Web Version [link removed] | Update Preferences [link removed] CBRT in the News Voters Could Change California’s Landmark Property Tax Law After Measure Qualifies For Ballot

California voters this November will likely see an initiative that would undo part of a landmark law that has capped property tax increases for decades.

The so-called “split-roll” initiative would change how California taxes properties, retaining a limit on tax increases for residential properties but allowing new assessments of commercial sites worth more than $3 million.

...

“We are going to have the largest tax increase in California history at exactly the wrong time in our economy to be able to afford it,” said California Business Roundtable President Rob Lapsley.

...

The California Business Roundtable funded a multi-million dollar effort last year to convince Californians to defend Proposition 13, mostly focused on the law’s residential property tax rates. Lapsley told The Bee last year that it built an email list of Californians who said they support the current law as part of that effort.

Now the group has launched an official campaign to defeat the split-roll ballot measure. It’s working alongside other groups like Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a group named for the politician who championed Proposition 13 in 1978.

“We are prepared for that fight,” said Lapsley of the Business Roundtable.

Read More [[link removed]] High-Profile Measure To Amend Prop. 13 Qualifies For November Ballot

One of California’s highest-profile ballot initiatives qualified for the November ballot Friday, just a week after another prominent measure did the same. The initiative would amend Prop. 13, the landmark 1978 measure that capped property taxes, by nixing its protections for commercial property owners.

...

California Business Roundtable President Rob Lapsley: “We are going to have the largest tax increase in California history at exactly the wrong time in our economy to be able to afford it.”

Read More [[link removed]] Business Climate and Job Creation U.S. Unemployment Rate Fell To 13.3% In May

The U.S. jobless rate fell to 13.3% and employers added 2.5 million jobs in May, early signs the labor market is mending as the economy started to reopen following lockdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Employment rose sharply across industries, including leisure and hospitality, construction, education and health services, and retail, the Labor Department said.

The jobless rate fell from 14.7% a month earlier, which was the highest on records dating from 1948. A broader measure of unemployment—which includes part-time workers and those who gave up looking for jobs—fell to 21.2% from 22.8% a month earlier.

Read More [[link removed]] U.S. Jobless Claims Show Further Economic Strain

The Congressional Budget Office says extending benefits would help now but hurt later.

Extending the additional benefits that Congress has given to unemployed workers, which end in July, would help the economy this year but hurt it next year, the Congressional Budget Office estimated on Thursday.

President Trump signed a law in March that gives an additional $600 per week to tens of millions of workers who have lost their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, on top of the unemployment benefits that they would normally receive. Those expanded benefits expire July 31 and Congress is divided over whether to extend the higher payments.

Read More [[link removed]] Covid-19 Cuts Deep Into LA Jobs

L.A. County’s unemployment rate for April hit 19.6% amid Covid-related business closures and layoffs. Photo by California Employment Development Department

It’s no surprise that L.A.’s economy has been walloped by coronavirus-driven business shutdowns, but the extent of the damage and how much worse L.A. County has fared only became apparent with the release of data for April.

The state Employment Development Department reported on May 22 that L.A. County’s April unemployment rate reached a modern record of 19.6%, far exceeding the statewide average of 15.5% and the national average of 14.7%, both record highs.

Read More [[link removed]] U.S. Jobless Claims Understate Reality With Gaps In Federal Data

The U.S. Labor Department’s weekly jobless claims report has yet to reflect at least about half a million filings for a federal pandemic program, with data reporting lagging behind payouts.

Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii and West Virginia were among 15 states that showed zero initial claims under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, in the Labor Department’s latest weekly report on Thursday. But the same states have actually reported about half a million in combined claims through the program -- established by the CARES Act -- which is aimed at helping those typically not eligible for regular state benefits, including the self-employed and gig workers.

Read More [[link removed]] U.S. Economy Faces Long Recovery From Coronavirus Effects

The U.S. economy could take the better part of a decade to fully recover from the coronavirus pandemic and related shutdowns, a U.S. budget agency said, as a series of surveys pointed to continuing weakness in global manufacturing.

