The new analysis from Zillow and Thumbtack identifies the additional costs home buyers can expect, including utilities, insurance, maintenance and property taxes

• Homeowners can expect a payment $14,155 a year, or $1,180 per month in hidden costs associated with owning a home.
• These annual costs can be too high $22,791 in the San Francisco metro area and as low as $9,886 In Las Vegas.
• Affordability is the biggest challenge for first-time home buyers. Zillow's affordability calculator and new monthly cost finder tool, as well as Thumbtack's personalized maintenance guides, can help buyers factor these costs into their budget.

SEATTLE And SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The daily cost of owning a home is higher than ever, according to a new analysis from Zillow® and Thumbtack. Utility bills, property taxes, insurance and essential maintenance can add up $14,155 per year for the average US homeowner. This is an addition $1,180 per month in addition to a typical mortgage payment. First-time home buyers facing affordability challenges in today's market need to understand and factor in these less obvious costs when calculating how much home they can afford.

Zillow and Thumbtack: Top 10 Metro Areas with the Highest Hidden Annual Costs of Homeownership

These costs can be surprisingly high and even higher in already expensive metropolitan areas $22,000 annually in San Francisco, new York And The angel. Of the 39 metropolitan areas analyzed, the hidden costs of homeownership are the lowest Las Vegas ($9,886); Asheville, North Carolina ($11,318); And St Louis ($11,824).

Research from Zillow and Thumbtack examined three unavoidable expenses for single-family homeowners—property taxes, home insurance, and utilities (energy, water, natural gas, and internet)—and found that they were average $7,742 overall nationwide. New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes, even more $9,000 per year while utility costs are at their highest Hartford, Connecticutaveraging $4,443 a year. The cost of homeowners insurance varies depending on home value, so homeowners in the cheapest metropolitan areas, such as Pittsburgh And Clevelandhave the added benefit of lower insurance costs.

The analysis also considered Thumbtack's 17 essential home maintenance projects, based on data from millions of home projects completed across the country. These projects have an overall average $6,413 yearly. The average maintenance costs are highest in The angel And Chicagoin total $8,639 And $7,722 respectively. Homeowners are now in Las Vegas can expect to pay fairly $3,467 per year to maintain their homes.

“Just like you would visit a mechanic regularly to keep your car in good condition and avoid high bills, your home also needs the same routine maintenance to ensure everything is running smoothly,” he said David Steckel, Thumbtack's home expert. “Staying on top of your home's annual maintenance will not only increase your home's value, but also avoid emergency repairs that can break the homeowner's budget.”

Nearly half of all home buyers (45%) are first-time buyers, and they may be surprised by these costs and not take them into account when budgeting for a home. When buyers start in the Home Loans tab on the Zillow homepage, they can use an affordability calculator to figure out how much they can afford, then connect with a loan officer to not only find out what mortgage they qualify for , but also what they would like to pay. Given these additional costs. With that budget, buyers can then use a new app filter on Zillow to purchase homes based on monthly cost instead of purchase price.

“Understanding all the costs that come with homeownership can impact not only a buyer's budget, but also the type of home they purchase,” said Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. “While a large backyard or larger home can be attractive, it is important to consider how much it might cost to maintain these spaces. Buyers may want to consider affordable alternatives to single-family homes or spend more up front on a new construction home that might require less maintenance in the short term.”

Once buyers close the deal, Thumbtack is the point of contact to help you care for your new home. By entering their home's location and features on Thumbtack, homeowners can receive personalized guidance on what projects to complete, when, and who to hire to do the work. This will help homeowners create prioritized maintenance plans that are within their budget and cover everything from move-in home cleaning to tree trimming and roof maintenance.

methodology

In this analysis, property taxes were calculated using the average effective tax rate in each metropolitan area multiplied by the area's average home value, as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

In estimating insurance costs, this analysis assumed that homeowners pay 0.5% of their home's value each year, which was calculated as 0.005 multiplied by the area's average home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

Utility costs were calculated using the unweighted average of all states, excluding streaming and phone bill costs, as reported by Forbes.

Annual home maintenance costs are made up of tack categories that are considered essential annual home maintenance tasks: appliance maintenance, carpet cleaning, central air conditioning maintenance, patio staining and sealing, duct and vent cleaning, fireplace and chimney cleaning, lawn with comprehensive Service Gutter care, cleaning and maintenance, heating system maintenance, house cleaning, pressure washing, roof maintenance, sprinkler and irrigation system maintenance, tile and grout cleaning, tree trimming and removal, water heater maintenance and window cleaning.

Pricing data is based on projects requested on Thumbtack reported directly by the independent service professional or individual customer. Cost is an unweighted index of all annual home maintenance projects and is calculated quarterly using a moving average.

About Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) (NASDAQ: ZG) is reimagining real estate to make it easier to enter the next chapter of life. As the most visited real estate website in The United StatesZillow® and its partners provide customers with an on-demand experience to sell, buy, rent or finance with transparency and ease.

Zillow Group's affiliates, brands and subsidiaries include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans; Zillow Closing Services; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which houses ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive® and dotloop®, as well as interactive floor plans. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

About thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader developing the modern home management platform. With the Thumbtack app, homeowners can manage their homes effortlessly – knowing with confidence what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bring them 600 billion dollars Thumbtack is an online platform for the home services industry, empowering millions of homeowners to repair, maintain and improve their most valuable assets. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and electricians, use the Thumbtack platform every year to grow their businesses.

SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.

The post Hidden prices of homeownership can add as much as practically $15,000 yearly appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The new analysis from Zillow and Thumbtack identifies the additional costs home buyers can expect, including utilities, insurance, maintenance and property taxes

• Homeowners can expect a payment $14,155 a year, or $1,180 per month in hidden costs associated with owning a home.
• These annual costs can be too high $22,791 in the San Francisco metro area and as low as $9,886 In Las Vegas.
• Affordability is the biggest challenge for first-time home buyers. Zillow's affordability calculator and new monthly cost finder tool, as well as Thumbtack's personalized maintenance guides, can help buyers factor these costs into their budget.

SEATTLE And SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The daily cost of owning a home is higher than ever, according to a new analysis from Zillow® and Thumbtack. Utility bills, property taxes, insurance and essential maintenance can add up $14,155 per year for the average US homeowner. This is an addition $1,180 per month in addition to a typical mortgage payment. First-time home buyers facing affordability challenges in today's market need to understand and factor in these less obvious expenses when calculating how much home they can afford.

These costs can be surprisingly high and even higher in already expensive metropolitan areas $22,000 annually in San Francisco, new York And The angel. Of the 39 metropolitan areas analyzed, the hidden costs of homeownership are the lowest Las Vegas ($9,886); Asheville, North Carolina ($11,318); And St Louis ($11,824).

Research from Zillow and Thumbtack examined three unavoidable expenses for single-family homeowners—property taxes, home insurance, and utilities (energy, water, natural gas, and internet)—and found that they were average $7,742 overall nationwide. New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes, even more $9,000 per year while utility costs are at their highest Hartford, Connecticutaveraging $4,443 a year. The cost of homeowners insurance varies depending on home value, so homeowners in the cheapest metropolitan areas, such as Pittsburgh And Clevelandhave the added benefit of lower insurance costs.

The analysis also considered Thumbtack's 17 essential home maintenance projects, based on data from millions of home projects completed across the country. These projects have an overall average $6,413 yearly. The average maintenance costs are highest in The angel And Chicagoin total $8,639 And $7,722 respectively. Homeowners are now in Las Vegas can expect to pay fairly $3,467 per year to maintain their homes.

“Just like you would visit a mechanic regularly to keep your car in good condition and avoid high bills, your home also needs the same routine maintenance to ensure everything is running smoothly,” he said David Steckel, Thumbtack's home expert. “Staying on top of your home's annual maintenance will not only increase your home's value, but also avoid emergency repairs that can break the homeowner's budget.”

Nearly half of all home buyers (45%) are first-time buyers, and they may be surprised by these costs and not take them into account when budgeting for a home. When buyers start in the Home Loans tab on the Zillow homepage, they can use an affordability calculator to figure out how much they can afford, then connect with a loan officer to not only find out what mortgage they qualify for , but also what they would like to pay. Given these additional costs. With that budget, buyers can then use a new app filter on Zillow to purchase homes based on monthly cost instead of purchase price.

“Understanding all the costs that come with homeownership can impact not only a buyer's budget, but also the type of home they purchase,” said Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. “While a large backyard or larger home can be attractive, it is important to consider how much it might cost to maintain these spaces. Buyers may want to consider affordable alternatives to single-family homes or spend more up front on a new construction home that might require less maintenance in the short term.”

Once buyers close the deal, Thumbtack is the point of contact to help you care for your new home. By entering their home's location and features on Thumbtack, homeowners can receive personalized guidance on which projects to complete, when, and who to hire to complete the work. This will help homeowners create prioritized maintenance plans that are within their budget and cover everything from move-in home cleaning to tree trimming and roof maintenance.

methodology

In this analysis, property taxes were calculated using the average effective tax rate in each metropolitan area multiplied by the area's average home value, as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

In estimating insurance costs, this analysis assumed that homeowners pay 0.5% of their home's value each year, which was calculated as 0.005 multiplied by the area's average home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

Utility costs were calculated using the unweighted average of all states, excluding streaming and phone bill costs, as reported by Forbes.

