Yearly Archives: 2015

California State Senate Bill 252, introduced by Senator Mark Leno, to waive high school equivalency exam fees, for homeless youth under 25, was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 20, 2015. The bill goes into effect January 1, 2016

Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that Sacramento’s Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) is the recipient of a $30 million grant award to implement the Neighborhood Transformation Plan (NTP) for the River District and surrounding area. The funding from this grant will allow a complete replacement and redevelopment of the 218 distressed public housing units within the Twin Rivers Neighborhood.

Congressman Xavier Becerra (CA-34) announced that The Salvation Army and U.S. Veterans Initiative received more than $400,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help homeless veterans with special needs including women, chronically mentally ill, frail elderly, terminally ill, and individuals who have the care of minor dependents.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Lourdes Castro Ramirez will join local leaders in Sacramento, CA on Monday, September 28, 2015 to announce a major funding award that will revitalize distressed neighborhoods and increase opportunity for low-income residents.

California pending home sales declined in August but remained strong, marking 10 straight months of year-over-year gains, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today. In a separate report, California REALTORS® responding to C.A.R.’s August Market Pulse Survey saw a drop in sales with multiple offers compared with July, as market competition cooled down toward the end of the home-buying season.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $2 million Emergency Relief (ER) grant for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of the Valley Fire. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the first steps of a comprehensive strategy to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, an effort that would invest at least $100 million annually in City funding to help house tens of thousands of homeless individuals

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement regarding Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of Senate Bill 107, which takes effect immediately, authorizing San Francisco to use bond financing to expedite the construction of previously-approved affordable housing projects for the Transbay, Mission Bay and Hunters Point Shipyard/Candlestick Point redevelopment areas and allows for the construction of nearly 3,300 affordable homes for the City

U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) led a bipartisan group of California Members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz requesting funding for critical upgrades at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Upgrades include creating a permanent Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and fixing aging electrical systems, which would also benefit Sandia National Laboratory.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced the acquisition and preservation of 2840 Folsom Street, a six-unit apartment building in the Mission District known as the Pigeon Palace. The project was acquired through the City’s Small Sites Program (SSP), which is currently funded through the voter-approved, 30-year $1.3 billion Housing Trust Fund. The SSP provides financing for the acquisition and rehabilitation of privately-owned properties in order to protect existing tenants from eviction, establish long-term affordability and stabilize neighborhoods.

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today announced a $387,097 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for Sonoma County Regional Parks to construct a section of the Coastal Prairie Trail in Bodega Bay, California, part of the proposed 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail from Mexico to Oregon. This .63 mile section of trail will connect State Parks, County parks, shops, restaurants, and overlooks along Bodega Bay’s Highway 1 corridor.

The City of Santa Clarita’s Community Services and Arts Grants Program will once again make funds available to Santa Clarita Valley-based nonprofit organizations in 2015 and 2016. Grant applications will be released at the Grant Bidders Meeting, which will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28, 2015 at the City Council Chambers in City Hall, located at 23920 Valencia Blvd.

U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) announced today that 89-year old homeless advocate and Morgan Hill resident Maria Skoczylas will attend Pope Francis’s September 24th address to Congress as Lofgren’s invited guest.

Department of Business Oversight (DBO) Commissioner Jan Lynn Owen today called on state-chartered banks and credit unions to be leaders in efforts to help communities recover in four fire-damaged counties

MCA Realty, a full service real estate investment and management company, has acquired two multi-tenant industrial assets totaling more than half a million square feet in the Inland Empire for a combined total of $36.8 million.

U.S. Representatives Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino), Ken Calvert (R-Corona), and Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) will award the Congressional Badge of Bravery to four San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies during a ceremony on Tuesday, September 22. Three of the deputies will be recognized for their actions during the Christopher Dorner manhunt in 2013. A fourth deputy will be honored for rescuing occupants of a Victorville apartment who were trapped during a fire

Yesterday, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, wrote a letter urging Congress to enhance American national security by adopting provisions requiring the use of American ships and crews whenever the U.S. exports crude oil. The House of Representatives is currently considering H.R.702, which would lift the longstanding ban on exports of American crude oil. Under current law, exports of North Slope Alaskan oil are exempted from the ban under certain circumstances.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee with Supervisor Mark Farrell introduced legislation at the Board of Supervisors to make changes to the City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance to speed up production of affordable housing in San Francisco for low and middle income families. The legislation, part of the Mayor’s Blueprint to 10,000 announced last week that sets forth a blueprint to provide more than 10,000 permanently affordable homes to families and residents by 2020, will help the City better meet the needs of low and middle income families who need housing

Following a hotter than usual summer of homes sales, California’s housing market cooled in August, but still posted higher year over year for the seventh straight month, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Governor Jerry Brown today joined mayors and governors from across the U.S. and China to sign the U.S.-China Climate Leaders Declaration. The Declaration affirms commitments by cities, states, and provinces to meet emissions targets that exceed national goals established by their respective countries and sets ambitious, verifiable actions to combat climate change while supporting and expanding bilateral cooperation and dialogue