Gov. Newsom signs off on bills to increase state’s housing production, bolster tenant protections

• October 15, 2023

Starting next year in California, homeowners can sell the granny unit in their backyard. Religious institutions can build housing on their land. And developers can add more homes along the coast in places that were once off-limits.

The sweeping initiatives were among more than 50 housing bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom intended to expedite the state’s housing supply and protect tenants from evictions in the face of a statewide housing crisis.

The flurry of housing bills this year passed with the support of labor interests who came together with housing advocates to break through opposition from local governments that stand to lose control over approving housing.

“It’s simple math — California needs to build more housing and ensure the housing we have is affordable,” Newsom said in a statement. “These 56 bills build on that work, supporting tenants and ensuring cities are held accountable to plan for and permit their fair share of housing.”

Despite years of legislation, California is still behind on its housing production goals, with many localities continuing to put up roadblocks. Newsom has become increasingly aggressive about pushing back on “not in my backyard” politics: With the Legislature, he has directed billions toward affordable housing production and worked with the attorney general to bring cities and counties into compliance with state housing laws.

Working toward those efforts on the legislative side is Sen. Scott Wiener, a leader on housing issues who authored two of the major bills to come out of this year’s session, SB 4 and SB 423.

“The era of saying no to housing is coming to an end,” the San Francisco Democrat said in a statement. “We’ve been planting seeds for years to get us to a brighter housing future, and today we’re continuing strongly down that path.”

Streamlining housing

SB 423, authored by Wiener, extends by a decade a law meant to sunset in 2026 that allows developers of multifamily housing to bypass some of the lengthy approval processes in cities that are falling behind on their state-mandated housing goals. That law, SB 35, has led to the approval of more than 18,000 new units since it was passed in 2017, according to a recent study by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley.

The more time that a developer spends getting the permit for a project, the more expensive the eventual project costs, said Muhammad Alameldin, a policy associate with the Terner Center. Those costs eventually are passed onto the homeowner or renter.

“Streamlining housing development is important to cut down costs and to deliver the housing that we desperately need now,” he said.

The law also allows construction in certain coastal areas that were exempted from the 2017 law. The bill faced opposition this summer from environmental groups and coastal communities that worried it would open the door for projects to be built in areas vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise. The California Coastal Commission, which regulates development along the coast, eventually dropped its opposition to the law after Wiener clarified that the law wouldn’t apply to “environmentally sensitive or hazardous” areas.

Developers who take advantage of the streamlining process will be required to pay prevailing union wages — a provision pushed for by the California Conference of Carpenters, the union that co-sponsored the bill. But many developers say that can raise construction costs, and prevents them from taking advantage of the law.

‘Yes in God’s Backyard’

SB 4, authored by Wiener, rezones land owned by religious organizations and nonprofit colleges to allow for affordable housing on their property. Nicknamed YIGBY, or “Yes in God’s Backyard,” this was the bill’s third time before the Legislature.

“Many synagogues and houses of worship are eager to do more than volunteer and donate — they want to build affordable housing and bring their neighbors off the streets for good,” said David Bocarsly, executive director for the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, in a statement.

A recent study by the Terner Center found that SB4 would open up 171,000 acres of land across the state for affordable housing.

Christopher Cole guesses that if he were not doing the work himself, his accessory dwelling unit might cost as much as $400,000. (Dan Coyro — Santa Cruz Sentinel file)

ADUs can be sold separately from a home

There’s been a boom in construction of ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, also known as “granny units,” since state laws were passed in 2016 and 2017 to streamline permitting. Nearly one in five new housing units built in California today are ADUs, according to data from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

And now AB 1033, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco, allows property owners to sell those dwelling units separately from homes.

“With the governor’s signature on my bills, ADUs can continue to build on the success of our backyard revolution. Not only will there be more rental units, but this will also open the door to affordable homeownership for many,” Ting said in a statement.

Ting also pushed for another $25 million in this year’s budget for the ADU Grant Program, which helps homeowners with preconstruction costs for ADUs.

