Santa Clara County Housing Articles

Planning Commission stepped-in to mediate a neighbor dispute about a fence, Dec. 13. (Town of Los Gatos)

California lawmakers made an effort in 2023 to remove red tape around building new houses.

California lawmakers made an effort in 2023 to remove red tape around new affordable houses, but obstacles such as high interest rates, sluggish local approval processes and a shortage of skilled construction workers remain.

More than 100 developers backing 240 projects with approximately 20,000 proposed affordable housing units applied to the state's Housing and Community Development Department for more than $3.5 billion, but the state only has $576 million to award.

The state has hundreds of millions to spend on affordable housing. Developers say they need billions.

Local officials counted on the state’s Homekey program to convert hotel rooms. But now a major developer has defaulted on loans and the state housing department is investigating.

California’s rent cap doesn’t apply to some kinds of low-income housing, which has its own rules. But with inflation, some tenants have gotten much higher rent increases, even though affordable units were built with taxpayer subsidies.

More than 70,000 households who needed and applied for state aid to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic by the March 2022 deadline still have their applications listed as "pending." Now they could be evicted from their homes.

Assembly Speaker Rivas puts key allies into leadership posts and shuffles the top posts on committees heading into the 2024 session of the Legislature. One big winner: pro-housing advocates.

Speaker Robert Rivas seems to be laying the institutional groundwork for an aggressively pro-housing legislature next year.

The number of Californians facing eviction was relatively low for years during a lengthy statewide moratorium. In the year after it ended, cases soared and still remain high in large counties.

The number of Californians facing eviction was relatively low for years during a lengthy statewide moratorium. In the year after it ended in June 2022, cases soared and still remain high in large counties.

A $113 million lease-buy-back deal will convert the south tower of the former Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose into a 700-bed student residence hall.