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Battle For Suburban Votes Take Ominous Tone In 2020 Presidential ElectionThe suburbs have become a huge point of contention ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
State Housing Mandate Doubles What Bay Area Needs to BuildThe Bay Area has a new assignment from the state: build nearly 450,000 homes in the next eight years or risk losing control over where they go.
Thousands Of Below Market Rate Housing Units Disappearing, Putting Seniors At RiskAffordable housing in California, already an extremely rare commodity, will likely become even more rare in the next decade.
Landlords Receive Millions In COVID-19 Relief While Quarantined Students Forced To Pay For Vacant ApartmentsAs the coronavirus pandemic closes college campuses across the country, students -- and their parents -- are still stuck paying rent for vacant apartments even as many of those property owners receive pandemic assistance.
Millions Of College Students Stuck In Pre-Pandemic LeasesAs classes go online at colleges across the Bay Area for the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students who are unable to return to campus say they still have to pay for the apartments they secured before the coronavirus hit.
Tenants Face Imminent Evictions If State Lawmakers Don't Act QuicklyThe clock is running out on eviction protections for tenants in California, with the current statewide moratorium set to expire on August 14th.
Eviction Moratorium Poses Nightmare Scenario For Small LandlordA Fremont landlord recently found out his property was being illegally rented out on Airbnb but state and local eviction moratoriums are preventing him from getting his house back.
Family of Five Facing Eviction Despite Statewide Eviction MoratoriumDespite a statewide eviction moratorium, Jim Walker, his wife and their three children are at risk of losing their rent controlled home of 30 years. In May, they received a notice to vacate by August 20.
Project Home: Neighbors Angered As East Bay Homes Are Being Turned Into Treatment Centers Most of us are working from home now, but one company is buying homes and turning them into businesses in the East Bay. A substance abuse treatment facility has purchased three homes in the past year and plans to run centers for troubled teens inside.
State Push To Get Homeless Into Trailers Yields Mixed ResultsHundreds of homeless seniors are off the streets of the Bay Area and into trailers this summer. The state announced back in January that it would donate the trailers, that are usually on standby for emergencies, to help house the homeless.
Local Startup Helps Bay Area Teachers Buy HomesWhile lack of affordable housing is the number one reason many educators leave the Bay Area, one local startup is hoping to help with that problem.
Short-Term Rental Company Suing San Francisco Developer To Get Out Of LeaseA controversial short-term rental company is engaging in a fight with a San Francisco real estate developer. Sonder wants to break its lease on a Market Street apartment building, blaming the city's moratorium on evictions for lost revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents, Developers Spar Over West Side San Francisco Housing ProjectsThe Sunset and Richmond districts on the west side of San Francisco have become the new frontier for housing developers.
Project Home: Luxury Home Sales Rebound In New Pandemic Work-From-Home CultureLuxury home sales have hit a record high, all thanks to the work-from-home culture. Realtors say the wine country has gone from a second home market to a primary home market overnight.
Project Home: Deaths Of Homeless People In Santa Clara County More Than Quadruple Since 2000Public records on homeless deaths in Santa Clara County, obtained by KPIX, show a staggering increase from 31 deaths in 2000, to 166 in 2019. Every year the body count climbs.
History Of Redlining, Predatory Lending, Systemic Racism Impacts Black Home Ownership In Bay AreaVanessa Bulnes says if you don’t think racism in housing still exists, just drive through her neighborhood.
San Francisco Sunset District Residents Fight Proposed Housing DevelopmentAs San Francisco struggles with one of the worst housing crises in the nation, developers are eyeing the city’s western neighborhoods as the new frontier. But when a developer started on construction to expand the only existing apartment building on their block, they put up a fight.
Project Home: Soaring Home Prices, Systemic Discrimination Drive Resegregation In Bay Area CommunitiesResearchers at UC Berkeley are mapping the increased resegregation of the housing market as large Bay Area cities become wealthier and whiter.
Nightmare Scenario Unfolds For COVID-19 Frontline Health Care WorkerThroughout the pandemic we’ve watched healthcare workers protest a lack of personal protective equipment, seen tens of millions of Americans file for unemployment and heard stories from families on the edge who worry their inability to pay rent could cost them their homes, Jenny Moreno has personally experienced all three of these hardships all while her 25-year-old daughter was sick with COVID-19.
