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Pending home sales bounced back from the previous month at the statewide level in October, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today. Pending sales were also significantly higher on an annual basis, portending higher closed escrows in the next couple of months.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Department of Justice will be formally joining the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office in the ongoing prosecution of multiple individual and corporate defendants charged with environmental crimes and other specified offenses related to the November 18, 2014 explosion at the Santa Clara Waste Water Company facility located in Santa Paula, California.

With the goal of helping more homeless individuals and veterans transition off the streets, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and City Councilmember Todd Gloria today announced the City's recently opened year-round indoor permanent housing program is on track to help more homeless individuals than ever before. The City program is a partnership with Father Joe's Villages and the San Diego Housing Commission, and replaced the need to erect temporary outdoor tents in the winter.

Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-09) and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) led their House colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to the Chairs and Ranking members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, urging the conference committee on the transportation reauthorization bill to include a provision that strikes the prohibition that bars municipalities from using tax exempt bonds toward Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) projects

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $145,101 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Project Based Voucher grant for the Housing Authority of the City of Napa. The grant will provide 17 Section 8 VASH vouchers for the Valley View Senior Homes.

U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Calif.) questioned U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White on the SEC's actions related to risk-sharing by the GSEs during a House Financial Services Committee hearing entitled “Examining the SEC’s Agenda, Operations, and FY 2017 Budget Request."

Home sales exceeded the 400,000 level in October for the seventh consecutive month and posted higher on a year-to-year basis for the ninth straight month. Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 403,510 units in October, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide.

Geoff McIntosh is broker and co-owner of Main Street REALTORS® in Long Beach, Calif. He previously served as the Association’s treasurer in 2014 and 2015. He oversees the activities of his 230-plus REALTORS® and also serves the real estate needs of his own clients. Active in organized real estate, McIntosh previously served as president of the Pacific West Association of REALTORS®, the Greater Long Beach Association of REALTORS®, and the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities.

Mayor Garcetti’s sustainability agenda, which also includes aggressive solar power and green building targets, is detailed in the city's first-ever Sustainable City Plan (plan.lamayor.org). This comprehensive policy roadmap is preparing Los Angeles for an environmentally healthy, economically prosperous, and equitable future in a city that expects population growth of 500,000 people over the next 20 years.

Streamlining the permit process for solar energy installation will encourage the effective development of solar technology, and minimize the obstacles and permit costs for installation. Residential solar permitting fees have been reduced, saving more than half in permit costs. Previously, the permit fee for a residential solar system topped $1,000; however, with the new process, fees have been reduced to $304.

As the multi-year plan is being crafted, the Mayor is ensuring that currently homeless families receive immediate increased support. The Mayor and the Human Services Agency have identified funding to begin serving 50 homeless families who are either in shelter or on the waiting list for shelter through the Home for the Holidays initiative, at a cost of $500,000 in the current year. Additionally, the existing housing voucher program will be expanded to serve 70 more families in the shelter system throughout the course of the fiscal year. The full cost of the expansion to 120 families will total $5 million over the next two years

On Veterans Day, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced the creation of his Veterans Advisory Board. The committee of local veterans, veteran assistance non-profit organizations, education facilities, and veteran employment groups met with Rep. Aguilar earlier this week in San Bernardino to discuss local and national initiatives to connect veterans with job opportunities

Under DWP’s Technical Assistance Program, commercial and industrial building owners can receive up to $250,000 for the installation of pre-approved equipment and products — such as cooling tower upgrades and re-circulation systems. Landscape rebates for turf removal are also available for commercial facilities at $1.75 per square foot up to 1,500 square feet. DWP also offers rebates related to the most water efficient urinals, toilets and faucets.

Expanded Counter Plan Check allows for modest projects — like multi-floor tenant improvements, medium-sized home additions and others — to be reviewed on the same day instead of waiting weeks with larger projects.

Pushing wheelbarrows full of signed postcards and petitions from residents throughout the state, a diverse coalition of consumer, environmental, faith, public health, environmental justice, and business organizations gathered on the steps of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to deliver more than 130,000 signatures in support of net metering, a critical solar policy

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3763), a six-year bill to authorize highway and transit programs across the United States. Several amendments to benefit Ventura County and authored by Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) were approved by the Committee.

New Strategies to Keep Teachers Living in San Francisco Include Building Educator Housing, Developing Rental Subsidy Program, Provide Downpayment Loan Assistance & Greater Tenant Counseling & Eviction

The sharp increase in housing demand has led to skyrocketing home prices, shutting out a large percentage of the potential home buyers. The latest California Association of REALTORS® housing affordability report indicates every region in the state, except Kings County, posted lower affordability in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its annual Green Power Leadership Awards to seven businesses across California. “These organizations demonstrate that green power is an affordable investment that provides reliable energy while fighting global warming.”

Democratic Members of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, led by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), and the House Homeland Security Committee, led by Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), sent a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee voicing opposition to language in the Senate-approved highway bill (H.R. 22) that would divert customs revenue away from border security needs to fund future highway projects.