Yearly Archives: 2016

The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement in response to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) announcement to increase the 2017 conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $424,100 on one-unit properties and a cap of $636,150 in high-cost areas. The previous loan limits were $417,000 and $625,500, respectively.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced an agreement with the owners and operators of Swansea Park Senior Apartments in Los Angeles to resolve allegations that they violated fair housing laws for refusing to allow a resident with disabilities to have a live-in aide and making discriminatory statements to him

A former NBA star was charged today with hit and run with property damage for driving the wrong way on the freeway and causing a crash. Dennis Keith Rodman, 55, Newport Beach, is charged with one misdemeanor count of hit and run with property damage, one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle across a dividing section, one misdemeanor count of giving false information to a police officer, and one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle without a valid license. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of two years in county jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 20, 2017, in Department C-54, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined

Led by the Southern California region, California statewide pending home sales grew modestly in October from the previous year and were down from September as the market begins its seasonal cooldown, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee joined the A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Housing Authority and community partners today to distribute 2,500 frozen turkeys citywide to families in need. This is the 10th annual turkey and food basket giveaway, but the first time that all family housing developments will receive turkeys in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. The opportunity to reach every housing development in the city was made possible due to the donation of one thousand additional turkeys made through Mayor Lee and the City of San Francisco.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has updated its Southern California Daily Energy Report to provide additional information on key energy market indicators for the winter season. This dashboard report includes information that EIA regularly compiles about energy operations and the management of natural gas and electricity systems in Southern California in the aftermath of a leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Los Angeles. Although the leak has since been plugged, regulators have placed ongoing limitations on the use of that facility.

Yesterday, two nonprofit organizations formally filed a complaint requesting that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) investigate whether CIT Group violated and continues to violate the Fair Housing Act through its subsidiary, OneWest Bank. In 2014, CIT Group applied to acquire OneWest Bank, and after receiving regulatory approvals, the merger was completed in August, 2015

A man was convicted today of starting a fire in a Stanton apartment, causing residents of the complex to be displaced. Brandon Tyler Williams, 43, Stanton, pleaded guilty to one felony count of arson of an inhabited property. He was sentenced to 600 days in county jail, three years of formal probation, and was ordered to pay restitution.

Bolstered by healthy sales activity in Southern California and the Central Valley, California existing home sales and median price gained ground in October on a month-to-month and year-over-year basis, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

Representative Mimi Walters (CA-45) today announced that staff will host mobile office hours in Tustin and Mission Viejo on December 1st. Rep. Walters’ staff will meet with constituents and assist them with federal casework issues dealing with Veterans Affairs, Social Security, IRS, immigration/passports, housing, grants, D.C. tours, and more. To schedule an appointment, please contact Donovan Higbee at (949) 263-8703 or Donovan.Higbee@mail.house.gov. Please note appointments are encouraged but not required.

Two Northern California real estate investors have agreed to plead guilty today for their role in a conspiracy to rig bids at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced.

Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement regarding President-elect Trump’s infrastructure proposal.

Solar panels provide pollution-free energy that delivers far-reaching benefits to the environment and the electric grid, said a new report released today by Environment California Research & Policy Center. The report outlines how solar panels on homes, schools and businesses often provide more benefits than they receive through programs like net metering, counter to utility claims that solar owners don’t pay their fair share

Over the weekend, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) penned an op-ed for the OC Register outlining his solution to a growing national problem with sober living homes. In the piece, Congressman Issa makes the case for returning power to state and local government by updating the Fair Housing Act to allow oversight of sober living facilites through his bill — the Safe Recovery and Community Empowerment Act (H.R. 6070).

Mayor Edwin M. Lee and Jeff Kositsky, Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) announced today the City’s plan to end chronic homelessness for veterans in San Francisco

As a result of recent policy revisions, CalHFA will give underwriting and processing priority to CalHFA-financed multifamily developments that include affordable units restricted for Veterans. CalHFA will also now require developments receiving CalHFA subsidy funding to provide a housing preference to men and women who have served in any branch of the United States military

Rising wages and slightly lower interest rates did little to improve California’s housing affordability, which remained flat compared to the previous quarter, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.