WASHINGTON — The number of migrant families and children entering the U.S. from Mexico is so high that Border Patrol is immediately releasing them instead of transferring them to the agency responsible for their release, forcing local governments to help coordinate their housing, meals and travel. "We need to work...
Facebook Charged With Housing Discrimination by HUD
NEW YORK — The federal government charged Facebook with high-tech housing discrimination Thursday for allegedly misusing its vaunted ability to deliver ads with surgical precision to certain groups of people and not others. The civil charges by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could cost the social network millions...
Walters: Poll Underscores California’s Housing Crisis
Two months ago, when the Public Policy Institute of California asked the state’s residents to name the top issues that newly inaugurated Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature should address, immigration was No. 1. Jobs and environmental issues followed, with “homelessness” a distant fourth, cited by just 6 percent of...
Assembly Democrats Want Lower Threshold to Raise Local Taxes
SACRAMENTO — California voters could decide in 2020 whether it should be easier for their local governments to raise taxes and issue bonds for affordable housing, road improvements and other public projects. A constitutional amendment proposed Wednesday would lower how much voter support communities need to raise money for infrastructure...
How’s the Economy? Count the Cranes to Find Out.
By C.J. Hughes To determine the health of the economy, you could scrutinize the minutes of Federal Reserve meetings, pore over the latest economic data and scour trade publications. Or you could simply look up. The towering cranes that rise above development sites can be a useful financial indicator, like consumer...
Oregon Set to Become 1st State With Mandatory Rent Controls
SALEM, Ore. — Faced with a housing shortage and skyrocketing rents, Oregon is poised to become the first state to impose mandatory rent controls, with a measure establishing tenant protections moving swiftly through the Legislature. Many residents have testified in favor of the legislation, describing anxiety and hardship as they...
Walters: Newsom Raises the Housing Bar on Himself
Gavin Newsom began his governorship this month by promising to confront what he described as California’s most important issue, an ever-increasing shortage of housing. “This is the issue,” Newsom said as he introduced his first state budget. California’s chronic housing shortfall, particularly for low- and moderate-income families, and its soaring costs...
Gov. Newsom: Is He Getting Things Done?
Werner: Don’t Blame Environmental Law for California’s Housing Crisis
California is facing a housing crisis of unprecedented proportions. Lower-income residents across the state must choose whether to pay for rent or food. People who can’t cover housing costs are forced to leave their homes, their neighborhoods and even the state. But as legislators resume discussions regarding policy solutions, we...
Are You a Californian Looking for a New Year’s Resolution?
You might be thinking about giving up sweets or going to the gym more. But, for the good of your state, the best thing you could do is swear off this phrase: “We want to protect the character of the community.” The expressed desire to defend community character is a...