Annual home maintenance costs are made up of tack categories that are considered essential annual home maintenance tasks: appliance maintenance, carpet cleaning, central air conditioning maintenance, patio staining and sealing, duct and vent cleaning, fireplace and chimney cleaning, lawn with comprehensive Service Gutter care, cleaning and maintenance, heating system maintenance, house cleaning, pressure washing, roof maintenance, sprinkler and irrigation system maintenance, tile and grout cleaning, tree trimming and removal, water heater maintenance and window cleaning.

Pricing data is based on projects requested on Thumbtack reported directly by the independent service professional or individual customer. Cost is an unweighted index of all annual home maintenance projects and is calculated quarterly using a moving average.

About Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) (NASDAQ: ZG) is reimagining real estate to make it easier to enter the next chapter of life. As the most visited real estate website in The United StatesZillow® and its affiliates provide customers with a transparent and easy, on-demand experience for selling, buying, renting or financing.

Zillow Group's affiliates, brands and subsidiaries include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans; Zillow Closing Services; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which houses ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive® and dotloop®, as well as interactive floor plans. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

About thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader developing the modern home management platform. With the Thumbtack app, homeowners can manage their homes effortlessly – knowing with confidence what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bring them 600 billion dollars Thumbtack is an online platform for the home services industry, empowering millions of homeowners to repair, maintain and improve their most valuable assets. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and electricians, use the Thumbtack platform each year to grow their businesses.

SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.

For more information: Amanda Pendleton, Zillow, press@zillow.com; or Gina Balistreri, Thumbtack, press@thumbtack.com

The post Hidden prices of homeownership can add as much as almost $15,000 yearly appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The 3-mile span of Centennial Trail in South San Francisco — used daily by joggers, walkers and bikers — will soon feature a number of new amenities like a skate park, pump track, nature-themed playground and picnic tables in a new space stretching from Spruce Avenue to Huntington Way.

A pump track has berms and banks so bikers can maximize momentum with minimal peddling. The underutilized park will include the amenities with lawn areas and shade for the picnic tables. Approximately 130 trees and 5,900 drought-tolerant shrubs will be planted and there will be lighting and pet waste receptacles, according to a staff report.

The California Department of Transportation’s Clean California Local Grant Program provided $2.4 million and the city will match an additional 50% through park impact fees. City Manager Mike Futrell said the grant will not fund the maintenance but the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is committed to keeping up with the grounds.

“It’s a goal to not only build quality but maintain it over time,” Futrell said. “Right now, if you go out there, it’s just a blank canvas and doesn’t get a lot of maintenance or attention for that reason.”

The grant program has funded more than a billion dollars statewide and aims to reduce litter along state highways, local roads, parks, paths and transit centers and to beautify the state’s transportation network, according to the report.

Local skate and bike groups will assist with the concept design of the respective portions of the park during an additional community engagement phase, according to the report.

“Sometime last year, there was a petition circulating around South San Francisco for a bike pump track and I’m glad to see city staff has found a way to implement one,” Councilmember James Coleman said, “I am sure the signers of that petition will be very pleased to see this.”

The project will benefit students from the nearby Boys and Girls Club, South San Francisco High School and Los Cerritos Elementary School as well as the broader community, providing easy access to a trail, outdoor education area and will support underserved youth. The aim is to encourage outdoor activity and environmental stewardship by holding six community events and running a social media campaign with emphasis on litter abatement awareness that will reach more than 26,000 residents, according to the report.

Construction is slated to begin next year and be completed by May 2024.

The post South San Francisco’s Centennial Path improve so as to add pump monitor | Native Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature could soon approve changes to the teacher certification process designed to address a shortage of classroom instructors by allowing more people without regular teacher training to lead a class.

The Republican-backed proposal has already passed the Senate and was given initial approval after a vigorous House debate on Monday over objections from Democrats, who said it will allow unqualified people to teach.

kAm%96 AC@A@D2= H@F=5 6IA2?5 2 a_`f =2H E92E 2==@HD A6@A=6 H:E9 6IA6C:6?46 E96 AC:G2E6 D64E@CE@ 86E 2 “DF3;64E>2EE6C 46CE:7:42E6” E@ E6249 8C256D e`a]k^Am

kAm%96 492?86 C6>@G6D E96 8C256 C6DEC:4E:@?D[ 2==@H:?8 D@>6@?6 H:E9 @FED:56 6IA6C:6?46 2?5 2 4@==686 568C66 E@ 2=D@ E6249 <:?56C82CE6? E9C@F89 8C256 d]k^Am

kAmpC:K@?2[ =:<6 >2?J @E96C DE2E6D[ 92D 2? @?8@:?8 E62496C D9@CE286 2?5 324<6CD D2J E96 AC@A@D2= :D @?6 >@C6 E@@= E@ 255C6DD E92E AC@3=6>]k^Am