The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan legislative agency, said the sharp contraction triggered by the coronavirus caused it to mark down its 2020-30 forecast for U.S. economic output by a cumulative $7.9 trillion, or 3% of gross domestic product, relative to its January projections. GDP isn’t expected to catch up to the previously forecast level until the fourth quarter of 2029, the CBO added.

The roughly $3.3 trillion in stimulus programs enacted by Congress since March will only “partially mitigate the deterioration in economic conditions,” the CBO said.

Read More [[link removed]] Senate Passes Bill To Ease PPP Loan Restrictions

The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday to loosen some of the rules that small businesses must follow when applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Businesses now have 24 weeks to use loans obtained through the program, instead of eight weeks. Only 60% of a PPP loan now has to be used for payroll, instead of 75% — a requirement that "tens of thousands of borrowers" weren't expected to meet, per a recent inspector general report.

There has always been a tension between the PPP as a way of saving jobs or as a way of saving small businesses. This bill moves the needle decidedly in the direction of the latter.

Read More [[link removed]] The Next Big Problem For The Economy: Businesses Can’t Pay Their Rent

Nearly half of commercial retail rents were not paid in May. Companies as big as Starbucks say the financial devastation from the shutdown has left them unable to pay their full property bills on time. Some companies warn they will not be able to pay rent for months.

The problem for the broader U.S. economy is that when businesses like Ross Stores and T.J. Maxx stop paying rent, it sets off an alarming chain reaction. Landlords are now at risk of bankruptcy, too. Commercial real estate prices are falling. Jobs at property management companies and landscapers face cuts. Banks and private investors are unwilling to lend to most commercial real estate projects anymore, and cash-strapped city and local governments are realizing the property taxes they usually rely on from business properties are unlikely to be paid this summer and fall.

Coronavirus fallout will haunt U.S. economy for years, costing it $8 trillion through 2030, CBO says.

Read More [[link removed]] Simon Property Group Sues Gap For $66M In Unpaid Rent

The gloves are off between the biggest mall operator in the country and one of its most important tenants.

Simon Property Group is suing Gap Inc. for its alleged “failure to pay more than $65.9 million in rent and other charges due,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday that was reviewed by The Real Deal.

The complaint, filed in Delaware state court, marks an escalation in the battle between multinational retail tenants and the real estate investment trusts that control a large chunk of U.S. retail space.

Many tenants including Gap stopped paying rent after coronavirus stay-at-home orders that launched in March, a decision landlords are having a hard time stomaching.

Read More [[link removed]] Reopen The Golden State? Most Californians Say They Aren’t Ready To Lift COVID-19 Restrictions

Most Californians remain worried about the coronavirus pandemic and say they are not ready to see the state fully reopened from the restrictions Gov. Gavin Newsom handed down to slow the outbreak, according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California.

The state gradually has been reopening services and businesses since Newsom’s March 19 stay-at-home order. With modifications, restaurants and retail stores are opening statewide.

But the PPIC study shows that the coronavirus is still a very real fear for many Californians, especially among racial minorities and lower-income households.

Read More [[link removed]?] California Democrats Reject Newsom’s Budget Cuts, Make A Deal Counting On Money From Trump

Democratic leaders in the California Legislature announced a unified budget plan Wednesday that they said attempts to avoid “overcutting” as they face a projected $54.3 billion deficit brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, and Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, announced the deal 12 days ahead of their June 15 deadline to adopt a budget.

It rejects about $14 billion in cuts Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed last month, in large part by relying on expected aid money that Congress has yet to pass.

Read More [[link removed]?] U.S. Exports, Imports Fell Sharply In April Amid Coronavirus Disruptions

U.S. exports and imports both posted their largest monthly decreases on record amid coronavirus-related shutdowns around the world.

Imports fell 13.7% in April from March, and exports dropped 20.5%, the largest declines since record-keeping began in 1992, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The trade deficit expanded 16.7% to a seasonally adjusted $49.41 billion.

“Beyond the fact that we’re seeing a significant widening of the trade deficit, what really strikes me is the pace at which trade flows are declining,” with imports and exports down about a quarter since the coronavirus outbreak, said Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.

