The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently settled with Arvin Community Services District (ACSD), located in Arvin, Calif., for arsenic violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. ACSD has agreed to provide residents with alternative water until they are found to be in compliance and will pay a penalty of $14,750

“The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision is supported by law, policy, and commonsense, and prevents a clear attempt by Cadiz Inc. to create a loophole to avoid federal review. The BLM has a responsibility to all Americans to fully understand the impacts this project proposes on public lands, including impacts on our water resources and national parks. This decision opens the door for good science and objective decision makers to participate.”

Last week, the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) filed a lawsuit in federal court against the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), challenging HUD’s denial of a fee waiver for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. CRC submitted the FOIA request to better understand HUD’s role in overseeing the reverse mortgage industry, the national impact of foreclosures on widowed seniors due to reverse mortgages, HUD’s response to these foreclosures, and the track record of OneWest Bank and its reverse mortgage subsidiary, Financial Freedom.

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that the Court of Appeal of California for the Third Appellate District affirmed the demurrer granted by the California Superior Court, Nevada County

Energy consumption by commercial properties in San Francisco has declined significantly since 2011 after the implementation of San Francisco’s Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance, according to a new report released today from the Urban Land Institute Greenprint Center for Building Performance (Greenprint).

SunSpark Technology Inc., a U.S. firm with roots in China, has announced plans to open a solar panel manufacturing and assembly facility in Riverside, which is expected to create about 100 jobs.

Congressman Alan Lowenthal, along with all 17 of his Democratic colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee (HNRC), has called on the HNRC Energy and Mineral Resource (EMR) subcommittee chairman to hold a hearing on the development of renewable energy resources on public lands.

California State Senate Bill 252, introduced by Senator Mark Leno, to waive high school equivalency exam fees, for homeless youth under 25, was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 20, 2015. The bill goes into effect January 1, 2016

Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that Sacramento’s Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) is the recipient of a $30 million grant award to implement the Neighborhood Transformation Plan (NTP) for the River District and surrounding area. The funding from this grant will allow a complete replacement and redevelopment of the 218 distressed public housing units within the Twin Rivers Neighborhood.

Congressman Xavier Becerra (CA-34) announced that The Salvation Army and U.S. Veterans Initiative received more than $400,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help homeless veterans with special needs including women, chronically mentally ill, frail elderly, terminally ill, and individuals who have the care of minor dependents.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Lourdes Castro Ramirez will join local leaders in Sacramento, CA on Monday, September 28, 2015 to announce a major funding award that will revitalize distressed neighborhoods and increase opportunity for low-income residents.

California pending home sales declined in August but remained strong, marking 10 straight months of year-over-year gains, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today. In a separate report, California REALTORS® responding to C.A.R.’s August Market Pulse Survey saw a drop in sales with multiple offers compared with July, as market competition cooled down toward the end of the home-buying season.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $2 million Emergency Relief (ER) grant for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of the Valley Fire. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the first steps of a comprehensive strategy to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, an effort that would invest at least $100 million annually in City funding to help house tens of thousands of homeless individuals

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement regarding Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of Senate Bill 107, which takes effect immediately, authorizing San Francisco to use bond financing to expedite the construction of previously-approved affordable housing projects for the Transbay, Mission Bay and Hunters Point Shipyard/Candlestick Point redevelopment areas and allows for the construction of nearly 3,300 affordable homes for the City

U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) led a bipartisan group of California Members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz requesting funding for critical upgrades at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Upgrades include creating a permanent Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and fixing aging electrical systems, which would also benefit Sandia National Laboratory.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced the acquisition and preservation of 2840 Folsom Street, a six-unit apartment building in the Mission District known as the Pigeon Palace. The project was acquired through the City’s Small Sites Program (SSP), which is currently funded through the voter-approved, 30-year $1.3 billion Housing Trust Fund. The SSP provides financing for the acquisition and rehabilitation of privately-owned properties in order to protect existing tenants from eviction, establish long-term affordability and stabilize neighborhoods.

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today announced a $387,097 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for Sonoma County Regional Parks to construct a section of the Coastal Prairie Trail in Bodega Bay, California, part of the proposed 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail from Mexico to Oregon. This .63 mile section of trail will connect State Parks, County parks, shops, restaurants, and overlooks along Bodega Bay’s Highway 1 corridor.

The City of Santa Clarita’s Community Services and Arts Grants Program will once again make funds available to Santa Clarita Valley-based nonprofit organizations in 2015 and 2016. Grant applications will be released at the Grant Bidders Meeting, which will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28, 2015 at the City Council Chambers in City Hall, located at 23920 Valencia Blvd.

U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) announced today that 89-year old homeless advocate and Morgan Hill resident Maria Skoczylas will attend Pope Francis’s September 24th address to Congress as Lofgren’s invited guest.