It is actually an imperative of city health and vibrancy and the old adage, grow or die, is apt.
Growth battle rejoined
Steinberg's land-use proposal seeks to avoid previous mistake
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 9, 2007
State Sen. Darrell Steinberg, who launched and lost a bruising political battle over California land-use law earlier this decade, is once again picking his way through the mine-strewn terrain of growth politics.
But this time, the Sacramento Democrat says, he's stepping more carefully.
Steinberg started out earlier this year hand in hand with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. The organization -- made up of elected leaders from around the region -- had asked him to introduce a bill that would modify the California Environmental Quality Act, making it easier to approve development projects that would tame traffic and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
When the resulting bill, SB 375, came out, members of SACOG were alarmed over language they saw as going too far -- and eroding local government control over growth. The League of California Cities came out against the bill. On Aug. 16, the SACOG board voted to oppose it unless it was amended.
On the surface, the situation is reminiscent of the battle five years ago over Steinberg's AB 680, which so divided the SACOG board that it was unable to take a position.
Lacking even the unified backing of politicians in his region, Steinberg ended up dropping AB 680, which would have required local governments to share some of their sales taxes.
This time, however, both Steinberg and representatives of SACOG and the League of Cities say the mood is far more cooperative, and there's a good chance they'll be able to reach agreement.
"AB 680 was a more adversarial process rather than collaborative," said Lincoln City Councilman Tom Cosgrove, the vice chairman of SACOG.
"Darrell had his position on how he wanted that handled, and he was very adamant. We were also very adamant. This time we both want to reach the same goal."
Steinberg said this week he will put off further consideration of the measure until next year in an attempt to work things out.
"I'm very confident that over the next three months we're going to develop a consensus that includes the cities," he said.
Despite the difficulty of changing development laws in California, Steinberg said it's imperative that land-use patterns be addressed if the state is going to meet the goals of AB 32, the new state law that calls for a 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
