Podcasts about California Environmental Quality Act

Buffy Wicks is a leading champion in Sacramento for building more housing in California. Her early political activities include working on both of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. Now she represents parts of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties in Sacramento where she chairs the powerful Assembly Appropriations Committee. To get more housing built, Wicks is taking on a sacred cow in state politics, the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. Wicks joins Scott and Marisa to talk about why reforming CEQA is such a hot button issue, and why she thinks it's so necessary to increase housing production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla Executive Director – Restore the Delta Courtesy of Golden State Salmon Association On today's show, founder and project manager for Valley Improvement Project Bianca Lopez continues our conversation from last week on their upcoming climate endeavors for the Modesto community.  We'll switch gears and hear from Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla executive director for Restore the Delta and Scott Artis executive director of Golden State Salmon Association on their recent, collaborative lawsuit against the California Department of Water Resources alleging their Delta Tunnel Project violates the California Environmental Quality Act.   The post A Rude Awakening – Bianca Lopez, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla and Scott Artis appeared first on KPFA.

In this episode, Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Chairman of the Board Bob Mendez talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about policies that impact middle income families, and how we can alter existing policies to create a better environment for them to thrive.   About Bob Mendez:A former member of the US Navy, Bob Mendez has had a decorate career in finance, having worked at Merrill Lynch Smith Barney, and Morgan Stanley. He also is actively involved in his community as Chairman of the Board for the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, Chairperson on Budget Engagement Commission for the City of Riverside, and a member of the Honorary Commanders - a civilian organization that supports the March Air Reserve Base.Learn more about Bob Mendez via https://www.raymondjames.com/rlmwealthgroup/about-us/bio?_=bob.mendez  Podcast Highlights:  “When we look at middle-income families as a whole in our society, they provide us with a source of economic stability in that they generally make up the largest portion of the workforce. They can provide a steady stream of local income and taxes as well. And it's critical, especially for any local economy like here in Riverside, which [needs to be able to demonstrate they have a stable workforce] in order to be able to effectively borrow. Plus, they provide consumer spending, which is critical for our local businesses…” -       Bob Mendez on the topic of the value middle income families bring to local families.  “The California Environmental Quality Act, is designed to protect our environment. So, I understand the need for CEQA and I like some aspects of it, but there are certain things that could easily be tweaked in order to help, especially suffering middle income families. It's my understanding that, when a developer is looking to build a housing unit, there is approximately $40,000 to $50,000 of cost associated with just regulations that go into the building of just one unit. And we could make simple, I think, adjustments there [so that middle income families can have access to housing they can afford].“ -       Bob Mendez on the unintended consequences policies such as CEQA bring forth, despite good intentions. “I always say it comes down to three things, and it's jobs, jobs, and jobs. You know, we really need to come together, you know, in terms of being able to all move in the right direction to produce good paying jobs for individuals. You know, we just really have to break down all these silos between the city, the county, even our institutions of higher education, and the chamber, you know, where we all work collectively together for the betterment of our community." -      Bob Mendez on the importance of collaboration between sectors to create jobs and effective change.  Guest: Bob Mendez (Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Chairman of the Board )  Interviewers: Rachel Strausman (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean's Vice Chief Ambassador) Pia Prashanth (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean's Ambassador)  Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/AoX6HO_K8AY?si=aH7l4IouhnzmuSkt Music by: C Codainehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/PhaseCommercial Links:https://spp.ucr.edu/ba-mpphttps://spp.ucr.edu/mpp  This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/  Subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast. 

