CSAC Annual Meeting 

Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Meeting Agenda

The Housing, Land Use and Transportation Policy Committee meeting at CSAC’s 119th Annual Meeting in Santa Clara County will focus on implementation of SB 375 and sustainable land use planning policies, as well as tribal lands, Indian gaming and CSAC’s policies related to tribal government-to-government relations.

The agenda includes a lineup of prominent state executives, including Secretary Anna Caballero from the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, who will provide an informational update on the Agency’s priorities and agenda for SB 375 implementation from the housing perspective, and Mike McCoy, Executive Director of the Strategic Growth Council, who will discuss initiatives currently being undertaken by the Council to promote sustainable land use planning and facilitate SB 375 implementation. Although not reflected in the current agenda packet, Will Kempton, Executive Director of Transportation California, has been added to the speaker lineup and will address the committee on potential statewide revenue options for transportation.

On the issue of tribal lands and Indian gaming, Joe Dhillon, the Governor’s new Senior Advisor for Tribal Negotiations, will discuss the Administration’s policies on tribal trust land acquisitions and negotiations of state-tribal gaming compacts. County Counsels from Napa and Sonoma counties will present on the upcoming Congressional hearing related to trust land acquisition and new federal regulations governing appeals of trust land decisions, and CSAC staff will solicit input regarding CSAC’s existing policies on tribal intergovernmental affairs and the need to develop additional policy in this area.

Finally, CSAC staff will engage the committee in a discussion of its policy purview and efforts staff can make to better engage our members and fully utilize the tremendous advocacy and informational resources available in California’s counties.

We look forward to seeing you at the Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Meeting. The meeting will take place from 10 AM – 12 PM on Wednesday, November 20th in Ballroom A1 of the San Jose Convention Center. The agenda packet is available online at the CSAC 2013 Annual Meeting website.

Land Use

Deadline Fast Apporaching for Local Coastal Grant Program Applications

The California Coastal Commission has made available $1 million in grant funding for cities and counties to support the development or update of their Local Coastal Programs (LCPs) to conserve and protect coastal resources with special emphasis on addressing impacts from climate change and sea-level rise. The coastal zone spans the jurisdiction of 76 local governments, 15 of which are counties. While a majority of jurisdictions have adopted certified LCPs for their respective segments, 36 plan segments remain without a certified LCP. The Commission retains responsibility for development permits for coastal zone segments without a certified LCP. In order to return land use decision-making authority back to counties and cities, funding for local coastal planning efforts is necessary. Developing an LCP, while an important endeavor, can be a costly and time-consuming process and local planning efforts are generally underfunded. Local planning efforts have also been inhibited in recent years due to the Great Recession.  As such, CSAC is supportive of the Coastal Commissions efforts to generate and increase funding for the development and updating of LCPs, and other efforts that will enhance the efficiency and accountability of the local coastal planning process.

For more information on the eligibility priorities and criteria for reviewing and awarding grant funds, please visit the Coastal Commission website. The application deadline for the LCP Grant program is fast approaching. Applications are due by 5 pm, November 22nd.