‘People as pollution’

A new law drafted in response to a lawsuit filed by neighbors who opposed a UC Berkeley housing project at People’s Park exempts noise generated by the residents of a residential project as an impact on the environment under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

In the 2021 lawsuit, neighbors argued that university officials had failed to consider the noise impact of students from the planned 1,100-bed student dormitory. In a February ruling, an appeals court judge sided with neighbors.

The bill, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, doesn’t mean that the university will be allowed to begin construction on its project right away. The case still heads to the state Supreme Court. But the new law will undermine the basis of the appeals court ruling from February.

“AB 1307 reestablishes over 50 years of CEQA precedent, and reaffirms that people are not pollution,” Wicks said in a statement.

Limiting security deposits

In a win for renters, the governor also signed AB 12, which limits landlords from taking no more than a month’s rent for security deposits. Currently, landlords may charge up to two months’ rent for a deposit, or three months for furnished properties.

“Massive security deposits can create insurmountable barriers to housing affordability and accessibility for millions of Californians,” the bill’s author, Matt Haney, said on social media Wednesday. “Despite skyrocketing rents, laws on ensuring affordable security deposits haven’t changed substantially since the 1970s. The result is that landlords lose out on good tenants and tenants stay in homes that are too crowded, unsafe or far from work.”

The law will go into effect in June 2024.

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Scott Horton: It’s all about provoking your reaction

• October 15, 2023

So wise up!

With terrorism, as with all asymmetric political action, “the action is in the reaction of the opposition,” as Saul Alinsky, the leftist activist, put it in his book Rules for Radicals.

This isn’t conspiracy stuff, nor impossible “4th dimensional chess” – it’s just plain, old 2-dimensional chess. That’s all:

Hamas, al Qaeda, and similar groups slaughter civilians – beheaded babies or not, they certainly murdered hundreds and hundreds of innocent, civilian Israeli non-combatants in this one (including an extended family member of mine) just as they slaughtered thousands on September 11 – for a reason, not simply because they are angry or devils. It’s a tactic. They are trying to provoke a reaction.

They are trying to make you angry, to make you hate, even drive you crazy. Yes – yes – for the purpose of making the more powerful force (i.e. the United States, Israel) do even worse to their own people, such as getting the U.S. to invade Afghanistan and getting Israel to bomb the Gaza strip. Not that al Qaeda was from Afghanistan, but that’s where they were and that’s who they knew were gonna get it. (Also, by the way, U.S. support for Israel’s crimes in Palestine and Lebanon was a huge part of the motive for al Qaeda’s war against the United States in the first place, including for some of the most important pilot hijackers and organizers of the plot.)

This is then meant to provoke still further counter-reactions. It “heightens the contradictions” as the commies used to say. It forces leaders of Muslim states and armed groups everywhere to take a stand. It destroys stability and negotiations and progress, radicalizes new groups and forces everyone back into the fight on one side or the other. It makes every sock-puppet princeling of the Gulf take a stand in support like the Ayatollah or sell out in silence in the most embarrassing way, like Crown Prince bin Salman, etc.

It’s the same reason Bosnian Muslim forces butchered Serbs and Chechen Muslim forces butchered Russians and ISIS slaughtered Shi’ites: to provoke a worse crisis for everyone in the hopes that the overall situation changes to their advantage.

I would note that terrorism is usually as stupid as it is evil; see Bosnia, where they got less and less; Chechnya, Syria and Iraq Wars II and III where they lost outright. Osama’s nemesis, the Saudi monarchy, still stands, and with as degenerate a self-worshiper in the Crown Prince position as he could have ever feared. Hamas may very well not survive this.

But for Israel to completely destroy them would require a level of violence that the civilian population of the Gaza strip, one half of them under 18 years old – all of them trapped with no where to go—simply cannot withstand. Hundreds have already been killed.

Ramzy Baroud argues that a land invasion of the strip will be a catastrophe for Israel too.

The longer this goes on, the greater the danger to the Israeli hostages as well.

By widening the war into a full-scale invasion of Gaza, the Israelis risk spreading the war to a full-scale uprising on the West Bank, a fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon or even northern Israel, which could then lead to things going sideways in Iraq – where George W. Bush installed a very Iran – and Hezbollah-friendly Shi’ite theocracy in power – and who-knows what.

