Housing Image

San Benito 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.

Few Residents Participate in Hollister Housing Workshop

03/02/2024

3 residents attended in person, and several more online, as Kimley-Horn, an engineering firm contracted by the city, led the workshop gathering local input on state-mandated housing goals to add over 4,000 units of new housing over the next 8 years.

Planners OK Hollister Multi-Family Housing Projects

02/27/2024

The Hollister Planning Commission issued an extension to a 28-unit project and approved a new multi-family project at 221 Hawkins Street, known as the Brookshire Apartments.

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.

San Juan Bautista Planners Review Three-Story Housing Development

02/12/2024

The 34-units D’Ambrosio Vista project is proposed for Third Street near the sewage treatment plant.

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.

SBC Supervisors Weigh General Plan Changes

01/17/2024

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors proposed changes to the county’s 2035 General Plan’s agriculture policy, as well as its land use element, housing element and circulation element.

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.

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.

Hollister Planners to Discuss 84-Unit Condo Complex

10/23/2023

The Hollister Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a proposal for a condominium project from Bebek Development, a San Juan Capistrano-based company, at its Oct. 26 meeting.

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.

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.

South Road Townhomes Project Gets Permit Extension

09/29/2023

The Hollister Planning Commission approved an extension for a tentative map, conditional use permit, and site and architectural review for a subdivision of 14 townhomes near R.O Hardin Elementary School.

San Juan Bautista Sends Housing Element to State for Approval

09/21/2023

The City Council agreed to send the 2023-2031 Housing Element and Fair Housing Analysis, which requires the city to plan for a minimum of 88 housing units over eight years, despite reservations.

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.

San Juan Bautista Planners Approve 2023-2031 Housing Element

09/15/2023

The Planning Commission voted to forward a draft of the 2023-2031 Housing Element and Fair Housing Analysis to the San Juan Bautista City Council before submitting it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Supervisors Approve Changes to Affordable Housing Rules

09/14/2023

Three changes were approved: terminating the Housing Advisory Committee; adding a requirement to build affordable units within 10 miles of an incorporated city; updating the 20% requirement for off-site rental units among very low, low and moderate income designations.

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.

Featured

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 housing a cause? Could it be a cure?
Join Us Today!