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Natalie Forster: Plumbing trade responds to Inflation Discount Act of 2022

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 21:45:55 +0000

Natalie Forster: Plumbing industry responds to Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 | Supply House Times

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Natalie Forster: Plumbing trade responds to Inflation Discount Act of 2022

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 21:48:57 +0000

Natalie Forster: Plumbing industry responds to Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 | Supply House Times

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San Francisco Bay Guardian | The beautiful speculator income in Ellis Act evictions

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 04:26:00 +0000

Photo by Gerard Koskovich

Speculators who evict tenants under the Ellis Act in San Francisco are seeing staggering profits, and paying only a tiny fraction of that money to help the victims relocate, a new city study shows.

In some cases, the value of Ellised properties have increase by more than 400 percent, and the average profit from selling the vacated units is $429,000, the report by the city’s Budget and Legislative Analyst shows.

Only 5.2 percent of that money goes to relocation fees and expenses to displaced tenants, the data, which covers the past ten years, shows.

The report shows the need to significantly increase the modest relocation fees that landlords have to pay tenants who are evicted under the Ellis Act, Sup. Myrna Melgar, who asked for the report, told me.

“That’s what we’re looking at,” she said.

The Ellis Act, one of the most abused state tenant laws, allows landlords to throw all of their renters out in the name of “going out of business.” Then they can sell the vacant buildings as tenancies in common, the rough equivalent of condos.

Most of these evictions don’t involve longtime landlords who are tired of managing rental property. In the vast majority of San Francisco cases, speculators buy apartment buildings with longtime tenants under rent control, cite the Ellis Act to evict everyone, then flip the building for a quick profit.

Under current local law, the evictors are required to pay $7,419 to each tenant, up to a maximum of $22,257 for a household. That, the report says, is just 5.2 percent of the profit that the typical speculator makes on the deal.

More: The relocation costs aren’t even enough to cover first-and-last month’s rent on a new apartment:

The required relocation payments for a single tenant in a 1 bedroom unit moving to a market rate 1 bedroom unit would not be sufficient to cover first and last months’ rent, a security deposit (one month’s rent), moving costs, and lost wages for five days spent packing and moving (conservatively assuming a minimum wage job in San Francisco). We estimate the deficiency in such a scenario to be $2,470 based on a relocation payment of $7,419 and relocation costs of $9,889.

The BLA examined 59 properties, representing 135 housing units, over the period of 2011-2021.

We found that the median assessed value of … such properties … increased by 464.5 percent from $299,470 in FY 2011- 12 to $1,690,650 in FY 2020-21, or by approximately $1.4 million. This rate of increase exceeds the 223.4 percent increase in assessed value for all properties for which Ellis Act Withdrawal Petitions were filed during that same period (which includes those that were not sold after the Ellis Act Withdrawal Petition was filed). It also exceeds the increase in all home values in San Francisco of approximately 116 percent between 2011 and 2021 as reported by Zillow. All of this data indicates that evicting tenants through the Ellis Act corresponds to increased value of the properties, particularly if they are sold, but even if they are not.

Finally, we further analyzed the financial impacts of Ellis Act evictions by analyzing the change in sales price for just those properties for which the owners filed an Ellis Act Withdrawal Petition and subsequently sold the property. Comparing the most recent sales prices prior to the Ellis Act Withdrawal Petition with the sales price after the Ellis Act Withdrawal Petition was filed for 38 properties representing 73 housing units, we found a median change in price of $949,688 for all properties, or $429,000 per unit .

This is pretty dramatic information, and it shows why so many speculators want to buy buildings in San Francisco and evict all the tenants: the profits are giant.

In 2014, then-Sup David Campos introduced a bill to raise the relocation fees; Under his proposal, an evictor would have to pay tenants the difference between their current rent and market rent on a similar apartment for two years.

(The federal standard for people forced to move when the government wants to, say, build a freeway, includes that same level of payment for four years.)

