Focus
Back rent in California nearing $1.7 billion, Federal Reserve study finds
Orange County Register – November 12
California’s back rent is projected to reach nearly $1.7 billion by the end of the year, or almost a fourth of the total rental debt nationwide, a Federal Reserve study found. Under the state’s eviction moratorium, landlords can pursue that debt through small claims courts next spring if their tenants fail to repay by then. The analysis, a topic discussed at a USC rental housing conference last Thursday, suggests that thousands of tenants could face eviction after the national Centers for Disease Control moratorium ends on December 31.
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News
Bay Area regional planners propose backing off from mandatory telecommute goal
San Francisco Examiner – November 17
The Metropolitan Transportation Committee is reconsidering a mandate passed in September that encourages many Bay Area employers to make 60 percent of their workforce telecommute. Part of the Final Blueprint for Plan Bay Area 2050, the mandate was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 percent in the next 15 years, a target set by the state. The agency will consider revisions this Friday that would instead require companies to shift their commuters from automobiles to other modes, setting a cap for commuting by car to 40 percent at any given company by 2035.
San Diego approves new plan to grow residential neighborhoods in Kearny Mesa
The San Diego Union-Tribune – November 10
San Diego approved a plan last Tuesday to transform Kearny Mesa from a primarily commercial and industrial area into one of San Diego’s fastest growing residential neighborhoods. The proposal, which the City Council approved unanimously, aims to increase the population of Kearny Mesa from 10,400 to roughly 60,000 over the next 30 years by spiking the number of housing units from 4,300 to nearly 26,000. The plan would also add 25,000 more jobs by encouraging mixed-use villages throughout the community.
Exploring the green power of repurposing older buildings
Commercial Property Executive – November 16
Ground-up construction is frequently regarded as the best channel for incorporating various green measures, yet some of the most effective sustainable projects are reinventions of existing properties, as discussed last week at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild conference. Ted Hyman, managing partner at ZGF Architects, cited the example of the UCLA Center for Health Sciences in Los Angeles. Built in the 1960s, the complex was replaced in the 1990s by a new hospital across the street. Instead of being demolished, the facility was repurposed for research and now offers some of the most coveted lab space on campus.
Prototype residential community will demonstrate benefits of selling energy into electricity markets
Microgrid Knowledge – November 17
The Basset-Avocado Advanced Energy Community, a prototype community southeast of Los Angeles, aims to demonstrate the benefits of residents in a disadvantaged community selling into electricity markets and reaping a cleaner environment plus income and resilience. The initial network will include, in part, 50 single family homes equipped with PV and energy storage. Residents will have access to a mobile app, called iDecarb, that will help show them how to generate revenues by selling electricity and renewable energy credits into California markets while at the same time decarbonizing the community.
SoFi Stadium, Hollywood Park tap millions of tons of recycled water for sustainability
Daily Breeze – November 9
About 26 million gallons of recycled water will be delivered annually to SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, home of the Rams and Chargers, officials announced last Monday. The West Basin Municipal Water District is supplying the recycled water to the 298-acre sports and entertainment development in Inglewood, where it will be used for landscape irrigation, maintenance, and aesthetic purposes.
Oakland pilot program to pay for teachers’ housing
The Mercury News – November 16
City leaders are hoping to expand a pilot program aimed at retaining early-career public school teachers by subsidizing their housing. The program is funded by $150,000 worth of donations from the Community Development Finance nonprofit, and a handful of philanthropic entities, which matched subsidies provided by the property owner. Officials said this Monday that they hope to use the program to recruit and retain more than 100 teachers over the next nine years, particularly teachers of science, math, and other subjects that the district has a difficult time recruiting and retaining.
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