San Benito County Housing Digest

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.

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.

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.

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.

Almost 20 months ago, 12 families began transforming the site of an old demolished hospital on Southside Road into Riverview Estates II as they learned how to build their own homes with the help of the Community Services Development Corporation.

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.

Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $95 million would help undocumented workers rebuild after winter storms and floods. Months later, $18 million is being doled out and there are translation issues with the state’s website.

Many local governments see voter majorities approve bond measures without reaching the two-thirds required. A new effort to reform that system would drastically improve the ability of local governments to fund housing and infrastructure projects.

Those who attended Hollister’s inclusionary housing ordinance workshop received a presentation on the various technical requirements, such as in-lieu fees and design standards.

The lack of enough places for everyone to live has sent coastal rent prices inland, removing large swaths of previously cheaper rental units.

For the first time, San Diego has surpassed San Francisco for average rental rates, making the All-American City the nation’s third-most expensive rental market, according to a Zillow report. But San Jose had the nation’s highest monthly rent with $3,411.

Most of what Californians experience with homelessness occurs along public spaces and city streets. But what happens when a city council member loses her home? Ojai’s Suza Francina is finding out.

In a June 6 presentation by Resource Management Agency Planning and Building Director Abraham Prado outlined San Benito County’s 2035 General Plan Housing Element to a joint session of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commissioners.

Thousands of Californians who lost work during the pandemic are struggling with debt. A new settlement makes COVID rent relief available to tens of thousands of tenants.

Wildfires and expensive rebuilding wiped out their profits, California home insurers say. State Farm isn’t the first insurer to retreat from the state, and may not be the last.

California officials depend largely on residents filing complaints to find out about health and safety problems at mobile home parks. Here’s how to file a complaint.

New numbers show that California added to its housing stock at a faster clip than any time since the Great Recession. Over that same period, the state’s population declined, marking the third year in a row that it’s fallen from one new year to the next. Does this mean the state’s perennial housing shortage could finally end? The long answer: “It’s complicated.”

A builder in wealthy Saratoga agreed to a strict union-hiring standard to take advantage of a new housing law. But questions remain, including whether the state can both encourage developers to build while also requiring them to reserve jobs for the unionized construction workforce.

The Sacramento Bee has created an interactive map showing how the housing market has slowed in most California counties. While the real estate market was peaking at this time last year, things have changed, with El Dorado County experiencing the largest drop-off.

On March 23 the Hollister Planning Commission unanimously approved the development of 100 multifamily apartments in the West of Fairview subdivision.

Sprawl has allowed Californians to live closer to nature and buy homes where it is cheaper to build. But it has also left millions vulnerable to wildfires and flooding.

Gov. Newsom wants to spend $300 million the first year. But falling home prices and rising mortgage rates are complicating the launch.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to delay state funds to student housing because of the state’s budget deficit. Lawmakers have different ideas on what kind of compromise might be reached.

Sen. Scott Wiener wants to expand and extend SB 35, which forces cities to approve certain developments with affordable units.

It’s been just over a year since 12 families first began learning how to build their own homes during the first stage of the Riverview Estates project in Hollister.

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Nov. 22 to approve a deed restriction and affordable housing implementation plan for Phase 2 of the Santana Ranch Apartments, which would add 55 more apartments to the 110-unit complex. Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki voted against the measure.

A housing development nearing approval in June hit a speed bum when density issues were raised by Hollister Planning Commission. If proposed zoning amendments are approved, building could get under way if the City Council approves.

Council of San Benito County Governments directors voted unanimously to approve the public release of the draft Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation plan for a 45-day review period.

Under a new state law, counties must purge property records of language that once banned people of color from buying homes. While the covenants were made unenforceable in 1948, racial justice advocates say the law confronts the state’s history of discrimination.

As San Juan Bautista creates boundaries for its future growth, the San Benito Health Foundation is planning to build a clinic and 60 high-density housing units on seven acres of land in the town. No application has yet been submitted.

This short video from the California Black Media network explains that as Pandemic Rental Aid Programs come to an end, people are losing their homes.

Seeking to boost home ownership in California, the state has launched a new program of forgivable loans that allows qualified, first-time buyers to borrow up to 10% of a home’s purchase price, and have the debt forgiven if the buyer lives in the home for five years.