Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveiled a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners, in which insurers would return to wildfire zones, but would have an easier path to rate increases.

A patchwork of bills is giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.

Instead of the two-thirds supermajority required for local bond measures, legislators are considering a proposed threshold of  55%. Had that standard been in place in 2018, San Jose, Santa Cruz County, Berkeley, San Diego and Santa Rosa would have been granted the power to borrow a total of $2.26 billion.

Three of the biggest housing bonds in state history are bound for the 2024 ballot. But with no shortage of crises facing the state, California can only borrow so much and voters may succumb to bond fatigue.

Tenants complained about rent increases averaging 151% from Green Valley Corp., a Swenson Builders Company. Now, 20 of them will get a refund under a state rent control law.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed US constitutional amendment includes four popular gun control policies.

As rising costs of rebuilding after several years of wildfires are wiping out profits for California home insurers, State Farm isn’t the first insurer to retreat from the state, and may not be the last.

When will the law of supply and demand cool California’s housing market? The state is losing population as it builds homes at its fastest clip in a decade.

Atlanta-based Pulte Group contends its Quito Village project doesn’t need to abide by the original developer’s first-of-its-kind union-hiring standard set by a new housing law.

A California housing law grants generous benefits to builders who agree to only hire union workers. Trouble is, few if any builders found a way to do it.

A new loan program for first-time home buyers only served a couple thousand borrowers, most of them white, non-Latino and living in the Sacramento area.

Many more gun owners are seeking California concealed carry permits, even in blue, coastal counties. Gov. Newsom and Democrats in the Legislature are trying again to limit where weapons are allowed.

One in 10 state lawmakers is related by blood or marriage to other legislators past and present. State Sen. Dave Cortese, a Campbell Democrat, is one of these, who has benefited from name recognition: His father, Dominic, served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors before nabbing a seat in the Assembly.

Nearly 100 committees are sitting on $35 million in leftover campaign funds for California legislative seats and statewide offices, including one for 29th District Assembly member Mark Stone, who did not seek re-election this year. 

In the California Legislature, Democrats will continue to hold 3 out of 4 seats in both the Senate and the Assembly — enough to keep super-majorities that give them immense power over spending and legislation.

The new law prevents cities from requiring new developments near public transit to set aside space specifically for parking.