Then-Sup. London Breed tried to derail it, but it wound up passing the full board.

A right-wing property-rights group sued in federal court, and Judge Charles Breyer struck it down.

The city decided not to appeal.

So now it’s going to be up to Melgar, her colleagues, and the city attorney to figure out a way to use the data in the BLA report to craft legislation raising the relocation fees in a way that will pass court muster.

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Marine Mammal Safety Act has helped shark, seal, otter populations surge

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 04:57:56 +0000

Elephant seals flock to the Año Nuevo State Park and Point Reyes National Seashore wildlife sanctuary. The great white sharks will follow them. Sea otters go on a vigil to avoid turning into shark mints.

This wildlife phenomenon with elephant seals, great white sharks and sea otters shows right now how everything is related in nature. That story began almost 50 years ago with the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Much of the results can be seen on the coast of the Bay Area and Monterey Bay this weekend and well into winter.

Elephant seals

There were no elephant seals in Año Nuevo in 1955, and the first pup born here was suspected to be in the 1960s, according to park staff. The small numbers were a holdover from the days of commercial slaughter when elephant seals were hunted to extinction for processing into oil.

This week there are about 300 elephant seals on the mainland peninsula just off the coast of a small island. With annual migration in full swing, those numbers are likely to hit 500 by early November and 3,500 by January. Starting in mid-winter, puppies averaging 75 pounds will be born, raised, and taught to swim and feed.

Elephant seals: During the breeding season, there is a 3-mile guided hike surrounded by elephant seals. $ 7 per person, December 15 through March 31, reservations at www.reservecalifornia.com. Contact: Año Nuevo State Park Nature Reserve, Pescadero, 650-879-0227 or 650-879-2025, www.parks.ca.gov.

Great White Sharks: Great whites occasionally spotted on whale watching tours to southeast Farallon Island; $ 135 per person, free parking at Marina Green, San Francisco. Contact: Oceanic Society, 415-256-9604, www.oceanicsociety.org.

Sea otters: Sea otters can be spotted along the slough that leads to the mouth of Moss Landing Harbor and east of Highway 1 in the mouth; GPS location: 2370 Highway 1, Moss Landing. Contacts: Kayak Connection, Kayak Rentals, 831-724-5692, www.kayakconnection.com; Elkhorn Slough Safari, pontoon boat tours, 831-633-5555, www.elkhornslough.com; Blue Water Ventures, guided kayak tours, 831-459-8548, www.bluewaterventures.org.

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At the same time, elephant seals arrive at Drakes Beach and near the Chimney Rock Headlands on Point Reyes National Seashore and Southeast Farallon Island.

To put it in perspective, the population on the Pacific coast was estimated at around 100 animals in 1890 and then 30,000 in 1970, according to a scientific document published in the Federal Register in 1972. Since the MMPA came into force, the population has grown to around 160,000.

So many elephant seals showed up at Point Reyes during the 35-day state shutdown last winter that they took over the parking lot at Drakes Beach, an amazing sight. Southeast Farallon has become a significant breeding site which, along with high numbers of sea lions and harbor seals, has helped attract whites.

In Año Nuevo, the arrival of the elephant seals has become an event that draws around 50,000 people each winter. Guided walks about 5 km in length are taken along closed paths to see the giants, where males can grow up to 6 meters in length and gather harems of females. Parking is $ 10 per vehicle and tours are $ 7 per person.

Great white sharks

In the 1990s, any great white shark sighting off the coast of the Bay Area was treated as a phenomenon that often made the front page of The Chronicle and topped local television news. At the time, the best guess was that about 200 to 400 whites roamed the Farallones Gulf.

The number is now 2,400, according to a study published earlier this year, which explains the growing number of sightings and encounters.

