Skip to main contentSkip to main content

    A recent Cato Institute housing affordability survey found that 55% of homeowners indicated they couldn't afford to buy their current home at today's prices, and 69% are concerned that their children or grandchildren won't be able to afford a home in the future. Multiple factors have contrib…

    Fire crews are working to hold on to the progress made against the largest blaze in California this year ahead of warming temperatures forecast for later this week. Authorities lifted evacuation orders Tuesday in some communities of Butte County and said containment was 14%. The Park Fire started in the county last week before spreading to a neighboring county and scorching an area bigger than Los Angeles. The massive fire continues to burn through rugged, inaccessible terrain with dense vegetation, threatening to spread to two other counties. The Park Fire is now the fifth largest in the state’s recorded history.

    Authorities in Washington have determined that a Tesla that hit and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle in April was operating on the company’s “Full Self Driving” system. Capt. Deion Glover said Tuesday that investigators from the Washington State Patrol made the discovery after downloading information from the event-data recorder on the 2022 Tesla Model S. Authorities say no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week that “Full Self Driving” should be able to run without human supervision by the end of this year.

    Police in San Francisco will start clearing out homeless residents who have refused to move from public areas under new policies. San Francisco Mayor London Breed's office says Tuesday that city workers will continue offering housing and services to homeless people but they cannot sleep in public spaces. The goal is to prevent tents from popping back up in areas that have been cleared and to prevent smaller encampments from growing into larger ones. The U.S. Supreme Court in June made it easier for cities to ban homeless encampments. Advocates say they need real offers of housing and that encampment sweeps do not solve homelessness.

    Thousands of illegal marijuana shops have flourished in New York under lax enforcement, but new rules are allowing officials to quickly padlock doors. The state legalized recreational use of the drug in 2021, but for several years law enforcement couldn’t close illegal pot shops without a protracted legal battle. Officials tried expanding inspection powers and sending letters to landlords, but most stores stayed open. The new rules passed earlier this year allow the sheriff’s department to keep stores padlocked in most cases during appeals. Licensed sellers say they’re seeing big sales increases as illegal shops close around them, but the estimated 2,000 illegal shops in New York City still dwarf the 150 legally opened statewide.

    Affiliate

    Ahead of two upcoming court dates – one involving the temporary restraining order that Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos obtained against Treasury Wine Estates executive Debra Dommen and one involving the supervisor’s family law case – here’s a rundown of what’s known, what’s not, and what’s next. 

    Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

    Topics

    News Alerts

    Breaking News