I don’t know, this whole deal sounds like a lot of cheerleading for the real estate industry, which is still heavily subsidized by the Feds.
Oh, and the state of California as well.
But “post-bottom landscape” and “good time to buy?” Well, after hearing those phrases bandied about, how can you resist?
So if you want to be the next Donald Trump, have at it. After all, you can’t win your share of middle-class welfare if you don’t play.
Just don’t get too optimistic, again…
“Zillow, USC Lusk Center to Host Housing Forum in San Francisco; FHA Commissioner Carol Galante to Give Keynote - ”California’s Housing Market: Navigating the Post-Bottom Landscape” - To Explore Whether It Is a Good Time to Buy, Issues Around Prop 13
SEATTLE, Sept. 13, 2012 – After a housing recession that eclipsed the Great Depression, many markets are again experiencing home value appreciation sparked by high demand but a low supply of homes. What are the sources of this situation, and how long will it last? What will come next? What should real estate professionals and consumers know about this “new” housing market?
To help answer some of these questions, Zillow®, the leading real estate information marketplace, and the University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate will host the half-day “Forum on California’s Housing Market: Navigating the Post-Bottom Landscape” Oct. 12 at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel.
“When it comes to today’s housing market, it’s a confusing time for professionals and consumers alike,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries. “The sheer size of California’s real estate market, along with the fact that cities in the state were among the first to enter the housing recession, combine to make California a kind of bellwether for what to expect as other major housing markets begin to stabilize and recover. We’re thrilled to host an esteemed group of national and California-based experts to discuss the state of the market and issues of particular relevance to California.”
“With rising rents and historically low mortgage rates, owning a home appears to be very appealing,” said Richard Green, Lusk Chair in Real Estate at USC. “But underwater borrowers are reluctant – or unable – to sell, tying up supply in a high-demand environment. We look forward to discussing the implications of these factors on the housing market.”
This will be the second housing forum hosted by Zillow this year. The first, “America’s Housing Crisis: Private-Sector Responses and Public Policy Innovation,” was held in New York in April.
Forum on California’s Housing Market: Navigating the Post-Bottom Landscape October 12, 8 a.m.-noon Palace Hotel 2 New Montgomery St. San Francisco
Keynote Speech by Carol Galante Acting Federal Housing Administration Commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Housing
Top Housing Experts in Public and Private Sectors Will Debate and Discuss in Two Panels: Is It a Good Time to Buy in California?: The Housing Market’s New Normal Moderated by Richard Green, Director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate and — Prop 13 in a Healing Housing Market Moderated by Colleen Edwards, Owner, EMC Creative Other speakers include: — Spencer Rascoff, CEO, Zillow — John Burns, CEO, John Burns Real Estate Consulting — Bert Selva, President, Shea Homes — Eric Gutshall, President and COO, Haven Realty Capital — Dowell Myers, Professor, Director, Population Dynamics Research Group, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy With a special overview of the nation’s housing market by Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries.
About Zillow, Inc.
Zillow (NASDAQ: Z) is the leading real estate information marketplace, providing vital information about homes, real estate listings and mortgages through its website and mobile applications, enabling homeowners, buyers, sellers and renters to connect with real estate and mortgage professionals best suited to meet their needs. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow’s Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. Dr. Humphries and his team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 150 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow, Inc. operates Zillow.com®, Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, Zillow Mobile, Postlets®, Diverse Solutions(TM) and RentJuice®. The company is headquartered in Seattle.
Zillow.com, Zillow, Zestimate, Postlets and RentJuice are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc. Diverse Solutions is a trademark of Zillow, Inc.
Well there’ll be a cavalcade of stars (including hat lady Jan Wahl and area billionaire Gordon Getty) judging the live performances of nine high school seniors at Club Fugazi at 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard in North Beach on June 6th, 2011.
All the deets, below.
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The deets:
SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS CHOSEN! THE STEVE SILVER FOUNDATION AND BEACH BLANKET BABYLON SELECT NINE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS TO COMPETE FOR THREE $10,000 CASH SCHOLARSHIPS
FINALISTS TO PERFORM LIVE AT CLUB FUGAZI ON MONDAY, JUNE 6th
SAN FRANCISCO (May 9, 2011) – Jo Schuman Silver, producer of Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon, announced today the selection of nine Bay Area finalists for the Steve Silver Foundation and Beach Blanket Babylon “Scholarship for the Arts.” One winner in each category will be presented with a check for $10,000 towards their college education. The nine high school seniors who will perform live on Monday, June 6th are:
ACTING
JESSICA CHANLIAU – Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School, Novato
TAYLOR EDELHART – Lowell High School, San Francisco
ANYA RICHKIND – Lick-Wilmerding High School, San Francisco
DANCING
MADELINE BAGBY – Castilleja School, Palo Alto
DARIUS DROOH – Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, San Francisco
ALEX LYASHEVYCH – Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, San Francisco
SINGING
JILLIAN BUTLER – Liberty High School, Brentwood
ZACHARY PISER – Piedmont High School, Piedmont
CARA WODKA – Fremont Christian High School, Fremont
“Every year I’m impressed by the talent and caliber of the entries we receive, and this year was no exception,” said Schuman Silver. “Narrowing the field down to just nine finalists was not an easy task.”