San Francisco Weighs Permanent COVID-19 Eviction ProtectionsCity officials in San Francisco are considering extending eviction protections that were put in place during COVID-19 indefinitely.
Future Uncertain For Tenants In Rent-Controlled Building On UC Berkeley CampusIn a sea of bright orange brick that marks the grandiosity of the University of California, Berkeley campus, tenants inside a 111-year-old building on Walnut St. are fighting to keep their heads above water.
Local Rents Poised For Pandemic-Induced Drop May Trigger Even Worse Affordability CrisisEconomists predict market-rate rent will drop in the Bay Area, which sounds like good news to the rent-burdened region, but the drop will likely worsen the housing affordability crisis for years to come.
Coronavirus Pandemic Spawns Scams Surrounding Bay Area Apartment ListingsScams related to COVID-19 are on the rise, and in the Bay Area that means more fake apartment listings.
Project Home: Bay Area Real Estate Market Chilled By Coronavirus Economic ImpactIt’s the spring selling season, which usually means home sales spike and excited prospective buyers spend their weekends jumping from open house to open house, but since the pandemic hit things have gone quiet.
Coronavirus Update: San Francisco's Densely Populated Chinatown Struggles With Social DistancingOne of Chinatown's charms is it's bustle. The tight knit community is known for being just that, small and dense. During COVID-19 it's very essence is now it's greatest threat.
Homeless Pregnant Mother Helped Off Street By NonprofitWhen KPIX first met Erin Finafrock in November of 2019, she was homeless and pregnant sleeping in a tent in Oakland. Soon after, a nonprofit intervened and helped her get off the street, just in time for the surprise of her life.
Shelter-In-Place, Social Distancing Elusive For Thousands Of Bay Area Homeless During Coronavirus PandemicOn week four of a shelter-in-place order, tens of thousands of unhoused people in the Bay Area are still unable to do so.
California Homeowners Wonder How To Pay Mortgage As Renters Withhold Payments Amid Coronavirus ShelteringMore than one million Californians have already filed for unemployment amid the coronavirus shelter-in-place order. That massive loss of income has many wondering how to pay bills that are due next week.
San Francisco Supervisor Personally Funds Hotel Rooms For Homeless During Shelter-In-Place20 hotel rooms at the Oasis Hotel are no longer sitting vacant during the coronavirus pandemic after dozens of homeless families officially moved in.
Video Reports
State Housing Mandate Doubles What Bay Area Needs to BuildThe Bay Area has a new assignment from the state: build nearly 450,000 homes in the next eight years or risk losing control over where they go. Susie Steimle reports. (9-10-20)
Seniors At Risk When Affordable Units Get Converted To Market Rate HousingNearly 32,000 units of affordable housing in the state are expected to be converted to market rate housing in the next 10 years. Susie Steimle reports, tenants often don't find out until it is too late.
Landlords Receive Gov't Relief as Quarantined Students Are Forced to Pay for Vacant ApartmentsAs the coronavirus pandemic closes college campuses across the country, students -- and their parents -- are still stuck paying rent for vacant apartments even as many of those property owners receive pandemic assistance. Susie Steimle reports. (9-3-20)
Online Classes Leave Bay Area College Students Paying For Apartments They Don't Live InCollege students are being forced to pay for apartments they will never live in due to online classes during the pandemic.Susie Steimle tells us why many are finding it impossible to break their lease for the Fall.
Time Running Out On Eviction Protections For Tenants In CaliforniaThe clock is ticking down on eviction protections for tenants in California with the statewide moratorium set to expire on Friday. Susie Steimle gets perspectives from a tenant and a landlord.
Project Home: Eviction Moratorium Prevents Landlord From Evicting Tenant Using His Home As AirbnbA Fremont landlord was shocked to find out his tenant was illegally renting his property on Airbnb, but as Susie Steimle reports, state and local COVID-19 eviction moratoriums prevent him from doing anything about it.
SJ Family Facing Eviction Despite Eviction MoratoriumA San Jose family of five is facing eviction despite a statewide moratorium. Susie Steimle tells us their landlord gave them until August 20 to move out and, so far, they have no place to go.