Read More [[link removed]] U.S. Investors, Take Note: Korea And Taiwan Show How The Virus Restrains Economic Activity

For a glimpse of how the U.S. economy might fare after states ease coronavirus lockdown orders and commercial activity broadly restarts, the experiences of South Korea and Taiwan should serve as a cautionary tale. Both countries contained the virus better than the U.S., yet consumers in those countries remain reluctant to spend and venture out.

The takeaway: Reopening isn’t going to be an economic cure-all.

Read More [[link removed]] Hedge Funds Braced For Second Stock Market Plunge

Hedge funds are getting ready for another slump in stock markets after growing uneasy that surging prices do not reflect the economic problems ahead.

Some managers fear that equity investors, used to buying the dips during the decade-long bull market that ended in March’s sharp sell-off, have become too complacent about how quickly economies can recover from the coronavirus crisis and how effective stimulus packages from central banks and governments can be.

The S&P 500 index completed its best 50-day run in history on Wednesday, according to LPL Financial, closing within 8 per cent of its record high of mid-February.

Read More [[link removed]] California AG Seeks More Power To Battle Merger-Hungry Health Care Chains

California’s health care industry has a consolidation problem. Independent physician practices, outpatient clinics and hospitals are merging or getting gobbled up by private equity firms or large health care systems. A single company can dominate an entire community, and in some cases, vast swaths of the state.

Such dominance can inflate prices, and consumers end up facing higher insurance premiums, more expensive outpatient services and bigger out-of-pocket costs to see specialists.

Now that COVID-19 has slammed the health care industry, especially the small practices that are barely seeing patients, the trend is likely to accelerate.

Read More [[link removed]] Wells Fargo, Worried About Defaults, Stops Making Loans To Most Independent Car Dealerships

Wells Fargo, one of the biggest lenders for new and used car purchases in the U.S., sent letters to hundreds of independent auto dealerships last month telling them that the San Francisco-based company was dropping them as a customer, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

A Wells Fargo spokeswoman confirmed that the bank, which only makes auto loans through car dealerships, will no longer accept loan applications from most independent shops. Independent dealerships typically sell used cars, unlike franchise dealerships that focus on new vehicles from specific manufacturers.

Read More [[link removed]] Legalized Sports Betting Would Net California Hundreds Of Millions In Revenue

Proponents of a constitutional amendment to legalize sports wagering in California say that doing so could net the state hundreds of millions of dollars in state revenue within months.

The firm Eilers and Krejcik Gaming released a report on Tuesday that found that a constitutional amendment to allow sports wagering would generate $282 million for the state within six months of passage, and $502 million in state taxes annually once the market matures.

Read More [[link removed]?] Energy and Climate Change Why Communities Fighting For Fair Policing Also Demand Environmental Justice

There are countless links between environmental degradation and inequality. Consider water contamination in predominantly black and brown communities, such as Flint, Mich., where experts say the drinking water crisis was rooted in systemic racism. Or research finding that, in the U.S., the best predictor of whether you live near a hazardous waste site is the color of your skin.

In Los Angeles, poisonous lead contamination at homes near the closed Exide battery recycling plant has yet to be fully cleaned up, hurting working-class Latino families, as my colleague Tony Barboza has reported. Black, Latino and low-income California residents are especially likely to live near unplugged oil and gas wells that can spew pollution, a Los Angeles Times investigation found. People of color are more likely than white people to live alongside power plants, oil refineries and landfills.

Read More [[link removed]] OPEC+ Edges Closer To Compromise To Extend Deepest Ever Cuts

OPEC and its allies edged closer to a consensus on extending production cuts to prop up the oil market, even as wrangling continued for a third day about whether to bring forward their next meeting.

Russia and several other OPEC+ nations favor extending the group’s current production cuts by one month, according to people familiar with the situation. It’s unclear if that’s enough for leading OPEC member Saudi Arabia, though the proposal is within the range of the kingdom’s own call for a one to three-month elongation.

Read More [[link removed]] 'No One Can Self-Isolate From Climate Change'; UK, French Central Banks Urge Action

Governments must rebuild their economies after the coronavirus crisis to withstand the next shock heading their way - climate change, the central bank governors of Britain and France have said.

