote was not unanimous.

November 7, 2007     
City goes on record against tunnel
DEL MAR - In a letter to the San Diego Association of Governments, the city is asking the agency to remove the mention of a tunnel from the draft of a regional transportation plan.

November 6, 2007
1-year beach booze ban passed
S.D. council settles on late compromise
No more wine at the beach at sunset. No more cold brews on the coast after work. No more of the drunken revelry that led to a near riot on Labor Day.

November 3, 2007
Coastal Commission delays action on Oceanside resort
OCEANSIDE -- The city is working with developer S.D. Malkin to build a 293-room Westin resort on two city-owned blocks at Pacific Street and Mission Avenue, just east of the Oceanside Municipal Pier. However, before it can be built, Oceanside needs to amend its shoreline planning document, called a Local Coastal Program, and the Coastal Commission needs to approve those changes.
        
Water sprinkler requirement is a hot topic in some cities
With images of burning homes still on their minds from the recent firestorms, several North County coastal cities are considering tighter legislation to protect homes.

October 31, 2007
Work begins to shore up landslide
LA JOLLA - Four weeks to the day since a massive chunk of Mount Soledad came crashing down, seriously damaging 13 homes, city crews will begin shoring up the damaged hillside today.        

Region's cities considering disaster leave policies
NORTH COUNTY -- Widespread evacuations during last week's wildfires have prompted cities across the region to rethink their policies on paid leave for employees forced to flee their homes during a disaster.

October 28, 2007
DANIEL WEINTRAUB
A surprising benefit from Prop. 13 in downturn
County assessors across the state are taking a new look at properties that have changed hands since just before the boom went bust. Those that have declined in value will be getting a reduction in their taxes reflecting the drop.

DEBRA J. SAUNDERS
Bye-bye Wi-Fi
The Special City does not need free Wi-Fi. The free market works. Residents can purchase Wi-Fi access from a number of companies. Laptop owners can access free Wi-Fi if they buy a cup of coffee at many coffee shops. Or they can go to the San Francisco Main Library for free Wi-Fi - as well as the use of a computer; 20 library branches also offer a free ride on the Internet. 

SAC BEE EDITORIAL
Fire is a part of California; state must prepare
More can be done with zoning, building codes and creating defensible spaces. 

Berkeley may prod homes to go solar
Berkeley is hoping to become a model for cities nationwide with a plan to bankroll homeowners who want to install solar energy systems. 

UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL
Curb housing?
The return of catastrophic wildfires in San Diego County has reopened a predictable debate about prohibiting home construction in rural - and even suburban - areas. 

October 27, 2007
SHRIDER COLUMN
Recycling's dirty word: mandated
It's no surprise that a number of local residents are less than thrilled with a Bakersfield City Council committee's approval Thursday night of a proposal to mandate curbside recycling.

Irrigation irritations plague cities
As drought-conscious Southern California cities urge water conservation, too many city- and state-owned watering systems waste millions of gallons on roadways.

Los Angeles utility chief resigns
The head of the nation's largest municipal utility resigned Friday, immediately igniting a debate over the process that will be used by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to find a successor.

LOS ANGELES TIMES EDITORIAL
Preparing for the next time
Yes, fires are a part of life in California. No, that's no excuse for bad zoning, sprawl and a lack of preparedness.

Plans to fight climate change would make drivers pay most
If the Bay Area is to make a real contribution to the fight against global warming, it will require an aggressive program to discourage solo vehicle commuting, along with improvements in fuel economy and a new development paradigm that puts people near jobs and public transit, Bay Area leaders were told Friday.

Bay Area facing lifestyle changes to achieve greenhouse gas goals
The Bay Area might need smaller houses, higher gas taxes and tolls on busy roads and congested business districts if it is to meet the state's goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases, transportation and land use officials said Friday.

Prop. 218 greases the way to sewer
The 4-1 margin of approval for assessing homes to pay for a treatment system gives the county a green light to continue the process of building it.

Petition may drown rate increase
Cambria may become the first sizable community in California to turn back water and sewer rate increases under provisions of the state's Proposition 218.

October 18, 2007
L.A. mayor pushes affordable housing plan
Proposal to make developers include units for the poor and middle class gets mixed reviews.

October 15, 2007
As property values drop, residents seek tax break
SANTA CRUZ - For new homeowners who may have watched in shock as the value of their homes recently dropped to less than what they paid, some relief could be on the way.

