The latest developments in California’s housing crisis are, as usual, mixed. In September, according to the Legislature’s budget analyst, permits for 10,580 new housing units were issued, a 13% increase from August and a 40% boost from September 2018. However, overall housing starts are still running below 2018’s level, meaning the...
Fresno Cannabis: Social Equity and When Stores Might Open
Proposed new guidelines and maps in advance of a Fresno City Council discussion show where cannabis businesses may locate, who may work there, and what the social equity component could look like. The council will discuss a new round of regulations at 11 a.m. Thursday at City Hall. Listen to...
Under Newsom, California Housing Crisis Gets Worse, Not Better
Gov. Gavin Newsom's grand plan of building 3.5 million housing units by 2025 is off to a terrible start. In the first six months of 2019, builders gained approval for 51,178 new homes in California, nearly 20% fewer than the same period a year earlier. That puts the state on track...
Governor Scraps Delta ‘Twin Tunnels’ Projects, Orders New Plan
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom scrapped a $16 billion plan Thursday to build two giant water tunnels to reroute the state's water system and instead directed state agencies to restart planning for a single tunnel. The move is a blow to the vision of his predecessor, Jerry Brown, who had...
California Tightens Rules for Concealed Weapons, Bump Stocks
SACRAMENTO — Californians will have to undergo at least eight hours of training, including live-fire exercises, before carrying a concealed weapon, under one of several firearms bills acted on by Gov. Jerry Brown. The bill helps standardize the state's current patchwork requirements for obtaining concealed weapons permits. It was among...