Housing and commercial construction prices could increase under a plan from a government agency focused on transportation issues. Voters approved the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee as part of the Measure C renewal in 2006. While Measure C extended a half-cent sales tax in Fresno County for another 20 years, RTMF...
Down Millions, Fees on Local Construction Could Increase
Housing and commercial construction prices could increase under a plan from a government agency focused on transportation issues. Voters approved the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee as part of the Measure C renewal in 2006. While Measure C extended a half-cent sales tax in Fresno County for another 20 years, RTMF...
US Single-Family Homebuilding Ticks up, Apartments Fall
WASHINGTON — U.S. homebuilding fell last month after reaching a 12-year high in August, driven by a sharp decline in the construction of new apartments. Yet single-family home construction ticked higher for the fourth straight month. The Commerce Department said Thursday that overall housing starts in September dropped 9.4% to...
New California Laws Aim to Speed Housing Construction
SACRAMENTO — A new California law aims to stop communities from delaying construction of new housing projects. It's one of 18 housing bills signed Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. State lawmakers have passed dozens of bills aimed at boosting funding for affordable housing, easing development restrictions and helping renters facing...
450 Miles of Border Wall by Next Year? In Arizona, It Starts
YUMA, Ariz. — On a dirt road past rows of date trees, just feet from a dry section of Colorado River, a small construction crew is putting up a towering border wall that the government hopes will reduce — for good — the flow of immigrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico...
Does GOP Tax Law Help Small Businesses?
At a House hearing to discuss whether the 2017 GOP tax law — the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) — is a “help or a hindrance to Main Street,” small business owners disagreed over whether the law will benefit them in the long run. Justin Conger, owner and president...
Israeli Crews Demolish Palestinian Homes in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM — Israeli work crews on Monday began demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes on the outskirts of an east Jerusalem neighborhood, in one of the largest operations of its kind in years. The demolitions capped a years-long legal battle over the buildings, constructed near the invisible line straddling the city...
Bringing High-Speed Rail to California, One Building Block at a Time
California has long been the leader in innovation, bold action and tackling projects that others wouldn’t dream of. The state highway system, BART, and the Golden Gate Bridge stand out as prime examples of challenging projects that were seen through, and today benefit millions. The vision for high-speed rail is...
Commutes, Jobs at Stake in California’s Clean Air Battle With Trump
Unrelenting commutes. Lost construction jobs. A statewide economic shudder. Prepare for all three if California loses its clean air battle with the Trump administration. That’s the warning from state transportation planning agency officials, who say the ongoing fight over passenger vehicle standards might cause collateral damage to road and public...
Courts Weigh Trump’s Plan to Tap Pentagon for Border Wall
SAN FRANCISCO — President Donald Trump is moving fast to spend billions of dollars to build a wall on the Mexican border with money secured under his declaration of a national emergency, but he first must get past the courts. On Friday, a federal judge in Oakland, California, will consider...