Since the time of the Dust Bowl, landowners have worked with Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) to conserve water, improve soil, preserve natural habitat, and prevent erosion. However, it can take two to three years to secure funding to begin a sustainable initiative. Devin Best, Executive Director at the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District, and Michael Larcher, North American Solution Lead at cBrain have partnered on a new system that drastically decreases that timeframe by matching a grower's land conservation needs with grants in a database. Landowners can participate in the Sustainable Land Initiative by submitting a short form that includes their location, acres, and goals. Technical staff from the RCD will follow up with a sight visit to determine all potential conservation projects including healthy soils, cover cropping, beaver dam analogs, and carbon farm plans. Through a database, the RCD can pull a report on all landowners interested in similar projects and connect them with funding and permitting. By aggregating data, the RCD can fund more growers, advise grant agencies on what conservation programs are most effective, and spend more time helping growers on the ground. Resources: *** Register 12/6/2023 | Prepare for 2024: CA DPR Changes, Bulk Wine Trends & Funding Sustainable Projects*** 181: Can Applying Compost Reduce Water Use? 122: Preserving Agriculture Land to Combat Climate Change 58: Barn Owls cBrain Devin Best Michael Larcher on LinkedIn San Luis Obispo County Beaver Brigade Sustainable Land Initiative Upper Salinas-Las Tables Resource Conservation District Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet   Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.   Transcript Craig Macmillan  0:00  And our guest today are Devin Best is executive director of the upper Salinas, las tablas Resource Conservation District. And Mike Larcher, who is a North American solutions and sustainability lead with a company called cBrain. And today we're going to be talking about a very interesting idea called the sustainable land initiative. Thank you both for being here. Thank you.   Devin Best  0:19  Thanks for having us.   Craig Macmillan  0:20  Actually, before we get into that, let's kind of set the stage for those folks that are not aware. Devin, can you tell us what is a resource conservation district?   Devin Best  0:28  Sure. So a resource conservation district is a non regulatory, nonprofit local organization that works with growers and local community to help provide resources and technical assistance for their management of natural resources.   Craig Macmillan  0:41  And there are RCDs throughout the state, correct?   Devin Best  0:44  That's correct. There's about 95 of us or so. And they're organized around watersheds, watershed political boundaries, sometimes county boundaries. So it there's a little bit of a mix of how they're organized, but they were formed out of the dust bowl er, and some of them have combined, so you might get a little bit of those sort of things. Originally, the idea was that a federal government had the Natural Resource Conservation Service. And that was a entity that was focused in on dealing with the Dust Bowl and how to help farmers with their resource issues, but they recognize that the federal government didn't really have the best working relationship with local growers. So they formed what was originally known as soil water conservation districts, and here in California, are called RCDs, resource conservation districts, primarily same sort of mission, but they're more directed towards not just water, but also other things as well. And so California, if you look, you'll see this sort of conglomeration of some our cities have combined like ours is upper Salinas and Los Talas, this was to our cities that combined to form one but our counties actually shared by two our cities, the other one is being Coastal San Luis, our city.   Craig Macmillan  1:43  And Mike, tell us what is cBrain? What does the brain do?   Mike Larcher  1:47  The C brain is a process company, we specialize in redesigning processes, typically for government agencies, to make them as efficient, effective and transparent as possible, so that the government can do the work and arrive at the appropriate decisions very quickly. And so citizens get better services.   Craig Macmillan  2:06  And you two are working together on this thing called the sustainable land initiative. Is that correct?   Devin Best  2:10  That's correct.   Craig Macmillan  2:11  Devin, what is that?   Devin Best  2:16  So that actually started with Michael coming into my office and saying, you know, I'm really interested in this beaver brigade and beaver dams, and how can I help to get more of those? And I said, Well, that's great. But I'm also working on this thing called the carbon farm plan. And I need to get more of them done. But it's really tough. They started talking a little bit more about like, what does it take to actually do a carbon farm plan? Why is it takes so long? Why is it so expensive? Why are people not, you know, sort of gravitating behind these things. And as I started explaining, to Michael and his company, how it works, it was really apparent that we, as RCD staff don't spend that much time actually working on the plant itself. Most of it is there's these stop gaps between when we meet with somebody, and when we actually get something done. either. It's funding permitting something staff turnover, sometimes whatever it may be. And Michael's company actually sort of dealt with this particular instance of how do we make sure that we sort of streamline that whole process from start to finish, and get it down to the bare sort of essential parts, but make sure that there's tracking things along the way. So the sustainable land initiative really just focused more on how can RCDs be better at when I meet with the landowner getting resources to them, and I'm not spending all this time chasing grants and looking for permits. And so the example I've been given people is if I was to go meet with the landowner, and they're asking about, let's say, cover crops in vineyard rows, and they're looking for funding for that, usually, I'd go look into CDFAs, you know, list of programs that they have grants and stuff. That's one landowner, and I'd have to write one grant, and I have to wait three to six months until we got announced if we got awarded or not wait for the contract, then the resources, it's so we're talking almost a year or two. And if there's permitting, you're almost talking three years from the day I meet them. That adds some long amount of time between when we meet and actually get something done. And that's not beneficial to the landowner. It's not really the best use of our time. And so we started looking at like, but that's just for cover crops, I might meet with that landowner and say, you know, actually see you have some riparian corridor stuff that we can be doing to and you know, you have an oak woodland, we actually have a program for that. Well, in that one hour to two hours, we might meet that landowner, we lose a lot of information, a lot of potential projects, because now I'm off chasing after the cover crop grant and say, I don't get it. Well, all those other projects sort of fell by the wayside. Well, what if we were able to take all that information, put it in a streamlined sort of database essentially, and then tie those things in and aggregate them with other landowners, so I might be able to say, hey, in addition to that one landowners interested in cover crops have 10 other people I know that are interested in the same thing. Now I'm applying for a larger grant for 10 people all at one time, rather than one and competing against the other. And if I see a grant for my period restoration, I I can combine those together. So it's taking a lot of that information we get in a short amount of time and put it in a place where we can make it the most useful.   Craig Macmillan  5:08  You are probably more likely to get funding when you can come to a funder and say, Hey, this is going to affect 10 properties is going to 1000 acres as opposed to one person, 100 acres, one person 100 acres, you know, and it's probably also going to increase the efficiency of the actual implementation, I would guess, because you set up your team to do whatever it is, and then you can do a lot of work.   Less administrative oversight. Yes.   Now, Mike, I want to go back the way that Devin made it sound was you were just walking down the street one day and said, Hey, look, there's a sign these guys look cool. I like beavers. And you just wandered in. And I very, very quickly the beaver brigade and whatnot. I'd like you just to touch on what that is. Because that's an interesting thing in and of itself. What brought you to Devin went right to the RCD.   Mike Larcher  5:52  Sure, I wasn't. I wasn't walking down the street. But I was driving. I I grew up here on the Central Coast. And I spent a long time away last couple of decades, actually, the pandemic silver lining was I got to start working remotely. And so I came back home was on my way to the MidState fair, my wife and we looked out the window and I said, I don't remember the river looking green and lush in the middle of summer. I know what's going on what's changed. And that was how I stumbled across the slo beaver brigade. So for those who don't know, this is a nonprofit organization focused on trying to bring back Beaver and educate people about the benefits that they create. And they do so much cool stuff. Both Beaver and the SLO beaver brigade. But they are they're known as what is a keystone creature that can create entire habitats that benefit farmers, as well as the biodiversity in the overall ecosystem by slowing the water down, helping to improve soil moisture, reconnect with the underground aquifers. I think I saw some statistics that round about 90% of species in California depend on these wetland habitats. And so the more that beaver started coming back, the more water that is available for fish habitat for agricultural purposes, etc.   Craig Macmillan  7:16  So you had an interest in this you knew about the importance of the Beaver? And then what brought you then to the RCD, you had an idea.   Mike Larcher  7:23  I started actually with a quick Google search. And I found a call a Cal Poly graduate student who had just done his graduate paperwork on land that was suitable for beaver habitat in and around San Luis Obispo County. And Devin was one of the supervisors overseeing that and providing advice. So we had an introduction I was very excited about about the beaver. And Devin said, Wait, I'm really excited about what you guys do, you can make things so much more efficient and effective. Let's talk about doing that for beaver. But let's do that next. And so our first conversation was, how do we help landowners spend more time in the fields and less time at a desk dealing with government bureaucracy, let's make it really easy for them.   Craig Macmillan  8:08  So the sustainable land initiative, this was the two of you having a conversation and this is your project. This is your idea.   Mike Larcher  8:13  It started with the two of us. But we actually had feedback from the Farm Bureau from landowners throughout the region, city, county officials, everyone coming together and realizing that everyone actually wants the same thing. landowners want to become more sustainable. They want to maintain the legacy of their land. They don't want to spend a ton of time dealing with government bureaucracy to make it happen. How do we make it really easy for landowners to do what they already want to do? And to connect them with the immense amount of funding sources that are out there.   Devin Best  8:44  And I think the one thing I'd add on to that was that when I go to my RCD counterparts, one thing we always talked about was the limitation of our capacity. It's always funding and permitting. And yet we spend all our time doing just that is going after funding and get trying to get permits. And so we're not being a resource to the local community. It's like we want to be we're sort of hindered by those two other processes. So when Michael came to me, it was like, Well, if I can make the ways, that we're getting more funding to us quicker, that's churning the way that we're moving that technical assistance more towards helping the farmers we're talking about, hey, I'm not waiting for this grant. But this is a cover crop, I think it's really good for you. What I think's really fascinating is because because as Michael said, we started got a lot of feedback from other people was that this turned in from just the two of us to really be brought in much broader we have Cal Poly involved. We have three other RCDs involved as well. We have a lot of other incident entities and organizations, NGOs, municipalities. And so we've quit calling it like so much of a program, but it's more of a platform.   When did this begin?   I think we launched in 2022.   Oh, wow. You've done a lot of work in a short period of time.   Yen-Wen Kuo  9:33  Yeah.   Craig Macmillan  9:33  This is October of 23. For listeners, as you've done this, you've talked to growers, you've talked to all these folks, what are the top priorities in terms of implementation, project practices that people have said, Hey, these are the things that we want to do, what are the things that seemed to be the most I don't want us popular, but were the most interest is   Devin Best  10:10  BDAs Beaver Dam Analogs. That's one of the big ones, which is not a standard practice with vendor NRCS or CDFA. Is this the climate smart agricultural practices, it's something that's still kind of out there and still new enough. And that's one of the reasons why this is working really well is we can go forward and have sustainable land initiative and be sort of that platform for us to go outside of that. Those are the list of practices, developed the tactic, goal practices, the actual techniques, the implementation, the funding, the monitoring, the ecological benefits, all that information that goes into feeding into those to make them a standard practice, we can do that, and still provide that information under SLI. So that when it does become a practice.   Craig Macmillan  10:51  I want to come to back to Mike. But one thing that I want to clarify, because I don't feel like people understand this, the National Resource Conservation Service has a list of conservation practices, they are numbers, much like the code that you'd get diagnosis code and hospital, everything is tracked by that. And if it's on the list, then you maybe find a place where you can fund it. And if it's not on the list, well, then you're not far as the federal level goes, which can make it kind of tricky beaver brigade. That was kind of what got you into this. I'm guessing it must be very gratifying that a lot of folks are now interested in the same thing. Two questions for you on this. First of all, what is a beaver dam analog? We know about the benefits, but how does it fit into this, this this process? You know, do we need permitting? How do we go about it? What are the costs? Like how do you find people that have land that want to do this? I mean, you had the graduate student that sounds like they did the mapping? How is this? how's this working?   Mike Larcher  11:53  Yeah. So a couple questions there. To start with, like what is a BDA? Do you remember when you were like four years old, and you wanted to put some rocks and sticks in a little creek or something and slow the water down and hold it up?   Craig Macmillan  12:06  Too old? I don't remember when. But 14, how about that? But yes, yes, I do. Remember? Yes.   Mike Larcher  12:12  I have a three and a five year old and they still love to do it at its core. That is what a BDA is, we're basically pretending to be little kids or beavers again, and you're slowing the water down the same thing that the beaver would have been doing if it was still in that area. And what that does is it holds the water in the watershed longer. And so it can actually recharge and go into the ground, it's incredibly low impact shouldn't have any negative environmental consequences. However, when you're talking about doing anything in a riparian corridor, or in California, it's going to involve eight permits, Sequa, from six different agencies at three levels of government   Craig Macmillan  12:58  SEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, by the way, thanks.   