came“%9:D ?@E 23@FE H2E6C:?8 5@H? E96 DE2?52C5D E@ 364@>6 2 E62496C 2?5 E@ C646:G6 2 46CE:7:42E6[” |6D2 #6AF3=:42? #6A] |:496==6 &52== D2:5]“xEVD 23@FE 255:E:@?2= A2E9H2JD E@ 86E A6@A=6 :?E@ E96 E6249:?8 AC@76DD:@? E92E 2C6 A2DD:@?2E6 23@FE E96 DF3;64ED E92E E96J E6249]”k^Am

kAms6>@4C2ED A@:?EE@ =@H E62496C A2J[ =2C86 4=2DD D:K6D[ >:4C@>2?28:?8 3J E96 {68:D=2EFC6 2?5 E96 A@=:E:4:K2E:@? @7 4=2DDC@@> 4FCC:4F=F> 7@C 5C:G:?8 BF2=:7:65 E62496CD 7C@> E96 AC@76DD:@?] pC:K@?2 92D D@>6 @7 E96 =>H6DE E62496C A2J E96 ?2E:@? 56DA:E6 3:8 C2:D6D C646?E J62CD 2?5 E9:D J62C E96 v~!4@?EC@==65 {68:D=2EFC6 25G2?4:?8 A@=:4:6D E@ :?4C62D6 D4CFE:?J @7 D49@@= =:3C2CJ 3@@2E6C:2=D FD65 3J E62496CD]k^Am

kAms6>@4C2E:4 #6A]#68:?2=5 q@=5:?8[ E96 >:?@C:EJ =6256C[ D2:5 4C62E:?8 >@C6 “7=6I:3:=:EJ” 7@C 2DA:C:?8 >:542C66C AC@76DD:@?2=D E@ DE6A :?E@ E96 4=2DDC@@> E@ 255C6DD E96 E62496C D9@CE286 H@?VE 96=A]k^Am

kAms6>@4C2E:4 #6A]z6==: qFE=6C 28C665[ ?@E:?8 E92E E96C6 2C6 `g_[___ BF2=:7:65 2?5 46CE:7:65 E62496CD E96 DE2E6 H9@ 2C6 ?@E E96 4=2DDC@@> 3642FD6 @7 E96 =@H A2J[ 4=2DD D:K6D E92E 2C6 E96 9:896DE E96 ?2E:@? 2?5 @E96C :DDF6D] p55:?8 F?BF2=:7:65 E62496CD H:== >2<6 E96 AC@3=6> H@CD6[ D96 D2:5]k^Am

kAm”%96 D@=FE:@? ?@E 5F>3:?8 5@H? E96 DE2?52C5D[” qFE=6C D2:5] “%96 D@=FE:@? 5@:?8 H92E ?66565[ FD:?8 E96 >@?6J E92E H6 92G6 E@ >2<6 DFC6 E92E @FC E62496CD 2C6 BF2=:7:65 E62496CD 2?5 :? E96 4=2DDC@@> E6249:?8]”k^Am

kAmv@G]s@F8 sF46J k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^ddga_b3b6_72cf_che6fg2dg267g_6`dQmAFD965 E96 DA64:2= 46CE:7:42E:@? 7@C E62496CD 9:896C 8C256D a_`fk^2m[ D2J:?8 :E H@F=5 255 E@ E96 A@@= @7 A6@A=6 23=6 E@ E6249] qFE E96 AC@A@D2= 5:5 =:EE=6 E@ D@=G6 E96 E62496C D9@CE286]k^Am

kAm%96 3:== 2=D@ 255D D@>6 ?6H E62496C EC2:?:?8 AC@8C2>D]xE 2H2:ED 2 7@C>2= w@FD6 G@E6 367@ C6 C6EFC?:?8 E@ E96 $6?2E6 3642FD6 @7 >:?@C 492?86D]xE A2DD65 E96 $6?2E6 H:E9 ?@ DFAA@CE 7C@> >:?@C:EJ s6> @4C2ED]k^Am

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The post Legislature shifting so as to add new instructor certification paths | Ap appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature could soon approve changes to the teacher certification process designed to address a shortage of classroom instructors by allowing more people without regular teacher training to lead a class.

The Republican-backed proposal has already passed the Senate and was given initial approval after a vigorous House debate on Monday over objections from Democrats, who said it will allow unqualified people to teach.

The proposal would expand a 2017 law that allows people with experience in the private sector to get a “subject-matter certificate” to teach in grades 6-12.

The change removes the grade restrictions, allowing someone with outside experience and a college degree to also teach kindergarten through grade 5.

Arizona, like many other states, has an ongoing teacher shortage and backers say the proposal is one more tool to address that problem.

“This is not about watering down the standards to become a teacher and to receive a certificate,” Mesa Republican Rep. Michelle Udall said. “It’s about additional pathways to get people into the teaching profession that are passionate about the subjects that they teach.”

