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C.A.R. reports entry-level housing affordability reached 67 percent in the second quarter of 2009 LOS ANGELES, CA - August 17, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The percentage of households that could afford to buy an entry-level home in California stood at 67 percent in the second quarter of 2009, compared with 49 percent (revised) for the same period a year ago, according to a report released today by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.).

Oakland, CA - August 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) applauded an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement selecting the City of Emeryville to receive $500,000 in Recovery Act funding to help protect human health and the environment. Additionally the cities of Emeryville and Oakland will receive $500,000 and $400,000 respectively in other brownfields funding.

Sacramento, CA - August 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today gave Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. a "profoundly important decision" in his fight to protect 40 million acres of pristine forest land from development by reinstating a 2001 rule banning road building and commercial logging that had been repealed by the Bush Administration.

Funding will stimulate the production of 65 affordable housing units stalled by recession and create quality jobs. WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims today visited Cedar Gateway Developments in San Diego, CA, an affordable housing development that was under construction but came to a halt last March due to the loss of tax credit funding. HUD Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) funding, provided through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), will now allow the project's construction to restart in November, along with thousands of others throughout the country, creating quality jobs in the hard-hit construction industry.

July 30, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Long Beach Housing Development Company is sponsoring a series of free foreclosure workshops all over the City. Taking place in each Council District, the workshop will focus on foreclosure prevention, and will address the foreclosure process, foreclosure loan scams, mortgage refinancing, and loan modification programs. It will be facilitated by the Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services (LANHS), a HUD-approved housing counseling agency

Authored by Rep. Miller, the Bill Will Provide Assistance to Struggling Homeowners Washington, DC - July 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 2529, the Neighborhood Preservation Act. This legislation, authored by Reps. Gary Miller (R-CA) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN), will address the persistence of foreclosures and large unsold housing inventories in order to give families a chance to stay in their homes, stabilize home values, and restore overall confidence in the housing market.

July 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced that the California Department of Housing and Community Development has awarded over $96 million in funds to housing developments in San Francisco seeking to start construction. Awards were from two State programs created through the 2006 passage of Proposition 1C; the Transit Oriented Development and Infill Infrastructure Grant programs.

Inland County Took Action to Incentivize Homebuilding and Create Jobs. July 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Riverside County became the latest California jurisdiction to reduce development impact fees charged to homebuilders, which the California Building Industry Association said is a growing trend that is paying off.

July 15, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The Jordan Downs Recreation Center served as the meeting place for the Jordan Downs Redevelopment planning meetings. Residents,...

Funds Will Provide Housing for Disabled Families Throughout Sacramento. WASHINGTON, DC - July 8, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) today announced $878,784 in federal funds for low-income housing initiatives has been allocated to the Sacramento region. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will provide $878,784 to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency through the Housing Choice Vouchers Program to provide housing for local disabled families.

Funds Will Provide Housing for Disabled Families; Housing Assistance for Native Americans. WASHINGTON, DC - July 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) today announced an additional $928,364 in federal funds for housing initiatives in Sacramento. Two grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will provide $878,784 to the Sacramento County Housing Authority, and $49,580 to the Buena Vista Rancheria. The Sacramento County Housing Authority will receive funding under the Designated Housing Fund, to provide housing for disabled families. Buena Vista Rancheria, home to the Me-Wuk Indian Tribe, will receive funding through the Indian Housing Block Grant Program to provide decent, safe and affordable housing for lower-income Native Americans.

Newsom also announces 450% increase in San Francisco solar applications since inception of solar rebate program. July 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced plans to install over 365 kw of solar panels on the San Francisco Housing Authority properties of Hayes Valley North and South and Plaza East through San Francisco’s GoSolarSF Initiative. The solar panels will provide hundreds of thousands of kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity to public housing residents. The project is expected to create 25 jobs and be completed by the end of the year

Turner Completes Project in 23 Months - 18 Days Ahead of Schedule. New York, N.Y. - July 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Turner Construction Company, the nation’s leading general builder, has completed the $480 million Terranea Resort project in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. in 23 months, 18 days ahead of schedule. Turner served as the manager of preconstruction and construction services for the resort on behalf of owner/developer Los Angeles-based Lowe Enterprises.

Pleasanton, CA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today sued the City of Pleasanton to remove its "draconian and illegal" limit on new housing, a significant cause of traffic congestion, air pollution and urban sprawl in the East Bay and Tri-Valley area.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Kennedy Wilson Auction Group announced today that Jeffrey Condon has been named Vice President, Business Development. Condon is joining the group’s rapidly growing business development team in Beverly Hills.

CBIA says state new-home tax credit is generating demand for new homes and construction. SACRAMENTO, CA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — May single-family home starts held their own compared to April, offering additional evidence that the state new-home tax credit is generating demand for new homes and leading to a resumption of job-generating construction, the California Building Industry Association reported today

June 18, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Good morning, and thank you for joining us today, either in person or by conference call. I don’t think that I have to tell any of you that California’s homebuilding industry is in the worst shape ever. You have heard the statistics

KW Acquisitions in Last 12 Months Reach 1,000 Residential Units Valued at $250 Million. LOS ANGELES, CA - June 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — An investment partnership led by the international real estate services and investment firm Kennedy Wilson has acquired the remaining 149 units in The Mercury, a 22-story luxury condominium tower on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, from investors led by Forest City Residential West. Vince Norris of Hendricks & Partners represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction.

CBIA calls on lawmakers to extend homebuyer tax credit to continue housing recovery. SACRAMENTO, CA - June 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The pace of home sales at California new-home communities continued to show signs of stabilization in April thanks in part to the new-home tax credit that went into effect in March, the California Building Industry Association reported today.

June 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The city of Santa Maria this week became the latest California jurisdiction to reduce development impact fees it charges homebuilders, which the California Building Industry Association said is a growing trend that is paying off.