State Auditor Big addiction treatment “campuses” aren’t allowed in residential neighborhoods without special permits. But providers in California get around that by clustering many small homes together — one treating 30 users at a pop! — and regulators haven’t raised an eyebrow. It took almost three months for them to investigate serious complaints — like…
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A decade ago, a few days before Halloween, a team of sociologists at Chapman University published the first “Survey of American Fears,” a poll of more than 1,000 Americans about the things that give them the willies. The “American Fears” survey quickly became an annual media event, a social science version of Groundhog Day. Most…
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Q. Why are there so many lizards this year? I’ve never seen so many before! It’s possible that you are seeing more lizards because their normal hiding places have been disturbed. For instance, whenever the open field across the street from us is mowed, our neighbors end up with mice in their garages. (We took…
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“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market. The pain: Housing eats up at least half of paychecks in one-fifth of California households. The source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at the latest Census Bureau stats tracking household expenses in 2023, focusing on what government experts call “extreme burdens” – folks paying 50% or…
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Before California voters this year is Proposition 36, billed as an anti-crime measure aimed at increasing penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes. It’s among the more contentious topics on the ballot this year. If passed, it would, among other things, allow people with at least two prior theft convictions to be charged with…
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TGI Friday’s is a vanishing presence in Southern California. The casual dining chain’s website currently lists five restaurants in California. Most other locations here have dropped from its website. Many of their Facebook pages have broken links. And several Yelp users have reported closures. The chain is based in Texas and could not be reached…
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Disneyland has Christmas down to a science, but that won’t stop the Anaheim theme park from adding a few new festive surprises to this year’s lineup of tried and true traditions that return every holiday season. The Christmas holiday season returns to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure from Nov. 15 through Jan. 6. Sign up…
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Nearly four years into California’s new property tax transfer law, just over half of applicants are being approved. From July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, the most recent data available, 56% of applications were approved statewide for homeowners to maintain their primary residence rates under Proposition 19. Voters in 2020 approved Prop. 19, which…
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The bar has been set fairly low for Vice President Kamala Harris. All she needs to do is not be Donald Trump and be more alert than President Joe Biden. If she could only do those two things, many Americans will gladly line up behind her this November. But now that her campaign is making…
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California law, under Civil Code Section 4525, requires specific disclosures be provided to HOA members upon request, so they can relay them to prospective homebuyers. Well-run HOAs should have these readily available. Here is a checklist for buyers, sellers, and managers: Governing documents CC&R’s, bylaws, rules/regulations, Articles of Incorporation (or statement of non-incorporation), and Condominium…
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