California
California Voice: State must untangle snarled process for applying for affordable housing
We apply for jobs on-line; purchase and promote any merchandise we wish on-line; and even go to high school on-line.
To entry the restricted spots in an reasonably priced housing growth, nevertheless, one has to fill out paper types — time and again. In Twenty first-century California, a easy, sensible, on-line software for out there reasonably priced housing is lengthy overdue.
Meeting Invoice 1961, authored by Meeting members Jesse Gabriel of Van Nuys, Evan Low of Cupertino and Buffy Wicks of Oakland, would create such a database, permitting Californians who qualify the possibility to use on-line for a lower-cost place to stay.
The invoice, which handed the Meeting Housing and Group Growth Committee unanimously with bipartisan help in April, was drawn instantly from the experiences of people that stay in reasonably priced housing, lots of whom struggled mightily to get into the residences the place they stay now.
Willie Stevens of Oakland, a retiree, remembers taking the bus to unfamiliar neighborhoods, then looking for the applying workplace at every reasonably priced housing growth so as to add his identify to a waitlist — a course of he repeated 30 or 40 occasions. As a result of he was couch-surfing, and his deal with modified regularly, he needed to then name to inform these 30 or 40 workplaces to maintain him on the waitlist at every one. It took him a 12 months to discover a place.
A web based portal with consumer profiles for all candidates might have stored Stevens’ info updated and made the method exponentially simpler.
Californians like Stevens who’re couch-surfing, residing of their automobiles, sleeping in shifts as a result of they’ve so many roommates, or elevating youngsters on a funds, want quick housing options. That’s lots of people: Eighty p.c of poor Californians stay in households with a minimum of one working grownup. However proper now, to have a shot at reasonably priced housing, they need to take days off work or college and spend cash on transportation to use in individual at every growth which may have an open spot.
In response to the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition, of the 1.3 million extraordinarily low-income households in California, some 31% are seniors and one other 13% are disabled. Disabled and senior Californians, two teams at excessive danger of homelessness, would profit enormously from a web based system that may allow them to use from dwelling and fill out a typical type simply as soon as. In rural components of California, the place low-cost housing is unfold out throughout lengthy distances, a web based portal is a no brainer.
A web based software system additionally broadens reasonably priced housing accessibility for the 44% of California households during which languages apart from English is spoken. AB 1961 would open up the universe of reasonably priced housing to individuals who in any other case can be unlikely to fill out an English-only software type (a lot much less 30 or 40 of them), increasing the chance to spend a lot much less on lease at a time when market-rate lease simply retains going up.
AB 1961 requires the Legislature to applicable funds to the California Division of Housing and Group Growth for this goal.
A one-stop store, which AB 1961 would create on-line, would ease the burden of so many individuals already struggling to get by. We all know we want way more reasonably priced housing in our state, however within the meantime, AB 1961 would make it a lot simpler to use for what we’ve bought.
Amber-Lee Leslie is a legislative advocate at Housing California, aleslie@housingca.org. Jo Barrett, a San Diego resident, is a member of Residents United Community, jobarrett01@gmail.com. Distributed by CalMatters.org
California
Northern California driver dies after vehicle found in floodwaters, 1 other found dead
SONOMA COUNTY – A man died when he was found in a flooded vehicle after an atmospheric river dumped heavy rain in Northern California, authorities said.
In Sonoma County’s Guerneville, first responders responded to a report around 11:30 a.m. Saturday for a vehicle that was seen in floodwaters near Mays Canyon Road and Highway 116.
The caller believed that at least one person was inside the vehicle.
When crews arrived, they said the vehicle was recovered but a man was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not been identified.
The Russian River, which flows through Guerneville, reached the flood stage on Friday evening and exceeded what was forecasted.
This area went into a flood warning around 2 p.m. Friday and was still in place as of Saturday afternoon.
Guerneville is about 75 miles north of San Francisco.
Around 8:45 a.m. Saturday in Santa Rosa, a man was found dead in Piner Creek just south of Guerneville Road, the police department said. His death is being investigated.
California
Laura Richardson completes a political comeback, winning tight race to represent South L.A. in the California Capitol
Laura Richardson emerged the victor of the competitive, costly and feisty election to win a South Los Angeles seat in the state Senate — completing her political comeback more than 10 years after a tumultuous tenure in the House of Representatives.
Richardson narrowly won the race against Michelle Chambers, a community justice advocate who faced accusations of misconduct in prior public office. The Associated Press called the race Friday after weeks of ballot counting.
The contest between two Democrats with similar social policies but differing views on crime and business attracted huge spending by special interests.
Independent expenditure committees poured more than $7.6 million into the race, making it the most expensive election for state Legislature this year, according to California Target Book, a political database. Negative campaigning dominated the race as business interests and labor unions battled for their favored candidate.
Richardson, a moderate Democrat, will join a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature. But Republicans are on track to flip three legislative seats this year, one in the Senate and two in the Assembly.
Richardson’s biggest supporters were businesses, including PACs funded by oil companies, and law enforcement associations that said they advocated for candidates who shared their beliefs on free enterprise and public safety. Meanwhile, Chambers’ biggest portion of support came from healthcare workers and teachers unions, who spent millions of dollars backing her.
Chambers wrote in a statement she was “proud of the campaign we ran,” thanking supporters who canvassed, phone-banked or cast votes for her “vision of better jobs, better wages and a California that works for everybody, not just the wealthy and well-connected.”
“This was the closest state senate race in the state, but unfortunately it appears that we will fall just short of victory,” she added. “Our people-powered efforts were not quite enough to overcome millions of dollars in outside spending on lies from the oil and tobacco industry and their allies.“
Richardson will succeed Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) in the 35th District, which encompasses the cities of Carson, Compton and stretches down to the harbor. Bradford, who had endorsed Chambers, said he believed both candidates were “qualified to do the job.”
Bradford, who championed reparations legislation during his tenure, hoped the future senator would be “willing to meet with all factions of the community, because it’s a great diverse need in this district.”
“I’m also deeply sad to see how negative this campaign was, probably one of the most negative campaigns I’ve experienced in my 30-plus years of being involved with elections,” he said. “I just hope that we can come together after such a negative campaign, regardless of who the victor is, and understand that we have to work together.”
Richardson and Chambers took aim at each other’s past controversies. For Chambers, who had picked up the endorsement of various state and local elected officials, opposition groups seized on a criminal misdemeanor charge from 30 years ago. She was also accused of bullying and intimidation from her time as a Compton City Council member, allegations that she has repeatedly denied.
Richardson faced criticism over her tenure in Congress, where a House Ethics Committee investigation found her guilty in 2012 of compelling congressional staff to work on her campaign. The committee report also accused Richardson of obstructing the committee investigation “through the alteration or destruction of evidence” and “the deliberate failure to produce documents.”
Richardson admitted to wrongdoing, according to the report, and accepted a reprimand and $10,000 fine for the violations. She previously said that during her time in Congress, Republicans frequently targeted members of the Black Caucus. After she lost her reelection bid for a fourth term, Richardson said she worked at an employment firm to improve her managerial skills and has recognized previous mistakes.
“It’s been said voters are very forgiving, and if you stand up and you accept responsibility and you improve in the work that you do — we need people who’ve been through things, who understand what it’s like to have had difficulties,” she previously told The Times. “And so that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t shy away from it.”
California
72-hour rain totals across Northern California
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