Mike Larcher  13:01  So when you think of it that way to do something that a three year old would do, or a beaver would do on his own, is going to take $10,000 in permitting and three years. So that's one of the values of the sustainable land initiative is that we're trying to take an approach where we can aggregate this across property owners. And instead of permitting each individual one, we can actually go after this as a region or as a watershed. Devin, you want to add something to that?   Devin Best  13:27  I do. And then the point being is that as a practitioner, somebody that's actually having to go after and get these permits, they typically will permit one feature at a time. So if you're looking at Beaver Dam Analog, you can only do one feature one permit. And that takes three years, well, we're talking about doing hundreds to 1000s of BDAs. And so as an organization, we wouldn't be able to keep up with that level of detail and information and processing of data, to be able to relate that to the regulatory agencies and make sure that we're tracking all these things without something like the sustainable land initiative, which is what we have.   Craig Macmillan  14:02  And I think that's where you come in. So this is process and process tracking and process design. I'm guessing that's where your expertise would come into this, Mike.   Mike Larcher  14:12  Yes, that's right. So the way the sustainable land initiative works is that any landowner who is looking to adopt more sustainable practices or to find additional funding and would like the RCDs help, they would submit an intake form that takes no more than five minutes. They can do this from their mobile phone. I've we've even had people submit this while driving, which we do not recommend.   Craig Macmillan  14:34  Do not recommend.   Speaker 3  14:35  Don't recommend that no. If it's, if it's a long light, all you have to do is say here's where I live, how much acreage we have, what our vision and goals are for our property. And then RCD staff come out and say this is your vision. We will try and help connect you with funding and permitting to make that happen so that you don't have to spend time going after grants or going after an Dealing with permits yourself will do the heavy lifting. What my company does is we designed a process so that it's really easy and efficient for RCD staff to do this. It's that five minute intake form. And then typically about a one to two hour meeting with the landowner where they'll walk your property, understand your needs, identify appropriate NRCS practices that have been approved and tried and trued. And a couple of things like BDAs, that aren't yet a standard practice, but that might have an appeal to that landowner. And if the landowner wants to do them, the RCD keeps that information. And when a funding opportunity avails itself, the RCD can go after that with a number of properties at the same time, so drastically increasing the RCDs capacity to help landowners here in the region.   Craig Macmillan  15:45  One of the things that I think is interesting here is this is this is a new model. I haven't heard of anything quite like this before, at least in Agriculture and Land Management, you guys are doing stuff already. I mean, you're making things happen. How has the world of funders reacted to this because this is not their norm? This isn't what they're used to.   Devin Best  16:04  Yeah, actually, so one of the best case studies was, actually there's the SB 13, Senate Bill 1383, which is about reducing the amount of green waste that goes to landfills. And it was a you know, it's a mandate, and everybody was scrambling to try and figure out how to make this happen. Our local county slo county Waste Department reached out and said, Hey, RCD, you guys work with landowners? How can you maybe help us as well, you know, and actually, this works out really well, with our sustainable land initiative, I can actually, one identify a number of people that we've already talked to that are interested in compost, I can give you the acreage is I can already have a way to track how that that resource would be dispersed and monitored and reported in a very efficient way. So what would have normally taken us a year or even two years to get a scope of work and figure out all the details and how many landowners etc. We turn that around in three weeks, but that was only three weeks, but I was doing other things. That's not really like three weeks they spent doing it. But that's how quickly we could get the information to them. Right up the scope of work, get a contract, we are already doing it. We're meeting the goals for SB 1383. Here and still counting for 2022 and 2023.   Craig Macmillan  17:09  What about federal funders, state funders, how's that been going?   Devin Best  17:14  So that is something in the process of developing one of the programs we're really hoping to actually make this more attractive for a lot of people is there's the CDFA Healthy Soils block grants that was originally sent out for solicitation we put in two grants for healthy soils, and also for the state water energy and efficiency program. Our thought was that if we had those funds, we would actually be able to give as much as $5 million of funds directly to the landowners. The main thing that was a problem, and I will just say this, honestly, a lot of our cities were hesitant, because we're not administratively designed to have that much capacity for that much money really. And meaning that many that much demand. It was only because we had sustainable initiative, I was like, Well, this is perfect, because not only can we receive those funds, and get those to directly to landowners, but we can actually report it very quickly back to CDFA. And track all that information where it's not on a spreadsheet or someone's notebook somewhere or something like that. It's in a centralized database for us to use. That was one of the things I was really looking forward to getting those funds to sort of see the true power of the platform itself.   Craig Macmillan  18:21  That's fantastic. And that leads them to the next part of the process. So we've we've we've brought people into the system, we then have put together an application for funding, we now have a way of making that efficient, and getting to the funders hopefully funding that then comes in which it sounds like it has now there's a lot of reporting, having worked on grants the past, there's a lot of reporting that's involved, and it takes every form from where how many pencils Did you buy to how many acre feet of water did you move? I mean, just everything. So Mike, this sounds like where the data management is really, really powerful.   Mike Larcher  18:58  So often, when you think about writing a report, if you're starting with a blank piece of paper, that's going to take you a very long time.   Craig Macmillan  19:06  Oh, yeah.   Mike Larcher  19:08  But in reality, you probably know a lot of the information already. And that's what we've done by using standard process is that all of that information that was captured during the original site visit and from the landowners intake form, including what their vision, their goal is, how many acres are on an orchard, how much or natural and all of that valuable data is available at a click of a button. So as you go through the process, you've actually had all these conversations, you've had all that you've discussed that and you've probably even written those notes down. Because all of those components are now digitized. All you have to do is click one button or at least RCD staff just has to click one button within the slides system and it will generate a word report pulling all of that information in and having it look and feel like the report that's necessary for the grant. It really makes it It's easier for monitoring and for tracking, Devon.   Devin Best  20:03  So going back to our original discussion about carbon farm plants, this is where we're really seeing the benefit, where before it would take my staff, many, many months to write a carbon farm plan one, and then to this the funding to be able to get those in place and everything else. Well, so now that we're, actually, I am going to use the word I do not know if its actually true, templatetorizing our businesses, it is now so we're actually taking what we do in our site visits. And we call these resource conservation profiles that collects all this information, we put it into a document for the landowners to have just as a living document. But because Michael's been involved in helping us kind of move these things forward, we're taking all that information and fitting it into carbon farm plans. So now what was taking me a year to write a carbon farm plan, I'm now getting my staff basically a day. And they're getting close to actually writing a full carbon farm plan in a day because we have all that information gathered. And it's just fitting the site visits and the resource conservation profiles, to these templates into these requirements for carbon farm plans. So that's in place, we're also doing the same thing with forest management plans, and conservation plans. So we have a way to make it so that my staff isn't spending all their time writing documents, they're just getting information, putting it in a format that's useful for everybody, whether it's the funding agencies, regulatory agencies, the landowner themselves, but then really transitioning in our conversations away from planning, and assessing, and actually implementing and doing and monitoring what's actually working on the ground. Yeah, go ahead, Mike.   Mike Larcher  21:28  The nice things about working with the rscds is they have this immense expertise and knowledge, they can write a carbon farm plan, I can't do that, all I can do is build the process to make them more efficient and effective. And so we'd still take all of that expertise from people who are highly trained. And we simply turn it into actionable results as quickly as we possibly can. You still have to know how to write a carbon farm plan, you have to be trained and have the understanding, and the scientific and agricultural backing to do it well. But now let's just make all of that information actionable, so that it can go into a plan, yes. But a plan just sits on a shelf? How do we unlock all of that data so that it can easily flow into a grant. So it can easily be tracked over the course of the next five years to say, here's what its real impact was. And that's the power of digitization.   Craig Macmillan  22:21  And that then brings us to, we've gone through the process. Now everybody's concerned about the final outcome. What about monitoring? What about evaluating? Did this work this work better here than better there? Can we improve is that part of this whole process is the post implementation part.   Devin Best  22:38  It is 100%. So that's one of the things when early on, we're designing this processes that we amend to make sure that we're one transitioning RCD staff role from being an administrator. Secondly, being more informative and providing that feedback loop. The other thing too, is if we're doing more of these sorts of things, we can be more informed to CDFA and NRCS, about what practices people like one, what are useful, and Intuit is again, sort of the biggest bang for the buck. At this point, if you look at all this healthy soils practices, I couldn't quite tell you which one is the best one for them to continue pushing forward and Central Coast versus maybe in the northern part of California. But if we do enough of these, we have the monitoring, and I'm shifting my staff time away from administration to on the ground monitoring and reporting and actually talking to people and having that conversation. And I think the main thing I can almost point to is, if you look at what we're doing, we're really sort of putting ourselves back into what they were originally designed to do. You know, back in the Dust Bowl era, not these administrative, let's go chase grants, but really being a resource, a local resource for growers and sort of taking their input and providing it to a higher context, whether it's the state agencies and saying, This is what you should be supporting. This is why we're gonna move this direction, maybe it's BDAs. Maybe it's biochar, maybe it's how these forest management plans fit into a larger context of our secret document, whatever it may be. But we can't have those conversations. When I'm going, Gosh, I really got to get this grant written. And I'm holding my fingers and crossing, hoping that we get something that comes up. So   Craig Macmillan  24:08  The same question, Mike, where now that we've gone through the process, where are we headed? From your perspective? Where are we going to go?   Mike Larcher  24:14  I want to see this really start to expand. It starts with the individual landowner. No one knows what's appropriate for their land as well as the landowner. As as much as a farmer or rancher who has been working that land. They know what they need, what they want. The sustainable land initiative exists just to help them achieve that as quickly and as effectively as possible. I want to see this start to scale. And when we start talking, we can talk about one individual landowner and helping them that's amazing. But when an entire region starts to do it, or when an entire state starts to do it, you start to see some really incredibly impactful outcomes. So we've actually deployed a solution that's quite similar. This is actually bottoms up working with individual landowners, we've done a solution very similarly in Europe from the top down. So within the the nation of Denmark, it allows landowners to select what fields they're willing to follow. And this is very specific to Denmark because it's such a low lying land mass, that's only a couple 100 feet above sea level. Well, they have a lot of agricultural land that is that has been completely drained from wetlands, and is very low yielding. It's only existing because it's already government subsidized. Well, what if we subsidize them to return it to wetlands instead? It is, landowners have been so excited about this initiative that they've had to continue to increase the funding year over year. And this one process on its own, is actually on track to reduce greenhouse gas for Denmark as an entire nation by 20%.   Craig Macmillan  25:52  Wow.   Mike Larcher  25:53  I mean, that's huge. And California is 10 times larger than Denmark.   Craig Macmillan  25:59  And also has its own goals. Yeah, there's a lot of potential here.   Mike Larcher  26:04  So my goal is to help landowners achieve their individual vision. But to do it at such a scale that we're really actually impacting the entire environmental the state.   Craig Macmillan  26:14  On this topic, is there one thing you would tell growers and landowners   Mike Larcher  26:17  take five minutes, open your phone or your browser   Craig Macmillan  26:21  Not while you're driving!   Mike Larcher  26:22  Look for stainable land initiative, not while driving, don't do it while driving.   Craig Macmillan  26:25  If we if we if you search a sustainable land initiative, we'll find you. And we will also put a link.   Mike Larcher  26:30  search sustainable land initiative, let your local RCD know what it is that you want to do with your land. And they'll try and help you fulfill your vision.   Craig Macmillan  26:39  Perfect.   Mike Larcher  26:40  They'll they'll try and make it so you don't have to deal with bureaucracy. And you can spend more time working your land. They'll figure out the permitting in the grants.   Craig Macmillan  26:49  Mike, where can people find out more about you?   Mike Larcher  26:51  You can google us at cBrain, the letter C and then brain like what's in your head. It stems from corporate brain. We designed a software to help enable all this in conjunction with the Danish government about 15 years ago. And we are now the back end of 18 of 21 Danish ministries part of why they're considered the most digitized government in the world.   Craig Macmillan  27:11  That's really interesting. Mike, thanks for being a guest.   Mike Larcher  27:15  It was my pleasure. Thank you for having me.   Craig Macmillan  27:17  Our guests today have been Devin Best executive director of opera Salinas Las tablets resource conservation district located in San Luis Obispo County, California and Mike Larcher is a North American solution sustainability lead for cBrain and we talked about amazing, really fascinating model process that they've been implementing called the Sustainalbe Land Initiative.   Nearly Perfect Transcription by https://otter.ai