One of the wildest stories of the year was in Mavericks near Pillar Point Head on the San Mateo County coast. Drake Stanley, who runs a towing and rescue service with a personal watercraft, sighted a four to five meter long great white shark that appeared to be trolling the big wave surfers. At one point the shark was swimming directly below him and within 30 meters of a surfer. Stanley jetted the PWC on the shark, distracted it from the surfer, and then brought nine surfers to shore.

It has been well reported that the increase in marine mammals has likely led to a corresponding increase in whites. Of course, with more elephant seals, sea lions, and seals there is more food for Ol ‘Whitey.

The population expansion of both marine mammals and sharks is a coastal event. On the central coast near San Simeon, San Luis Obispo County, 17,000 elephant seals have been counted. To the south in Montaña de Oro State Park, a surfer was attacked and survived two wounds that required 50 stitches.

With food abundant, it is almost certain that great whites will arrive at their favorite spots this month: the southeastern Farallon Island, Año Nuevo, the Marin Coast off Stinson Beach, the proximity of Chimney Rock on Drakes Bay and the Estuary of Tomales Bay.

Sea otters

The recovery of the sea otter population has stalled just below the threshold for delisting under the Endangered Species Act, and marine biologists believe great white sharks are likely the limiting factor. A sea otter about four feet and sixty pounds is just the right size for Mr. Toothy.

Like so many wildlife species in the 19th century, commercial interests massacred sea otters to extinction; about 150 were discovered by chance in a tree nursery area near Bixby Creek in Big Sur in the 1930s. The population recently passed the 3,100 mark for four years in a row, which qualifies them for removal under the ESA.

Careful pursuit of this proved correct. The latest survey found 2,962 sea otters below the threshold (3,090), according to data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

One limiting factor in otter recovery is “shark bite mortality,” said Linda Carswell, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s southern sea otter recovery coordinator. Shark predation could “limit their ability to expand into areas where they historically thrived,” she said.

One way to adapt is for otters to migrate in bays and sloughs where they can avoid whites as well as the brunt of winter storms, such as in Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing. It is common for around 70 to 80 otters to spend winter and spring here. You can often see them by kayak in the Slough and Estuary, or on foot from the adjacent Moss Landing jetty.

The MMPA helped increase the numbers of elephant seals, seals and sea lions. That resulted in more food for great white sharks and much higher numbers. This led to a higher predation in sea otters. Like almost everything in nature, every living being is connected to another.

Tom Stienstra is the outdoor writer for The Chronicle. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom

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State Lawmakers Say It’s Time To Pay Faculty Athletes; Search To Transfer Up California’s Honest Pay to Play Act To Sept. 1 – CBS San Francisco

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 18:31:04 +0000

SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – Following a US Supreme Court ruling in favor of college athletes’ compensation, two major California lawmakers say they will introduce the state’s pioneering Fair Pay to Play Act in time for the 2021 college football season want.

State law that allows college and university athletes in California to make money using their name, picture, and likeness does not currently go into effect until January 1, 2023.

CONTINUE READING: Suspect in brutal Berkeley home invasion, attempted rape identified as inmate in Santa Rita Prison

ALSO READ: U.S. Supreme Court Aids College Athletes In A Major College Compensation Case

State Senators Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, say they plan to go into effect September 1st.

“California has taken state action to challenge the NCAA’s exploitation of college athletes, and today the Supreme Court essentially agreed to tell the NCAA that they could no longer act as monopoly“ price fixers, ”” Skinner said in a statement on Monday. “And with 18 states following California’s lead to give student athletes ownership of their name, image and likeness, student athletes are the winners.”

NIL laws in seven states – Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Texas – will come into effect this year.

“Postponing the entry into force of the Fair Pay to Play Act is a sensible move to ensure that college student athletes, many of whom are people of color, are treated earlier with financial fairness and economic ownership,” said Bradford. “It also enables California higher education institutions to attract the best talent compared to schools in other states that would otherwise have a head start in attracting athletes by implementing similar guidelines earlier.”

