California RealEstateRama

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced the Home Facts Data Standard, which sets a standard for providing public access to building and health code enforcement data. Mayor Lee, as Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Technology and Innovation Task Force, will announce the proposal at the USCM 81st Annual Meeting in Las Vegas and encourage other cities to adopt the standard and release building inspection details to the public.

Washington, DC - June 21, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter today to Christy L. Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), calling for an investigation of Bank of America or any other mortgage servicer, who allegedly benefitted by misleading borrowers eligible for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, in response to the release of a new reportfrom the Monitor of the national mortgage settlement, California Reinvestment Coalition’s Associate Director Kevin Stein released this statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Are you a veteran making between $45,000 and $83,650 a year combined family income and dream of owning your own home? Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valley, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate for North Los Angeles County, in collaboration with the California Department of Veterans Affairs, is building homes for veterans in Sylmar and Santa Clarita. The project in Santa Clarita will consist of an 87-home community and the one in Sylmar will be a 12-home community. These green affordable homes are made available to low to very-low income veterans, their families, and families of the fallen.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The new budget recently passed by the Legislature and sent to the Governor includes funding for opening of the new Veterans Homes in Redding and Fresno. In preparation, the California Department of Veterans Affairs has been hiring staff and is now ready to take the first applications for members at the new facilities. The Assistant Administrators for the Veterans Home of California Fresno and Redding and staff will be mailing out the applications this week

SAN DIEGO, CA - June 12, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Following a 2012 California law that authorized landlords to prohibit smoking at their rental properties, the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) has adopted a smoke-free policy for all SDHC-owned apartment buildings, with the unanimous approval today from the San Diego City Council, sitting as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego.

Los Angeles, CA - June 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Monday, June 10, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) will host a Congressional field hearing with representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), homeowners and helicopter pilots to discuss a recent FAA report on the problem of helicopter noise across Los Angeles County. Schiff and Congressional colleagues requested the report in order to develop solutions to the problem of excessive helicopter noise in residential areas

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The CalVet Home Loan Program now offers interest rates as low as 3.90%* on a 30-year mortgage to qualified veterans in the market to purchase a home. CalVet’s interest rates are now very competitive with rates being offered by commercial institutions, such as Chase Bank which offers a rate of 4.00%**, Wells Fargo Bank at 4.13%**, and Bank of America at 4.00%**

Los Angeles, CA - June 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of the Los Angeles County Assessor is urging property owners affected by the Powerhouse fire to contact local Assessor offices for information and assistance about tax relief for property damage of $10,000 or more. Structures may qualify for tax relief

Washington, DC - June 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Lois Capps (D-Calif.), in sending a letter to eight executive agencies urging them to protect surviving spouses from foreclosure. This segment of the homeowner population – often women in their later years – faces unique circumstances that unfairly deprive them of opportunities to avoid losing their home.

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 4, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The California Department of Insurance (CDI) is currently tracking evacuations due to wildfires in the state, including the Powerhouse fire near Palmdale. Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is reminding wildfire evacuees that they may be eligible for reimbursement for additional living expenses due to mandatory evacuations.

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Los Angeles County Chief Deputy Assessor Santos H. Kreimann today announced the completion of the decline-in-value review of properties in Los Angeles County.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded a $34,500 grant to the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura for their participation in HUD’s ROSS Family Sufficiency Program. Funds will allow the Housing Authority to hire a program coordinator to connect local residents with training opportunities, job placement organizations and local employers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- California receives more grant funds from U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) than any other state in the nation to help address the issue of veteran homelessness. The State got nearly $16 million, about 25 percent of all the grant money going to local public housing agencies across the country. Florida was the second highest with about $6 million, followed by Texas with about $5 million

SACRAMENTO, CA - June 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06) today announced that Sacramento County will receive $368,568 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Program. This funding will make 50 housing vouchers available to local homeless veterans through the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA)

FRESNO, CA - May 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Jim Costa announced today that the Fresno Housing Authority and the Fresno Veterans Affairs Medical Center have been awarded $378,840 to provide case management and rental assistance to 70 homeless veterans. The Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program is jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Since the HUD-VASH program began in 2009, there has been a 17 percent drop in chronic homelessness amongst veterans nationwide.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - May 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kennedy-Wilson, Inc. (“Kennedy Wilson”), a wholly owned subsidiary of international real estate investment and services firm, Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: KW), today announced that the company has commenced a registered exchange offer for the $100 million aggregate principal amount of outstanding 8.750% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Private Notes”) issued on December 6, 2012 in a private placement that was exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

WASHINGTON, DC - May 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Representative Henry A. Waxman sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric Shinseki urging him to create a pilot program at the Los Angeles VA Regional Office (VARO) to fast-track benefits claims for 50 chronically homeless and terminally ill veterans within a 30 to 45 day timeframe, instead of the 125 day timeframe proposed by the VA.

SAN DIEGO, CA - May 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- As veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice are remembered this Memorial Day weekend, help is on the way for homeless veterans in the City of San Diego thanks to 185 federal housing vouchers awarded to the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC)

Washington, D.C. - May 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- This week, Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA 25) and Congressman Scott Peters (D- CA 52) introduced H.R. 1997, the Communities Achieving Sustainability Act (CASA). CASA Authorizes the Housing Urban Development (HUD) to make 203k loans to small investors for a 2-year period. This legislation will help revitalize communities (especially those hurt most by the recent foreclosure crisis), increase property values and create economic growth in the housing market.