“Unless we act now, the climate crisis will be tomorrow’s central scenario and, unlike COVID-19, no one will be able to self-isolate from it,” Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and his French counterpart, François Villeroy de Galhau, wrote in a joint article published in the Guardian newspaper.

They said countries around the world were far from meeting their climate goals and the coronavirus pandemic had shown that reacting to a crisis at its height brought huge costs.

“To address climate breakdown, we can instead take decisions now that reduce emissions in a less disruptive manner. That requires us to be strategic. To build back better,” they said.

Read More [[link removed]] Your Guide To Comparing Climate Change And Coronavirus

Climate change and the coronavirus have a lot more in common than the letter C, but their differences explain society’s divergent responses to each.

The Internet is full of comparisons, some from biased perspectives. Pandemics and climate change are both massive risks that much of the world is ignoring or downplaying.

They’re both gray rhino risks, which is a metaphor coined by risk expert Michele Wucker to describe “highly obvious, highly probable, but still neglected” dangers, as opposed to unforeseeable or highly improbable risks — the kind in the black swan metaphor.

Read More [[link removed]] Oil And Babies Don’t Mix: Wells Linked To Low Birthweight

Pregnant women in rural California who lived near active oil and gas wells were 40% more likely to give birth to low birthweight babies, according to new research published today.

The study led by University of California scientists is the first to investigate what California’s constellation of oil and gas development means for babies born nearby. The finding could galvanize efforts in the state Legislature to require buffer zones around oil and gas activities.

The researchers found that 6% of women living near rural oil and gas wells that churned out more than 100 barrels a day had low birthweight newborns, compared to 5% of women with no oil and gas production nearby. When the researchers factored in variables like the mother’s age and socioeconomic status, that translates to a 40 percent increased likelihood.

Read More [[link removed]] Education and Workforce Development Most California Districts Would Get More In Federal Aid Than They’d Lose In Budget Cuts

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and coalitions of labor and school district groups are asserting that California schools won’t be able to open safely if Congress doesn’t provide more aid to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet by one measure, school districts collectively would get nearly as much in already promised federal aid as their proposed state funding would be cut in 2020-21. And many districts may get more than they’ll lose in state aid.

Read More [[link removed]] Prepping To Reopen, California Schools Desperate For Guidance, Money

As California’s public schools near the sunset of a school year upended by a global pandemic, they now enter a frenetic summer of planning.

In Modesto, school officials have signaled that transportation under the age of social distancing would most likely mean school buses limited to 14 students, making it impossible to serve all students reliant on busing under normal times.

In Berkeley, the school board pondered logistical questions about what were to happen in the event that a student or employee were to test positive for coronavirus, while planning with the assumption that distance learning “will form the core of our educational programs for all students, at all grades.”

And in Los Angeles, guidance from the county’s education office envisions schools with one-way hallways, and class sizes limited to 16 students spaced six feet apart. Hand washing breaks would be squeezed in between lessons. No large gatherings, no assemblies. Recess and lunch would look different, too.

Read More [[link removed]] California Lawmakers Would Spare K-12 Schools From Any Budget Cuts

In an unusual move to reach a consensus early, California Assembly and Senate leaders announced Wednesday they have agreed on a state budget that would rescind all cuts to K-12 and higher education that Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed — on the assumption that Congress would soon pass, and President Donald Trump would sign, aid for states that would include $14 billion for California.

In a joint statement, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, D-San Diego; Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood and chairs of respective budget committees said there was a “strong likelihood” that Congress would deliver additional federal relief.

Read More [[link removed]] Sports Canceled? Students In Masks? Sacramento Health Officials Urge Big Changes For Schools

Schools in Sacramento County will likely stagger class schedules in the fall – perhaps allowing students on campus for only a few hours at a time – and many sports, large gatherings and music activities could be canceled for the 2020-21 academic year as districts respond to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to reopening guidelines developed by the county’s top education officials released Tuesday.

