Cities would regain power to regulate rental housing if Proposition 10 passes in November, repealing Costa-Hawkins. But would that help or hurt the affordability crisis?
Category: Government & Politics
Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, Health, Homelessness, Housing, June 2018 Special Election, Labor, LGBTQ+, Social Services
Spare Room? Mayoral Challenger Zhou Says You Could Help Homelessness Crisis
Ellen Lee Zhou has a plan to help end San Francisco’s homelessness crisis. And it could involve you. Zhou, a public-health worker, said that if elected mayor, she would pay homeowners monthly stipends to house and mentor some of the city’s estimated 4,300 unsheltered residents. Interested? Sixth in a series analyzing the mayoral candidates’ records and pledges on housing and homelessness.
Posted inCommunity, Elections, Government & Politics, Health, Housing, June 2018 Special Election, Media, Neighborhoods, News, Social Justice
Candidates Say How They Would Help African-American Community
A trio of African-American organizations aimed to get some answers from aspiring local leaders at “Facing the Voters,” a candidates’ forum hosted by the Public Press and moderated by its publisher. The candidates were given the opportunity to lay out their bona fides with respect to this city’s dwindling, marginalized African-American community; some did that and some did not. First of two articles.
Posted inClimate Change, Environment, Government & Politics, Housing, Land use, Neighborhoods, News, Sea Level Rise
State Looking to Require Cities to Plan for Rising Seas
California officials are taking their first, tentative steps toward requiring cities to plan for severe sea level rise that scientists now say could conceivably elevate high tides by up to 22 feet by the middle of the next century. A state-funded study recommends that local planners adopt a risk-averse approach to permitting developments such as hospitals and housing in areas that have even little chance of flooding in the coming decades.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Immigration, Labor, Public Safety
Immigrants Legally Here for Years Fighting to Stay After Trump Ends Protections
They are the latest immigrants whose fortunes have changed for the worse under President Donald Trump: More than 200,000 people from Central America and the region who are losing Temporary Protected Status after legally living, working and raising families in the United States for years.
Posted inEducation, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Homelessness Solutions: Part 2, Housing, Neighborhoods, News, Public Safety, Social Services
On the Move: One Hardworking Family’s Struggle to Escape Homelessness
City native Victoria Ortiz’s path to homelessness began in the East Bay more than two years ago when she was pregnant, working at a Staples and subletting a room. A housemate stopped forwarding the rent to the landlord, and everyone was evicted. This is the story of her determination to find stable housing for her family while living at a shelter in San Francisco.
Posted inBay Area, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Homelessness Solutions: Part 2, Housing, News
Most Homeless Families Helped by City Rent Programs Move Out of S.F.
A San Francisco initiative to help homeless families find affordable apartments and assist them in paying the rent is sending the majority of them out of the city because of the high cost and shortage of housing.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Immigration, Public Safety
Trump Ends Legal Protection for 200,000 Salvadoran Immigrants
The Trump administration on Monday ended a three-decade program that provided temporary legal protection to more than 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants who built lives in the United States after fleeing civil war and devastating earthquakes.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Government & Politics, Immigration, Labor, Public Safety
Central Americans Tense as U.S. Ends Temporary Protection for Some Migrants
Thousands of Salvadorans, Hondurans and Haitians who fled natural disasters or violence await final decision on whether their Temporary Protected Status will be extended or ended. Nicaraguans must leave in 2019 or face deportation.
Posted inCity Hall, Climate Change, Environment, Government & Politics, Housing, News
Critics See Environmental Threats in State Rule Changes That Speed Housing
Some environmental advocates say long-standing state rules governing soil pollution, traffic congestion and flood control will be weakened by legislation pushed by Democratic lawmakers from San Francisco and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown that will “streamline” land-use regulations to speed housing construction.