From cap-and-trade to CEQA reform to regional plan development, 2013 is shaping up to be a big year! With so much happening around the state in the effort to build more sustainable communities, we thought we’d put together a quick list of things to keep an eye on in the coming months.

Earlier this week, Sacramento County approved the controversial Cordova Hills project, a sprawling and far-flung subdivision outside the region’s urban footprint.  Cordova Hills flies in the face of the Sacramento Region’s 2012 Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), hailed by ClimatePlan and others as a model for SB 375 implementation. The debate over this project offers an interesting case study for SB 375’s impact on local land use decisions.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) met last week to discuss progress of SB 375 implementation in the San Joaquin Valley, and while there was no action being taken, nearly twenty speakers addressed the Board.

A lot has changed over the past two years as the eight county governments in the San Joaquin Valley began work on their Sustainable Communities Strategies.

As we reflect on the past year, we want to start by expressing our gratitude for all of the groups and individuals we work with. ClimatePlan came together as a cohort of eleven organizations working together with no paid staff, and faced a seemingly insurmountable task. Now we are a coalition of almost 50 partners with connections to dozens more. We’ve already accomplished so much together and with our collective movement strong and growing, we look forward to what we will do in the coming year.

Now, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are our Highlights of 2012.  It’s been an action-packed year!