If you dream of buying a new house in the suburbs — or anywhere outside the urban core —the cost is going way, way up because of a California law taking effect July 1. Critics say the law will price new homes beyond the reach of middle-class families at a...
Walters: Capitol Grinds up Major Housing Bill
Even under optimal circumstances, California is extraordinarily difficult to govern — more like a fractious nation than a culturally homogenous state. Our size and our staggering economic, cultural, ethnic, even geographic and meteorological diversity not only create complex issues but make the reconciliation of often bitterly disparate factions difficult, bordering...
High-Profile Housing Bill SB 50 Fails to Pass State Senate
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers have failed to pass the most ambitious proposal yet to combat a growing housing crisis in the nation's most populous state, voting down legislation twice in two days that would have overridden local zoning laws to let developers to build small apartment buildings in neighborhoods reserved...
Councilmen Want to End Dirt Paths to Fresno Schools
Waiting for developers to build sidewalks in Fresno has put generations of schoolkids in jeopardy, and three Fresno City Council members say it's time to end the wait. Councilmembers Mike Karbassi, Luis Chavez, and Paul Capriogio are introducing the "Safer Sidewalks to Schools Program" at next Thursday's council meeting. If...
Councilmen Want to End Dirt Paths to Fresno Schools
Waiting for developers to build sidewalks in Fresno has put generations of schoolkids in jeopardy, and three Fresno City Council members say it's time to end the wait. Councilmembers Mike Karbassi, Luis Chavez, and Paul Capriogio are introducing the "Safer Sidewalks to Schools Program" at next Thursday's council meeting. If...
California Needs to Treat Homelessness Like the Disaster It Is. Let’s Provide Housing First
For the past 23 years, I have led a statewide homeless services and housing development agency. In Los Angeles, I have interacted with four mayors, three cycles of county supervisors, and dozens of city council members. During this period, the approach to the growing issue of homelessness has been predictable....
Will US Supreme Court End Inclusionary Zoning?
In a story that largely has flown under the radar, a major case involving inclusionary zoning in California could be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. A tip of the hat to City Lab's Kriston Capps for his story about a fight over inclusionary zoning in Marin County that began...
California Governor Announces Deal to Cap Rising Rent Prices
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom reached a deal with apartment owners and developers Friday on legislation that would cap how rapidly rents can rise as the state grapples with a housing crisis. The deal would cap annual rent increases at 5% plus inflation, with a 10% maximum increase. That's lower...
Former California Mayor Indicted in Bribery Scheme
PALM SPRINGS — A grand jury has indicted the former mayor of Palm Springs in a public corruption case that alleges he took $375,000 in bribes from real estate developers. Former mayor Stephen Philip Pougnet could be barred for life from holding public office if he is convicted, according to...
One Reason Housing Is so Expensive in California? Cities, Counties Charge Developers High Fees
[aggregation-styles] The Los Angeles Times Subscription SACRAMENTO — A long-awaited study detailing how much cities and counties charge developers to build housing in California found that such costs are often hidden, vary widely across the state and have slowed growth. The report, released this week by the state Department of...