California Committee Passes Superstores Bill

1. In a lawsuit filed on behalf of a San Diego organization, a federal judge has affirmed that Caltrans' Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Program is "clearly constitutional,'' officials announced Wednesday. In June 2009, the Pacific Legal Foundation filed a complaint in federal court on behalf of Associated General Contractors of San Diego, asking the court to declare the program unconstitutional, under provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law, and California's Proposition 209, which prohibits race- and sex-based preferences in public contracting.

2. The Nature Conservancy ranked the the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge as one of its top 10 natural treasures in a list released Wednesday, as Congress considers funding cuts for parks. The refuge is a series of habitats in rural San Diego County that serve as a waystation for migratory birds during the spring and fall.

3. State legislation aimed at forcing developers of superstores to commission economic impact reports, similar to an ordinance repealed in San Diego, was passed by a Senate committee Wednesday. SB 469, if approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, would require developers of stores larger than 90,000 square feet, with 10 percent of the space devoted to groceries, to have studies done on how their projects would affect surrounding neighborhoods.