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Jeff Bezos to sell a Seattle-area property, reports say
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, who recently announced his plans to move to Miami, is looking to offload at least one of his Seattle-area homes, according to media reports and property listings.
The Amazon founder owns a 4,300-square-foot, five-bedroom home in the Eastside town of Yarrow Point currently listed for nearly $4.4 million, Business Insider ...Read more

Five big takeaways from Sam Altman's conversation with Trevor Noah
When Sam Altman was abruptly fired last month as CEO of artificial intelligence powerhouse OpenAI, the rupture left him with a lot of thinking to do.
But looking back on the experience, Altman told comedian Trevor Noah in a video podcast released Thursday morning, there may have been some upside.
"The empathy I gained out of this whole ...Read more

Congressional watchdog: Stop paying big farmers' crop insurance
A new report from a congressional watchdog calls out subsidies for crop insurance to more than 1,000 of the nation's largest farmers as a waste of taxpayer money.
The Government Accountability Office, an independent, nonpartisan oversight agency, published a 73-page report this week highlighting that some of the $17.3 billion the federal ...Read more
California may require homeowners to replace broken A/C units with heat pumps starting in 2026
California may require homeowners to replace their broken air conditioning units with heat pumps or more efficient HVAC systems beginning in 2026, draft rules released last month by state energy regulators show.
Encouraging the adoption of heat pumps, which both cool and heat homes using electricity, is key to the state’s carbon neutrality ...Read more

Santa Cruz plans high-rise living as a fix for sky-high housing costs -- and meets opposition
You can sense it in the ubiquitous "Help Wanted" posters in artsy shops and restaurants, in the ranks of university students living out of their cars and in the outsize percentage of locals camping on the streets.
This seaside county known for its windswept beauty and easy living is in the midst of one of the most serious housing crises ...Read more

Here's how many jobs LA lost during the Hollywood strikes
Entertainment employment in the greater Los Angeles area took a big hit during the writers' and actors' strikes, according to a study released Thursday by the Otis College of Art and Design in conjunction with Westwood Economics and Planning Associates.
But the strikes were not the only causes of the contraction, the report found.
The study �...Read more
Minneapolis Fed survey predicts tough times ahead for commercial and residential developers
A new survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis shows deepening concerns about the health of residential and commercial construction companies in the Fed's six-state region, while companies that build industrial and infrastructure projects are more optimistic.
Across all sectors, however, the industry is seeing some improvements as ...Read more

Conor Sen: Frustrated homebuyers are about to catch a break
Homebuyers have suffered some severe whiplash in recent months. After all, when mortgage rates hit 8% in late October, it was reasonable to think the housing market would stay on ice throughout the winter. The move cemented a narrative of negativity about poor affordability and homeowners with low-rate loans being unwilling to sell. Seven weeks ...Read more
UAW hits major threshold in organizing drive at Volkswagen in Tennessee
More than 30% of Volkswagen AG workers at the German automaker's only U.S. plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., have signed union authorization cards in less than a week, the United Auto Workers said in a news release Thursday.
That includes more than 1,000 workers, according to the union, which last week formally launched a campaign to organize ...Read more

Black-trimmed homes, tiny libraries and other signs your neighborhood is about to be gentrified
LOS ANGELES — A shift in demographics. Affordable apartments transformed into luxury condos. A coffee shop called something like "Brew Slut."
The signs of gentrification take many forms. A newly opened art gallery can serve both as a communal space and a harbinger of the displacement to come. Remodeled homes might boost a street's curb appeal...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Can I sell one of my parking spots?
Q: I live in a condominium where every apartment has two assigned parking spots. Since it is just me, one of my neighbors asked me if I would sell him one of my spots. Since I am not using it and times are tight, the extra money would help. Am I allowed to do this? — Ted
A: To get to the bottom of this, you must answer two questions: Can you ...Read more

Next-generation plastic recycling plant is bet on rising US demand
Most gamblers looking for action in Las Vegas head for the Strip, but the biggest bet to watch these days is on the edge of town. There, a vast new complex will take plastic waste from across the West and process it into high-quality material that manufacturers can turn back into water and soda bottles or other food-grade packaging.
Republic ...Read more

To save on their mortgages, Bay Area buyers are increasing their down payments
Who has $235,183 lying around in a bank account? The average homebuyer in Silicon Valley, apparently. That’s the median down payment for a home in the San Jose metro area — and it’s on the rise.
In the third quarter of 2023, the median down payment in San Jose reached nearly 25% of purchase price, up from 23% in the first quarter, ...Read more

35% of Americans want a housing crash, poll says
How out of whack is the housing market?
Well, an October poll by LendingTree of 2,045 US adults found 35% want the housing market to crash — highlighted by youthful Gen Z-ers (53%) and millennials (46%).
Look, rooting for a bargain is as American as apple pie. Who doesn't hope for that big sale, deep-discount coupon or holiday pricing to ...Read more

Sacramento State faculty set to strike. Here's what to know
In the spirit of the holiday season, the labor movement keeps on giving the gift of strikes. This time, California State University faculty are the ones walking the picket line.
The California Faculty Association, which represents close to 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches across the CSU system, is staging one-day...Read more

Ford, Xcel partner on commercial EV chargers
Xcel Energy and Ford Motor Co. announced Tuesday they are collaborating to outfit business fleets with 30,000 electric vehicle charging ports across eight states by 2030.
The program would begin in Wisconsin and Colorado in 2024 but could expand elsewhere — including in Minnesota — if approved by utility regulators.
Minneapolis-based Xcel ...Read more

Leaked document offers glimpse into how Amazon amasses influence in California's Inland Empire
In the first two years of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture’s existence, e-commerce giant Amazon.com was happy to contribute funds to the much-lauded Riverside, California, facility.
But this year, the Cheech hosted an exhibit that included a piece depicting an Amazon warehouse on fire. In an interview, the artist said the ...Read more

FCC denies appeal on grants for embattled LTD Broadband, proposes $22 million penalty
The Federal Communications Commission has upheld a decision to block LTD Broadband from using any part of $1.3 billion in federal grants to subsidize the construction of high-speed internet infrastructure, including a major proposed buildout in Minnesota.
The FCC this week denied an appeal from LTD and proposed a nearly $22 million penalty for ...Read more

Stellantis CEO: Companies losing money on EVs may only have until 2030
The CEO of the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and other vehicles said on Wednesday he expects before the end of the decade that automakers could start to drop out of the market because of the electrification transition.
The competitors in the best position to survive that, Stellantis NV's Carlos Tavares contends, are the legacy companies ...Read more

California's economy will see slow growth in 2024, economists say. Here's why
California’s economy is likely to grow somewhat faster than the rest of the country, but progress could easily be thwarted by wars, politics and stubbornly high interest rates, the new UCLA Anderson School state forecast said Wednesday.
“Even though recession worries have faded, increased military activity abroad and a sense of greater ...Read more
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