Free Republic

Poway Unified to Pay Nearly 10 Times What it Borrowed: Report District will begin financing the 40-year loan beginning in 2050 New school, new library, new technology – just a few examples of the renovations and repairs made to Poway Unified School District’s 24 aging schools starting in 2001 under Proposition U. To finish the job, Poway taxpayers passed Proposition C in 2008. Last year, as part of that bond, the district borrowed $105 million. It won’t begin paying it back until 20 years from now. With interest, that $105 million loan will end up costing taxpayers almost $1 billion...

SANTA CRUZ - A judge Thursday asked Santa Cruz city attorneys to research a new issue raised by a property owner challenging the city's rental inspection ordinance. The Santa Cruz City Council passed an ordinance in September requiring owners of rental properties to register their units and eventually submit to inspection, and to pay fees for that. The law was written in part due to an agreement with UC Santa Cruz to prevent unsafe housing conditions and control student growth. Watsonville anti-tax advocate Harold Griffith sued the city days later, claiming the ordinance violates equal protection of law standards by...

Posted: SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Political activist Harold Griffith is challenging the city's new residential rental inspection program in court. Both sides will appear before a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge Wednesday morning for a case management conference. According to the law, rental property owners would be required to register with the city – either for city inspection or self-certification. In court documents, Griffith argues the program violates equal protection rights because it doesn't require inspection for all rentals. The ordinance, which passed last fall, states there are some exceptions, including "rooms rented to single individuals in an owner-occupied...

... Lenders are working to eliminate obstacles to ownership by easing conventional loan rules. ....Latino home buyers are overcoming cultural and institutional barriers ...and helping to gentrify some neglected neighborhoods. snip ...builders should be aware that Latinos are looking for specific amenities, which include extra bedrooms for extended family; neighborhoods near churches, schools and public transportation; ... workspace ... to store tools associated with their occupations. snip Those challenges can include all-cash incomes and lack of traditional established credit, said Munera, who works with Pasadena Dickson Podley Realtors ... director ... of Servicios Hispanos, a Spanish-language program that offers workshops...