Rent Control Update: Statewide Initiative To Repeal Costa-Hawkins Fair Housing Act – by Michael Millman, Esq.

Michael Weinstein, the leader of AIDS Health Care Foundation which underwrote the Proposition measure “MS” that would have restricted housing developments within the City of Los Angeles to a voting protocol, apparently has sufficient “bonus” funds to underwrite a statewide ballot measure which would repeal and eliminate the protections afforded to apartment owners throughout the…

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URGENT ACTION ITEM: IF TAX REFORM PASSES THIS YEAR, CONSIDER PAYING BOTH INSTALLMENTS OF PROPERTY TAXES ON RENTAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY THIS YEAR – by Estate Planning Attorney Kenneth Ziskin

While nothing is certain yet about tax reform, it appears likely that Congress will pass, and the President will sign, some version of H.R. 1, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, this year. Both the version passed by the House, and the version passed by the Senate, either eliminate or substantially limit your ability to…

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Open Letters – New Trash Program is Trash!

To:  Carolyn Shining, Shining Law Firm Most recently, I was invited to a workshop involving Recycle L.A. and all of the major trash haulers were present.  It was an interesting discussion.  Generally, the concept is flawed and bankrupt – it’s just absolutely silly! People have a perception that greenhouse gases and environmental issues that emanate…

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Elected Officials Are Taking the Wrong Approach To Solving Our Housing Shortage and San Jose’s New Tenant Protection Ordinance – by Noni Richen, SPOSFI President

The housing crisis is one of the most widely discussed local issues in San Francisco. While virtually everyone agrees that to solve the housing shortage (not crisis) we need to build more housing, almost every proposal to add even a few units is met with the same tired arguments: congestion, parking, blocked views, and a…

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New Home Sales Surged to a 10-Year High – by Gary Halbert

In a huge surprise, U.S. new home sales in September recorded the largest single-month percentage increase since 1992, a sign the market remains resilient despite two major hurricanes and a continuing inventory shortage of homes. Purchases of newly built single-family homes swelled 18.9% in September, far above expectations. The actual number of new homes sold…

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