Master of Ceremonies for the evening is Star 101.3′s Don Bleu. The celebrity panel of judges scheduled to appear include: San Francisco Ballet’s Principal Character Dancer & Choreographer Val Caniparoli, singer and actor Franc D’Ambrosio, KGO Radio’s Jerry Friedman, Composer Gordon Getty, San Francisco Opera’s General Director David Gockley, KMEL’s Chuy Gomez, California Shakespeare Theater’s Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, American Conservatory Theater’s Artistic Director Carey Perloff, ABC7′s Don Sanchez and KRON4/KCBS Radio’s Jan Wahl.”
(I don’t know about ticket availability or anything at this point – they’ll be tough or impossible to get, one might imagine.)
I’m thinking, gee there aren’t a whole bunch of women at the reins of power in San Francisco these days, right? Let’s see here, the prospects of having a female Mayor, Board of Supervisors President, City Attorney, District Attorney, Public Defender, Assessor-Recorder, or Treasurer anytime soon would appear remote.
So, yes, we have a woman fire chief, but even so, there’ll be a lot of pressure to find candidates of the female persuasion for SFPD Chief, wouldn’t you think?
So let’s say that candidate is you. The first thing you’ll need to do is figure out is what you’re going to do about the TASER issue. If, as is the case with former* Chief George Gascon, you’re a firm believer in the TASER then you should get that info to the deciders ASAP. Say something like, “Forget about me if you won’t let me start up a well-run TASER program ASAP, with or without community input.”
That would be a bold move, huh? But otherwise, you’re not going to get any kind of TASER program during your term.
Stay tuned below, for a TASER program ranking.
Yes this is a TASER in SF, but it’s on the holster of a CHP officer:
So, a ranking of Taser programs, from worst to first:
3. A half-assed program, the kind run by BART
2. No program at all.
1. A well-run program, the kind that the SFPD would most likely have.
Has the lack of an SFPD TASER program resulted in a few deaths the past year? It would so appear.
*So far, assuming his appointment to District Attorney holds….
Luke Thomas of our Fog City City Journal has the scoop on Board of Supervisors President David Chiu‘s opinion of Mayor Gavin Newsom‘s legally questionable plans to hold over as Mayor.
Check the latest:
“Chiu said he would be “surprised” if the current Board of Supervisors does not vote for an interim mayor on January 4 despite Newsom’s threat to delay his swearing in. ‘A lot of people are looking at that legal question,’ Chiu said, referring to whether Newsom can still claim to be Mayor of San Francisco when his term as Lt. Governor begins on January 3rd.”
Quite bold, non? (Of course, there will be no crisis if nobody objects to having a holdover Mayor, but these statements make it seem as if at least one person will object, anyway.
So, who’ll claim to be Mayor of San Francisco at the upcoming January 5th news conference / celebration for the America’s Cup boat race?
Your soon-to-be-Acting-Mayor, next to the stop sign, rear light (not even required by the Vehicle Code) blinking away:
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What’s that, SFPD, the black SUV is necessary for “security” and whathaveyou? Maybe. Park it and keep it in a safe place until the next Big One, OK fine. I’m sure you could drive the thing to Panama or Montana and say that the trip was “necessary for security” as well – then people could laugh at you all the more.
Think I came across this abandoned “Tom Ammiano Mayor” button (avec union bug and required “FPPC #1244894″ imprint) last decade either at the State Building (where it didn’t really belong) or at Clint Reilly’s building at 465 Cal. (Think it was in a bag with a mess of anti-meth* “DUMP TINA“ buttons from the pre I-Lost-Me-To-Meth era.)
Well, Supervisor Chris Daly leaves no doubt that he doesn’t want David Chiu, the President of the Board of Supervisors, becoming San Francisco’s next Mayor.
Read the whole thing for yourself, over at the Fog City Journal:
Leland Yee Announces Exploratory Committee for Mayor
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) pulled papers to officially explore a run for mayor of San Francisco.
“I am honored by the support and encouragement I have received from my family and the residents of San Francisco to consider a run for mayor,” said Yee. “Today, we begin the process of asking San Franciscans what they want of their city government and their next mayor.”
“As someone who grew up in San Francisco, attended public schools, raised a family, and has been serving this city for over 20 years, I am excited about starting this new discussion,” said Yee. “I look forward to talking with voters from throughout the city about my record of getting things done and fighting for kids, working families, and greater government transparency.”
“We need experienced leadership that can bring us together as one community,” said Yee. “I want to see the Mayor work with, and not against the Board of Supervisors. The next mayor should partner with the school board, parents and teachers to improve our public schools. It is time we get back to basics, fix Muni, create jobs and continue to lead on important issues like the environment and human rights.”
For the past eight years, Yee has served San Francisco in the State Assembly and State Senate, where he has one of the best legislative track records. Among the 100 laws he has authored, Yee has brought greater transparency and accountability to government and has focused on issues surrounding children and schools, working families, the environment, mental health, domestic violence, civil rights, and consumers. He has also opposed all budget cuts to education and critical health and social services.
Prior to the State Legislature, Yee served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors where he created the largest rainy-day fund in the city’s history and passed the best government transparency and public access ordinance in the country. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Education, Yee reduced class sizes, increased access to school services, streamlined bureaucracy, and brought higher curriculum standards.
Yee immigrated to San Francisco at the age of 3. His father, a veteran, served in the US Army and the Merchant Marine. Yee is a graduate of the University of California – Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and City College of San Francisco, and holds a Ph.D. in Child Psychology. He and his wife, Maxine, have raised four children who all attended San Francisco public schools.
