January 2022 Newsletter
Happy New Year!!!
The Rivetti Team wishes you and your families a wonderful, safe and successful 2022!
California's New Housing Laws
New Year 2022 brings a raft of new laws for Californians.
They’re likely to affect what our neighborhoods look like
and how we take out our trash. California has a critical
housing shortage: The state median home price broke
$800,000 in 2021, and some experts say California needs
about 3 million new homes for the growing population.
For decades, strict zoning laws have allowed developers
to build mostly single-family homes. That’s about to
change. With two new laws, housing construction is going
to look different.
In Senate Bill 9, lawmakers essentially have done away with single family zoning in an effort to deal with the housing shortage, a political goal years in the making. “The new law says the owners of qualifying parcels designated for a stand-alone house may now be able to build two separate houses or a duplex. The exceptions are properties in historic or environmentally sensitive areas, such as flood zones,” explains Timo. “If the lot is big enough, it may potentially be split in two, making room for up to four houses.” Local planning departments are scrambling to
complete an urgency ordinance to ensure that Sonoma County cities are in compliance with the new law. The law is intended to encourage affordable housing and, therefore, prohibits the demolition or alteration of current affordable housing, nor can it displace established renters or rent-controlled units. Under the bill, cities and counties are required to approve such split-lot proposals as long as they
meet size and design standards – effectively removing oversight by city and county planning commissions.
Another new law, Senate Bill 10 now makes it easier for cities to build small apartment buildings near transit, skipping environmental reviews. Supporters are
all for building new housing, whereas critics warn new homes may mostly benefit developers and displace lower income people from their neighborhoods.
Recycling Food Waste
California’s two new recycling laws aim to stop us from throwing food away in our regular garbage and to stop products from carrying the chasing arrow recycling symbol when they aren’t actually recyclable items.
Let’s talk trash. You know those leftovers you’ve been tossing away? As it decays in mass landfill, without oxygen, it creates greenhouse gasses. Under the new law, we now must put all food left overs and organic waste into our organic/green waste bins. That way, cities and counties can turn them into compost and even make energy from them.
Helpful tips when recycling your food scraps.
1. Compost bins/container with lid help keep scraps until
taking outside
2. Line your food scraps kitchen container with paper
towels, a paper bag or newspaper, which will help keep
your container clean ...
3. Or use compostable (not biodegradable) bags with your
container...
4. You can also freeze food scraps before emptying into
your green cart
What food scraps should and should not be composted at home?
Food items that should be composted at home:
- Coffee Grounds
- Coffee and filters, tea and tea bags
- Egg shells
- Flour products like bread, noodles, crackers, etc.
- Fruit and peels/remnants
- Grains (cooked or uncooked)
- Spices
- Vegetables
- Pizza Boxes (grease stain/food okay, just remove any plastic items)
Food Items that should NOT be composted at home:
- Dairy products
- Fish
- Grease
- Meat
- Cooking oil
- Juice boxes with aluminum foil liners
Competitive Sellers-Market Continues
According to Realtor.com Americans will have a better chance to find a home in 2022, but will face a competitive seller’s market as first-time buyer demand outmatches the inventory recovery.
Additionally, with listing prices, rents and mortgage rates all expected to climb while incomes rise, 2022 will present a mixed bag of housing affordability challenges and opportunities.
"Whether the pandemic delayed plans or created new opportunities to make a move, it’s predicted that Americans are poised for a whirlwind year of home buying in 2022.” says Timo.
"With more sellers expected to enter the market as buyer competition remains fierce, we anticipate strong home sales growth in the Petaluma area.”
Affordability will increasingly continue to be a challenge as interest rates and prices rise, but remote work may expand search areas and enable younger buyers to find their first homes sooner than they might have otherwise. Suburban areas such as Sonoma County are expected to continue to draw new homebuyers into the area as work-at-home opportunities continue.
Call Timo today at 707.477.8396 to discuss your next move.
CINNAMON ROLL OVERNIGHT OATS
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk, such as almond or coconut
- 8 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Stir oats, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Divide among five 8-ounce jars. Screw on lids and refrigerate overnight or for up to 5 days. Top with blueberries, Pomegranate seeds, walnuts or almonds.