BEVERLY HILLS, CA - February 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- International real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson (NYSE: KW) today announced that the company, along with an affiliate of DRA Advisors and with Kennedy Wilson Property Fund III, acquired Enclave at Adobe Creek, a 492-unit multifamily community in Petaluma, CA. The company also joined forces with The LeFrak Organization to purchase a 100% equity interest in Indigo Springs, a 278-unit multifamily community in Kent, WA.

February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilmember Herb Wesson attended today the unveiling of the first building - the Vineyard Recreation Center - to be retrofitted by workers trained through the Green Retrofit Workforce Program. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the first-in-the nation, workforce development retrofit program targets workers from low-income communities and trains them with the skills they need to obtain good-paying, green jobs.“The Green Retrofit Workforce Program is a national model for how to build a specialized, highly-trained workforce that can retrofit municipal buildings to drastically reduce our City’s carbon footprint,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “After all, electricity use within buildings accounts for almost one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions -- emitting almost 17 million tons of greenhouse gas a year into the air we breathe.”

February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing Authority President and CEO Rudolf C. Montiel joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congresswomen Maxine Watters, Laura Richardson, the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) , Affordable Housing CDC, Inc. (AHCDC), Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, local leaders to celebrate the grand opening of Dolores McCoy Villa Apartments.McCoy Villa apartments is a new low-income housing development in Watts. The 64 supportive housing units for large homeless families are fully furnished and offer a range of supportive services, including case management, budget counseling, employment training/placement, academic counseling, access to health care/substance abuse services, and assistance focused on families and independent living skills

February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On January 26 the Los Angeles Worksource Investment Board (WIB) recognized the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles with its prestigious Four Star Performance Award. This is the third consecutive year that HACLA receives the award. The award recognizes the outstanding Workforce Investment Act performance for program year 2009-2010.

SACRAMENTO, CA - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that United States District Judge William B. Shubb sentenced Iftikhar Ahmad, 40, of Stockton, to 21 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and restitution in the amount of $382,750 for multiple counts of mail fraud relating to a scheme involving the fraudulent submission of mortgage loan applications. Ahmad pleaded guilty on April 28, 2008

LOS ANGELES, CA - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- California home sales rose in January, marking three consecutive monthly increases and posting their highest level since May 2010, while the statewide median price declined to its lowest level since June 2009, according to data from the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.). “With lower home prices and rates edging up from their historic lows of late last year, prospective home buyers should consider the opportunities in today’s market,” said C.A.R. President Beth L. Peerce.

EUGENE, OR - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. is pleased to welcome Realtor Mario Juarez to the growing network of real estate professionals using the revolutionary IDX Broker software on their websites. East Bay Regional Data/MAX MLS (MAX/EBRD) listings are now seamlessly integrated onto Juarez's search page, making thousands of detailed property listings instantly available for home seekers and potential clients. With his customized IDX solution, Juarez can host one of the most dynamic and informative real estate websites and searches for East Bay Area, California buyers.

San Francisco, CA - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In 2002, Zephyr established the Golden Z Award to recognize extraordinary efforts of those who have gone above and beyond in their charitable endeavors in the San Francisco community. In the past, the award has been presented to one of the company’s agents. In a departure from tradition, this year the Golden Z was presented to Bill Drypolcher, President and Founder of the company.

Washington, DC - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the Ranking Member on the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, released the following statement today after the Obama Administration unveiled its plan, “Reforming America’s Housing Finance Market

LOS ANGELES, CA - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In response to the White House’s recommendations today to phase out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said the elimination of government involvement would raise borrowing costs for home buyers and severely restrict a safe and affordable flow of financing, further impeding the still-fragile housing market recovery

EUGENE, OR - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. has enabled the revolutionary IDX Broker software on the website of real estate professional Alex Comsa, of Comsa Group, making thousands of MLSListings properties available for Silicon Valley, California home seekers. Potential buyers can now experience an unprecedented level of access to MLSListings and the IDX-supported tools Comsa hosts. With so many unique options, the real estate website of Comsa now reflects his dedication to serving his clients and their every real estate need.

Los Angeles, CA - February 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Los Angeles County NeighborWorks® Center for Foreclosure Solutions and The Long Beach Housing Development Company have partnered to help Long Beach residents become better informed about the foreclosure process and prevent foreclosure in 2011. In the last two years, families in Los Angeles County lost their home to foreclosure every 15 to 18 minutes. Dataquick Information Systems reports 26,703 Los Angeles County families lost their home to foreclosure in 2010. High unemployment rates have weakened homeowners’ ability to stay current on their mortgage loans. In addition, an increase in foreclosures is likely to occur in 2011 when $300 billion worth of adjustable rate mortgages are expected to reset upward.

IRVINE, CA - February 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce that Diane's Beachwear, which offers the latest in swimwear clothing and accessories, will be opening its newest store in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the Scottsdale Quarter in early March 2011. The new 1,200-square-foot flagship store represents the 19-store chain's debut outside of California. Irvine, Calif.-based KTGY is the architect for the new Diane's Beachwear store.

SANTA ANA, CA - February 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- South Gate Gateway announced today that it filed a lawsuit on February 2, 2011, against the City of South Gate and the City's Community Development Commission for breach of contract and damages in excess of $10 million. According to Susan Rounds, the developer's spokesperson, "South Gate Gateway's lawsuit is based on the City's breach of an Option Agreement under which the City had agreed to re-purchase certain property owned by South Gate Gateway."

LOS ANGELES, CA - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- First-time buyer housing affordability matched or set new record-high levels in all regions of the state during the fourth quarter of 2010, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today. Led by historic-low interest rates and a slight decline in home prices, housing affordability surpassed or maintained current levels in both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year comparisons statewide.

Santa Clarita, CA - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Colliers International, the second largest global real estate services organization, facilitated the investment sale of Northpark Village Square, an 87,094-square-foot neighborhood shopping center located at 27706 – 27760 McBean Parkway, Santa Clarita, Calif. to an institutional buyer with offices in Orange County California

Torrance, CA - February 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ground has broken on the $10 million renovation of Heritage Plaza, a 226,998-square-foot retail center in Irvine, Calif., owned by Regency Centers (www.regencycenters.com), the leading national owner, operator, and developer of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers. The renovation of this Ralph’s-anchored center is scheduled for completion in November 2011.

February 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Sunday, February 6, 2011, at approximately 4:45 a.m., Long Beach police officers responded to the area of Myrtle Avenue and Hill Street regarding a call of a man with a gun inside a residence. The caller, a 16-year-old female resident of the home, said her father, who was inside the residence armed with a gun, had shot her and her mother. As the caller pleaded for help, the 9-1-1 operator could hear what sounded like gunshots in the background

San Mateo, CA - February 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The state of the local housing market is a highly scrutinized subject matter as the housing market is a barometer of the financial health of San Mateo County. To bring answers, clarity and a bit of a crystal ball to see what is in store for the housing market in 2011, the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® is hosting California Association of REALTORS® Chief Economist, Leslie Appleton-Young, along with Mike Simonsen, CEO, Altos Research to provide a housing forecast at the “Future of the Housing Market and Real Estate Technology” conference on Thursday, February 17th at the San Mateo Elks Lodge from 9:30 am-4:00 pm

February 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A real estate executive pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California, to conspiring to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in San Joaquin County, California, Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, and Benjamin B. Wagner, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, announced