California passes nation's first green building code

Long the pioneer of environmentally progressive policy, California became the first state to institute a "green" building code with legislation passed this week. The code, which will go into effect on January 1 of next year, is modeled closely from the US Green Building Council's LEED construction and building energy code. Cities that already enforce green building standards that are stricter than the new state requirements (San Francisco and Los Angeles), will be allowed to retain their local codes. Other cities will be able to adopt individual building codes that are stricter than the state's in the future if they choose.

Among the new building requirements are: plumbing must cut water use by 20%; half of construction waste must be recycled; low-polluting paints, carpets, and flooring must be used; separate water meters for indoor and outdoor must be installed; and building inspections must include appliance efficiency checks. The green building code is part of a state initiative to cut carbon emissions by 25% by 2020. Buildings are the biggest consumers of energy and the largest polluters, responsible for emitting more carbon than transportation and industry combined.

But some environmental groups including the Sierra Club are critical of the plan, arguing that the imposed restrictions are not harsh enough. They also say the two-tier Calgreen system, as it is called, will be confusing for builders and will allow for abuse.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

LAX Bradley Terminal to get $1.13 billion upgrade

LA’s Board of Airport Commissioners approved $1.13 billion in construction contracts Monday for the revitalization of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. Construction contractor Walsh Austin Joint Venture will handle the Bradley West project, which will be the largest public works project in the city’s history. The terminal, which already suffers from overcrowding and chronic delays, hasn’t seen any major improvements since the 1984 Olympic games. Included in the 1 million sf project are added space for ticket counters, security checkpoints, passenger lounges, immigration facilities, and restaurants and retail stores, as well as a capacity expansion of existing gates to accomodate new wide-body aircraft, like Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and Airbus’ A380, capable of carrying 800 passengers.

LAX--and the Bradley Terminal in particular--lags far behind its international peers in capacity
and modernization. The terminal is drab, inefficient, and cramped. Compounding these issues
are the temporary security measures implemented after 9/11, which have yet to be made into
permanent, functional features. But this ambitious project comes at a rather conspicuous time
- the airline industry is suffering its worst downturn in history. Other airports are putting expansion projects on hold, while airlines are cancelling orders for new aircraft. In 2011 passenger volume at LAX will sink to 51 million from its 2000 peak of 68 million. This year, LAX has dropped from the world’s 6th busiest airport to its 8th.

But officials defend that Bradley West is part of a long term vision, and will help equip LAX
for a predicted 2014 recovery in air travel. LAX, which has a good credit history and lower debt
than similar-sized airports, will finance the project with revenue bonds. But first it will have
to increase revenue from concessions and parking, ask Congress to raise the $4.50 passenger
facilities charge, and raise fees and rents for the airlines, which are too low at $11 per passenger.
Whether cautious passengers will go for a fee increase and whether hurting airlines can stomach
a fee increase is yet to be seen.

The project aims for a 2013 completion and will create around 4,000 construction jobs.

LA Tops Forbes' List of Overpriced Cities

Thanks to inflated home prices, an astronomical cost of living, and embarrassingly high unemployment, Forbes magazine slapped the City of Angels with the number one spot in its 2009 list of "America's Most Overpriced Cities." The list was calculated using a combination of 4 measures: average salary for college-educated workers, unemployment rates, cost of living, and the Housing Opportunity Index, which measures a median income family's ability to purchase a home locally. Other California cities on the list were Riverside (#6), San Diego (#9), and San Francisco (#18). Chicago, Miami, New York, and Providence rounded out the top five.

At 10.3%, unemployment in Los Angeles is one of the highest of American cities. In the last two years, residential building permit rates have dropped 82%, and the unemployment rate of construction workers is now 21%, almost double what it was last year. And despite the median home price having plummeted almost 40% from $525,000 to $319,000, the cost of buying a home still ranks among the highest in the country. Only NYC, Long Island, and San Francisco score worse on the Housing Opportunity Index.

And in an attempt to soften the blow and gain hip hop credibility, Forbes even references late rapper and convicted sex offender Tupac Shakur. Frustrated with the high cost of living back in 1996, Tupac proclaimed he would almost rather "live life in the pen," according to the magazine. Were he still alive today, Tupac would likely have little trouble finding a nice pad with $15 million in annual royalties.