Powerful Muslim states who are friendly to Israel, such as Turkey and Egypt, must be allowed to step in and play a negotiating role here. Stop reacting. And stop posturing like a bunch of little girls on TikTok. Pull the brakes before it’s too late.

I know calling your congressmen feels like pissing in the wind. But do what you can to make your voice heard and call for cease-fire and talks as soon as possible.

Ultimately the Palestinians must have independence or citizenship. Otherwise, as Ariel Sharon’s man, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, they’re left with an untenable apartheid state.

And the United States should stop sharing in the responsibility for this shame immediately by ending all aid and military support for the occupation—and for that matter in all cases, everywhere.

Also, USS Gerald Ford: watch your six.

Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from ScottHorton.org. He’s the author of the 2021 book Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism, the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand:Time to End the War in Afghanistan, editor of the 2019 book The Great Ron Paul: The Scott Horton Show Interviews 2004–2019 and the 2022 book Hotter Than The Sun: Time to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. He’s conducted more than 5,800 interviews since 2003. Scott lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Larisa Alexandrovna Horton. This column was originally published on Antiwar.com

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Suzanne Somers, of ‘Three’s Company,’ dies at 76

• October 15, 2023

Suzanne Somers, the effervescent blonde actor known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show “Three’s Company” as well as her business endeavors, has died. She was 76.

Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning, her family said in a statement provided by her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay. Her husband Alan Hamel, her son Bruce and other immediate family were with her in Palm Springs, California.

“Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th,” the statement read. “Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”

In July, Somers shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.

“Like any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, ‘It’s back,’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “This is familiar battleground for me and I’m very tough.”

She was first diagnosed in 2000, and also had skin cancer. She faced some backlash for her reliance on what she’s described as a chemical-free and organic lifestyle to combat the cancers. She argued against the use of chemotherapy, in books and on platforms like “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which drew criticism from the American Cancer Society.

Somers was born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, to a gardener father and a medical secretary mother. She began acting in the late 1960s, playing the blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George Lucas’s 1973 film “American Graffiti.” Her only line was mouthing the words “I love you” to Richard Dreyfuss’s character.

At her audition, Lucas just asked her if she could drive. She later said that moment “changed her life forever.”

Somers would later stage a one-woman Broadway show entitled “The Blonde in the Thunderbird,” which drew largely scathing reviews.

She appeared in many television shows in the 1970s, including “The Rockford Files,” “Magnum Force” and “The Six Million Dollar Man,” but her most famous part came with “Three’s Company,” which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984 — though her participation ended in 1981.

On “Three’s Company,” she was the ditzy blonde opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in the roommate comedy. In 1980, after four seasons, she asked for a raise from $30,000 an episode to $150,000 an episode, which would have been comparable to what Ritter was getting paid. Hamel, a former television producer, had encouraged the ask.

“The show’s response was, ‘Who do you think you are?’ Somers told People in 2020. “They said, ‘John Ritter is the star.’

She was soon fired and her character was replaced by two different roommates for the remaining years the show aired. It also led to a rift with her co-stars; They didn’t speak for many years. Somers did reconcile with Ritter before his death, and then with DeWitt on her online talk show.

But Somers took the break as an opportunity to pursue new avenues, including a Las Vegas act, writing books, hosting a talk show and becoming an entrepreneur. In the 1990s, she also became the spokesperson for the “Thighmaster.”

Somers returned to network television in the 1990s, most famously on “Step by Step,” which aired on ABC’s youth-targeted TGIF lineup. The network also aired a biopic of her life, starring her, called “Keeping Secrets.”

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USC-Notre Dame takeaways: Lincoln Riley says team has to ignore the noise

• October 15, 2023

First, it was a comment on the “trained eye” after the Colorado game, the phrase that’s become a popular arrow in the quiver of a public looking to take aim at USC.

Then, it was the assertion that “a lot of people in the media had their mind made up” about the Trojans’ defense, an emotive speech Tuesday from the Trojans’ head coach digging his heels in and defending his group after a pair of rough performances.

Then, after a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame Saturday night, it was remarks that the concept of a few plays going their way and razor-thin margins were “difficult to understand on the outside.”

