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The White House and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) released statements indicating that they are preparing new Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) guidance designed to “remove existing barriers and accelerate the use of PACE financing for single family housing.” The White House Fact Sheet on the initiative may be found here

A man was sentenced today to 10 years in state prison for attempting to murder his relative as the victim slept in their Trabuco Canyon home. John Edward Kudla, 19, pleaded guilty on Jan. 16, 2015, to one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of aggravated assault with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury.

Two men were sentenced today to 30 years to life in state prison for robbery in concert after breaking into two homes in Orange for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Andre Ricardo Pierson, 25, Inglewood, and Dwight Ladale Stephen, 26, Los Angeles, were found guilty by a jury July 29, 2015, of seven felony counts of first degree robbery of a dwelling in concert, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon with sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity and vicarious use of a firearm by a gang member. Pierson’s prior prison conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon in 2010, and Stephen’s prior conviction for unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm in 2008 were also found to be true.

Today the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released photographic evidence of a new pack of gray wolves established in Siskiyou County in northern California. The pack has been named the “Shasta Pack” and consists of two adults and five pups, all captured on camera. The pups are approximately three to four months old and all appear to be healthy. This news comes just weeks after officials announced sightings of a suspected wolf caught on Siskiyou trail cameras in May and July. The presence of a whole pack in California affirms that wolves know there is suitable habitat in the state and are ready to use it.

California’s 40-year commitment to energy efficiency has saved Californians $90 billion on their utility bills, created hundreds of thousands of efficiency jobs, and will have avoided the pollution from 41 power plants by the end of the next decade, according to a new report published today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the national nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA) will celebrate its 25th Anniversary at the Los Angeles Builders Ball™. Habitat LA will honor its construction and real estate counterparts for their shared commitment to building a greater Los Angeles. Earvin “Magic” Johnson will be recognized for the transformative impact he has made on the landscape of Los Angeles through his work with Canyon Johnson Urban Funds, Magic Johnson Enterprises and Guggenheim Partners.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has made preliminary identification of 21 groundwater basins and subbasins that have been significantly overdrafted by excessive pumping and thus fall under the earliest deadlines required by groundwater management laws enacted last fall

Rep. Napolitano (D-El Monte) attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the final phase of the Recycled Water Project at Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary, calling for more investment in recycling projects across the region.

Helping families re-establish their roots and transition to a place that they can call home is the objective behind the opening of the City’s second transitional housing project. City leaders in partnership with Elk Grove HART (Homeless Assistance Resource Team) and Sacramento Self-Help Housing celebrated the opening of the Meadow House today in east Elk Grove with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the home.

Today Mayor Edwin M. Lee and U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has granted a City request to waive payment standards used to calculate the value of rental vouchers provided to homeless veterans. The waiver in HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program will allow the City to increase the value of rental vouchers provided to San Francisco veterans, so that they have more housing options and will speed the placement of veterans in stable, secure and safe homes in San Francisco.

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) today announced its participation in a new federal initiative in which the U.S. Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will partner with creditworthy Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to provide significantly lower interest rates to preserve and increase affordable housing

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its Tribal Green Building Codes Workgroup—which consists of representatives from tribal nations and federal agencies—announced a new toolkit designed to assist tribes to prioritize and implement healthy, green building policies and practices

Water infrastructure investment represents $250 million in savings, and prevents the annual loss of more than 300 million gallons of water. Mayor Eric Garcetti today released 20,000 “shade balls” onto the surface of the Los Angeles Reservoir, marking completion of a $34.5 million initiative to protect the city’s water quality.

Every region except Kings County posts lower affordability compared to previous quarter. Thirty percent of California households could afford to purchase the $485,100 median-priced home in the second quarter, down from 34 percent in first-quarter 2015 and unchanged from 30 percent in second quarter 2014

More than 200 K-5th grade children who live in the city’s Potrero Terrace & Annex public housing received free backpacks, essential school supplies, LeapFrog learning devices, books and back-to-school information at a special giveaway today.

A woman is scheduled to be arraigned today for shooting and killing her boyfriend outside their mobile home in Garden Grove. Arlene Kathyrn Bautista, 20, Garden Grove, is charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter by lawful act in an unlawful manner with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a firearm. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison.

Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Representative Ted Lieu (all D-Calif.) today called on the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees to facilitate housing for homeless and disadvantaged veterans at the West Los Angeles VA campus

A man is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon for the stabbing murder of his stepbrother in their Garden Grove home. Andres Adolfo Serrat, 25, is charged with one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a knife. If convicted, Serrat faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison. The defendant is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned today, Aug. 5, 2015, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined

This week, the California State Historical Resources Commission will consider nineteen nominations for federal historic designation, and three nominations for state historic designation

Yesterday afternoon, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), a former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Interior Department, met with leaders responsible for overseeing wildfire emergency response in California, including Deputy Director for Fire Protection Dave Teter (CAL FIRE), Chief of Fire and Rescue Operations Kim Zagaris (California Office of Emergency Services), Deputy Fire Director Chris Schow (U.S. Forest Service), and Colonel Todd Lewis, Director of Joint Operations (California National Guard)