What do you know about CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, passed in 1970 and signed into law by then-Governor Ronald Reagan? For more than 50 years, CEQA has been used to inform decisionmakers and the public about the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects but, in recent years, it has been applied in situations for which it was not designed, especially new housing development.  In response, both Governor Newsom and the State Legislature are seeking to amend the law to prevent various activists and opponents from obstructing new housing.  Not so fast, say the law's supporters.  They point to a recent report by the Rose Foundations that CEQA has had little, if any, impact on housing projects across the state. So, who is correct? Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with Professor Deborah Sivas of the Stanford Law School. She teaches environmental law, directs the environmental law clinic and has represented various environmental organizations in the courts.  We will talk about CEQA and whether it is really standing in the way of more housing in California.

In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by Alisha M. Winterswyk, an attorney from Best Best & Krieger, LLP, as they spotlight NEPA and CEQA, their impact, and purpose.

In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by Alisha M. Winterswyk, an attorney from Best Best & Krieger, LLP, as they spotlight NEPA and CEQA, their impact, and purpose.

Phil and Camille bring you the latest discussions in California politics and do their best to crack through the insanity. On this episode, we discuss the controversial law called the California Environmental Quality Act, aka "CEQA" and discuss how far it has strayed from it's original purpose and has been used to halt all progress in California. This episode was recorded on 5.9.23 *The California Underground Podcast is dedicated to discussing California politics from a place of sanity and rationality.* Links Mentioned in Show CEQA 101 https://opr.ca.gov/ceqa/getting-started/#:~:text=The%20California%20Environmental%20Quality%20Act%20(CEQA)%20generally%20requires%20state%20and,impacts%20to%20the%20extent%20feasible  CEQA https://califaep.org/ceqa_flowchart.php CEQA agencies https://ceqaportal.org/tp/CEQA%20Lead%20Agency%20Responsible%20Trustee%202020%20Update.pdf CEQA fraud? https://calmatters.org/economy/2019/05/weakling-or-bully-ceqa-environmental-law-california-development-battles/ Law reform needed https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/04/california-future-environmental-law-reform/  https://www.ocregister.com/2023/03/23/abuses-of-ceqa-continue-to-mount-the-time-for-ceqa-reform-is-now/  https://www.ocregister.com/2023/03/02/will-californias-misused-environmental-law-finally-be-reformed CEQA Hurting Housing https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/signature-environmental-law-hurts-housing/618264/  Unions Hijacking CEQA https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/california-unions-environmental-law-17279821.php How To Make Overdue Reforms to California Environmental Quality Act https://reason.org/commentary/how-to-make-overdue-reforms-to-the-california-environmental-quality-act/ Video: How the Abuse of CEQA Contributes to the Housing Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4WQArhbr0g Video: CEQA is the law that swallowed California https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luZFhpwFtS8 Support California Underground on Patreon at www.patreon.com/CaliforniaUnderground Follow California Underground on Social Media  Instagram: www.instagram.com/californiaunderground YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj8SabIcF4AKqEVFsLmo1jA Substack: https://substack.com/profile/72986149-ca_underground Shop California Underground Merchandise: https://california-underground.creator-spring.com Review the Anchor.Fm Privacy Policy: Anchor - The easiest way to make a podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/californiaunderground/message

On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks with Athena Merage, Director of Development at Merage Investment Group.When her family fell apart, Athena had to learn to fend for herself at a young age. While attending school and working nights, she had to find her escapism, and art was her safe place. Also, since her father worked in construction, she spent a lot of time on building sites, which nurtured her creative side. Each of these experiences prepared her for a career in design and development. Athena has worked on $200 million worth of real estate projects.She'll talk about tapping into nature for work-life balance. You'll learn more about her career path, which took her from receptionist at a civil engineering firm to project manager at Beazer. Her next job was with Royal Investors Group, where she met her colleague who introduced her to CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, in which she specialized.Learning to live frugally at an early age, she was able to change her lifestyle at the height of the economic crisis in 2008. She'll talk about how the financial crisis affected the real estate market and the crucial lessons she learned that she continues to implement today. You'll learn about her operations as the director of development and what gives her fulfillment in her work.On a personal note, she talks about her passion for running, parenthood, and why Sacagawea, the interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark's 1804-06 expedition, is an inspiration to her.Join Matt and Athena for a fascinating discussion about real estate and how to incorporate your passion into work.Enjoy! What You Will Learn In This Show:Athena's definition of excellence.The importance of having a mentor. Why she did not complete her degree. The difference between land development and building development.How to hone your people skills in the workplace. Why she wants to pursue a nutrition degree.And so much more...Resources:The Edge of Excellence

People, and families in particular, are fleeing California in droves. Last year, the population shrank for the second year in a row, in large part because of the lack of new housing and exorbitant prices of the dwindling existing stock. Politicians love to talk about “affordable housing,” but the plans to allow more development go out the window as soon as their talking points are pitted against the agendas of powerful lobbying groups. The infamous NIMBY's of California have found allies in unions, who have together weaponized an environmental “super-statute” that effectively blocks any new construction if it can be shown to increase carbon emissions.Christian Britschgi is an associate editor at Reason Magazine who has written extensively about housing policy. His work shines a light on the root causes of the housing crisis, and why the patchwork of solutions coming from California's legislative houses has failed to significantly ameliorate the problem.Christian will join the show of ideas to explain how the California Environmental Quality Act makes the approval of new housing nearly impossible.What will it take to break through the thicket of regulations when the most powerful lobbies have an interest in keeping them in place?

