CP&DR

Internal Error: Tax Sale Of Public Housing Gets Blocked

May 29, 2007

CP&DR Staff, Housing, Legal Digest, Vol. 22 No. 06 Jun 2007

A real estate company's purchase at a tax sale of townhouses owned by the Los Angeles County Housing Authority is not valid, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Poway's Mandatory Bond Hearing Fails To Satisfy Appellate Court

May 29, 2007

CP&DR Staff, Housing, Legal Digest, San Diego County, Vol. 22 No. 06 Jun 2007

The City of Poway did not conduct an adequate hearing before issuing tax-exempt bonds for the purchase of a mobile home park, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Q&A With Greg Chin

by Paul Shigley on May 24, 2007

Housing, Santa Clara County, Vol. 22 No. 06 Jun 2007

It is no secret that affordable housing is in short-supply in Santa Clara County. Recently, the Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Charities Housing Development Corporation, and the Institute for Metropolitan Studies at San Jose State University released a report, "Housing Silicon Valley: A 20 Year Plan to End the Affordable Housing Crisis," to quantify the problem and suggest solutions. The study is available at the LISC website: www.bayarealisc.org.

The report led to the creation of a "blue ribbon commission" of housing experts and civic leaders that is scheduled to release an action plan in October. Greg Chin, program coordinator for LISC, helped write the report and is providing staff assistance to the commission. He spoke with CP&DR Editor Paul Shigley in May. >>read more

Housing Advocate Wins Round Against Brea Agency

May 7, 2007

Housing, Orange County, Paul Shigley, Redevelopment Watch, Vol. 22 No. 05 May 2007

For at least the third time in two years, litigation filed by housing advocates has resulted in a court order or settlement for hundreds of affordable housing units. The latest city to get hit with a judgment is Brea, whose redevelopment agency was ordered to produce 208 units of low- and very low-income housing by June 2012.

Court Upholds Gilroy's Plan Despite It's Lack Of Site-Specific Analyses

May 4, 2007

CP&DR Staff, Housing, Legal Digest, Santa Clara County, Vol. 22 No. 05 May 2007

A state appellate court has upheld the City of Gilroy's housing element against a challenge filed by affordable housing advocates. The court ruled that, under the housing element law in effect when Gilroy updated its housing plan in 2002, the city did not have to provide a site-specific inventory and analysis.

Homeownership Programs Prove Tricky

May 3, 2007

California, Housing, Legislation, Paul Shigley, Vol. 22 No. 05 May 2007

As the popularity of inclusionary zoning for affordable housing has grown, so has the number of cities and counties who have a stake in affordable homeownership problems. Experts in those programs, however, warn that they are fraught with dangers and require extensive monitoring to ensure that units remain affordable.

ABAG Housing Plan Gets Smart

Apr 5, 2007

California, Featured Articles, Housing, Paul Shigley, Vol. 22 No. 02 Feb 2007

The Association of Bay Area Governments has adopted a methodology for distributing fair-share housing units that directs housing growth to existing urban areas, especially those with jobs and transit, and downplays the trend of extensive development on the Bay Area's fringe.

Anaheim Rejects Housing Proposed Next To Disneyland Property

Mar 1, 2007

CP&DR Staff, Housing, In Brief, Orange County, Vol. 22 No. 03 Mar 2007

Anaheim officials have sided with Disneyland and rejected SunCal's neighboring development proposal; report by LAO says Indian casinos will not provide significant revenues for the state of California; Madera County settled with Indian tribe; the Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved a proposed landfill on a Colusa County Indian reservation; Seal Beach has repealed a ban on three-story houses in the Old Town area; and the ongoing redevelopment of the former George Air Force Base in Victorville receives a boost from Newell Rubbermaid.

Venice Renters In Dickensian Dilemma

by Morris Newman on Feb 1, 2007

Housing, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Places

It could almost be a story from a Charles Dickens novel: Nearly 800 lower-income households find themselves evicted from an apartment complex in the Venice district of Los Angeles by developers who reportedly want to build luxury housing. The City Council opposes the deal but is defeated in court. After various attempts at mediation, the developers beckon sheriff's deputies to lock out hundreds of renters from their apartments, only to call off the authorities at the last minute. >>read more

State's Longest-Running Project Battle Continues To Rage

Dec 1, 2002

Housing, Insight, Ventura County, Vol. 17 No. 12 Dec 2002, William Fulton

Later this month, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors will meet to consider an appeal of the approval of Tentative Tract Map No. TT-5206 and certification of the accompanying Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. At first glance, this tract map approval might seem routine. It is the first of four tract maps that the developer anticipates bringing forward, allowing the developer to build 628 homes, a golf course, and other facilities on 846 acres of unincorporated land. It's a follow-on to a gener