Houston to unite MLK parades in 2026
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rancho Palos Verdes to ban new construction in landslide zone
Rancho Palos Verdes has moved forward with plans to permanently ban new construction across 715 acres of land that has been plagued by dramatic and destructive landslide movement over the last two years. City councilmembers on Tuesday night voted unanimously to prohibit almost all new development, including home additions, throughout the landslide zone, which encompasses approximately 400 homes and 130 vacant, privately owned lots across three neighborhoods. The change to the city's building code would, however, permit repairs, restoration efforts and even the replacement of existing homes, so long as the updates don't exceed the original, damaged home's square footage. It also provides for a way for land owners to apply for an exception. Tuesday's vote is the first step to make permanent a moratorium that had been in place since land movement dramatically accelerated almost two years ago. The change will only take place after a final approval later this month. But with overwhelming support from city leaders, it appears likely to go into effect by the end of September. Read more: Is it finally time to ban new homes in the Rancho Palos Verdes' landslide zone? Despite well-documented issues from the landslide since October 2023, the move faces opposition, especially from homeowners who live in areas that have recently stabilized. Criticism and concern have also come from landowners sitting on undeveloped lots, or from homeowners who were recently included in the designated landslide zone. That designation came after geologists confirmed that the recent movement had expanded past historic boundaries. Many other homeowners, however, said they were in support of the ban. City officials said the changes were about safety, and pointed to the last two years of unprecedented landslide movement. The movement has fractured homes, warped several roads and severed shut off electricity and gas service for hundreds. Though the area has long been known for recurring issues from a complex of ancient landslides that reemerged in the 1950s, the rate and scale of the movement since October 2023 has never before been recorded. 'We're very sensitive about the land and the folks that are now included in this [prohibition] zone," Mayor Pro Tem Paul Seo said at Tuesday's city council meeting. "... But what it comes down to is public safety and well-being for the people on that land.' The city had enacted a similar ban on development in the landslide zone decades ago, but it was repeatedly weakened by lawsuits and exceptions. City leaders on Tuesday said that some of the homes damaged in the recent movement were among a group that fought the initial construction ban, and won approval to build in the landslide zone through a lawsuit in the early 2000s. At least five recently applied for federal buyouts, city officials said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Council GOP pushes to remove residency requirement for city employees
City-County Council Republicans want to remove a decades-old residency requirement for city employees. Why it matters: The removal of the requirement could open up new recruitment opportunities for departments that have struggled to hire, but also dispenses with the long-held notion that the tax dollars paying for public employees should stay in the city. Catch up quick: Since 1977, anyone who accepts full- or part-time employment with the city or county must live within Marion County within six months of accepting the job. Yes, but: The rule doesn't apply to interns, firefighters, IMPD, 911 operators or "persons who have specialized skills or training if there is no suitable applicant for the position residing within the limits of Marion County." What they're saying: Minority Leader Michael-Paul Hart said the proposal came from a roundtable conversation with the county's public safety leaders. "We said to them, 'How can the City Council address the shortages of employees that you are seeing in your organizations?'" Hart said during a press conference Wednesday. "And they unanimously told us: remove residency requirements." Hart said they want to expand the talent pool and retain more employees who may leave city employment when they want to move for more affordable housing or better schools — two issues he said he's heard about from city workers. What's next: The proposal will be introduced to the council Monday, which is also when the next year's city budget will be presented.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sheffield, Kinloch advance in bid to succeed Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield (D) and pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. (D) have advanced to the general election from the city's mayoral primary in a crowded field to succeed outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection. Duggan, a registered Democrat, chose not to run for reelection to a fourth term in office to instead pursue an independent campaign for governor next year, leaving a wide-open race to replace him. The primary was a blanket contest in which all candidates compete on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, with the top two performers facing off head-to-head in the general election in November. Despite the race being formally nonpartisan, a Democrat was almost certain to win in the heavily Democratic-leaning city that hasn't elected a Republican in decades. Sheffield and Kinloch, both Democrats, came out on top of a field of nine candidates in total, which included former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins and City Council member Fred Durhal III. Craig is the only candidate who ran as a Republican, after unsuccessful bids for the GOP nomination for governor in 2022 and Senate in 2024. Sheffield has been the early favorite to win the election, with the limited polling of the race showing her ahead of the rest of the pack. She also put up strong fundraising numbers, raising more than $800,000 this year. If elected, she would become Detroit's first female mayor. She notched key endorsements from the Detroit Free Press editorial board and EMILY's List. But the contest for second place seemed hotly contested ahead of the primary. The candidates broadly agreed about the comeback Detroit has seen during Duggan's tenure. Duggan, who has served since 2014, came into office in the aftermath of the city declaring bankruptcy, but it has seen a resurgence with balanced budgets, declining crime rates and a growing population. Sheffield has emphasized her experience leading the City Council and working with Duggan. But one issue has been about the best way to continue the city's prosperity and spread it to more areas of the city that haven't felt the effects as much. Kinloch is the senior pastor at Triumph Church, a megachurch in Detroit. It has grown to 40,000 members and seven locations, according to the Free Press. His campaign has raised more than $500,000, the second-most of the candidates in the race, Decision Desk HQ reported. Jenkins followed closely behind in the fundraising race with $430,000 raised. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
