The California County Planning Directors Association (CCPDA)
released its Solar Energy Facility (SEF) Guidance Document and
SEF Model Streamlining Ordinance in February 2012.
The Office of Planning and Research has published new guidelines
for cities and counties to use in updating the circulation
element of the general plan. The guidelines are intended to
help local agencies create balanced transportation networks that
serve the needs of all users, whether driving, walking,
bicycling, or using transit.
Understanding SB 375: Regional Planning in Transportation,
Housing and the Environment provides local officials with a
concise introduction to regional planning as revised by SB 375,
including how regional planning relates to cities and counties in
a region.
The following summarizes major resources to
support sustainability efforts. The summary is not intended to be
exhaustive. Additional targeted or other resources may be
available in individual geographic areas. Because funding
sources, eligibility criteria and availability change constantly,
local officials are encouraged to review the programs themselves
carefully.
The Institute has prepared a legal analysis explaining how
the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008
(sometimes known by its legislative identity: SB 375)
specifically affects local agencies.
A key premise of the Institute for Local Government’s
sustainability program efforts is the value of voluntary action
by local agencies to undertake sustainability policy initiatives.
Local agencies act within the policy context, however, of state
and federal laws.
The Institute has prepared a guide that examines how
the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (sometimes
known by its legislative identity: AB 32) specifically affects
local agencies.
The Institute’s session, Ensuring Mobility in the New
Era, featured presentations on how demographic changes and
interest in more healthy and sustainable communities is sparking
changes in the way local communities plan for transportation.
New reporting rule may affect cities and counties with landfills,
municipal power generation plants, stationary combustion
equipment, or other large sources of emissions.
This UC Davis report analyzes the barriers and catalysts to
sustainable growth and development in Central Valley cities at a
crucial time of rapid population growth in that region. This
report aims to clarify the concept of sustainability as applied
to cities in California’s Central Valley and identify some of the
major factors influencing a city’s ability to achieve
sustainability goals.
This report contains model greenhouse gas reduction policies prepared by CAPCOA for inclusion in General Plans, along with a wide range of related information for local officials.
The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to increase
understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and
to conserve them and their natural habitats through education,
science, advocacy, horticulture and land stewardship.
The California Oak Foundation (COF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
educational organization committed to preserving the state’s oak
forest ecosystem and its rural landscapes.
California ReLeaf works to empower grassroots efforts and build
strategic partnerships that preserve, protect, and enhance
California’s urban and community forests.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District – Tree Benefits Estimator
(a Web based method for estimating the amount of energy savings
(KWh saved), capacity savings (KW saved) and carbon and CO2
sequestration (lbs) resulting from mature trees planted
individually in urban and suburban settings)
The Local Government Commission has developed the Ahwanee
Principles, which outline the elements of integrated,
sustainable, and resource-efficient communities. Communities
designed in accordance with the Ahwanee Principles can reduce
their overall carbon footprint in comparison to traditional
patterns of land use.