Governor Gavin Newsom says he expects to collaborate with lawmakers this year on reforms to the state's environmental review law, which has been used repeatedly by opponents of development to block construction. The California Environmental Quality Act, which was signed into law in 1970, aimed to ensure that the environmental impact of a project is taken into account.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED  Guru Jagat, a Santa Monica-based yoga instructor, was known for being confident and relatable. She modernized the esoteric practice of Kundalini yoga. But in 2020, her followers started noticing a shift in her beliefs. Reporter: Emily Guerin, Producer, LAist

If you live in California, you've probably heard of CEQA aka the California Environmental Quality Act. In this episode, Sam and Nat give a very high-level introduction of the CEQA process, its purpose, and opportunities for CEQA streamlining for various housing and multi-use developments.    For more info: OPR CEQA 101 CEQA Portal Topic Paper - CEQA Exemptions SB 375 and CEQA Streamlining   Other Sources: Introduction: The US Is Gently Discouraging States From Building New Highways   CEQA: What are Exemptions Under CEQA and How Are They Used?. Want to save nature? Get to know CEQA CEQA Streamlining Opportunities

In this episode, Water Law Partner Wesley Miliband talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about the policy issues and potential solutions to California's water challenges. About Wesley Miliband: "Wesley Miliband is an environmental lawyer focused on water resources. He focuses on securing and protecting water rights and water supplies, including assistance with water transfers as well as the infrastructure necessary to treat, store and deliver water. His practice lends itself to related environmental issues involving water quality impacts to surface water and groundwater supplies, fisheries and riparian habitats, regulatory permitting, and environmental compliance with federal and state requirements, including the California Environmental Quality Act." Learn more about Wesley Miliband via https://www.aalrr.com/attorneys-Wesley_A_Miliband#Overview Podcast Highlights: “What that means is California's driest six years, over an approximately 128 years that we as a state have been recording precipitation, just happened in the last ten years alone.” - Wesley Miliband on the dire situation regarding California's droughts and water supply. “I would say that our population growth is a massive contributor... We are a growth-intense state, and the existing infrastructure, on top of that, has aged. So I think those are two huge contributors to why existing logistical challenges become even more challenging” - Wesley Miliband on the topic of logistical challenges California faces. “I think a part of it is trust-building-in my mind, it will never go away however much we can advance technology...trust is still a fundamental necessity to getting things done.” - Wesley Miliband on the topic of infrastructure and implementing new projects and ideas. Guest: Wesley Miliband (Water Law Partner) Interviewers: Kevin Karami (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean's Chief Ambassador) Catherine Mah (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean's Ambassador) Music by: C Codaine https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625 https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Phase Commercial Links: https://spp.ucr.edu/mpp This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ Subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast.

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Ethan Elkind is the Director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law and leads the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative on behalf of the University of California at Berkeley and University of California at Los Angeles Schools of Law. He taught at the UCLA law school's Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic and served as an environmental law research fellow. He has a background in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), climate change law, environmental justice, and other environmental law topics. In 2005, he co-founded The Nakwatsvewat Institute, Inc., a Native American nonprofit organization that provides alternative dispute resolution services and support for tribal governance, justice, and educational institutions. His book Railtown on the history of the modern Los Angeles Metro Rail system was published by University of California Press in January 2014. Ethan is also a regular host of the weekly call-in radio show “State of the Bay” on the San Francisco NPR affiliate KALW 91.7 FM, airing Monday nights at 6pm PT.This episode is focused on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which was passed at roughly the same time the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). They were signed by Republican icons Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon respectively.  Mr. Elkind speaks on topics including:Successes and failures over CEQA's 40-year historyCEQA's impact on the schedule of new transmission for renewable energy initiatives.The trade-offs between public engagement and the extent to which local, county and state permitting processes can slow projects that help and hurt the environment alike.How the US has a problem with doing large projects, especially in large transportation projects and how this is described in his recent report, Getting Back on Track: Policy Solutions to Improve California Rail Transit ProjectsSupport the showVisit us at climatemoneywatchdog.org!

  Our guest this week is Paul Cho, CFO of LifeArk, an organization that has designed 3-D printed houses for the homeless.  The first prototype community of its kind is in El Monte, California.  Paul discussed the current challenges in building housing for the homeless, including the bureaucratic hurdles presented by CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, as well as misguided “housing first” policies.  We also ask him what advice he would give Governor Newsom when it comes to mitigating the housing and homeless crisis here in the state.

With California's fire season in full swing, Eric Edwards and Sara Sutherland, senior research fellows with the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in Montana, join us to discuss their new paper detailing how bureaucratic federal environmental reviews – much like the California Environmental Quality Act – add delay and expense to critical efforts across the country to reduce wildfire risk on forestland.

This is the second episode in a series focusing on current events related to the California Environmental Quality Act – known as CEQA - which is intended to inform government decisionmakers and the public about the potential environmental effects of proposed activities and to prevent significant, avoidable environmental damage. In this episode, we have a panel featuring Andrew Keatts, Howard Blackson, Kristin Blackson - moderated by Laurel Glass Lees. The panel offers diversity in perspectives on CEQA as it relates to the California Supreme Court ruling regarding the UC Berkeley housing case. Andrew is the Managing Editor of Voice of San Diego – he sees land use coverage as a way to make sense of the complex land-use decisions governments make while explaining how those decisions affect the daily lives of San Diegans. Howard is an urban designer, author, lecturer, and educator with over 30 years of experience. He works with AVRP Studios in San Diego managing the design and entitlement of mixed-use projects and codes for public and private clients across North America. We welcome Kristin back to join the panel - She is a Senior CEQA Project manager with Harris + Associates, a member of the California AEP State board and co-chair of the legislative committee. AEP is collecting feedback via survey on its DEI Initiative. We you to share your experiences with diversity, equity and inclusion at AEP to help us better understand our current statewide membership and how we can strengthen DEI within our organization and throughout the environmental profession. June 6 is the final day to complete the survey, we appreciate your valuable feedback to help us move forward. To show our appreciation, the AEP chapter with the highest rate of submissions will receive funds to be used towards a membership appreciation event!   Survey link Thanks for your support, and hope you enjoy this episode!

In the first of a two-part series on policy and infrastructure, Michael Bennon joins Francis Fukuyama to discuss the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), its impacts, and how to overcome some of the challenges it creates. In a forthcoming report for California 100 — an ambitious statewide initiative to envision and shape the long-term success of the state — Fukuyama and Bennon use CEQA as a case study of California's governance in an evolving media ecosystem.Michael Bennon is a Research Scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) for the Global Infrastructure Policy Research Initiative. Michael's research interests include infrastructure policy, project finance, public-private partnerships, and institutional design in the infrastructure sector. Michael also teaches Global Project Finance to graduate students at Stanford. Prior to Stanford, Michael served as a Captain in the US Army and US Army Corps of Engineers for five years, leading Engineer units, managing projects, and planning for infrastructure development in the United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Thailand. ABOUT CALIFORNIA 100California 100 is a transformative statewide initiative focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California's next century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. The initiative is incubated at the University of California and Stanford, and is guided by an expert and intergenerational Commission.

Today's show focuses on one of the reasons it's so hard to build new housing in California. It's a four-letter word. CEQA. That's an acronym that stands for the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA for short. CEQA was signed in 1970 into law by then-Governor Ronald Reagan. And, in short, the law requires California's public agencies and local governments to measure the environmental impacts of development projects -- like housing -- or other major land use decisions, and to limit or avoid those impacts when possible. Few other laws have shaped the development landscape of California so dramatically. Today's show examines one of the most recent and most high-profile stories about CEQA and housing that garnered national attention. It's the UC Berkeley case where a neighborhood group called "Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods" successfully sued UC Berkeley's CEQA document saying the university did not adequately address environmental issues related to increasing student enrollment. A judge agreed and ordered an enrollment cap and, to comply with the judge's order, the university sent thousands of applicants letters saying the university may have to cut enrollment by about 3,050 seats because of this issue. Joining us on the podcast to discuss the court case and the legislation that ensued  is one of the best legal minds in California, Alex DeGood of the firm Cox, Castle and Nicholson. Alex is a land use attorney who handles zoning matters, environmental compliance, and litigation. He represents real estate developers before planning commissions and city councils, advises on permits and regulations, and works with public agency staff and elected officials. Alex has litigated land use cases on behalf of developers and property owners, negotiated settlements in environmental matters, and structured complex land use entitlement projects for industrial, commercial, and educational clients.

