Stopping sprawl in Sacramento

For many years, the Sierra Club has wanted the state legislature to pass laws that would move us towards smart growth, preservation of farmland and habitat, and more efficient development patterns to reduce vehicle miles traveled. Sierra Club California even sponsored legislation to require cities and counties to have urban limit lines and minimum levels of affordable housing. But there has not been meaningful action.

The problem is that two equally powerful interest groups oppose such legislation. The home builders hate urban limit lines, housing allocation schemes, and other controls on growth, while local government jealously guards its ability to control land use without state restrictions. This combination has so far been insurmountable. Interestingly, the Farm Bureau is schizophrenic on this issue because some of its members want to keep the ability to sell out to developers, while others want to preserve their lifestyle and fear the encroaching sprawl.

In 2002 one important law was passed and signed: AB 857 (Wiggins, Santa Rosa-D) to establish "state planning principles" including promotion of infill, protection of agricultural land, and efficient land use. It requires each state agency to carry out its functions, including spending, consistent with the planning principles. Agencies were supposed to report on how they are complying with the law by January of 2005, but that deadline has come and gone. Both the Davis and Schwarzenegger administrations have essentially ignored this law. One reason it passed was that the state said, "How can we tell local government how to plan better, if we are not doing so ourselves?" Sierra Club California has been urging the current governor to comply with AB 857, but nothing has been done.

Fighting sprawl remains Sierra Club California's top priority because more efficient land use reduces global warming, saves species, improves air and water quality, and generally uses fewer resources. While we have not hit the home run in the legislature on growth management, we do work on a number of bills that incrementally improve planning and resource protection. For example, we successfully sponsored two bills in 2003 and 2004 requiring all residences to have water meters to encourage water conservation. We also take pride in annually killing a slew of bad bills introduced by legislators (both Republican and Democrat) that would weaken the California Environmental Quality Act or planning and zoning law. It is likely that the best way to get more smart growth will continue to be one city or county at a time and through the ballot box. Californians need to push local officials to pass sensible growth plans to promote sustainable communities and to preserve the quality of life of residents, both present and future.

Bill Allayaud, state director, Sierra Club California