October 13, 2007
Alatorre's back as unofficial lobbyist
The former councilman, who left under an ethical cloud, has returned as an unregistered advocate for companies seeking city business.

Shining a light on appointees
L.A. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel wants to require city commissioners to report all meetings and contacts with lobbyists.

Mobile-home rent-control bill vetoed
"It feels like a kick in the solar plexus," said Supervisor Steve Bennett of Ventura when informed of the veto. Bennett had helped mobilize local government officials across the state in support of the bill, AB1542, by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa.

City may require sites for laborers
A plan to require large home improvement stores to set aside space for day laborers moved ahead Friday as the Los Angeles City Council asked for a final ordinance.

October 12, 2007
Encinitas to form environmental panel
ENCINITAS ---- The City Council voted 5-0 Thursday to form an advisory panel on environmental matters.

October 9, 2007
Council to hold meeting on ferry services takeover
The City Council made the decision last week after expressing its own concerns about state Senate Bill 976, which would place the Alameda/Oakland and Harbor Bay Isle ferries under the authority of a new agency, the Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority.

OPINION: Supervisors Bill Campbell and Chris Norby
The Orange Grove: Planning for the future of O.C. Parks
The Board of Supervisors has recently taken significant steps to broaden and deepen our commitment to public recreational and leisure opportunities.
        
Developer is working on bayfront land swap
CHULA VISTA - San Diego-based Pacifica Cos., which has been working since 2000 on a plan to build condos and at least one hotel on the Chula Vista bayfront, has agreed to scale down the project and move it to a new site - across from the Chula Vista Marina - to protect wetlands.  
       
Tax ballot measure would be illegal, city attorney says
CORONADO - A private foundation that raises money for Sharp Coronado Hospital could receive a revenue boost from a ballot proposal to increase the city's room tax. The problem is, city officials say it would be an illegal gift of public funds.

October 7, 2007
Sizing up water worries
Water experts will meet with the San Diego City Council tomorrow to discuss challenges that affect the entire county.

October 6, 2007
County's annual legal bills rise 17%
Los Angeles County's total legal costs jumped 17 percent from $86 million in 2005-06 to $101 million last fiscal year, just shy of a record high reached several years ago, officials said Friday.

Head of DWP board resigns
The president of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners resigned Friday, a move interpreted at City Hall as his first step toward securing the top executive job at the $4.2-billion municipal utility -- the nation's largest.
    
Governor signs bill on overhaul of S.D. airport authority
SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation yesterday aimed at overhauling the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. The bill eliminates full-time pay for three board members and requires all nine board members to be appointed by local authorities.
   
More of Mount Soledad may be prone to collapse
Another section of Mount Soledad - this one with ocean views - may be poised for a landslide, threatening more homes with the kind of devastation that struck the eastern slope this week, geologists reported yesterday.
     
Vista, Carlsbad: Sewer-spill fine to pose hardship
NORTH COUNTY - Faced with a potential $1.1 million fine over a massive sewage spill into Buena Vista Lagoon last spring, Vista and Carlsbad officials said yesterday that paying the penalty could force them to raise rates or delay projects.

October 5, 2007
In Santa Monica, there's a fracas over the ficus
Santa Monica activist Jerry Rubin took to the streets again this week, marching not against the war in Iraq, global warming or pollution, but against what he considers a more immediate threat -- city plans to remove 54 aging ficus trees.

October 4, 2007
Landslide in La Jolla
A disaster foretold in July by cracks appearing in pavement and homes along Soledad Mountain Road struck suddenly yesterday morning when a massive slab of hillside broke loose, sending tons of dirt cascading toward streets below.

September 30, 2007
Paso council feels heat over water
The Paso Robles City Council will consider revising the city water rate structure in response to public outcry over fees that were set to double next week.

September 27, 2007
'Christmas' out of Encinitas parade's name
ENCINITAS -- The City Council voted 3-2 Wednesday to strip the name Christmas from its December parade and moved toward enacting a smoking ban that could apply to all public places.

September 25, 2007
In beach enclave, affluent are split over effluent
RINCON POINT, Calif. - Septic tanks or sewers? The question of how to treat wastewater in this exclusive beachfront community is pitting neighbors, surfers and environmentalists against one another.