Democrats point to low teacher pay, large class sizes, micromanaging by the Legislature and the politicization of classroom curriculum for qualified driving teachers from the profession. Arizona has some of the lowest teacher pay in the nation despite big raises in recent years and this year the GOP-controlled Legislature is advancing policies to increase scrutiny of school library books and boosting the rights of parents to review materials used by teachers.

Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding, the minority leader, said creating more “flexibility” for aspiring mid-career professionals to step into the classroom to address the teacher shortage won’t help.

Democratic Rep. Kelli Butler agreed, noting that there are 180,000 qualified and certified teachers in the state who are not in the classroom because of the low pay, class sizes that are the highest in the nation and other issues. Adding unqualified teachers will make the problem worse, she said.

“The solution is not dumbing down the standards,” Butler said. “The solution is doing what is needed, using the money that we have to make sure that our teachers are qualified teachers and in the classroom teaching.”

gov. Doug Ducey pushed the special certification for teachers in higher grades in 2017, saying it would add to the pool of people able to teach. But the proposal did little to solve the teacher shortage.

The bill also adds some new teacher training programs. It awaits a formal House vote before returning to the Senate because of minor changes. It passed the Senate with no support from minority Democrats.

The post Legislature transferring so as to add new instructor certification paths appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

WOODSIDE (KPIX 5) – The town of Woodside began accepting Senate Bill 9 housing applications Monday, just one day after Attorney General Rob Bonta chastised town officials, accusing them of using the idea of ​​a mountain lion habitat to skirt the new housing law.

SB 9 allows homeowners to build up to four residential units on a single family lot.

READ MORE: Alameda Police Release Surveillance Photos Of Suspect In String Of Target Store Thefts

Kara Cox is in the process of getting permits in San Mateo.

“It’s carbon neutral to provide housing on the Peninsula, so everyone’s not driving back-and-forth from Concord and Fairfield and all these outlying places where housing is more reasonable,” Cox told KPIX 5.

Terry Szeczyk owns a planning services company for homeowners and said a permitting process that used to take two years will be cut down to four months under the new rules.

“It’s much more streamlined and much easier. It’s refreshing to roll back the standards that may have existed in 1970,” said Szeczyk.

Cities like Woodside insist they’re doing their part.

READ MORE: Arson At Little League Field Linked To Burglaries At University Village Albany Campus

“The town of Woodside has consistently exceeded its state mandated low and moderate income housing commitments,” said Woodside Assistant Attorney Kai Ruess.

For middle-income earners, finding a home to buy in the San Jose metro areas is much harder than in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The National Association of Realtors says there’s only 1 listing for about every 3,500 households.

“SB9 is just one part of a larger puzzle for how to solve the housing crisis. SB9 is very limited in terms of the kinds of parcels and places where it makes sense,” said Matt Gelfand of Californians for Homeownership.

The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley estimates SB9 would create as many as 700,000 new units on California’s 7.5 million single-family home lots.

“Across the state where the cities and counties and towns have to plan for where they’re going to put housing for the next eight years, that’s going to be really critical in terms of determining whether we actually solve this crisis,” said Gelfand.

MORE NEWS: Inmate Found Dead Inside His Cell At Santa Clara County Jail

Cox said, “At this point, density is necessary and I think there are appropriate places to do it.”

The post What Is SB9? Legislation Challenged By Woodside On Mountain Lion Grounds Goals To Add A lot Wanted Housing – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

RICHMOND (BCN) – Contra Costa County will spend $ 95.5 million to expand West County Detention Center in North Richmond, add more mental health rehabilitation and treatment rooms, while reducing overcrowding at Martinez Detention Center.

The board of directors voted 4: 1 to award the contract to Sletten Construction from Montana, with District 1 overseer John Gioia disagreeing.

CONTINUE READING: Afghan refugee who moved his family to NorCal shot dead in San Francisco while working as a driver

Gioia, whose borough is North Richmond, said the West County Reentry, Treatment and Housing (WRTH) project was better than previous expansion proposals. But he still prefers to house the services it will provide in other locations rather than putting money in another maximum security detention facility.

“It is clearly a better project than at the beginning,” said Gioia. “I’m saying this: if this could be segmented to approve certain parts, I would vote for it – the mental health arena, the classroom, the medical facilities and clinics, the re-entry and professional services.”

Illustration of the planned West County Reentry, Treatment and Housing (WRTH) lobby and entrance for viewing. (Contra Costa County Public Works via Bay City News)

The WRTH will include five new secure housing units, a medical treatment center, space for a re-entry program and new facilities for family visits. It adds 288 high security beds, 96 of which are mental health beds, as well as re-entry, family reunification and work readiness rooms from the original proposal. The original proposal was reduced by 128 beds for the general population in order to preserve all medical, treatment and programming rooms.

