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Article Local Works By Jackie Krentzman

‘What they did was extraordinary.’ How this rural, low-income city sped up housing construction

“For a community of 20,000 to produce so many units of affordable housing over the course of five years is unprecedented in California, much less the nation,” said Ed Mayer, former executive director of the Butte County Housing Authority, of Oroville’s efforts.

Article Local Works By Jackie Krentzman

Visalia is a leader in building new homes, including for farmworkers

Farmworker housing is few and far between and much-needed in the Central Valley. Most full-time farmworkers make well below the income needed to obtain even some subsidized housing and often have to crowd together in housing designated for smaller families.

Article Legal Notes By Glen C. Hansen

How to create impact fees for classes of development

Over the summer, the U.S. Supreme Court put an end to a decade-long legal saga involving development impact fees — for now. Going forward, cities can expect to see more federal constitutional challenges to fee programs that seek to mitigate the impacts of new development. 

Article Legal Notes By  Katherine Read

Is your agency ready for wearable smart devices?

Some glasses, watches, and rings allow users to record audio or video without the knowledge of co-workers or supervisors. But while prohibiting this technology in the workplace may seem intuitive, the proliferation of wearable technology makes that impractical.

Article Local Works By Caleb Zimmerschied Valadez

Can we eliminate traffic deaths? Petaluma is trying

“We need to make our roads more conducive for safe driving, and that requires engineering,” said Christina Panza, who advocates for safer bicycling infrastructure in the region. “You’ve got to look at the infrastructure because people are human; they’re going to make errors.”

Article Local Works By Jackie Krentzman

Irvine rounds out its master planned villages with a creative public-private partnership

“[Irvine] has this amazing spirit of innovation that allows it to be able to do creative things, and working with them on the Gateway Preserve and the Jeffrey Open Space Trail is a prime example of the city’s views, values, and abilities,” says Mike O’Connell, Irvine Ranch Conservancy president and CEO.