The Sacramento County Department of Public Health recommended to school officials that several sports – including football, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball – be canceled, based on the current situation of the coronavirus outbreak. School officials said they will work with state health officials and the California Interscholastic Federation to develop further guidance on sports. CIF is “studying strategies to work with public health to restore athletics when it is safe to do so,” the document states.

Read More [[link removed]?] Newsom's Proposed Cuts To Child Care Rates Have Advocates Worried

Child care provider Pat Alexander has hung onto her in-home child care center during the COVID-19 pandemic, but just barely. Alexander was caring for 13 kids in her Elk Grove home in Sacramento County, but now she's down to three. So far, she's survived the hit to her income. But a proposed 10% cut to the amount of money the state gives her to care for children from low-income families would force her to re-evaluate her business.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed the cut as part of his plan to close a $54 billion deficit brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. But Alexander said the rate she gets from the state is already lower than what she charges her other families.

“I've always operated with the subsidy families and low-income families and always worked with them," she said. "And now, if they do this 10% cut, that's a big chunk of money and it adds up. My cost of living didn't change. It didn't go down 10%.”

Read More [[link removed]] A New Inflammatory Syndrome Poses Safety Challenge For Schools, Day Care

Within hours of walking her teenage son into a Long Beach hospital for a burning fever and angry red rash that exploded across his body, Marla Maxfield watched helplessly as he was rushed into the intensive care unit.

“He was so swollen, his face looked like he had been sunburned, his hands and feet were red, his tongue was swollen and the edges were really red,” Maxfield said. “It was terrifying.”

Doctors diagnosed Maxfield’s 14-year-old son with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a new condition in kids that has been linked to coronavirus. What began last month as a sore throat and low-grade fever—and was initially diagnosed as strep throat—had become a full-blown medical emergency requiring six days in the hospital.

Just when it seemed that kids would be OK in the pandemic, this new related illness is hospitalizing a growing number of children and young people—first in New York, and now in California and other states.

Read More [[link removed]] USC Will Reopen For Fall Semester With Online And In-Person Classes, More Distancing In Dorms

USC will bring students back to campus for the fall semester amid the coronavirus crisis with several safety measures that include both online and in-person classes, more spacing in dorms and testing for COVID-19, President Carol L. Folt announced Tuesday night.

The highly anticipated decision was certain to hearten many students, many of whom found online learning alienating, and their families who balked at paying USC’s $58,000 annual tuition and fees for classes on computers. Some students — like others throughout the country — were considering taking a gap year if USC did not resume in-person classes.

Read More [[link removed]] Infrastructure and Housing California Measure To Reform Proposition 13 Qualifies For Ballot

A revised state initiative that would boost property taxes on large commercial and industrial property by allowing it to be reappraised more frequently has qualified for the November ballot.

The measure, which supporters say will raise as much as $12 billion each year for schools and local government, would rewrite California’s landmark Proposition 13, a 1978 measure that set limits on property tax increases and allowed both residential and commercial property to be reassessed only when it was sold.

The new initiative, dubbed “Schools and Communities First” by its authors, would maintain the Prop. 13 limits for small business, agricultural land and residential property, including apartment buildings. But it would require that commercial and industrial real estate be taxed at its full market value, which would be determined by regular reassessments.

Read More [[link removed]] New Measure On November Ballot Could Dramatically Impact Property Taxes

A titanic battle on the November ballot awaits commercial real estate interests and investors, seeking to stop the most dramatic change to their property taxes in more than 40 years.

State officials announced Friday a measure known as split-roll had enough registered voter signatures to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot in California, representing reform to 1978's landmark Proposition 13.

The split-roll measure, backed by school teacher unions and the League of Women Voters, would change the property tax rate on most commercial properties to reflect their current value. Under Prop. 13, property taxes are based on a property's last sales price, with annual increases of 2% or inflation, whichever is lower.

Read More [[link removed]] Assessors Call Split-Roll ‘Problematic’

County tax collectors are reiterating their opposition to a proposed “split roll” initiative that could raise tax revenue from commercial and industrial property, calling the measure “problematic” and difficult it to implement.