CONTINUE READING: Warriors President Rick Welts contemplates winning the 1985 NBA draft lottery at Knicks

The September 1st implementation date makes the law an urgent measure, which means it requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the legislature. To date, it has received strong bipartisan support, has no opposition, and has not received “no” votes.

The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that the NCAA cannot enforce certain rules that limit the educational benefits – things like computers and graduate scholarships – that colleges offer athletes. But the case doesn’t determine whether student salaries can be paid.

Colleges harvest billions of student athletes but keep them from making a single dollar. It’s a bankrupt model.

I just signed the Fair Play to Pay Act with @KingJames – making CA the first state to allow student athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness. pic.twitter.com/aWE9OL9r1v

– Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 30, 2019

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In a unanimous opinion, Judge Brett Kavanaugh wrote: “The bottom line is that the NCAA and its member colleges are cutting the pay of student athletes who collectively generate billions of dollars in college revenue each year. These enormous sums of money seem to flow to everyone except the student athletes. College presidents, sporting directors, coaches, conference commissioners, and NCAA executives earn six- and seven-digit salaries. Colleges are building generous new facilities. But the student athletes who make the income, many of which are African American and low-income backgrounds, end up with little or nothing. “

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San Francisco Bay Restoration Act launched | Native Information

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 03:04:16 +0000

US MP Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, along with 10 other co-sponsors, passed federal law on Thursday that would authorize $ 50 million a year to restore San Francisco Bay for five years, according to her office.

The San Francisco Bay Restoration Act would establish a San Francisco Bay Program Office within the Environmental Protection Agency.

“San Francisco Bay is a national treasure and the elixir of life for our region, producing over $ 370 billion in goods and services annually and supporting more than 4 million jobs,” Speier said in a press release. “Tragically, the federal government is complicit in their deterioration. The $ 250 million approved in my bill would go a long way toward restoring wetlands and estuaries, recovering endangered species, and studying water quality improvement and adaptation to climate change. It’s a smart and necessary long-term investment. “

According to Speier, the bay has fallen short when compared to other estuaries in the United States. Between 2008 and 2016, the EPA’s geographic programs invested just $ 45 million in San Francisco Bay, while Puget Sound received over $ 260 million and Chesapeake Bay received over $ 490 million.

The sponsors of the bill are Spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi (CA-12); and U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-2), John Garamendi (CA-3), Mike Thompson (CA-5), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Barbara Lee (CA-13 ), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Anna Eshoo (CA-18) and Zoe Lofgren (CA-19).

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An aged San Francisco man was killed in a ‘brutal’ assault. His household says it was a racist act.

Mon, 17 May 2021 05:31:23 +0000

The family of the 84-year-old San Francisco man who was killed in a seemingly random attack believe the act was racist.

Vicha Ratanapakdee, a native of Thailand who, according to his family, emigrated to America to live with his daughter and son-in-law, died days after the attack on Thursday morning.

His daughter, Kim Ratanapakdee, told KTVU that her father was targeted because he was an elderly Asian man. She added that she has received racial harassment and verbal abuse since the pandemic began.

“To the [the suspect] coming from across the street, “said son-in-law Eric Lawson in an interview with KTVU,” what else could have motivated him? “

Two people were arrested in connection with the death on Saturday, Antoine Watson, 19, and Maylasia Goo, 20, who both live in Daly City. Watson was arrested on suspicion of murder and abuse of the elderly; Goo was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory.

In an alarming video, Watson can be seen running across the street in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood and knocking Ratanapakdee to the ground. Watson then flees the scene.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said in a statement to the KTVU that his officer would “hold the person who committed this senseless violence accountable”.

“I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the Ratanapakdee family for their loss. This was a brutal, random, unprovoked attack,” he said in the statement. “My heart goes out to the entire AAPI community for the pain they have experienced as a result of this tragedy and too many others over the past year.”

The San Francisco Police Department and Boudin’s office did not immediately respond to requests from SFGATE for comment.

The Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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