The Almost Daily Briefing
Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community
LOCAL NEWS
As Budget Gap Opens, Walnut Creek Keeps City Paychecks Unclaimed - In a move to stop a developing deficit sink hole in Walnut Creek's budget from getting deeper, and taking more jobs down with it, empty desks at city hall will remain vacant. Walnut Creek City Council voted Tuesday to leave one in ten city desks vacant —and paychecks unclaimed— to shield local services from a growing budget shortfall. Facing a $6.3 million gap driven by a sudden drop in sales-tax revenue, officials are relying on a strategy that leaves one in ten city jobs unfilled but avoids cuts elsewhere. (Patch) Related: Staff vacancies to remain in place to help balance Walnut Creek budget (Mercury News)
Bay Area’s next 25 years: Remote work, sea level rise here to stay, planning forecast says - A plan for the Bay Area’s next 25 years forecasts no end to the work-from-home wave, less demand for new office space, more autonomous vehicles and a two-foot increase in sea-level rise […] The program will be presented at a joint meeting of the MTC Planning Committee and the ABAG Administrative Committee on March 13. (Local News Matters)
Related: MTC: Final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and Final EIR Now Available (Contra Costa News)
OTHER NEWS
Phishing Scammers Impersonating City, County Officials, Demanding Payment: FBI (Security Boulevard)
BART officials approve an alternate ‘doomsday’ plan that still includes closing stations next year – (San Francisco Chronicle) Related: BART board approves plan to close stations if voters reject sales tax measure (KPIX)
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
Design Review Commission Objective Design Standards Working Group
Youth Commission
Environmental Task Force
Planning Commission
The Weekly Roundup
Lafayette Planning Applications Received
Major Development Projects Map
Lafayette Community Information & Emergency Radio AM 1670
Shop, Dine & Gather in Lafayette
Contact the City
HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND CITY PLANNING
Will blocked views and denser housing rattle one of Oakland’s priciest neighborhoods? - Rockridge has long been among Oakland’s most idyllic and priciest areas, exactly the kind of neighborhood that is often resistant to the taller, more populous density housing the city is now planning for it. Yet many of the old-timers and young tech workers who live here seem to have accepted the coming changes as an unavoidable reality of California’s deepening housing crisis. (Mercury News)
Berkeley asks residents for input on parking proposals near transit, business districts (Local News Matters)
Plans to rezone wealthy Berkeley neighborhoods for more housing are scaled back after uproar - The proposal to allow taller development on College, Solano and North Shattuck avenues has faced opposition from merchants and residents, who fear new development could push out small businesses. (Berkeleyside)
BART is turning parking lots into housing. Will 700 new units help its fiscal crisis? – (San Francisco Chronicle)
S.F. lagged behind other big cities in getting housing permitted but it’s speeding up (San Francisco Chronicle)
Marin needs more housing to grow economy, analyst says (Marin Independent Journal)
Foster City lags behind on housing goals (San Mateo Daily Journal)
Davis Moves to Close Affordable Housing ‘Loophole,’ Seeking to Ensure Units Actually Get Built - City Council voted to clarify language in the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance after several councilmembers warned that developers could exploit a loophole allowing them to meet affordable housing obligations simply by dedicating land — even if the city lacked the resources to build homes on it. (Davis Vanguard)
California has 40,000 affordable housing units ready to break ground. One setback is holding them up - Tens of thousands of affordable units across California are stuck in financial purgatory, according to a new report. (CalMatters)
The Bay Area Considers the Unthinkable: Life Without BART (New York Times)
Sonoma County cities seek to curb illegal use of e-scooters, e-bikes use among youth as their popularity soars (Press Democrat)
Bay Area city pays people to bike to work (SF Gate)
San Francisco residents optimistic that speed cameras will lead to drivers slowing down (KPIX)
Three pedestrians have died on S.F. streets this year. Advocates warn more could follow (San Francisco Chronicle)
Sausalito looks to expand downtown parking hub project (Marin Independent Journal)
Could California pause the gas tax or start charging drivers fees based on mileage? (Mercury News)
MIXTAPE
Bay Area, LA to receive over $18 million in federal funds for World Cup preparations
BART introduces new fare gate chimes for better accessibility
Healdsburg Named the Friendliest Small Town in California
Petaluma latest Sonoma County city to debate use of license plate readers
California starter-home affordability nears 4-year high
California house hunters can afford only 12% of homes up for sale
What Would a City Designed for Blind Commuters Look Like?
The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds
MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER LAFAYETTE
Lafayette earns SolSmart Gold designation, showcases climate work, reflecting Lafayette’s work to streamline permitting and inspections, reduce local barriers to rooftop solar, invest in municipal solar installations, and expand renewable energy access for residents and businesses.
AND FINALLY…
Here’s KQED’s list of the top 12 Best Free Walking Tours Around the Bay Area.
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The Almost Daily Briefing (ADB) is an aggregation of links to news articles from local and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, and other news sources. Its purpose is to alert readers to current issues and affairs that may impact Lafayette. The ADB does not promote, favor, disfavor, support, reject, or endorse any position, candidate, campaign, or proposition, and nothing about the ADB, including the selection, presentation, arrangement, or content of the links presented should be construed as an advocacy position.
At times, the ADB features articles from sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. The Contra Costa Library offers access to multiple newspapers online for all cardholders, including the Los Angeles Times (via the ProQuest E-Library digital resource) and the New York Times Digital. Visit the library’s website to learn how to get a library card or access digital services.
If you have questions about the ADB, please contact the City of Lafayette's Communications Analyst, Suzanne Iarla, at siarla@ci.lafayette.ca.us. You can subscribe to the ADB and learn more about Lafayette’s publications and social media sites here.