The California Assessor’s Association in a letter to lawmakers says tax collectors don’t have the resources to execute the plan, which calls on them to more frequently assess commercial properties worth $3 million or more.

“In my opinion, the property tax measure as written will be impossible for assessors to implement — not just difficult but impossible,” Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone said.

Read More [[link removed]] One-Third Of California Renters Unsure If They Can Make June Payment, Census Survey Shows

More than one-third of California home renters say they have little or no confidence that they will be able to pay rent in June, according to a new survey from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Millions of Californians have lost their jobs in the last two months due to the COVID-19 crisis. Gov. Gavin Newsom in March allowed local governments to institute a moratorium on evictions. He recently extended the moratorium through July 28. Tenants must still eventually pay all back rent.

About 34 percent of California home renters said they had little or no confidence in their ability to pay rent, compared to about 32 percent of home renters nationwide. People of color, Californians without a college education and households with children were among those most likely to say they would have trouble.

Read More [[link removed]] ‘There Will Be A Crisis We Can’t Even Imagine’ Why Activists Are Pushing For Rent Forgiveness During The Coronavirus Pandemic

In just two and a half months, over 40 million people have filed for unemployment in the U.S., a surge in joblessness not seen in the U.S. since the Great Depression. At the same time, it is unclear if the federal government will provide additional stimulus to the record number of people who are currently unemployed and struggling to pay their bills because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Unable to return to work and weeks away from losing enhanced unemployment benefits meant to tide over workers during coronavirus lockdowns, many are concerned about paying their rent, which is the largest monthly expense for most of the country. In fact, 31% of renters did not pay in the first week of April, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council, an increase of about 11% from a normal month.

Now, as the country enters the third full month since the deadly coronavirus first began closing down much of the U.S. economy, calls to #CancelRent have proliferated on social media and at demonstrations across the country.

Read More [[link removed]] Newsom Allows Extension Of Local Eviction Moratoriums In California Through July 28

Evictions could be halted for two more months in California under a new executive order signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The order gives local jurisdictions the authority to extend eviction moratoriums through July 28 to protect renters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

Newsom authorized local governments to halt evictions with a March 16 order that was followed up on March 27 by a state-wide eviction ban in effect through May.

Read More [[link removed]] Can Gov. Newsom Make Rent, Mortgage Debt Vanish?

As the coronavirus pandemic and rising unemployment create a new wave of economic hardship for tenants, renter advocates have built a growing statewide Cancel Rent campaign demanding Gov. Gavin Newsom offer sweeping relief.

But can a California governor wave a wand of emergency powers and make rent and mortgage debt go away?

Though some advocates want Newsom to eliminate the housing debts built up by renters and small landlords during the crisis, many legal experts doubt any government force can wipe away unpaid rents and mortgages without smashing through state and federal constitutional rights. And that’s before the lawsuits any state-initiated deal would likely spark from banks, landlords and others feeling short-changed.

Read More [[link removed]] SF, Silicon Valley Rents Plunge Amid Downturn

The cost of renting an apartment in the Bay Area plummeted in May, as layoffs and the increased flexibility of working from home drove a double-digit drop in some of the nation’s most expensive housing markets.

Rents for a one-bedroom apartment dropped most in the cities richest in high-paying tech jobs, falling 9.2% in San Francisco compared with May of 2019. In Mountain View, home to Google, rents fell 15.9% year over year, while in Apple’s hometown of Cupertino rents dipped 14.3%, according to the rental search engine Zumper. In San Bruno, where YouTube has its offices, rents tumbled 14.9%.

“It’s a dramatic drop in San Francisco and the South Bay,” said Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades. “This is real. We have never seen anything like it.”

Read More [[link removed]] San Francisco Weighs Permanent COVID-19 Eviction Protections

City officials in San Francisco are considering extending eviction protections that were put in place during COVID-19 indefinitely.

There is a growing concern that once the shelter-in-place order is lifted, thousands of tenants will be evicted from their homes. Eviction protections that were put in place during COVID-19 only last through July 28th in California.

Supervisor Dean Preston wants to make those protections permanent in San Francisco.

