Questions and concerns — as well as support — have been raised over a city of Sacramento planning and building department program suspended after it was illegally used to fast-track the Nestlé water-bottling plant. The little-known Facilities Permit Program came to light in late October when Nestlé's renovation of a South Sacramento warehouse was temporarily halted and a city investigation revealed work had started without legally required building permits. Many people, including those criticizing some aspects of the current building approval process, said city staff have worked hard in the last few years to become more developer-friendly by improving the building approval process and re

Nestlé has a green light in Sacramento, according to the city attorney’s office. The Nestlé company’s work to set up a water bottling plant in Sacramento is allowed under the city’s existing laws, City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office said Tuesday. It was clear at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the City Council and city staff are on-board with the Nestlé company’s plans to bottle and sell tens of millions of gallons of Sacramento’s water. The city had placed a stop-work order on Friday at the plant on Nestlé intends to use for its operations. The city said it wanted to verify whether Nestlé had broken any of the city’s permitting and building laws. In turn, Nestle had said the cit