State Sen. Darrel Steinberg is still in the middle of an interminable handoff of the leadership chores in the Senate, but he's advancing a bill that could have profound -- and positive -- impacts on the state's air quality by changing the way California cities grow.
Senate Bill 375 would tie transportation and land use decisions to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state is committed to reducing those emissions by 25% over the next 12 years. Steinberg and others recognize that the greatest enemy of those efforts is urban sprawl, which has caused the number of miles we drive to increase twice as fast as our population. That's an unsustainable pace, and SB 375 would do much to stop sprawl in its tracks.
Essentially the bill would require metropolitan areas to come up with regional strategies for denser, more sustainable growth. The kicker: Regions that develop smarter growth plans would be first in line for state transportation funds. And home-builders would get relaxed rules for building closer to existing urban centers.
Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton writes that Steinberg has assembled "an unusual coalition: environmentalists and home-builders," in support of the bill.
SB 375 has already passed the Senate and awaits a vote in the Assembly, where passage also appears likely. Then it's on to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who ought to be supportive, since greenhouse gas reductions are his signature issue. Of course, the governor has said he won't sign anything until there's a budget deal, and that could take forever.
I personally thin k they need to stop all building for at least 1-3 years. There are just too many houses going up and the vcities can't keep up. Clovis knows how to keep up with the growth but other cities don't have that knack or the funds to build more schools.
I personally thin k they need to stop all building for at least 1-3 years. There are just too many houses going up and the vcities can't keep up. Clovis knows how to keep up with the growth but other cities don't have that knack or the funds to build more schools.
That's a pretty dumb thing to propose...all you people involved/working in construction take three years off.Maybe they can find jobs in the new economy of the environmentalists repairing bicycles and pushing brooms.
Pretty dumb huh? They can build things that are necessary like schools. You obviously don't have children in a school that is so packed they can hardly get the classes they need. I do however see empty homes all over Fresno County. Maybe they can get jobs cleaning up all those delapidated properties.
Stupid is as stupid does...with you not thinking your comment through to its conclusion and with Steinberg's stupid bill based on the false premise of a global climate crisis.The blogger conveniently left the party affilliation of Steinberg out of the post.Found it in the article though...yep, he's a leftist soon to be in a leadership position.The governor has bought into this hogwash so we can expect this to pass and cost taxpayers and businesses more in the future to implement and maintain all based on environmentalist fearmongering.Stupid is as stupid does.Jay-K and Steinberg(D)...why don't you two take 1-3 years off.
There is a big secret behind Fresno's urban sprawl. To date, not even the experts have been able to figure it out. Click on this link:
http://missmarla.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/the-truth-behind-fresnos-urban-sprawl/