Read More [[link removed]] San Francisco’s Homeless Deaths Have Tripled. Advocates Blame City Neglect During Pandemic

San Francisco has seen a surge in deaths among homeless people this spring, fatalities that officials are not directly attributing to coronavirus but which advocates say is a result of the shelter-in-place order that forced people on to the streets.

From 30 March to 24 May, 48 people experiencing homelessness died in San Francisco, more than three times the 14 deaths recorded during this same period last year. Though some of those 48 tested positive “near their time of death”, their causes of death are still under investigation and have not been counted among the city’s Covid-related fatalities, according to the San Francisco department of public health.

There have been 40 Covid-related deaths officially recorded in San Francisco since the first case was reported in the city on 5 March.

Read More [[link removed]] Bullet Train Would Nick Jobs, Homes And Parks On 14-Mile Route From L.A. To Burbank

The future California bullet train’s passage from Burbank to Los Angeles would follow an existing 14-mile rail corridor, cross 22 roads, traverse the Los Angeles River, run through dozens of businesses and hit people across economic and racial segments, a draft environmental study found.

The Los Angeles segment would create two electrified high-speed rail tracks and two conventional tracks for diesel trains from an underground platform in Burbank to Los Angeles’ historic Union Station at an estimated cost of $3.6 billion, according to the report, which was released late Thursday afternoon by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Read More [[link removed]] Is Hotel California A Permanent Answer To Homelessness?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing to parlay short-term federal pandemic relief into a long-term remedy for the state's homelessness crisis by buying vacant hotels and turning them into permanent housing.

His proposal would send counties $600 million in federal funding starting next month — before the emergency aid dries up and thousands of people temporarily sheltered in hotel rooms are pushed back to the streets.

The idea is eliciting some optimism in a high-cost state with some 150,000 people experiencing homelessness — but it faces a host of political, financial and logistical challenges and will likely set up a clash with cities opposed to the idea.

Read More [[link removed]] Editorial and Opinion A Conflict 42 Years In The Making

Fair warning. What you are about to read is the briefest possible summary of one of the most arcane features of government finance in California, albeit one that involves hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and illustrates how financial decisions over four decades interact to create quagmires that defy rationality.

To begin at the beginning, in 1978 California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 13, which limits property taxes on homes and other real estate. It reduced property taxes that had supported local agencies and shifted the primary burden of financing schools and community colleges to the state government.

Read More [[link removed]] Don’t Be Fooled By Ballot Measure On ‘Split-Roll’ Tax

Among the pressures facing California farms, ranches and agricultural businesses—economic upheaval from the pandemic, water shortages, trade uncertainty and more—you can add another: a measure headed for the November ballot that would raise taxes on California farmers.

Proponents call the measure the "Schools and Communities First" initiative, and it officially qualified for the ballot last week. If approved by voters, it would raise taxes up to $12.5 billion annually on commercial and industrial property—including California farms, ranches and dairies.

Read More [[link removed]] It’s An Easy Decision To Vote Against Tax Increases On Commercial Property

The Oakland mayor is correct. It will be an easy decision to determine how to vote on the gigantic $12 billion commercial property tax increase on the November ballot. Just vote no.

In 1978, voters passed Proposition 13 because they were being taxed out of their homes and businesses. Prop. 13 changed that by creating certainty and predictability.

Now sponsors of the largest tax increase in California history say it would exempt smaller, family-owned businesses. However, three-fourths of them have “triple net leases,” meaning their rent automatically increases to cover tax increases. That will result in higher prices for all of us and cause many businesses to close, especially when so many of them are struggling to keep their doors open because of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Read More [[link removed]] There Is A Playbook For Police Reform

Policing has always been one of our country’s most complex and challenging professions. People call the police when they cannot solve problems themselves. And when other systems, institutions and parts of our social fabric fail, the police inherit the problems that others want to ignore. The police are called in to repair, or at least lessen, the damage.

Right now, members of our communities are wondering whether our police really do help lessen the damage. The need for police accountability has never been more apparent, more visceral, than now. Last week, people in this country and around the world watched in horror as they saw George Floyd, an African-American man, die at the hands of the Minneapolis police. The horrific death of Mr. Floyd graphically demonstrated what people in communities of color across the country have complained about for decades: the blatant use of excessive and deadly force by the police.