Residents Cry Foul After Treatment Center Buys Pricey Homes in Quiet East Bay NeighborhoodsA substance abuse treatment facility is buying up houses and turning them into centers for troubled teens in the East Bay. Neighbors say the whole process was deliberately kept secret. Susie Steimle reports. (7-31-20)
California Program To House Homeless People In Trailers Gets Mixed ResultsThe state announced back in January that it would donate the trailers, that are usually on standby for emergencies, to help house the homeless. Susie Steimle reports the program is getting mixed results.
Local Startup Helps Bay Area Teachers Buy HomesWhile lack of affordable housing is the number one reason many educators leave the Bay Area, one local startup is hoping to help with that problem. Susie Steimle reports. (7-23-20)
Short-Term Rental Company Suing San Francisco To Get Out Of LeaseA short-term rental company is suing to break its lease on Market Street in San Francisco. Susie Steimle found out the company is blaming the city for lost revenue during the pandemic.
Residents, Developers Spar Over West Side San Francisco Housing ProjectsThe Sunset and Richmond districts on the west side of San Francisco have become the new frontier for housing developers. Susie Steimle reports. (7-16-20)
Luxury Homes Sales Rebound As Buyers Look For Havens To Work-From-HomeNo longer limited to city life, home buyers working from home during the pandemic are reshaping the Bay area real estate market. Susie Steimle reports sales of luxury homes in places like Sonoma have hit a record high.
Deaths Of Homeless People In Santa Clara County Quadruples Since 2000The number of homeless people dying each year in Santa Clara County has quadrupled over the last 2 decades. Susie Steimle has more on this startling statistic.
Racist Housing Policies Of Past Keep Black Families From Building Generational WealthProject Home looks at how racist policies of the past still affect Black families in the Bay Area. Susie Steimle shows us one woman's struggle to stay safely housed.
Low Income Housing Cheaters Series
Vallco Redevelopment Battle In Cupertino Highlights Barriers To Building Homes In The Bay AreaThe Bay Area earned a new title this year: the region is officially the most expensive place to build in the world.
SF City Attorney: Couple Rented Out Affordable Unit While Living In $2.8M HomeSan Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit against a couple, accusing them of illegally taking advantage of the city's affordable housing program.
Tenants Complain S.F. Affordable Rental Program Lets Landlords Play FavoritesThere are numerous complaints about San Francisco's affordable rental program and they're coming from both tenants and landlords.
San Francisco Targeting Below-Market-Rate Housing CheatersIt's apparently easy to abuse San Francisco's below-market-rate housing program once you get your foot in the door, as we uncovered in our investigation.
Duplex Loophole Series
Oakland City Council Votes To Close So-Called 'Duplex Loophole'Oakland city council members voted early Wednesday morning to close an eviction loophole that was putting hundreds of renters at risk of getting kicked out of their homes.
Oakland May Close 'Duplex Loophole' To Stop New Landlords From Evicting TenantsThe City of Oakland may be on the verge of closing what's known as the "duplex loophole" which gives new owners the right to evict tenants.
Caught On Video: Oakland Realtors Coach Buyers On How To Profit From Tenant EvictionKPIX 5's undercover cameras were rolling as realtors at open houses in Oakland, openly explained how to maximize our return by evicting tenants -- all within an earshot of the person living there.
Renovictions
SF Tenants Say Non-Stop Renovations To Rent-Control Property Amount To Eviction HarassmentIt’s not an easy job to get tenants on rent control to leave a building. In fact, in the past few years San Francisco has passed even stricter eviction laws. But more than 100 tenants of the city’s biggest landlord tell us they think he’s trying to annoy them into self-eviction.
Tenants Say Renovations Are Pushing Them Out Of Rent-Controlled HousingAs San Francisco cracks down on owner move-in and Ellis Act evictions, tenants rights groups are worried about a new loophole: It’s being called “renoviction."
Oakland Home Depot Homeless Fight
Oakland Struggles To Clean Up Homeless Camp By Home DepotThe city of Oakland is taking steps toward cleaning up the homeless encampment surrounding the Home Depot in Oakland's Fruitvale district, but you might not notice the improvements when you drive by the hardware store.
Growing Homeless Population In Oakland May Threaten Businesses, Councilmember SaysHomeless encampment crackdowns in other cities have driven people to encampments in Oakland, but a city council member says the situation is prompting some businesses to consider leaving town.