It’s become abundantly clear, with public optimism over this USC football team this season dwindling, that Lincoln Riley’s mentality is simple: us-vs-them.

“The most important thing for this locker room right now,” Riley said postgame Saturday, in a fairly strong display of passion, “is going to be ignoring all the outside noise.”

The head coach took responsibility Saturday, saying, “We gotta do a better job,” but also stood on business, holding onto the same star-reaching optimism in the face of clearly growing challenges.

“We have to coach and play better. But is it in our power? Is it something we’re capable of? I believe it, to my core, and we’re going to go fight our (butt) off to get it done,” Riley finished his press conference Saturday night.

They have to get it done, as Riley said himself, quickly. Hopes for a College Football Playoff dangle from a cliff, four out of USC’s next five games coming against top-25 opponents.

Takeaways from USC-Notre Dame on Saturday night, as USC’s sense of urgency heightens:

Caleb Williams can’t dance forever behind this line

Normally, center Justin Dedich said in late September, the first time USC’s offensive line truly sees one of Caleb Williams’ escape-from-a-laser-maze scramble strokes of brilliance is via Twitter highlights postgame.

“You’ll see the top video is him doing a runaround,” Dedich said, “and just, ‘Hey, that was me blocking for him.’”

The majority of Twitter replays from Saturday night, though, were Williams trying to dodge pressure and firing a pass into the hands of a Notre Dame defender. He threw three interceptions in the worst game of his collegiate career, without a doubt, and admitted postgame he forced a couple balls – but constantly under siege from Notre Dame blitzes, Saturday night made one thing perfectly clear.

Williams’ ability to create something from nothing only goes so far against elite defenses. And USC’s offensive line creates nothing far too often.

In addition to six sacks, the Trojans surrendered 12 pressures on Saturday night, according to Pro Football Focus. And across seven games, an offensive line that was praised preseason for its improved depth has been largely mediocre. Left tackle Jonah Monheim is a bright spot, runs to his right-side gap resulting in 10.9 yards per carry this year; but guard transfers Emmanuel Pregnon and Jarrett Kingston have been inconsistent in pass protection, Dedich has struggled with penalties, and Florida import Michael Tarquin continues to lose right-tackle snaps to backup Mason Murphy.

USC’s wideouts struggle

After Riley mentioned USC’s receivers were a “tick off” against Arizona, they were blanketed by Notre Dame corners on Saturday. Michael Jackson III had six catches, Mario Williams five and Tahj Washington four, but for a collective average yardage of 8 yards. Williams’ longest pass on the night went for 21.

Brenden Rice – who now has eight touchdowns in seven games – has often asserted himself as Williams’ go-to vertical target, and Washington has had his moments. But at times against Notre Dame, it looked as if USC had too many guys who could gain separation on a comeback or a slant but not find an ounce of room on go-routes or deep posts.

Defense steps up

“There are a lot of good things happening on this defense, man,” Riley said Tuesday.

But after six games as one of the worst-performing defenses in the FBS in terms of yardage allowed, Alex Grinch’s unit made Riley look good on Saturday – a final 48-point Notre Dame tally hardly their fault. On drives where the Fighting Irish didn’t assume possession off a turnover, USC allowed exactly 10 points.

Glaring issues with tackling and pass coverage looked much-improved, the Trojans missing just two tackles in consistently wrapping up in one-on-one situations, freshman linebacker Tackett Curtis rewarding coaches’ trust with a seven-tackle game. Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, too, played a near-perfect game of football, with three pass breakups against three targets.

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Live updates: Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals

• October 15, 2023

Follow along for live updates from Rams reporter Adam Grosbard before, during and after the Rams’ game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Viewing on a mobile device? Click here

Tweets by AdamGrosbard https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

For Zach VanValkenburg, it was his first career sack, for Ochaun Mathis it was his career debut. For the Rams, it was a positive step toward some essential depth on defense https://t.co/J2yEcknEeJ

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 13, 2023

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Chargers hoping for best-case scenario for Justin Herbert vs. Cowboys

• October 15, 2023

If all goes as planned, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will wear minimal protection on his fractured left middle finger. Perhaps he’ll wear the same white glove he wore throughout the week while preparing to face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football at SoFi Stadium.