The demand for accountability is not new. Too many of our communities have grieved too many times. We have been here before. Yet nothing seems to change.

Read More [[link removed]] For Californians, It’s All About COVID-19 And The Economy

The latest Public Policy Institute of California poll clearly shows that Californians are focused on the health threat of COVID-19 and its obvious destructive effects on jobs and the economy.

Likely voters ranked the COVID-19 issue as the most important issue facing the state at 35%; jobs and the economy was second at 25% and nothing else hit double figures. Health care concerns scored 5%, the state budget was considered the most important issue by 3% while schools were at 1%.

The one-two punch of coronavirus and the economy was across the board with Democrats, Republicans and Independents all ranking the issue first and second, respectively. Interestingly, in the populous Los Angeles region, likely voters picked jobs and the economy first at 33% ahead of Covid-19 at 29%, even though Los Angeles is the state hotspot for coronavirus. Fifty-eight percent of Californians were either very concerned or somewhat concerned that they would end up in a hospital because of COVID-19.

Read More [[link removed]] Let’s Restart Los Angeles County’s Economy, Before It’s Too Late

We know what the shutdown looks like and it’s not pretty. Millions of jobs lost. Businesses closed — many to never open again. Government tax coffers empty and social programs stretched to the breaking point. The challenge – and the opportunity — that Los Angeles County now faces is not if we get back to work, but the speed and effectiveness at which this occurs.

As we emerge from the safe-at-home cocoon and look around the economic landscape, we’re only now beginning to see the devastation caused by the county’s dramatic mid-March shut-down. The unemployment numbers and announced business closures don’t provide nearly enough detail to assess the economic damage that needs to be repaired if we have any hope of returning to a functioning economy. We are going to be cleaning up the shutdown’s wreckage for a long time.

Read More [[link removed]] The Best Way To Get More Affordable Rentals Built

I had a career in developing affordable housing, neighborhood preservation and code enforcement in several Southern California cities. One of the biggest challenges we faced was poor property management of duplex and fourplex rentals owned by mom-and-pop landlords.

These small-time landlords were not professional property managers. This may be the only rental they owned. They often did not screen their tenants properly or know how to evict problem tenants. Their units were often a blight as viewed from the street or by neighbors. The cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Ontario, Hemet and others spent millions and years cleaning-up fourplex neighborhoods during the 1980s and 90s.

A better solution is higher density rental or ownership housing, accessory dwelling units or granny flats, and professionally managed apartment complexes.

Read More [[link removed]] California Should Terminate Unnecessary Insurance Subsidies For Retired State Workers

The California Legislature is considering $2.5 billion of cuts to child care, adult dental care, hospitals, parks, courts, social services and preschools. Instead, lawmakers should cut $2.5 billion of unnecessary insurance subsidies for retired state employees.

California pays 100% of the health insurance premiums for retired state employees and 90% of the premiums for retirees’ family members. Known as “Other Post-Employment Benefits,” the insurance subsidies are not necessary. That’s because retired state employees, like all Californians, are already entitled to large federal and state insurance subsidies, including new middle class subsidies enacted into law by the Legislature last year that provide support for all Californians with incomes of up to $75,000 per year and $150,000 for families of four.

Read More [[link removed]] To Solve California’s Coronavirus-Fueled Budget Woes, Newsom Should Gamble On Sports Betting

If we legalize sports betting in California, schoolkids will be the winners. Maybe also the aged poor. And working single moms looking for child care while schools are shuttered.

Practically every state legislator — Democrat and Republican — is attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed draconian cuts in funding for K-12 schools, impoverished seniors, healthcare for the poor and a long list of safety net programs.

But very few are suggesting serious ways to blunt the governor’s chopping ax by raising new revenue — the dirty T-word for tax.

Read More [[link removed]] California Business Roundtable 1301 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 916.553.4093 | [[link removed]] Web Version [link removed] | Update Preferences [link removed] | Unsubscribe [link removed]