Focus
Amid housing crisis, Culver City is the latest city to cap rents
Los Angeles Times – August 13
Culver City approved a temporary rent control measure this Tuesday, capping annual increases to 3 percent in buildings built on or before Feb. 1, 1995. Tenants in those properties will have just-cause eviction protections as well, meaning a landlord can’t remove them unless certain conditions are met, such as failure to pay rent. The “rent freeze” is set to expire in a year — a move officials say is needed to prevent landlords from raising rents while a permanent measure is debated. Restrictions on rent increases and evictions have gained ground in California as homelessness has surged and tenants at times have faced rent hikes of more than 50 percent. This year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors extended temporary rent increase caps for unincorporated areas while it worked on a permanent version. Inglewood did the same amid concerns that investors, attracted by the new Rams stadium, were displacing longtime residents. Glendale, Pasadena, and Long Beach took less aggressive approaches but mandated relocation payments for many tenants forced to leave after steep rent increases.
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News
ULI research explores impact of rising temperatures and excessive heat on urban development
Urban Land – August 8
Worldwide, this past July was the hottest month on record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. A new ULI report, published with support from the JPB Foundation, explores how extreme heat is emerging as a growing risk factor and how the real estate industry is responding with a broad range of mitigation strategies and adaptation tactics, many of which also add value as an amenity, including the use of light-colored surfaces and materials, increased shade provided by built and natural canopies, and the use of “heat-aware” building envelopes and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning choices that stabilize indoor temperatures even during power outages. Investments in extreme heat mitigation technology and approaches can lead to a host of benefits, including an improved tenant experience, reduced operating costs, an improved likelihood of business continuity, enhanced branding, and additional foot traffic in pedestrian and retail environments, the report notes.
As California’s recycling industry struggles, companies and consumers are forced to adapt
Los Angeles Times - August 14
In late 2017, China imposed a stringent ban on imports of certain scrap papers and plastics, creating a glut of material and roiling the global recycling industry. Now, as still more Asian nations prepare to follow China’s lead, California’s recycling industry is struggling, posing hard choices for a state that prides itself on its image as an environmental beacon. A big hit came this month when RePlanet, California’s largest operator of recycling redemption centers, shut down and laid off 750 employees. In California, multiple reform bills are moving through the legislative process, including AB 792, which would target beverage container producers by enforcing minimum requirements for recycled materials in production, and AB 1080, the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, which would require that all single-use plastic products and packaging products in California are recyclable or compostable by January 2030.
California sees huge demand for Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing program
Solar Power World – August 8
Within the first day of accepting applications, California’s new Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program is nearly fully subscribed, having received more than 240 applications representing over 74 megawatts of solar power generating capacity and $163 million in reserved funding. The SOMAH program provides property owners with financial incentives for installing solar PV energy systems on housing serving low-income and disadvantaged communities throughout the state. The program will continue to operate for the next ten years with renewed annual funding of up to $100 million per year from the California Climate Investments initiative.
Riverside County may approve ‘good neighbor’ rules for warehouses
The Press-Enterprise - August 8
The next mega-warehouses in unincorporated Riverside County might have to follow new guidelines to stop noise, diesel fumes, harsh lighting, and other nuisances from bothering their neighbors. The Board of Supervisors is considering a “Good Neighbor” policy for future warehouses and distribution centers. The policy was discussed briefly at the board’s August 6 meeting before a potential vote was postponed until August 27. The logistics industry is one of the Inland Empire’s biggest employers. Much of the undeveloped land in unincorporated areas is zoned for warehouses or similar uses hoping to cash in on the region’s location between coastal ports and the rest of the country.
EPA report puts value on public health benefits of energy efficiency
Electric Light & Power – August 13
The Alliance to Save Energy on Tuesday welcomed a recent EPA report highlighting the public health benefits of energy efficiency. The report quantifies public health benefits from improved air quality achieved using energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, developing a “benefits per kilowatt hour” estimate for different regions of the country. EPA found that in many regions across the country, energy efficiency delivers more public health benefits than simply replacing one generation technology with another. The calculations were based on reduced mortality connected to key pollutants – specifically sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter.
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