Archives

The fire that ruined buildings and snarled traffic in downtown Los Angeles this week may not have happened ten years ago. However, loosening of the building codes and the increasing importance on low-cost construction is putting Los Angeles and other areas at risk.

California Members of the House of Representatives released a timeline outlining water negotiations between the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate dating back to 2011. In addition, Members issued statements regarding their ongoing, years-long efforts to alleviate the impacts of California’s drought

The alliance was developed during the first West Coast Mayors Summit, a two-day convening of mayors from Portland, Seattle, Eugene, San Francisco and Los Angeles to discuss pressing issues affecting each of their cities: homelessness, housing, and climate action.

California Members of the House of Representatives released a timeline outlining water negotiations between the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate dating back to 2011. In addition, Members issued statements regarding their ongoing, years-long efforts to alleviate the impacts of California’s drought.

Christy Goldsmith Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), and United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker announced yesterday that Andrea Ramirez, 47, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme that offered bogus loan modification programs to thousands of financially distressed homeowners who lost more than $7 million when they paid for services that were never provided. In addition to her prison sentence, Ramirez was ordered to pay $6,764,743 in restitution.

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) is fighting for low-income and middle-class Americans to have the opportunity to own their own home, provide a safe haven for family, and build wealth.

Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) testified before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health in support of his legislation, H.R. 3484 – the Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act of 2015. The legislation is currently pending in the House of Representatives and would give the VA authority to enter into enhanced-use leases for the construction of supportive housing for Veterans.

Rep. Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) voted for HR 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act. This bipartisan bill updates and modernizes outdated energy policies. This bill helps America continue on the path to energy independence and creates new jobs

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $1,975,339 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 (FHWA).

Mercy Housing California on Thursday joined with its partners, First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles and the Stewart M. Ketchum Downtown YMCA, to celebrate the grand opening of the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA Preschool at its brand new location on the ground floor of Mercy Housing’s Caroline Severance Manor, an 85-unit supportive housing development.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced a goal for his second term of helping at least 8,000 people out of homelessness forever through strategies that stabilize people’s lives through the City’s nationally recognized housing and services and building a system that ends a person’s homelessness before it becomes chronic.

Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Davis, Yuba City), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, applauded the overwhelming passage of H.R. 22, the FAST Act. The bill provides $305 billion in funding for highways, rail and transit over the next five years, including at least $26.3 billion for California—a significant increase over current funding levels.

U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) voted in favor of H.R. 22, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The five-year reauthorization bill passed the House by a vote of 359 to 65. Rep. Royce successfully amended the bill to allow California to receive a waiver from federal HOV regulations that would harm the state.

Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-09) today applauded the U.S. House passage of the FAST Act that included a provision that strikes the prohibition barring municipalities from using tax exempt bonds toward Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) projects. Last week, Rep. McNerney and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) led their House colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging that this provision be included in the final highway-transportation bill language

The San Diego Housing Commission awarding $10 million in new construction funds to create additional permanent affordable housing with supportive services for homeless San Diegans for the second year in a row.

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) is celebrating four decades of partnering, promoting and preserving safe, affordable housing for Californians. Hundreds of thousands of residents have benefited from its programs and products, and CalHFA is poised to open up opportunities to even more through its commitment to lending with a purpose.

Wind power has grown exponentially in California over the last dozen years, and now supplies enough energy to power 1,188,483 homes, a new report from Environment California Research & Policy Center said today. Last year alone, wind turbines in California averted over 9 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution, the equivalent to removing more than 1.9 million cars from the road

The planned renovation of Ocean View Senior Apartments in the coastal community of Pacifica is made possible in part through the extensive efforts of the California Housing Finance Agency, the State’s affordable housing bank.

As part of their ongoing work to increase affordable housing, address the needs of the homeless, create jobs and invest in the Los Angeles economy, Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and Karen Bass (D-Calif.) welcomed Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro this week to South Los Angeles.

U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) voted against two separate attempts to obstruct the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. The Clean Power Plan would allow states, localities, and energy utility companies to set standards for reducing emissions and encourage investments in innovative, sustainable energy production