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PG&E connection delays add to California’s housing woes, advocates say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

Add waiting for the lights to turn on to the laundry list of delays holding up urgently needed housing in California.Newly constructed apartment buildings across the northern half of the state are sitting empty for months as Pacific Gas & Electric Co. drags its feet connecting them to the power grid, according to developers and housing advocates. They say they utility’s increasingly slow pace is also driving up building costs, creating yet another challenge to solving the state’s worsening housing crisis.This month, Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator from San Francisco, crafted a bill to force PG&E and other utilities to install power hookups at residential and commercial construction sites no more than eight weeks after projects receive the necessary permits. Otherwise, utilities would be required to pay developers to compensate for the wait.“We want to send a strong message that the lights need to go on fast,” Wiener said at a news conference ...

Court finds against singer Jackson Browne in Santa Cruz County land dispute

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — A civil land dispute between Aptos neighbors was resolved this week, with a judge’s ruling largely preventing singer-songwriter Jackson Browne from blocking off access to a shared road.Jackson Browne performs at Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa in 2019. (Kelly A. Swift — Orange County Register Contributing Photographer) The Southern California-based Browne has owned his Porter Gulch Road property since 1982 and his son Ethan Browne lived on-site for a time, according to court documents.Meanwhile, plaintiffs Sarah Claus and Christopher Wheeler purchased two lots next door to Browne in 2018 and sought to build a home on the undeveloped property. To do so, particularly while contracting with a construction crew, Claus and Wheeler would need to utilize a paved road crossing their neighbor’s land.According to Browne’s court filings, the Brownes were unaware of any easement guaranteeing shared use of their private driveway and were seeking to avoid loss of privacy.“Gra...

Downtown San Jose hotel tower seen as prime real estate is up for sale

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

SAN JOSE — A landmark downtown San Jose hotel tower is up for sale, a potential deal that has attracted numerous prospective buyers and could lead to a shift in uses at the property, which is deemed to be prime real estate.One of the two towers of the 805-room Signia by Hilton San Jose, a double-highrise lodging in the city’s downtown district, is being offered for sale, according to Sam Hirbod, the principal owner of the hotel.The hotel highrise that is being offered for sale is the 264-room southern tower which is a newer annex to the original main tower that totals 541 rooms, Hirbod said.If the sale goes through, the current hotel operation would be completely focused in the northern tower of the Signia by Hilton San Jose.“All of the amenities are in the north tower,” Hirbod said. “Restaurants, the lounge, swimming pool, fitness center, the conference center, are all in that tower.”The north tower, the older of the two highrises, is undergoing a comp...

Big lodging chain takes over historic Bay Area hotel’s delinquent loan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A historic hotel nestled atop ritzy Nob Hill in San Francisco that is burdened by a delinquent real estate loan is a crucial step closer to landing a new owner, public records indicate.The Huntington Hotel could be edging near to gaining a new owner now that its delinquent loan has been taken over by an affiliate controlled by Highgate, a New York City-based hotel company.Highgate’s expertise includes working with lenders to take control of hotels that are in financial distress, such as the Huntington Hotel at 1075 California Street on Nob Hill.In August 2022, a $56.2 million loan from Deutsche Bank New York Branch that was provided to the Huntington Hotel’s owner, flopped into default, documents on file with the San Francisco Recorder’s Office show.Deutsche Bank scheduled several auctions whereby it might seize the hotel through foreclosure of the loan or sell the property to an outside bidder. None of the auctions transpired, with the most r...

Landslides raise concern, warning for California coastal blufftop living

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

Beachfront homes line the Southern California coastline and bluffs, offering multi-million dollar views out to the blue Pacific, where the sun dips daily down into the ocean’s colorful horizon.But that access to the beach’s beauty comes at a price: the risk of water, whether it’s the unpredictable sea battering the shore and any properties in its way or, like this winter season, the relentless rains that have been causing havoc up and down the state.Much attention in recent years has been on beachfront homes in danger of flooding with big swells and high tides, especially as sea-level rise is expected to exacerbate the threat of the ocean overtaking coastal areas. But this wet winter, the spotlight has shifted to properties atop hillsides made vulnerable by saturation.Buildingsat T-Street Beach are built to the edge of the ocean-side cliff in San Clemente, CA, on Friday, March 17, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)A home along the 1900 block of Galaxy Drive ...