There will be classrooms and visiting rooms, detoxification rooms, a day room, larger program rooms and 32 beds for inmates with severe mental illnesses. The medical facility will include dentistry and optometry rooms. There will also be a vocational training room.

“Overall, in terms of what happens to a person while in detention, this really increases the ability to do the job, really reintegrate people into the community in a really good way, while being able to provide medical assistance Get the services they need as well as other services, ”said District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover.

Contra Costa County has three detention facilities: the Martinez Detention Facility (MDF), the West County Detention Facility (WCDF), and the Marsh Creek Detention Facility with low security in East County.

MDF is currently the only one of the three equipped for high security prisoners and was built in 1977, now can accommodate 695 adults. WCDF, built in 1987, is a medium-security facility that can accommodate up to 1,096 adults.

The staff report for Tuesday’s meeting noted that attitudes toward incarceration have changed 1 / 4ve since Contra Costa built new detention facilities, and shifted to a therapeutic rather than punitive approach. More emphasis is placed on treatment, education and training to prepare inmates for re-entry into society.

CONTINUE READING: Man arrested in Petaluma for possession of a loaded firearm in a public location

Two other factors influence the design of new prisons. As the state seeks to reduce the number of prisoners, it shifts some responsibilities for long-term detention back to its districts, thanks to Congregation Bill 109 passed in 2011.

There is also an increasing proportion of inmates with significant mental and other medical problems in the system who, due to the closure of government treatment facilities, require more advanced treatment than the state can provide.

As part of a dispute settlement with the Prison Law Office in 2020, the county agreed to expand medical, psychological treatment and programming space in its prison system.

The project will not expand Contra Costa’s prison population. When WCDF is complete, 288 beds will be removed from the MDF, reducing the nominal capacity of the beds registered with the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) from the current 695 beds to 407 beds.

The Martinez facility was originally built in 1981 for single cells with a nominal capacity of 384 people. MDF will remodel the space for additional mental health treatment, new plumbing, and accessibility improvements.

Most of the project’s funding has come from a $ 70 million state grant approved by Senate Act 844 and $ 25.5 million from the county general fund used in prior fiscal years.

The county will also spend an additional $ 18 million on county employees and consultants, $ 5 million on equipment and $ 8 million on contingent costs, bringing the total project price to $ 126.5 million.

The county hopes to complete the final design in November 2022, with construction a few weeks later and the new facilities by the end of November 2024.

MORE NEWS: San Francisco has 3,000 car break-ins in a month; “It’s out of control”

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The post Contra Costa County To Develop North Richmond Jail Facility, Add Psychological Well being, Rehab Area – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

(Good Things Utah) – So much cool technology has hit the market lately in the plumbing world. Plumbing now has the ability to upgrade and renew rooms around the home instead of just functioning. Let’s talk to Fieldstone Homes designer Silvana Fredrickson about what’s coming to the market from her leading plumbing partner, Shamrock Plumbing.

Plumbers make a big statement in any room. It’s a fun way to be bold with a bright pop of color. Faucets are the most talked about plumbing item in a new home, but that is now changing. Plumbing is so much more than just fittings.

Fieldstone Homes has an upcoming technology for innovative products that are BOLD. Shamrock Plumbing is installing these amazing home builder products and they will be available in the design studio later this year. You’ll experience the same quality and finish whether you’re building a $ 1.5 million home in Park City or a townhouse in Eagle Mountain.

Find groundbreaking plumbing fixtures like the following at the Fieldstone Design Studio:

U Smart faucet from Moen

The U by Moen Smart faucet was developed to make everyday life easier and to give your room a nice style. It offers convenience, precision, and intuitive voice activation technology to get things done in the kitchen.

You can ask Moen to dispense water at the desired temperature and amount using your Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Soft water system

The advantages of a soft water system are many. A water softener not only helps reduce hardness minerals in your water supply, it also improves your drinking water. Here are the other positive effects associated with soft water systems.

• Easier to clean – no more hard water stains on fixtures, appliances or clothing
• Less soap and detergent, laundry detergent and soaps required
• Increased longevity of water-consuming devices (no mineral deposits inside!)
• Softer skin and hair
• Cleaner, pristine dishes and cutlery

Flo from Moen

Flo by Moen is a revolutionary smart home water security system that includes a range of products to protect your home from water damage and leaks around the clock.

The Smart Water Shutoff monitors your entire water supply system for leaks and weak points, while the Smart Water Detector detects leaks and moisture outside the pipes, such as overflowing drains, equipment failures or weather-related problems.

Kohler Highline, comfort toilet

With its clear, sleek design and efficient performance, the Kohler Highline, comfort height, water-saving toilet combines both style and function.

An innovative 1.28 gallon flush setting offers significant water savings of up to 16,500 gallons per year compared to an old 3.5 gallon toilet without sacrificing flush performance. The extended seat and the chair-like height ensure comfortable use.

