Housing

From homelessness to rent control, CalMatters' Matt Levin and The Los Angeles Times' Liam Dillon preview what to expect in California housing circles in 2020. 

A surprise eviction notice changed the lives of Juan Vera, his wife Maria and their three children forever. A representative of the apartment complex in Downey, where they had lived for more than 20 years, handed Maria an envelope.  Maria doesn’t understand English, so Camila, her 14-year-old daughter, read it to her.  “Did you see […]

The latest in our video playlist of new California laws-in-a-minute: A ban on discrimination against renters with Section 8 vouchers.

Eufemia Aguilar has lived in her two-bedroom apartment on North Sanborn Road in Salinas for about 10 years. A garlic peeler at Christopher Ranch, she rises at 2:30 a.m. every day, packs her lunch and heads to work, leaving her 20-year-old son and 5-year-old grandson to sleep.  There are lots of problems inside her apartment […]

On this episode of Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast, CalMatters' Matt Levin and the Los Angeles Times' Liam Dillon interview New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo about whether California has reached a true tipping point, and why the state can't fix some of its fundamental flaws.

As wildfires become more frequent and ferocious, state officials recommend that homeowners do more to harden property in high-risk areas. Fireproofing can be pricey, but some solutions are no more expensive than basic home repairs. 

An obscure federal rule could keep more than 80 low-income residents from moving back to the town destroyed by the deadliest wildfire in state history. 

California’s affordable housing shortage has become a full-blown crisis and the numbers are staggering. Meanwhile, the state’s growing homeless population is straining public health systems. CalMatters, The Milken Institute and The Los Angeles Times have teamed up to organize a town hall that examines the many factors leading to explosive rates of homelessness, and the […]

State Sen. Scott Wiener wants to force apartment buildings in their single family neighborhoods. Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch really doesn't like that idea.

In the months until a new renter law takes effect, tenant rights groups are scrambling to combat what they say is a wave of landlords exploit a temporary loophole. Could it have been avoided?