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Monterey County Housing Digest



New Website Features Information on Care of Backyard Chickens, Sheep, Goats

03/07/2024

The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources advisors has published a new website with information resources for small acreage landowners raising livestock.

Guide to the California Senate Candidates' Views of Housing and Homelessness

02/26/2024

No issue matters more to Californians than housing and homelessness. Catch up on where the major Senate candidates stand on the subject.

Robocalls, Ringless Voicemails and AI: Real Estate Enters the Age of Automation

02/13/2024

As agents hunt for business in Southern California's slow real estate market, some are trying out new ways of tracking down leads. Others are quitting the industry.

How Much Can Your Rent Go Up in California? Check This Website

02/07/2024

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced consumer tools to help tenants and landlords understand how much rent can rise under a state law.

Los Angeles’ One Weird Trick to Build Affordable Housing at No Public Cost

02/06/2024

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

Is Housing Health Care? State Medicaid Programs Increasingly Say ‘Yes’

02/05/2024

States are plowing billions of dollars into a high-stakes health care experiment that’s exploding around the country: using scarce public health insurance money to provide housing for the poorest and sickest Americans.

Approaching Bay Area Deadline a ‘Test Case’ for California’s Housing Crisis

01/24/2024

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

Down Payment Assistance for First-Time California Homebuyers Relaunches with New Lottery

01/18/2024

State officials hope a lottery and an emphasis on first-generation homebuyers will make California’s most generous down payment assistance program more equitable.

Repairing Sidewalks Can Cost Property Owners Big in California

01/04/2024

California state law dictates that property owners are responsible for repairing damaged sidewalks. In Sacramento, this has left some owners facing bills of thousands of dollars or tax assessments from the city.

Nursing Homes Must Inform Patients of Reasons for Forced Discharge

12/31/2023

New law is meant to help nursing home residents understand the reasons for their discharge, and inform them of their rights to appeal.

They Lived in Their Home Almost 30 Years. But California’s ‘No Fault’ Eviction Law May Now Leave Them Homeless

12/25/2023

María Vela’s family has lived in East L.A. nearly 30 years, but new owners of her duplex asked her family to vacate by Christmas. Most evictions are due to nonpayment of rent, but owner move-ins also cause family displacement.

Domestic Violence Shelters Play a Key Role in Fighting Homelessness. Now They Face Deep Funding Cuts

12/19/2023

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

Unhoused Veterans Score Legal Victory in Suit Against VA

12/14/2023

Federal judge David O. Carter has declined to dismiss a lawsuit that could force the Veterans Administration to house veterans experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Carter’s 41-page ruling could pave the way for a trial in mid-2024.

Former South LA Oil Drilling Site Could Become Affordable Housing

12/11/2023

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust recently paid almost $10 million for a 1.86-acre site formerly used for oil drilling. It could be converted into a community center, park and affordable housing.

Coyotes More Likely To Turn Up at Wealthier Properties in San Francisco

12/08/2023

A coyote recently was found at the $27 million Russian Hill home of AI mogul Sam Altman. This relates to a study, which found that coyote sightings were more frequent in higher-income areas of San Francisco.

Thousands of Migrant Farmworker Apartments Sit Vacant for Months

12/07/2023

Even though California is facing a crippling housing shortage, one potential source remains untapped. The state allows thousands of apartments used for part of the year by farmworkers to otherwise sit vacant for three to six months.

State Might Soon Require Replacing Broken A/C Units

12/06/2023

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

How San Diego Hacked State Housing Law to Build ADU ‘Apartment Buildings’

11/27/2023

A 2021 state law has radically changed the housing equation in San Diego. Advocates, developers, and policymakers are split on whether it should be exported to other jurisdictions.

Road Atlas

11/22/2023

I’m part of a band of humans who call themselves nomads, except I’m a part-time digital nomad. The “part-time” is because I still have a house — a sticks-and-bricks, as the nomads call it.

Community Bridges Assists Pajaro Families Facing Eviction

11/16/2023

In the wake of approximately 24 families facing evictions from a Pajaro apartment complex as the property's owners prepare to work through violations cited by Monterey County, Watsonville-based nonprofit Community Bridges has intervened to assist those families.

California Isn’t Losing Residents Everywhere

11/06/2023

Redfin data shows that tens of thousands of more people look to leave California than buy homes in the Golden State. There’s an exception, however: the Sacramento region, which remains one of the hottest homebuying markets in the country.

Tiny Homes for the Homeless—Do They Help Solve the Problem?

10/18/2023

Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice — but how far they go in solving homelessness is a contentious question.

Lawmakers Look to Expand Capital Gains Tax Exemptions as Housing Prices Soar

10/17/2023

A congressional bill would double the current capital gains exclusion. Some say this will help boost the inventory of homes for sale.

Where Are California’s Most Affordable Homes?

10/10/2023

Drumroll, please … Butte is California’s bargain county. The least affordable counties were Santa Cruz, Monterey, Orange, San Diego and Alameda.

CHISPA Has New Chief at Its Helm

10/09/2023

Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association Inc., or CHISPA, has appointed Geoffrey Morgan as its new president and chief executive officer.

Public Utilities Commission to Vote on Plan That Could Make it Harder to Power Homes With Solar

10/05/2023

The CPUC is considering a rule that would gut the payments that solar panels on apartment buildings receive, and many housing groups are blazing mad about it.

Monterey County Now Offering Free, Pre-Approved ADU Designs

09/21/2023

A design-build-development company based in Santa Cruz, which has an established track record providing accessory dwelling unit plans for Central Coast cities, is doing it again, this time for Monterey County.

Multiple Pieces of Legislation Would Give Developers Much Freer Hand to Build Affordable Housing

09/18/2023

A patchwork of bills are giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.

Legislative Fix Would Save Student Housing at Some California Community Colleges

09/05/2023

A June budget deal required community colleges to raise their own money to build affordable student housing. Some campuses said that plan prevented them from building the dorms, even with help from the state to pay the debt.

Community Input Sought on Proposed Salinas Apartment Project

08/30/2023

The county of Monterey is partnering with the city of Salinas and Eden Housing to develop 132 affordable-rate units on a five-acre parcel.

New UC Berkeley Housing Law Won’t Yet Clear the Way to Build Dorms, Even if Approved

08/29/2023

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks proposed legislation to help get around a court's rejection of a UC Berkeley housing plan. But even if the law is approved, its fate is in the hands of the state Supreme Court.

California Has Lost People and Gained Homes. Why Is There Still a Housing Crisis?

08/16/2023

Hans Johnson, an expert in domestic migration, housing, and population projections, explains the state’s population shift and how it’s impacted the housing market.

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