San Benito County Local News: Housing


All Local Housing News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Image caption: Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society

Zoning laws determine what can be built and where. These laws have shaped California, but are they really just tools for social engineering? The history of zoning is closely tied to racial segregation, as well as the state's shortage of …

Image caption: Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?

California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is the housing crisis a cause?

Image caption: Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners

As California insurance companies have revoked the fire policies of thousands of homeowners, the state has taken steps to get them covered again.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/05/2024
The Public Policy Institute of California, a think tank that conducts vigorous and objective research into vital state issues, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a series of retrospective reports.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/01/2024
California and federal prosecutors have accused software company RealPage of enriching itself ”at the expense of renters who pay inflated prices.”

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

11/21/2024
Floodwaters devastated the small communities of Pajaro and Planada in early 2023. California gave each town $20 million to recover – but as residents face down another winter, much of the aid has yet to reach them.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Notice of Availability and Public Review of Draft Sixth Cycle Updating Housing Element

PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD: November 4, 2024, to November 11, 2024. The County of San Benito has given notice of the availability of the 6th Cycle (2023-2031) San Benito County Housing Element Public Review Draft. This update of the Housing Element constitutes an amendment of the General Plan and, pursuant to Government Code §65585, a 7-day review and comment period is provided.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

10/28/2024
Image for display with article titled Despite Housing Crisis, San Benito County Planners Deny Project

After a two-year-long push and pull, the San Benito County Planning Commission denied the 141 single-family-unit project known as Lands of Lee, proposed for Fairview Road in Hollister.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/17/2024
Multiple state agencies spent nearly $24 billion on housing and homeless programs in the first five years of Gavin Newsom’s governorship, but the number of people without homes continued to grow, rising by 20% to more than 180,000 in the most recent federal count in 2023.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/09/2024
California allotted half a billion dollars to help community land trusts across the state. But budget cuts and bureaucracy have land trust advocates back where they were in 2020: seeking state aid to preserve affordable housing.

California Local Pin Marker From The Sacramento Bee...

10/08/2024
How to apply rebate as part of the recent $80 million state program to electrify homes.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

10/07/2024
Image for display with article titled New Law Allows More Farmworker Housing Development in Santa Clara County

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a new state law that could lead to more farmworker housing development in Santa Clara County.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/30/2024
Homeless service providers are scaling back and taking out loans as they wait for late payments from the government.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/25/2024
Many California farmworkers have long lacked safe and affordable places to sleep — an issue thrown into sharp relief after last year’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, which left seven agricultural workers dead.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/24/2024
Tenant advocates say giving renters 10 days to respond to eviction notices, up from 5, will help those who live in rural areas and have trouble finding legal help. Some landlords argue it will increase their costs.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/19/2024
At a CalMatters event, California’s insurance commissioner says the changes he’s making will help homeowners and business owners. One idea: A state grant for those who spend money to protect their property from wildfires.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

09/18/2024
Image for display with article titled Concerned About Traffic, San Benito Planners Withhold Housing Project OK

Two years after it was conceived, the plan for the 141 single-family unit project known as Lands of Lee, proposed to be built on Fairview Road in Hollister, has yet to be approved.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/13/2024
California’s inland regions are experiencing dangerous heat waves, exacerbated by rapid population growth. As more people move away from the expensive coastal areas to more affordable inland communities, these regions are seeing significant demographic changes and spiking electricity bills.

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09/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Salvation Army and Cesar Chavez Foundation Join Forces to Empower San Benito County Communities

The Salvation Army Hollister Corps Community Center, in collaboration with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, is launching an impactful program to empower migrant workers and support the unhoused community in San Benito County.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/10/2024
An exclusive CalMatters analysis of the latest California homeless count reveals some good news and bad news: Though the growth rate of homelessness appears to be slowing, the overall number of unhoused Californians increased from two years ago.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

09/06/2024
Image for display with article titled Market Factors Lead to Increase in Renters in South County

With home ownership increasingly surpassing the reach of many Californians and residential real estate prices going up across the board, more people in South County are renting their homes in recent years.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

09/06/2024
Amid a Southern California heat wave, about 300 advocates for rent control — with two 10-foot “greedy landlord” puppets — rallied Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, chanting: “The rent is too damn high!”
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