This is the first episode in a multi-part series focusing on the California Environmental Quality Act – known as CEQA - which is intended to inform government decisionmakers and the public about the potential environmental effects of proposed activities and to prevent significant, avoidable environmental damage. To kick off the series, we feature Kristin Blackson, a Senior CEQA Project Manager with Harris + Associates, where she manages projects with the goal of making CEQA compliance an efficient part of the process rather than a roadblock. As an expert in the ever-changing world of CEQA, Kristin is constantly researching and reviewing regulations to make the process of disclosing environmental impacts seamless for agencies.  She shares her expertise as a professor for the UCSD Extension CEQA Certificate Program, teaching introductory and advanced courses. She is also co-chair of the AEP Legislative Committee, where she has successfully advocated for revising and creating CEQA legislation that benefits practitioners—and the public—throughout California. These roles combine to keep Kristin on the leading edge of CEQA, uniquely positioning her to solve challenging problems.

April 18, 2022 — Three environmental organizations are suing CalFire over the approval of a timber harvest plan by Mendocino Redwood Company which they say violates Measure V; would degrade the watershed of Russell Brook, which is a tributary of Big River; and would damage spotted owl habitat. The Center for Biological Diversity, the Environmental Protection and Information Center, or EPIC, and the Coast Action Group, filed in the Mendocino County Superior Court earlier this month, asking a judge to set aside the approval of the plan. It's the first legal challenge invoking Measure V, the 2016 citizens' initiative which declared that intentionally leaving dead standing trees is a public nuisance. Mendocino Redwood Company, which uses the herbicide Imazapyr in a practice called hack and squirt, or frilling, to kill tanoaks, maintains that the practice is a legal agricultural method under the Right to Farm Act and other local codes. Tom Wheeler, the executive director of EPIC, wants Measure V enforced. “I've been disappointed that Mendocino County has not, on their own initiative, gone and tried to enforce Measure V,” he said. “Because I believe the large industrial timber companies have used their legal muscle to bully the county into not taking legal action against them. And so I hope we can add some legal clarity about how Measure V is applied, and that through our lawsuit we can give the county greater confidence in their ability to litigate this.” In the summer of 2019, Xavier Becerra, who was the State Attorney General at the time, declined Mendocino County's request for an opinion on the legality of Measure V, due to an unspecified conflict of interest. CalFire also uses hack and squirt in study areas within the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. Wheeler elaborated on the role of Measure V in the lawsuit over the harvest plan, which covers 993 acres. “So we are not enforcing Measure V, because we cannot, per the terms of Measure V. The county is responsible for enforcing the nuisance measure there,” he specified. “But we are saying that CalFire, in approving a timber harvest plan that includes hack and squirt, that that is a violation of the Forest Practice Rules.” But Justin Augustine, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the lawsuit is about more than a citizens' initiative that's never been enforced. “Separate from the Measure V issue, we are also pointing out in our complaint and in this litigation overall that this hack and squirt and killing of tanoaks, it's not just a Measure V problem. It's an ecosystem problem, because these tanoaks are a major aspect of the integrity of our redwood forests.” While tanoaks are thought to compete with trees that produce high-value lumber, Augustine argues that they also produce up to 200 pounds of acorns a year, which is a vital food source for wildlife. Regarding the Russell Brook lawsuit, a CalFire spokesperson said in an email that, “CAL FIRE cannot comment on a project that is currently under litigation. The Timber Harvesting Plan was reviewed by an interdisciplinary team pursuant to the Forest Practice Act and Rules, was found to be in conformance with those rules and was determined to have mitigation measures in the plan to ensure there would not be any significant impacts to the environment.” Measure V was championed by Ted Williams, before he became the fifth district supervisor, while he was chief of the Albion Little River volunteer fire department. It was opposed by Jim Little, the Laytonville fire chief, Bruce Strickler, a retired CalFire Deputy Chief, and Marc Jameson, the retired deputy chief and demonstration forest manager. Mendocino Redwood Company claimed that there have been instances where firefighters successfully controlled fires in areas where tanoaks had been treated with herbicide, including the 2008 Mendocino Lightning Complex fires. But Augustine doesn't think the current THP includes enough protection for large old trees that were spared from an earlier plan in 2004. “They're projecting this idea that, don't worry, we'll protect these trees, but they have not disclosed what in fact they are going to do with each individual large old tree. For example, they state in their timber harvest plan, which was approved, that their biologists will determine which ones stay and which ones will go, and to us, that's really the fox guarding the henhouse,” he said. “And not what CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, is all about.” Wheeler added that the results of surveys for botanical species and northern spotted owls were not made public before the plan was approved. “The public has been denied that opportunity to understand what is at stake,” he complained. Both organizations have challenged timber harvest plans in the past. “We've won some and we've lost some,” said Augustine, of the track record for the Center for Biological Diversity. “And hopefully, this one will add to the win bag.”

Across California, cities are dealing with a housing crisis that has resulted in dramatic increases to rent and housing prices. California's state universities are also coping with a housing shortage. Most recently, the lack of student housing has aggravated town-gown tensions in the city of Berkeley, California, where a group of local residents have sued the University of California, Berkeley for increasing campus enrollment, claiming that students seeking housing are now aggravating the existing shortage. Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods sued UC Berkeley in 2018 under the California Environmental Quality Act. The lawsuit cited the university's failure to adequately mitigate the environmental impacts of increasing enrollment. This included traffic, party noise, pricing out local residents, and diverting emergency services. Last year, Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods had a temporary win when UC Berkeley was ordered by a superior-court judge to freeze enrollment at 2020-2021 levels. An appeal on this case from UC Berkeley was rejected by the California Supreme Court earlier this month, which would have required the university to slash its admissions. But soon after, state legislators passed a bill that allowed Berkeley to move forward with its planned 2022 fall enrollment. Now UC Berkeley has 18 months after the court ruling to complete an environmental review. We spoke with Phil Bokovoy, president of Save Berkeley's Neighborhood and Harry La Grande, vice chancellor emeritus for student affairs at the University of California, Berkeley, and Interim Vice President of Student Experience at California Institute of the Arts. 

Across California, cities are dealing with a housing crisis that has resulted in dramatic increases to rent and housing prices. California's state universities are also coping with a housing shortage. Most recently, the lack of student housing has aggravated town-gown tensions in the city of Berkeley, California, where a group of local residents have sued the University of California, Berkeley for increasing campus enrollment, claiming that students seeking housing are now aggravating the existing shortage. Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods sued UC Berkeley in 2018 under the California Environmental Quality Act. The lawsuit cited the university's failure to adequately mitigate the environmental impacts of increasing enrollment. This included traffic, party noise, pricing out local residents, and diverting emergency services. Last year, Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods had a temporary win when UC Berkeley was ordered by a superior-court judge to freeze enrollment at 2020-2021 levels. An appeal on this case from UC Berkeley was rejected by the California Supreme Court earlier this month, which would have required the university to slash its admissions. But soon after, state legislators passed a bill that allowed Berkeley to move forward with its planned 2022 fall enrollment. Now UC Berkeley has 18 months after the court ruling to complete an environmental review. We spoke with Phil Bokovoy, president of Save Berkeley's Neighborhood and Harry La Grande, vice chancellor emeritus for student affairs at the University of California, Berkeley, and Interim Vice President of Student Experience at California Institute of the Arts. 

The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is a 50-year-old law responsible for holding up many projects in the state due to its labyrinthian process and its vulnerability to lawsuits. Across the state, housing developments, schools, hospitals, even bike paths and wildfire mitigation efforts have been stymied by CEQA. Chris Carr, one of the state's top environmental and land use attorneys, and co-author of PRI's new study “The CEQA Gauntlet” discusses the problems with CEQA and reforms that will enable the state to safeguard its environment and at the same time grow the economy.