It’s more than just a toilet.

This segment was made possible by Shamrock Plumbing, a trusted fieldstone home provider offering a wide range of plumbing services across the Salt Lake area.

Find out more about the services offered and receive a free estimate.

Fieldstone Homes on Good Things Utah

The Coughlans joined the Fieldstone Homes family on Good Things Utah. Watch the HOME series here on Good Things Utah every Wednesday at 9:00 am. Join Fieldstone Homes as they follow the young Utah couple for the complete home building experience. It’s a local show designed for everyone and for the Utah Home lifestyle. Think boldly. Think fieldstone homes.

visit Fieldstone Homes on ABC4 Utah to see the full HOME series.

This story contains sponsored content.

The post Prime 4 revolutionary plumbing fixtures so as to add to your own home appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

San Francisco is building 400 beds for mental health and addiction treatments – an 18% jump in capacity – as the city seeks to expand aid to needy residents, many of whom are homeless.

The new beds and facilities are in various stages of development. Of the 400 in total, 140 will be opened this year, while 260 are still being planned and designed without an opening date. The city currently has 2,200 treatment beds.

The new beds will support the work of the city’s new and expanding street outreach teams, which include mental health and medical experts who respond to people in a psychiatric or drug crisis.

The expansion – part of the city’s mental health reform efforts aimed at reshaping its behavioral health system – will likely not be enough to serve the city’s most vulnerable residents. Nearly two years ago, the health department identified nearly 4,000 San Francisco residents facing homelessness, mental illness, and addiction, and at the time promised to seek help as a priority to 230 of them.

The pandemic exacerbated the city’s drug crisis as the powerful opioid fentanyl caught on and overdoses skyrocketed. Pressure has risen on Mayor London Breed and the board of directors to deal with the ongoing crisis.

“This is an unprecedented addition to our care and treatment system for people with mental illness and substance use disorders,” Breed said in a statement.

The announcement comes as the city is investing money in its homeless and mental health services by raising a combination of federal and local funding, as well as funding through Proposition C, a controversial 2018 business tax that can now be used for free after years of tying one Legal action. Prop. C is funding the new expansion with approximately $ 30 million. Another $ 6 million will come from the city’s general fund and grants.

Deputy Health Director Naveena Bobba said the expansion will improve patient flow so that patients are treated in a timely manner.

“The investments we are making in expanding our inpatient care and treatment system will help us achieve our goal of rapid access to recovery-oriented care and treatment,” she said.

The expansion effort will be guided in part by recommendations from a 2020 report, efforts by Mental Health SF, and data that identified the types of treatment with the greatest need.

The 400-bed expansion includes the 20-bed SOMA Rise Center, which opens in the fall of 2021 and provides a safe indoor space – or a sobering center – for people who have used methamphetamine or other substances to maintain their health while drunk to monitor and link them to other health and social services.

An inpatient treatment facility with 10 beds is also being designed for young adults with severe mental illnesses or drug abuse.

“That’s huge,” said Jennifer Esteen, former psychiatric nurse for the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Service Employees International Union vice president of organizing. “We absolutely need this inventory.”

“We need that and more,” she added.

The health department is also negotiating the purchase of facilities for an additional 73 beds for people with mental health problems who need assistance with daily living activities, including some for the elderly. The department plans to create an additional 140 new beds to support people leaving dormitory drug use treatment – a final step before independent living.

The city most recently opened the new Hummingbird Place recreation center with 30 new beds in Mission in February after announcing the plans a year earlier.

“People who are mentally ill and addicted to drugs need immediate access to treatment and care,” supervisor Matt Haney said in a press release. “These treatment beds cannot arrive early enough.”

Emma Talley is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: emma.talley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ EmmaT332

The post San Francisco so as to add 400 beds for psychological well being and dependancy therapy appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A protester holds a sign reading “Black Pete Is Racism” during a demonstration in Amsterdam in 2013. Zwarte Piet or Black Pete is traditionally portrayed by whites wearing black faces, afro wigs and red lipstick. Bas Czerwinski / AFP via Getty Images Hide caption

Toggle caption

Bas Czerwinski / AFP via Getty Images

A protester holds a sign reading “Black Pete Is Racism” during a demonstration in Amsterdam in 2013. Zwarte Piet or Black Pete is traditionally portrayed by whites wearing black faces, afro wigs and red lipstick.

Bas Czerwinski / AFP via Getty Images

The Dutch Sinterklaas differs from Santa Claus in a few essential ways. His physique is slimmer (less belly under the white beard), he does not live at the North Pole, but in Madrid – and instead of driving a reindeer sleigh, he takes a boat to the Dutch coast to bring presents.

And instead of relying on helper elves, Sinterklaas is supported by a character called Zwarte Piet or Black Pete – traditionally portrayed by whites wearing black faces, Afro wigs and red lipstick.

