Clearing CEQA: Study vindicates California environmental law

November 3, 2016

By Matt Kramer

Sacramento News & Review

CEQA gets a bad rap but it’s what allows people to provide feedback on plans for development in CA.

Many critics of CEQA [the California Environmental Quality Act] say that the it impedes business and ties projects up in litigation. However, a new Rose Foundation study places the percentage of projects that end up in litigation at only 0.7 percent. This helps shed light on a much-misunderstood law. “CEQA isn’t just about litigation; it’s also about having to do … reviews on projects that have a significant impact on the environment … It’s really the state’s bedrock environmental law.” says Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Change and Business Program at the UCLA and UC Berkeley schools of law. #CEQA helps us protect our environment by requiring “that state and local agencies assess the potential significant environmental impacts of proposed development projects and work to minimize such impacts when practical.”

Sacramento Railyards Plan Wins Approval, But Not Without School Concerns

October 24, 2016

By Steve Large

CBS13

The Sacramento Planning Commission unanimously approved the massive Sacramento railyards plan Monday night, but not without raising some new concerns.

[…]

The Sacramento Unified School District’s Chief Operating Officer testified that the district will need a new school site for hundreds of new children expected to move in.

“So 420 elementary, 140 middle and 140 high school at the low level,” Sacramento Unified School District COO Kathy Allen said. “And there’s not enough facilities around downtown for them right now? I will not have capacity by the time that first student arrives.”

Learn more here: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/10/24/sacramento-railyards-plan-approved/

Folsom annexation blues

October 20, 2016

By Scott Thomas Anderson

Sacramento News and Review

Showered by developer cash camouflaged through a political action committee, the Folsom City Council has quietly led an aggressive annexation campaign that could impact traffic, air quality and wildlife in northeast Sacramento County for decades to come.

[…]

The Environmental Council of Sacramento has raised concerns about the plan, including the impacts on smog and traffic, the effects on hawks and migratory birds and—most prominently—its seeming reliance on a nonexistent stable source of water: The city council voted in 2013 to supply thousands of future residents of the development with surplus water from conservation efforts within Folsom’s perilous local supply.

“They overallocated their water,” said Matt Baker, land use and conservation policy director at ECOS. “They’ve really not provided any kind of plan for an event that could drastically reduce their supply in an extremely dry year.”

Read the full article here: https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/folsom-annexation-blues/content?oid=22531569

James Corless Named Next CEO of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments

September 21, 2016

Sacramento, CA–The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) has unanimously selected James Corless to serve as its next chief executive officer. He will start April 3, 2017. The decision comes after SACOG’s current chief executive officer, Mike McKeever announced he will retire on December 31, 2016. Upon the announcement of McKeever’s retirement, the SACOG Board of Directors undertook a rigorous six-month national search that included input from SACOG’s member cities and counties, SACOG’s staff, and public and private stakeholders. To support the transition, Kirk Trost, SACOG’s chief operating officer/general counsel will serve as interim chief executive officer effective January 1, 2017.

CEQA Workshop hosted by ECOS August 15

ECOS Presents a CEQA Workshop!

What is CEQA and How do you Conduct an Effective CEQA Review?

ECOS is hosting a training for ECOS members on understanding the CEQA process and how to comment effectively. Our focus is a practical look at CEQA and what ECOS committees do when they review a CEQA document. Our topics include:

CEQA process overview
Conducting an analysis of a Biological Section
Conducting an analysis of a Land Use Section
Conducting an analysis of an Air Quality/Transportation Section
Real examples of Mitigation Measures

Join us for an evening of discussion and learning about an important California public disclosure law.

Speakers include: Sean Wirth, Rob Burness, Melinda Dorin Bradbury and others.

When: August 15, 2016 6 – 8 pm

Where: Breathe CA Conference Room 909 12th Street, Sacramento – Breathe CA conference room is on first floor. People will need to ring the bell for Breathe CA at the door and identify themselves

Cost: Free to ECOS Members (become a member here)

RSVP: You have to RSVP because space is limited to 30. CEQA Workshop RSVP’s

DRAFT AGENDA

6:00 – 6:10 pm Introductions (Brandon Rose)

6:10 – 6:30 pm CEQA overview, What is CEQA (Melinda Dorin Bradbury)

6:30 – 6:50 pm Analysis of Biological Resources (Sean Wirth)

6:50 – 7:10 pm Analysis of Land Use (Rob Burness)

7:10 – 7:30 pm Analysis of Air Quality and Transportation (Earl Withycombe)

7:30 – 8:00 pm Going through real life examples Q&A (panel discussion)

The proposed 19J building

July 31, 2016

Ryan Lillis

The Sacramento Bee

The proposed 19J building, designed by HR Group Architects, would stand 11 stories at 19th and J streets in midtown Sacramento. It would include 173 apartments and is the second high-rise building proposed for that neighborhood in the last few months. Mohanna Development [is the developer of the project.]

This Wednesday, there will be a community meeting about the 19J building at 5:30 pm at Metro Electronic’s former site at 19th & J Street, Sacramento‬.

Next week, Nikki Mohanna will attend the Environmental Council of Sacramento’s August 8th, 2016 Land Use committee meeting at 6pm to provide more information about this project and answer questions. Location: Mogavero Architects, 2012 K Street, Sacramento. Feel free to join us. Read the meeting agenda here.