Impact & Influence Podcast Host Don F. McLean talks with Aristotle Evia, a Biden National Finance Committee Protector-Level Member, Obama Administration Appointee, Former Assistant Attorney General of the District of Columbia & Maryland, and professor. In the interview, Don and Aris discuss his appointment to President Obama's administration, environmental law and how Aris found his niche surrounding the California Environmental Quality Act, teaching renewable energy law, clerking for Judge James E. Graves Jr, what it's like serving in all three branches of government, his military service, and much more. Listen now! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/impact-and-influence/support

Regional news and weather followed by special coverage of the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Then Felton Pruitt speaks with Brian Foss, Nevada County Planning Director, about an upcoming opportunity to learn more about CEQA: the California Environmental Quality Act. We close with a commentary by Betsy Lombard.   Thanks to Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice for their contribution to our newscast today. A live audio stream of the Derek Chauvin murder trial is available here.

"Unfortunately a lot of folks in this area who make decisions about native plants are not cultural practitioners, or tribal cultural practitioners. So their world view point on plants is obscure, and almost different than a tribal's. That means I find things out here to eat, whereas some of the other folks who are native plant lovers will just admire it and try to preserve it, not knowing the plant has a relationship with me and wants to be eaten by me." -- Ali Meders-Knight  Our guest host is life loving contemplative poet Cory Himp Hunt with a segment on Verbena Fields, an outdoor education setting in Chico California. Ali Meders-Knight, Mechoopda tribal member and Traditional Ecological Knowledge educator, details the community interactive native plant work she leads every Friday, and how they are managing plants and seeds, unlike the relationship the community has with Bidwell Park. Meders-Knight also covers the California Environmental Quality Act and vandalism to native American artwork within the city limits of Chico.  This segment first aired on the KZFR 90.1FM Peace and Social Justice Show on Friday, March 5th. The P&SJ Show celebrates 30-years of community broadcasting and can be heard Fridays from 11:30 till 1PM on KZFR 90.1FM, or via livestream at kzfr.org. Sapient Sessions with Cory Himp Hunt airs first Fridays, Pastor Jess Kearns on 3rd Fridays and longtime host and provocateur Chris Nelson the rest of the month. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/imagining-community/message

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo spoke earlier this week at a state senate hearing in support of reforming the California Environmental Quality Act. He says changing these regulations will lead to more affordable housing, transit and  jobs. We'll talk with Liccardo about CEQA reforms, San Jose's housing goals, the urgency of reopening schools, and removing regulatory barriers in order to create jobs. And we want to hear from you: which specific need of San Jose's should the Mayor prioritize?

Jennifer Hernandez from The Two Hundred joins us to discuss the origins of California's housing crisis, how COVID has made the crisis even worse, and what the legislature can do to change course.

Jim Arnone is in his thirtieth year as a partner at international law firm Latham & Watkins. As the firm’s Global Chair of the Environment, Land & Resources Department, Jim has helped his clients navigate the uncertain and treacherous terrain that is California land use law. Over the course of his long career, Jim has seen this body of law grow to become the behemoth it is today, garnering praise from some and opprobrium from others. Listen in as Jim chats with Max about housing, the California Environmental Quality Act, and his outlook on the future of land use regulation in the state.

Volume 1, Episode 2 of the CP&DR podcast features Bill Fulton and Josh Stephens discussing the impending housing crash caused by the COVID19 economic shutdown, the fiscal pain that planning departments will feel as local revenues dry up, and a few court cases related to the California Environmental Quality Act.

While not technically a resident of the Santa Ynez Valley, this week’s guest was introduced to me by a listener who does live here and the stories my guest tells are closely connected to our way of life. Russ Collins, a 90-year-old retired boat captain, has two interesting stories to tell about our beloved Santa Barbara coastline. In January 1969, Collins was working as a boat captain ferrying crew members and supplies, when Platform A blew up, spilling 100,000 barrels of crude oil into the channel in what was at the time, the worst oil spill in history. The aftermath of that spill and its catastrophic effect on marine life, later led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the California Coastal Commission, and the passage of CEQA, California Environmental Quality Act. Collins tells his first-person account of that cleanup effort. And, over two decades later, Collins captained the Vaquero II, a beautiful wooden 65 foot cattle boat, that ferried 100 head of cattle each trip between Port Hueneme and Santa Rosa island. We reminisce about his time working alongside cowboys for Vail & Vickers, the owners of the island. Photographs of the Vaquero II and Santa Rosa island may be found on the website.Aly's Restaurant is featured in Small Business Spotlight.

Devin Lewis is a California Licensed Architect that has spent the last 10 years working with real estate developers determining the highest and best use for properties across the country, and around the world. You can read this interview here: https://tinyurl.com/uj4bqos What are entitlements? Entitlements, in a simplified explanation is what you, as an owner, are promising the city that you or someone that purchases your entitled design will build and it ultimately determines the value of the property. An entitled design is thought out enough to where the city can understand what will be built, what’s propose, what taxes it will receive from any of its operations. And the entitlements are based off of what architects consider a schematic design. So the design of the building will, after entitlements, develop significantly. And development for an architect means something different than development for a real estate developer. But the project will architecturally develop after the project becomes entitled with engineering systems. In order to entitle a project, you need a good idea of the square footage, the functions and what you have planned for that piece of property. What are some of the best pieces of advice that you can share with us in trying to get a smooth entitlement process as fast as possible in a very difficult city? As a property owner developing a piece of property, I think the most important thing is to strive to have an understanding of the process. As an owner, you could experience a great deal of frustration if you’re not aware that an architect is your agent and the architect really is there to help you facilitate the process and that process In most cities it looks like this. You’ll get a schematic design, go to the planning department, set up a meeting and you’ll work with different departments like the police department, the fire department, traffic, public works, sometimes the trash management services for the city to really make sure that at a high level, your project will fit in to the city’s fabric, the city’s functions, and the way the city will tie in to what you’re proposing. You’ll work with a staff member and you’ll present to the planning department. The planning department will actually grant you entitlements. If it’s a large project, it’ll be presented to the city council. When the staff member feels that it’s ready, they will recommend the project for approval. During this process, the architect is folding in the requirements and desires of many different parties. The city is going to bring its requirements and you’re going to meet with community members in community meetings, folding in their desires. Can they give an estimate of more or less how long it would take to get all the approvals from a particular city? We put together a timeline schedule for each project. Entitlement is a difficult thing to quantify in terms of time, especially in San Francisco, because the neighbors have such huge influence over what becomes approved. And it's a great thing that the neighbors have say in the character of their city. One of the main drivers for the amount of time that a project will take is CEQA, The California Environmental Quality Act which requires an environmental impact report for large projects. It's tough to say how long a project will take to get planning commission approval because the neighbors can form large, powerful groups and create lawsuits that actually will stall projects for a number of reasons such as traffic in their neighborhood, the density, and type of use that is being proposed. Devin Lewis dlewis@lpas.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinjameslewis/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/best-commercial-retail-real-estate-investing-advice-ever/support

Based in Monterey, California, Dayton is a policy and political consultant with 22 years of experience dealing with Issues related to construction and development. The discussion centers on the intersection of the California Environmental Quality Act, and project labor agreements as it relates to the $750 million hospital proposed in Elk Grove, Calif. by California Northstate University. Dayton can be followed on Twitter at @DaytonPubPolicy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/elk-grove-news/support

NIMBYism, geographical limitation and weaponized policies have led California to the biggest housing crisis in state history. Can state-level policies fix a very local problem? California housing is an undeniable problem. Rents are too high and there is not enough housing for those who need it in the places they want it. But how did we get here? Why has the development of solutions shifted from a city level to a state level?UC Berkeley MPP student Spencer Bowen speaks with Ophelia Basgal and Elizabeth Kneebone from the Terner Center and California Assembly member, David Chiu. Here are five intersecting causes of California’s housing crisis that they help identify: Limited land and diverse geography Production not keeping pace with booming job market Housing is expensive to build and new methods are limited Cities wield their power to slow down or vote down projects that they don’t like Proposition 13 and the California Environmental Quality Act have been weaponized to limit housing production Talk Policy To Me is a podcast built by students at the Goldman School of Public Policy in partnership with the Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans.Read more and listen to other Talk Policy to Me episodes on the Goldman School of Public Policy's website.Read the transcript and listen on Berkeley News. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The most controversial housing bill in recent California history is back. Does it have any chance of passing this time? Matt and Liam ask Sen. Scott Wiener, the man behind SB 50, about his re-imagined plan to build more apartment buildings around California. First, an Avocado of the Fortnight asks whether the need for nudity should be protected under the California Environmental Quality Act (3:45). Then a review of the flurry of new housing bills introduced on the first day of the legislative session (8:00), including a breakdown of the political obstacles remaining for SB 50, the sequel to Wiener's SB 827 (24:00). Finally, an interview with Sen. Wiener (43:00).

