More housing needed in California’s Sonoma County, but no solid plans to build

In a recent housing study, researchers say that California lawmakers need to allow for more homebuilding, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area. In Sonoma County, the need for affordable housing is particularly acute but, some say, residents living in the mostly rural county are uneasy with more people moving to and living in the region.

Analysts see labor shortage in affordable multi-family housing construction

Construction workers are increasingly being drawn to build new single-family houses, leaving apartment projects across the country struggling to meet completion and budget deadlines, according to housing analysts.

Record drought in American Southwest leads to water restrictions

The Four Corners region of the United States – the meeting point of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah – is in a severe drought with no end in sight, leaving farmers, ranchers, water regulators and tourists facing restrictions on usage.

Affordable housing remains an urgent national problem

Many economists agree that cities across the country are not building enough affordable homes; according to the National Association of Home Builders, construction companies nationwide will fall short some 400,000 homes as they try to keep up with population growth. In this context, housing advocacy groups are urging lawmakers to ease building restrictions.

California voters to decide on two multi-billion dollar water bonds

Although California has spent only $1 billion of the $7.5 billion included in the Proposition 1 water bond passed in 2014, the state’s voters this year will consider whether to allocate another $13 billion toward water conservation and usage. One of those, Proposition 68, is a $4.1 billion bond measure …