News
Housing advocates challenge the state’s calculation of Bay Area housing needs
San Francisco Examiner – February 5
San Francisco housing advocacy group YIMBY Action filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Housing and Community Development, alleging the agency's calculations for projecting Bay Area housing needs for the next decade are flawed. They contend the mistake “severely” underestimates the number of needed housing units and will interfere with local efforts to create zoning and land use plans to accommodate sufficient units to meet the real need.
San Diego proposes vacancy tax and community land trusts to combat housing crisis
The San Diego Union-Tribune – February 8
San Diego’s new City Council proposes several bold ideas to tackle the city’s affordable housing crisis, including creating community land trusts, a rent registry, vacancy taxes, and forcing landlords to rent to people with pets. The Council considers these proposals as being more aggressive than recent streamlining measures to create new housing.
San Jose approves rent freeze for apartments and mobile homes through June
San Jose Spotlight – February 3
Apartment and mobile home renters struggling to pay rent in San Jose because of the pandemic will get some relief. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously on February 2 to immediately halt rent increases for residents living in rent-controlled apartments and mobile homes through June 30. The apartment ordinance allows San Jose landlords to increase rent by 5% every 12 months, while the mobile home ordinance allows annual rent increases up to a maximum amount, which varies each year.
Saving water saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
The Daily Democrat – February 7
Conserving water goes beyond just saving water; it plays a vital role in conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is one of the main conclusions of a study conducted by UC Davis in collaboration with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, shows that customer-focused water conservation programs are just as cost-effective (and in some cases, are more cost-effective) as energy efficiency programs in reducing electricity use, GHG, and other energy-intensive operations.
Study warns that U.S. cities may be dramatically underestimating their carbon footprints
CBS – February 4
New research suggests that certain cities are underestimating their greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 145%. The study, published in the journal Nature, analyzed GHG emissions data that 48 U.S. cities self-reported between 2007 and 2017 and compared that data to estimates from the Vulcan carbon dioxide emissions data project, a NASA and Department of Energy funded initiative. Thirty-seven cities reported lower emission levels than the Vulcan project. For example, Torrance, California, underestimated its emissions by 145.5%. Several major cities, including Los Angeles, underestimated by more than 20%.
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