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San Francisco, CA - September 2, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco today announced that it has awarded more than $1 million in Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) Program grants to boost economic development and affordable housing projects in Arizona, California, and Nevada

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Committed to creating and maintaining affordable housing for seniors and families, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) today joined residents and neighbors in celebrating the preservation of 245 affordable apartments at Nihonmachi Terrace in the Japantown neighborhood of San Francisco. Located at 1615 Sutter Street, the seven building property is currently undergoing $25 million in renovations that will include energy-efficiency enhancements and structural improvements. The rehab is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2010.

Holiday Inn Express Los Angeles-LAX Airport is brand's 135th hotel to open in the Americas region this year. ATLANTA, GA - September 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today that two Holiday Inn Express^® hotels will be added to the Los Angeles market. The Holiday Inn Express Los Angeles-LAX Airport and Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Los Angeles Airport Hawthorne are both conveniently located near Los Angeles International Airport and will create more than 60 job opportunities to the local community

Lakewood, CA - September 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Over 300 local homeowners and future homeowners attended Rep. Linda Sánchez’ Housing Summit in Lakewood on Saturday to get free advice from housing experts and learn about tax incentives for purchasing a first home or making home improvements

LOS ANGELES, CA - August 28, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today announced the grand opening of the Alexandria House Apartments Project, 16 low-income units in Koreatown. Seven of those units are reserved for homeless or those at risk of being homeless and victims of domestic violence.

August 26, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced the immediate availability of $100,000 in Watershed Stewardship Grants from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) for neighborhood-based stormwater management projects. Eligible community projects will capture and reuse rainwater on-site with linked rain barrels or cisterns, build public green spaces, or replace paved areas with permeable ones, allowing rainwater to recharge the City’s groundwater aquifers.

C.A.R. reports July home sales increased 12 percent, median home price declined 19.6 percent. LOS ANGELES, CA - August 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home sales increased 12 percent in July in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home declined 19.6 percent, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

Los Angeles, CA - August 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- On August 13, 2009, housing activists, community leaders, and public officials, including Rep. Diane Watson (CA-33), joined the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) for a roundtable discussion on pending regulatory reform legislation that will impact homeowners and potential homeowners, as well as many financial institutions in the region.

CBIA says state new-home tax credit extension needed to bolster construction. SACRAMENTO, CA – California homebuilders pulled back on new-home production in July as homebuyers retreated from housing markets around the state following the discontinuation of the successful homebuyer tax credit early in the month, the California Building Industry Association announced today.

SACRAMENTO, CA - August 19, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing affordability inched downward throughout the state during the second quarter of 2009 as a result of incremental price increases and increased demand sparked by the state new-homebuyer tax credit, the California Building Industry Association said today.

Washington, DC - August 19, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Emphasizing the vast potential of solar energy in California’s 45th District, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) today praised an agreement between First Solar and Southern California Edison that will bring new solar energy projects to the region. The two large-scale installations, among the biggest of their kind, will be built in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and will produce enough energy to power approximately 170,000 homes

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.).

August 14, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The California Recovery Task Force today announced that one percent interest loans funded through $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funds are available for eligible public energy efficient and renewable energy projects in California. Available through the California Energy Commission, the loans will help local jurisdictions stimulate their economies and job growth while investing in energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions - all in a cost effective manner. Cities, counties, special districts, public schools, colleges and universities, public care institutions, and public hospitals are eligible to apply.

Los Angeles, CA - August 12, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Threatening possible criminal and civil prosecution, Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today ordered 386 mortgage foreclosure consultants to post $100,000 bonds and register with his office.

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.

The San Francisco Arts Commission will Manage Funds and Collaboratively Develop and Implement a Predevelopment Plan for the Re-launched Museum. August 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Tuesday, August 4, at a packed public hearing, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously to approve $280,000 in funding to provide assistance to the Mexican Museum as it begins predevelopment planning for its new home, located adjacent to Jessie Square in the Yerba Buena Cultural District. The San Francisco Arts Commission will manage the disbursement of $250,000 to the Museum and will retain $30,000 for its fiscal oversight and consulting assistance. The Arts Commission will play a key role in implementing the predevelopment plan, which includes specific performance milestones related to facility planning, fundraising, membership and capacity building of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, and partnerships with other key institutions.

SANTA ANA, CA - August 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- First American National Default Title Services, a division of First American Title Insurance Company, announced today that it has partnered with Fannie Mae to provide national foreclosure title products designed to decrease the costs of foreclosure. First American National Default Title Services has agreed to provide its pre-foreclosure title report to Fannie Mae’s foreclosure counsel in accordance with Fannie Mae’s pricing limits on title costs

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.

C.A.R. approves 384 applications for its Mortgage Protection Program for first-time buyers. Association awarded $420,000 Ira Gribin grant to provide additional policies to first-time home buyers. LOS ANGELES, CA - August 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 380 first-time home buyers have been approved for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Housing Affordability Fund (C.A.R.H.A.F.) Mortgage Protection Program (MPP). As of late July, 384 applications have been approved, and an additional 22 applications were in the pipeline awaiting approval.