Representatives from local seniors organizations are rallying Thursday afternoon in Live Oak against a school district bond measure that would fund the development of workforce housing. They fear it will displace senior services. Live Oak School District is asking voters to approve the $45 million bond measure – Measure N – so it can develop 14 to 25 units of housing for district staff.
Housing & Development
Posted inLatest News
UCSC updates maintenance system, offers rent credit over Family Student Housing concerns
Almost two months after UC Santa Cruz Family Student Housing residents demanded that the university address housing conditions and waive a rent increase, housing officials said they will provide a one-time credit toward rent but won’t rescind the annual increase. They also say they’re changing how they respond to maintenance requests.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Late payments to nonprofits hamper California’s fight against homelessness
California homeless service providers are scaling back and taking out loans as they wait for late payments from governments at the state, county and city levels.
Posted inLatest News
Watsonville OKs ‘tiny village’ for homeless over objections
Monterey and Santa Cruz county officials can now apply for a building permit for a proposed tiny home village for the homeless on the Westview Presbyterian Church property in Watsonville. But some councilmembers said a project update at Tuesday’s city council meeting left them with more questions than answers.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
New California law gives tenants more time to respond to eviction notices
Tenant advocates say giving renters 10 days to respond to eviction notices, up from five, will help those who live in rural areas and have trouble finding legal help. Some landlords argue it will increase their costs.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Citing housing crisis, Santa Cruz County supervisors take aim at vacation rentals
Santa Cruz County is cracking down on vacation rentals owned by absentee landlords and investors, aiming to curb their proliferation and free up housing supply. A new subcommittee will propose regulations to limit the number of unhosted rentals and rental permits, while the county demands platforms including Airbnb and Vrbo remove listings that don’t have county permits. This move comes amid growing concerns about housing affordability in the area.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Rent cap gets final approval from Santa Cruz City Council
The Santa Cruz City Council unanimously approved a city ordinance to bring government-assisted living facilities with expiring rent restrictions, including the downtown St. George Residences, under the same protections mandated by a state law that limits the size of single-year rent increases. The ordinance will go into effect on Oct. 24, just a week before St. George residents were facing rent hikes as high as 200%.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Building affordable rentals is great – but Santa Cruz needs affordable homes for purchase, too
Santa Cruz County is doing a good job of building rental units, but it’s not building enough affordable homes for people to buy, writes Shiri Gradek, a serial renter who pays 55% of her salary to rent. She wants this to change. Prioritizing only rentals, she says, doesn’t build equity or wealth for a community. It feeds landlords and developers and contributes to the dismantling of the middle class.
Posted inEducation
Homeless students can sleep safely in their cars at this California college. Other campuses say no
Failed legislative bills have attempted to create safe parking programs for students to sleep in their cars on California campuses while awaiting housing. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight.
Posted inHousing & Development
Cruz Hotel will move forward after Coastal Commission gives it a green light
The California Coastal Commission last week approved the long-discussed and debated Cruz Hotel project proposed at the corner of Front and Laurel streets in downtown Santa Cruz. The project had been appealed to the Coastal Commission, as expected, following the Santa Cruz City Council’s 5-1 approval of the hotel in March.