Yearly Archives: 2015

Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-El Monte), the Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, praised the public release of the final Clean Water Protection rulemaking by the Obama administration. This rulemaking fulfills the requests of members of Congress, state and local officials, industry, agriculture, and environmental organizations to clarify the scope of Clean Water Act protections over our nation’s rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Sixty-six percent of California’s streams, including those that feed into the Pacific Ocean, will regain federal protections under a final rule signed today by top Obama administration officials. The Clean Water Rule restores Clean Water Act safeguards to streams and wetlands that have been vulnerable to development and pollution for nearly ten years.

Nonprofit BRIDGE Housing has received an “A+” issuer credit rating from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a leading provider of independent credit risk research and benchmarks. BRIDGE is a top developer, owner and manager of affordable housing on the U.S. West Coast

California State Parks Director Lisa Ann L. Mangat announced recommendations to the National Park Service for $6,142,673 in funding for ten local park projects under the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) program.  Grant funding is made available if the National Park Service approves the recommended projects

On Thursday, May 28, 2015, U.S. EPA Region 9 Administrator Jared Blumenfeld will join federal, state and local officials and stakeholders at an official groundbreaking to launch construction of the EchoWater Project in Elk Grove, Calif. This $2 billion project will bring the Sacramento region’s wastewater treatment plant to tertiary treatment levels to meet new State requirements to remove ammonia and nitrates, along with filtration and enhanced disinfection before discharge to the Sacramento River.

SR Commercial, a privately held, full-service commercial real estate investment company, has announced the completion of three recent transactions, including two acquisitions and a property sale, according to Adam Robinson, a Principal at SR Commercial. The firm’s recently completed transactions include

Commercial real estate investment banking firm George Smith Partners has successfully secured an $81 million bridge loan through GE Capital on behalf of its client, GH Palmer Associates, for the acquisition of The Paseos at Montclair North, a 385-unit luxury multifamily community located in the city of Montclair, California, according to Gary M. Tenzer, Principal and Managing Director of George Smith Partners

Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced plans for a new 101-unit project to provide housing for 50 formerly homeless veterans and 50 low-income families at 1150 Third Street in Mission Bay and an onsite manager unit. The project will be built on land dedicated to the City’s Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) for affordable housing and is supported with an initial $5 million in private contributions from technology and business leaders marshalled by the San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology & Innovation (sf.citi).

California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) are warning water enthusiasts not to become complacent because of the drought, and to take serious precautions when in or near waterthis spring and summer

In this newly created role, Ms. Weller will be responsible for leading staff in the overall redevelopment of two large-scale, mixed-income, mixed-use revitalization efforts: Jordan Downs in Los Angeles and Potrero Terrace and Annex in San Francisco. She will report to Executive Vice President Kim McKay. BRIDGE is a nationally recognized nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing.

“The decision by Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta farmers to reduce water use by 25 percent makes sense. Following mandatory statewide residential water cuts, it’s a positive sign that farmers not facing any reductions in water deliveries came to an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board to cut back on their water use.

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today introduced the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2015 (H.R. 2538), a bill to take lands in Sonoma County into trust for housing and other non-gaming purposes as part of the Lytton Rancheria reservation. In 1958, the Lytton Rancheria, a federally-recognized Pomo Indian tribe, lost its homeland when it was terminated by the federal government.

The House Majority passed a two-month extension of the Highway Trust Fund, which funds roads, bridges and public transit construction, instead of a longer-term plan to address our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) introduced legislation designed to attract private sector financing to public infrastructure projects.  The Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Act (RIAA) will connect finance and infrastructure professionals with local and state governments to provide them with the technical expertise and pre-development capital needed to attract private investment.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, called today for passage of a multi-year transportation bill and announced she is introducing legislation to expand the TIGER transportation program to bring our nation’s transportation system into the 21st century. Her statement was submitted into the Congressional Record today during a “Special Order Hour” on transportation infrastructure spending, which was organized by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The Congresswoman’s legislation will provide $7.5 billion for TIGER over 6 years, consistent with the President’s proposal to expand TIGER.

As part of the Obama Administration’s continued effort to bring relief to western communities suffering from the historic drought, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced that Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation will invest nearly $50 million to improve water efficiency and conservation in California and 11 other western states.

Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-31) fought to protect California transportation and infrastructure, supporting the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, which will allow authorized federal funding for transportation and infrastructure projects in California and across the country to continue through the deadline of July 31st

al estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson (NYSE: KW) today announced the mandatory conversion of all outstanding shares of its series A preferred stock that were issued in May and June of 2010

Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), together with 19 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Democrats, introduced H.R. 2410, the Administration’s GROW AMERICA Act. The bill is a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill that provides robust funding to address our nation’s infrastructure crisis. Democrats offered this six-year, $478 billion bill as Congress must develop a long-term transportation bill this summer

MetroGroup Realty Finance, a private, Orange County-based mortgage banking firm, has successfully arranged $35.7 million in financing on behalf of its client for the acquisition of the 200,000 square-foot Broadcom Building in San Jose, California.