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Public funding cuts, lost grants, stagnant wages: How economic woes are dimming a vibrant art scene
With world-renowned cultural campuses, San Diego is one of the country’s top 100 arts communities, but can it hold its position amid shrinking arts investment and rising costs?
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Aging oil refineries don’t need more public dollars. California should let them retire
The state has made billions of dollars in concessions for refineries, but that may not be enough to avoid their retirement. Some are more than 100 years old.
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Newsom appointed a close ally to this state board. Environmental groups say he has a conflict of interest
Environmental groups want Board of Environmental Safety member Rhys Williams to resign over ties to a lobbying firm — the latest Newsom aide to land a plum state board seat.
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California can’t replant its forests fast enough to keep up with wildfires
California’s wildfires are destroying forests faster than the state can replant them, and federal cuts are making the gap worse.
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CA landlord fights law meant to help low-income renters
Should California landlords be required to rent to tenants with federal housing vouchers? They are under state law, but a Sacramento-based property manager is contesting that requirement in court with what has become a common legal refrain in challenges to such laws across the country. The Housing Choice Voucher Program, often dubbed “Section 8,” helps…
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The Slow Unlock Continues in Q1: 22.1% of Outstanding Mortgages Have a Rate of 6% or Higher
Altogether, just over half of outstanding mortgages (50.6%) still carry rates of 4% or lower, and roughly 78% have a rate below 6%. The 6%-or-higher share now stands at 21.9%, up 3.9 percentage points from Q4 2024’s 18.0%, a meaningful year-over-year acceleration driven by sustained buyer activity despite elevated borrowing costs.
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California sues Trump over emergency funding rules that pressure states on elections
The Trump administration wants to link emergency preparedness grants for states to its preferences on immigration enforcement and the administration of elections.
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Mortgage Rates Rise to 6.58% as Iran Tensions Resurface
The Freddie Mac 30-year mortgage rate rose 3 basis points to 6.58% this week as the U.S.-Iran conflict escalates again and investors reassess the odds of a Fed rate hike.
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Pending Home Sales Fall to 3-Month Low
New listings inched up week over week, but they’re near their lowest level since the start of 2026. Still, there are many more sellers than buyers in the market, giving buyers negotiating power. U.S. pending home sales fell 1.3% week over week to their lowest level in three months during the four weeks ending July…
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Conviction tossed in $1 million Bay Area COVID fraud case over juror bias
Atilla Colar in 2023 was convicted on 44 felony charges related to an alleged COVID benefit fraud scheme at a Bay Area parolee rehabilitation program.