After Prime Minister Mark Rutte long defended the character and even admitted in the past to painting his own face black, he announced in June that his views on Black Pete had changed. Although he was on the verge of calling for a ban, he said social pressures would soon force the figure to retire. He also admitted that there were “systemic problems” with racism in the Netherlands.

Rutte’s announcement came after the Minnesota police murder of George Floyd, when large crowds of protesters took to the streets of Amsterdam and other Dutch cities to protest against racial injustice.

For Jerry Afriyie, who heads an Amsterdam-based advocacy group called Kick Out Zwarte Piet, Rutte’s words were long overdue. Getting others to see Black Pete as a racist has been his mission for a decade.

Over the years, Afriyie has been pelted with beer cans and bananas and targeted with death threats for his stance on Black Pete. Last November, in The Hague, a group of masked men armed with baseball bats and fireworks tried to end a peaceful meeting between Afriyie and other activists.

The Dutch anti-discrimination activist Jerry Afriyie, leader of the Kick Out Zwarte Piet movement, demonstrated in Rijswijk, Netherlands last November during the arrival of Sinterklaas and the blackface figure who traditionally accompanies him. Robin Utrecht / ANP / AFP via Getty Images Hide caption

Toggle caption

Robin Utrecht / ANP / AFP via Getty Images

Still, Afriyie (whose middle names are Luther and King) is committed to dialogue. Every Sinterklaas season he leaves his home in Amsterdam and travels to Dutch cities and villages where Black Pete is still publicly celebrated in an attempt to reach consensus that Black Pete is racist.

“You talk and talk and talk and talk until you reach a consensus”

Last year, committees in several Dutch cities agreed that Black Pete should not appear in their city’s Sinterklaas parades, but more than a dozen smaller cities affirmed the opposite: Black Pete would be welcome at their parades and school performances.

He has been told by many of Afriyie’s associates that it is impossible to reach consensus on Black Pete’s issue; the country is too divided. But consensus building has a unique place in Dutch politics and society.

Some scholars say that the Dutch value attached to collective action is built into the landscape. Much of the Netherlands would be under water if it weren’t for a system of dikes to protect the country from flooding. The Dutch “polder model” of consensus building takes its name from the Dutch word for land below sea level, which used to be the seabed.

Former Prime Minister Wim Kok used his polder consensus-building skills to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. This made the Netherlands the first country in the world to do this.

Amma Asante, a former MP and the only black woman in office during her tenure, says the polder model means “you talk and talk and talk and talk until you reach consensus” and “it works best when we do.” are able to do so “. to put aside our strongest beliefs about how things should be done or what the world should be like. “

From Black Pete to Chimney Pete?

Black Pete first came to prominence in the 1850s when minstrel shows became popular in the United States. The Netherlands outlawed slavery in their colonies in 1863, but previously some wealthy families were bringing enslaved people from those colonies to their homes in Amsterdam for work. Black Pete’s original costume with brightly colored satin sleeves mimicked the way families dressed enslaved black children.

Yet defenders of tradition often claim that Black Pete is “dirty” simply because he came down the chimney – he’s not even Black.

People line the street to greet Sinterklaas and his Black Pete pals in Amsterdam in 2013. Peter Dejong / AP

Toggle caption

Peter Dejong / AP

People line the street to greet Sinterklaas and his Black Pete pals in Amsterdam in 2013.

Peter Dejong / AP

Afriyie always saw the chimney explanation as a way to silence black perspectives. He, Asante and many other black Dutch people were called “Black Pete” as an insult.

“The country is telling you, ‘Try not to see it,’” says Afriyie. “As if what you see is not true.”

But he wondered if this denial of the problem might actually offer a solution. He suggested replacing Black Pete with a new character named Chimney Pete with just one soot stain on his face – someone like Bert, the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins.

Black Pete’s defenders hated the idea. Blackface is the tradition, they argued. But many Afro-Dutch thinkers also disagreed. Gloria Wekker, author of White Innocence: Paradoxes of Colonialism and Race, says Chimney Pete is “a surface solution.” Soot or blackface, tradition itself was tainted.

But Chimney Pete prevailed. In cities where Black Pete has been banned from Sinterklaas parades, Chimney Pete has taken his place. This November, the boat with Sinterklaas will again reach the Dutch coast, accompanied by an entourage of Chimney Petes.

Asante admits she doubted consensus building on racism could work, and she was surprised to see large crowds gathering in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the Netherlands this spring. Without all the years of “poldering” and dialogue about Black Pete, she wondered if the murder of George Floyd in the Netherlands would have sparked a conversation about racism.

“There is a danger that we could have said, ‘Oh, this is in the United States. This is not us,'” she says. “And now there is no more denial.”

The post George Floyd’s Loss of life, Protests Add To Calls For Dutch To Disown Black Pete : NPR appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.