One housing issue will overshadow all others this election: Rent control. Matt and Liam discuss why renewed negotiations to remove a controversial rent control initiative from the ballot went nowhere, and what the campaigns will look like this fall. First, Matt proposes a solution to the Los Angeles Clippers' battles with the California Environmental Quality Act in the Avocado of the Fortnight (3:30). Then a discussion about why negotiations over rent control have been so fruitless (11:23). Debra Carlton, senior vice president of public affairs for the California Apartment Association, stops by the studio to talk about the landlords' perspective (24:00). And Amy Schur, campaign director for Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, calls in to give the tenants' side (47:30). * *We refer to Amy with the wrong title at the beginning of the podcast, we apologize for the error.

An affordable housing project for seniors in San Francisco's Mission District was just taken to court. Affordable housing for low-income residents in Orange County was waylaid for several months. And a homeless shelter for teenagers originally planned for San Francisco's Marina District had to move elsewhere. They're just a few examples of how the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is used as a way to block housing and other types of development. But CEQA’s defenders say the landmark law, passed in 1970, has given California cleaner air, less congestion and sewage, and made it a more desirable place to live. Home developers say that, depending where you are in the California, the onorous fees, codes and CEQA-specific reviews mean they pay at least $50,000 before even putting a shovel in the ground. So do we love CEQA for keeping California from being congested and over-built? Do we champion it as it is because it gives people the power to block development they want? Or should we tell state government to reform CEQA or even scrap it? This is the final part of our Crazy Housing Market Series, held on April 28 in the basement of Graciano's Speakeasy in Old Sacramento which, based on CEQA regulations, maybe wouldn't get the go-ahead for construction today. PANELISTS * Tom Buford, senior planner with the City of Sacramento * Chris Norem, director of government and legislative affairs at the North State Building Industry Association * Howard Penn, executive director of the Planning and Conservation League * Tina Thomas, founder of the Thomas Law Group in Sacramento and original co-author of the environmental-law textbook "Guide to the California Environmental Quality Act" PODCAST TIMEFRAME O to 5:15 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers 5:15 min - Panelists introduce themselves 11:15 min - The layman's description of CEQA, how it works, and what it covers? 14:40 min - How does CEQA affect housing? 16:15 min - What real estate developers and homebuilders think about CEQA, and how they want it to change 20 min - An environmentalist's POV of CEQA and how it should change/not change 26 min - How CEQA has shaped the City of Sacramento, and how it's shaping its future landscape 31:55 min - How does our CEQA act compare and contrast to what other states and the Feds have on the books 34 min - The process for how anyone can file a CEQA-related lawsuit 46:20 min - Does CEQA affect where developers build, and not build? 47:40 min - How CEQA has turned into an industry 49:25 min - How can cities and developers create accurate Environmental Impact Reports on empty plots of land? 1 hr, 1:25 min - How Mayor Darrell Steinberg has affected CEQA and made changes to it 1 hr, 15:15 min - How are local jurisdictions doing in streamlining CEQA 1 hr, 24:25 min - What's the sweet spot for CEQA being streamlined, and the public still having their say?

Bo Links is the co-founder of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. Bo and his colleague Richard Harris founded the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance to protect public golf in San Francisco, and for the past 10 years, they have been leading the fight to keep Sharp Park Golf Course open, despite efforts from various environmental groups to close the seaside links. Sharp Park was designed in 1932 by Alister MacKenzie, and at one time was labeled "The poor man's Cypress Point." Bo has been playing Sharp Park since the 1960's and is one of the course's greatest historians. After a 10+ year long legal battle, Sharp Park was designated as a “Historic Resource Property” under the California Environmental Quality Act, and now the SFPGA's next mission is to restore as much of the original Alister MacKenzie design as possible. Bo and host Kyle Surlow discuss what the journey has been like up to this point, and what will happen to Sharp Park going forward. You can join the San Francisco Golf Alliance by clicking here, and you can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.   This episode is proudly presented by GOLFGUIDE.NET

We're planning a four-part panel series on California's Crazy Housing Market, taking a look at why it's crazy, can it ever calm down, and what can be done -- economically, politically, and locally -- to make it easier for renters and homebuyers to afford a roof over their heads in this state. This first panel is a 360-degree overview of the housing market (the other three will be about Affordable Housing, Gentrification, and the love-it/hate-it effects of the California Environmental Quality Act). We focus on the Sacramento area's real estate and rental markets -- who and what are affecting the prices, what's the forecast for 2017, will anything change, what renters, home owners and potential buyers should know, and other burning questions from frustrated renters and potential homebuyers. PANELISTS * Tom Bannon, CEO of the California Apartment Association * Ryan Lundquist, a residential appraiser who writes the Sacramento Appraisal Blog * Mike Paris, founder and president of BlackPine Communities, which built The Creamery and Curtis Park Village in Sacramento, * David Tanner, CEO of the Sacramento Association of Realtors * Ling Tseng, residential and commercial real estate broker for Lyon Real Estate * Ben van der Meer, staff writer for the Sacramento Business Journal who covers real estate, development and construction PODCAST TIMEFRAME 0 to 6 minutes - Intro to California Groundbreakers 6 min - Panelists introduce themselves 18:30 min - How Sacramento's real estate market did in 2016 -- and how different will 2017 be? 22:30 min - The appraiser's POV on the real estate market and rising prices 27:10 min - What stops and starts are affecting new housing developments here? 29:30 min - The homebuilders' POV: Is it harder or easier to build these days? 33:30 min - Is Sacramento still a great place to invest in real estate? 38 min - How hot is Sacramento's rental market? 43:20 min - Why the Sacramento region overall (i.e., El Dorado, Placer, Yolo Counties) is like a Hot Pocket 49:10 min - Can local and state government do anything to help homeowners and renters out? 55:45 min - How will the Trump Administration help or hinder our housing market? 59 min - The "Bay Area Effect" on Sacramento's housing market 1 hour, 2:25 min - I'm almost 30 and I worry that I can never afford to buy a home . . . is there any hope for me? 1 hr, 10: 55 min - What new types of housing are being built? 1 hr, 13 min - How will the City of Sacramento's skyline change in the future? 1 hr, 15 min - Rent control's effect on the housing market 1 hr, 22:20 min - The NIMBY factor 1 hr, 25 min - Can microhousing work here? 1 hr, 29 min - What does an "Innovative home" look like in Sacramento? 1 hr, 39:15 min - The future of home lending -- are all-cash offers the only way to go? 1 hr, 44:50 min - How dense can we build housing here? 1 hr, 46 min - How do homebuilders take the "uniqueness of Sacramento" into consideration when planning future developments? 1 hr, 49 min - Can rents ever go down when the housing bubble isn't bursting? 1 hr, 51 min - Where did the construction workers and trade labor go, and can we ever get them back? 1 hr, 53 min - Crystal-ball predictions for what will happen in the housing market this year

Digital Detectives hosts Sharon Nelson and John Simek stop by our table at the American Bar Association’s Meeting 2016 for a conversation about California’s water and drought issues with experts Meena Westford, Carolyn Angius, Elizabeth Clark, Heather Riley, and Michael Kiparsky. Together, they discuss the state’s 5 year water shortage and its impact on agriculture, forest fires, citizens, and , yes, the Delta Smelt. Programs and projects are currently in the works to bring relief to the Golden State, but for now conservation is having the biggest impact. Agencies across California are beginning to coordinate their efforts in what is known as closing the water cycle. Simply put, their future collaborations will be synchronized to create a more efficient and comprehensive water distribution system at lower cost. Tune in to learn more about First in Time, First in Right, curtailments, aquifers vs. surface water, the Delta Smelt, and more. Meena Westford is the special projects manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Carolyn Angius is an associate planner & research analyst at the governor's office of planning and research in Sacramento, California. Elizabeth Clark is an attorney at Allen Matkins in the San Francisco office where she practices extensively in real estate law on projects including industrial, municipal, retail, renewable energy developments. Heather Riley is a partner at Allen Matkins in the San Diego office where she practices in land use and environmental issues. She has extensive experience with the California Environmental Quality Act and also represents clients with matters in water and endangered species law. Michael Kiparsky is the director for the Wheeler Water Institute for Water Law and Policy at University of Berkeley School of Law