Category: housing

Los Angeles to Vote Nov. 8 on New Tax Initiative to Fund More Homeless Housing

LOS ANGELES—A new tax proposal will be on the Nov. 8 ballot for Angelenos to vote on, which if passed, would create additional homeless housing from a new tax. According to early polls, homelessness is the top issue of concern for Angelenos heading into the election. Initiative Ordinance “ULA” proposed enacting a 4 percent property…


Housing Remains Unaffordable for Many Despite Slide in Prices

Higher lending rates by the Bank of Canada are causing homes to become more unaffordable despite a drop in prices, a trend that may continue until housing markets reach a new balance in 2023. Interest rate hikes that began in March led house prices to drop for five consecutive months, according to Teranet’s National Composite House…


‘Housing First’ Caused the Homelessness Catastrophe

Commentary ​Homelessness is a national disgrace. Large swaths of some of America’s (once) most beautiful cities are squalid squatter camps. Visit San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, or Los Angeles and you will see miles of homeless people living on the streets in tents—many openly drug-addled and soiling sidewalks with used needles and human waste. ​How did…


Midterms Could Deal a Blow to Progressive Housing Agenda

News Analysis Challenges to single-family zoning are gathering steam nationwide, but an ambitious progressive agenda to promote high-density housing could suffer a major setback if Democrats lose control of Congress in the November midterm elections. The stakes include billions of dollars in federal grants and hundreds of thousands of housing units, as President Joe Biden…


California Gives $53 Million in New Housing Grants for Older Adults and Those With Disabilities

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced $53 million in new housing grants intended to create more residential options for low-income older adults and those with disabilities, including people at risk of homelessness. “California is making significant housing investments to support some of our most vulnerable residents … to live with safety and dignity in their…


US Saw Record Drop in Home Sales Last Month: Redfin

The United States saw a record drop in home sales in September 2022 amid surging interest and mortgage rates, according to a report from real estate firm Redfin. The number of homes sold that month dropped by 25 percent and new listings dropped by 22 percent, according to the report. That’s the largest decline in…


China’s Conflicting Economic Policies

Commentary The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is taking contradictory economic policies that seem to make little sense: cutting rates, increasing credit, and enforcing the “zero-COVID” policy while facing mounting debt, falling currency, declining consumer demand, rising unemployment, and slowing growth. The Chinese economy is arguably in worse shape than it was 30 or even 40…


‘Canary in the Gold Mine’: Asset Seizures Could Skyrocket Due to Post-Pandemic Debt Default, Says Bailiff

North Central Bailiffs in Kelowna, B.C., is busy. In fact, as pandemic restrictions and mandates continue to ease, owner Mike Sundstrom has never had more work end up on his desk. From Sundstrom’s vantage point, the industry where he makes his living as a licensed bailiff and licensed sheriff isn’t prepared to handle the massive…


Inflation Persists

Commentary Inflation news in July and August had offered a few willing souls so inclined to hope that price pressures would dissipate quickly. Consumer price inflation was indeed remarkably slow. Measures over the prior 12 months came off the frightening highs of over 9 percent recorded last June. However, the hope of a quick, easy…


Housing Tips for a Comfortable and Affordable Retirement

Having your affairs in order to prepare for retirement isn’t as cut-and-dried as a simple dollar amount. There’s also the consideration of what you want an affordable retirement to look like and what you’ll be doing on a day-to-day basis. With housing alone, there are numerous ways that retirement can vary from person to person….