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Santa Cruz County Housing Articles



Image caption: Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (right) waited until just before Thanksgiving to hit legislative leadership with a drastic overhaul.
Rivas Shakes up Legislative Leadership: Winners and Losers

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.

Image caption: Despite rising homelessness, the state lifted its COVID-era eviction ban. Now renters are feeling the consequences.
End of Pandemic Ban Sends Renter Evictions Soaring

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.

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Housing plans approved for Live Oak, Aptos, Soquel

Bienestar Apartments’ 57 affordable homes are nearly complete on the 1500 block of Capitola Road in Live Oak. The project is at left, behind Dientes Community Dental. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local) 
SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County Supervisors …

Image caption: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has directed the city’s housing department to conduct a comprehensive review of all residential hotels in response to an investigative report.
LA Hotel Housing Story

A hotel in Hollywood is receiving more than twice it would get per room by renting to the city of Los Angeles rather than to long-term tenants.

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Downtown Santa Cruz plan could allow height of proposed hotel

Plus: Residents’ input wanted on climate adaptations for transit.

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Santa Cruz event offers affordable housing strategies

Speakers highlight laws that limited homes and potential fixes.

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Capitola leaders outline areas for new homes

Capitola Mall, Capitola Road among areas targeted for redevelopment.

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Scotts Valley gets first notes from State on Housing Element

The message of the first report card on Scotts Valley’s draft Housing Element from the State: needs improvement. Scotts Valley must comply with the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s requirements by the end of the year in order …

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Santa Cruz County launches housing and homelessness dashboard

County of Santa Cruz has launched a public-facing dashboard allowing the community to explore one of the major issues facing the community: housing costs and how they impact homelessness. Since 1980, the County has added 80,000 people but only 26,000 …

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Housing For People Initiative Heading To The Ballot

The group gathered almost double the required signatures for their petition

Image caption: California's program to aid renters who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic may soon run short of funds.
California’s $5.2 Billion Rent Relief Fund Running Low on Cash

California’s COVID-era rent relief program, long saddled with delays, criticisms and legal woes, appears to be running out of money. What does that mean for the more than 100,000 renters still awaiting help?

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Watsonville housing project due in 2024

Plus: Santa Cruz could require options to tip delivery drivers.

Image caption: California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has a plan that may be the last chance to keep home insurers covering homes in the state.
New Plan to Fix Home Insurance Crisis: What You Need to Know

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveils a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners. Insurers would return to wildfire zones, but would have an easier path to rate increases.

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Santa Cruz County Supervisors move forward on housing element update

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a close look at an upcoming update to the housing element of the county’s general plan, a move required of jurisdictions every eight years. Central to the update is the …

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Sustainability Now! Sunday, September 17th: Why are some people so up in arms about CEQA? with Professor Deborah Sivas, Stanford Law School

Why are some people so up in arms about CEQA? with Professor Deborah Sivas, Stanford Law School What do you know about CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, passed in 1970 and signed into law by then-Governor Ronald Reagan? For …

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A Santa Cruz citizens’ initiative aims to give voters a say in changes to building height limits

Housing for People is a grassroots citizens' initiative campaign. Keresha Durham, Susan Monheit, Frank Barron, and Candace Broen were interviewed in August of 2023 by host Len Beyea about their campaign, what the initiative would achieve if it qualifies for …

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Scotts Valley pushes back on Civil Grand Jury’s housing critiques

Scotts Valley Council members recently got a look at the City’s response to the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury report that was highly critical of the municipality’s failure to build its fair share of housing over the years, contributing …

Featured

Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors
Born amid controversy, this public agency is responsible for managing some of the most precious real estate in the world.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
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?
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 is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
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
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
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