Maybe he’ll be able to shift under center and take snaps from Will Clapp instead of lining up strictly in shotgun formation. Maybe the game plan won’t change in any meaningful way, and he and the Chargers will stick to their strengths, which include scrambling from pressure now and again.

“We’re going to see between now and the game, but he had a good week of practice,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Saturday when asked if he was confident it would be business as usual for Herbert on Monday against the Cowboys, including taking snaps while under center.

“No,” Staley said when asked if Herbert would be restricted in any way.

Last year, the Chargers said similar things after Herbert fractured his rib cartilage during a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Clearly, all was not going as planned as Herbert wasn’t as fluid and efficient with his throws for several weeks after he was hurt Sept. 15, 2022.

Herbert ran with the ball only in desperation to avoid defensive pressure.

Later in the season, it became obvious he was healthy again. His delivery was easy, more natural. He ran more often and, occasionally, it seemed to be a designed play. He even began to be effective on quarterback sneaks on third- and fourth-down situations in short yardage.

It might be different this time, and in a good way.

For starters, his damaged finger is on his non-throwing hand. It might impact his reception of the snap and his grip while throwing the ball, but then again, it might not. No question, it was difficult to notice any change in his accuracy during the portions of practices that reporters were allowed to watch last week.

Herbert was on target with his throws.

In fact, he didn’t miss a snap after he fractured his finger on the face mask of a Las Vegas Raiders player after throwing a third-quarter interception Oct. 1, his first of the season. When the Chargers regained possession in the fourth quarter, he re-entered the game and led them to a 24-17 victory.

“I don’t think so,” Herbert said when asked if he would be forced to make adjustments because of his finger. “I think the game two weeks ago, we were able to kind of get back into it. Whether I was running the ball or whether I was throwing the ball, I felt pretty comfortable out there.

“I thought the training staff did a great job preparing us and taking care of us. I felt safe going back out there. I think there’s so much going on during the game that you’re probably not going to be worrying about it too much. I think you’re just going to be worried about not getting tackled or not taking those hits.

“Whether it’s a scramble, it’s about being safe and getting down. That’s in the back of your mind.”

No question, the Chargers (2-2) need Herbert to be at his proficient best against the Cowboys (3-2). After a bye week and an additional week of rest, recovery and preparation, the Chargers need a third consecutive victory to move above .500, and at least appear to be in pursuit of the AFC West-leading Chiefs (5-1).

The Chargers lost wide receiver Mike Williams to a season-ending knee injury during their victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, but they are expected to welcome running back Austin Ekeler back to their lineup Monday after he sat out for three games because of a sprained ankle.

“He’s a huge part of our offense,” Herbert said of Ekeler.

It remains to be determined whether Herbert will be 100 percent for Monday’s game.

“I think that we’re optimistic,” Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “I think that you still have the flexibility to play under center. Structurally, I think that we felt pretty comfortable with that ability. We’ll just see how it goes. Certainly, we have the ability to do that. We can play in the shotgun, obviously. Not shutting it off, one way or the other, as of today. We’ll just see how it progresses as the week goes.”

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Irvine Global Village Festival celebrates community’s diversity

• October 15, 2023

Irvine’s annual celebration of the diversity of its community was again a party on Saturday at the Great Park.

The Irvine Global Village Festival featured cuisine, music, dance and more from around the world. Many community groups contributed to the showcase of diversity by performing and sharing delicacies.

There was also a kids village and a global marketplace.

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Boxer mix Daisy is a lady with a lot of love to give

• October 15, 2023

Breed: Boxer mix

Age: 1.5 years

Sex: Spayed female

Size: 54 pounds

Daisy’s story: Daisy was at the shelter with no owner – former or future – in sight. A Love Bugs volunteer fell in love with her good looks and award-winning smile, and now she’s a true Love Bug. Daisy was a little shy at first, but within a few hours, she had blossomed into a total sweetie who loves to snuggle and give kisses. She walks nicely on a leash and gets along with other dogs. And she loves to play fetch with a tennis ball. She’s a gentle, well-mannered lady who would fit into nearly any type of home environment.

Adoption fee: $350

Adoption procedure: Fill out Lovebugs Rescue’s online application.

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