Man gets 11 years for role in fatal 2017 botched Bay Area marijuana deal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

A Solano County Superior Court judge on Thursday sentenced a 41-year-old Elk Grove man to 11 years in state prison for a 2017 robbery in Suisun City in what police say was a botched marijuana deal that ended with the shooting death of a 21-year-old man by a Fairfield man.Seated at the defense table in Department 1, Alfie Broussard, shackled and wearing a green-and-white-striped jail jumpsuit, cocked his head to one side and appeared to close his eyes when Judge Jeffrey C. Kauffman pronounced the full sentence and terms of restitution.Alfie Broussard, 41, of Elk Grove (Solano County Sheriff’s Office) Broussard, a previously convicted felon, which the judge noted during the hourlong morning proceeding, was convicted of a robbery charge after a mid-February jury trial, along with co-defendant Derrick Keith Dogan Jr., also 41, who was convicted of the second-degree murder and robbery of Armani Harper-Reed on Nov. 3, 2017.Kauffman said Broussard’s “base (prison) term” was six years,...

Just how far does a 6-figure salary go in Denver?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A six-figure salary isn't what it used to be. What was formerly a signal of financial success is now simply a higher-than-average paycheck after a solid year of record inflation and rising housing costs. According to financial adviser SmartAsset, over half (51%) of people who make over $100,000 said they're living paycheck to paycheck. Survey results came from PYMNTS and Lending Club. SmartAsset compared how much money $100,000 will yield in take-home pay in the 76 largest U.S. cities once taxes are taken. Then, researchers compared that to the national average cost of living. Here’s what it takes to be in the top 1% of earners in Colorado Both Denver and Aurora are among the cities where $100,000 goes the least distance. When controlling for the cost of living, $100,000 in either Denver or Aurora equates to $63,190. The cities are tied for the 21st lowest in terms of the purchasing power of a six-figure salary. It ranks just above Miami.The 10 cities in which six...

Bicyclist shot in Speer neighborhood, suspects wanted

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver Police are looking for the suspects that were allegedly involved in a shooting that injured a bicyclist. According to the Denver Police Department, officers investigated the shooting on March 9 at around 3:04 p.m. The incident happened in the area of East First Avenue and North Emerson Street in the Speer neighborhood. DPD said the suspects fired a shot at a bicyclist nearby and struck the victim in the arm. Driver, passenger shot while turning onto Colfax Avenue Officers said the suspects are associated with the two pictured KIAs. The cars are believed to have been stolen. Actual photo of the first vehicle wanted in connection to a shooting in the Speer neighborhood. (Metro Denver Crime Stoppers)Actual photo of the second vehicle wanted in connection to a shooting in the Speer neighborhood. (Metro Denver Crime Stoppers)DPD said that the driver of the silver KIA Sportage is the one that fired and hit the victim.Anyone who has information on the cars or the ...

Def Leppard drummer releases statement after attack in Fort Lauderdale

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

Legendary drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard has spoken out for the first time since he was attacked earlier this month in Fort Lauderdale. The musician was assaulted by 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley, while he was smoking a cigarette outside the Four Seasons on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Allen was in South Florida to perform a show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Allen, who is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has since released a statement on social media expressing his gratitude for the support he has received from his fans. He also confirmed that his wife, Lauren, was not with him during the attack and that they are now together, working on recovering in a safe space.The incident left Allen with a severe head injury, and Hartfield has been charged with battery. It is unclear what motivated the attack, and authorities have not released any additional information at this time.Def Leppard was out on tour for their 40th anniversary, and this attack has not affected ...

Sanction pro-Russian oligarchs in Moldova, Georgia, urge EU foreign ministers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

Several European foreign ministers called Monday for the EU to sanction oligarchs involved in “destabilization attempts” in Moldova and Georgia, amid rising fears of Russian interference.“These two countries are facing destabilization attempts which require our greatest vigilance, and might justify that we start considering to target those responsible for these attempts,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said ahead of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting.Both her Romanian and Estonian counterparts also called on the bloc to sanction pro-Russian oligarchs in Moldova.Estonia’s Urmas Reinsalu said the EU ” ha[d] a responsibility to enlist and create a new sanctions mechanism against Russian proxy agents, against those oligarchs in Moldova who are preparing a coup.”Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to growing fears of interference from Moscow in former Soviet republics — most notably in Moldova, whose pro-EU president ha...