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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Individuals or families purchasing a primary residence in California with a USDA Rural Development Single Family Loan Guarantee through the GSFA Platinum Program will be eligible for assistance of up to 4 percent in the form of a nonrepayable gift.
The amount of the gift is based on the amount of the mortgage loan. Funds from the gift can be used for closing costs and/or principal reduction.
“Partnerships like this one with USDA Rural Development are essential to meeting the needs of California homebuyers.” said Ferguson. “We are excited to expand our existing down payment assistance program and focus on how to help more rural homebuyers achieve the dream of homeownership.”
USDA’s loan guarantee program offers 100 percent financing and is available to low-to-moderate income homebuyers in rural areas, typically communities with populations of 35,000 or fewer.
Coupled with the GSFA Platinum Program, qualifying homebuyers may be able to purchase a home with no money out of pocket.
“With California’s high home prices, affordability is a real struggle for many homebuyers,” said Vann. “Through this partnership with GSFA, we have another great tool to help increase affordability, and support rural prosperity.”
To participate in the program, homebuyers must meet income eligibility and the property must be located in an eligible rural area.
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- Written by: California Department of Insurance
Assembly Bill 2634, authored by Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Arcadia), will give consumers more time to react to cost increases in their Flexible Premium Life Insurance policy.
"AB 2634 provides consumers with better and more complete information about the effect of insurer cost increases which in turn can result in premium increases in their life insurance policies,” said Jones. "Allowing consumers, especially seniors, more time to make informed decisions about their policies and any premium increase will help them avoid a reduction in policy values or a possible lapse of the policy. I thank the governor for signing this bill and Assemblymember Chau for championing it in the Legislature."
The Legislature heard from consumers who had personally been affected by extremely high "cost of insurance" increases that led to the loss of their policy, which they had been paying premium on for years.
These consumers, along with many others, received little or no notice from their insurers when their policy charges doubled, tripled or quadrupled almost overnight. In one case the increase was 672 percent.
Unfortunately, these stories are not unique. The California Department of Insurance has received thousands of complaints on this topic, mainly from distressed seniors, relating to the significant increases in the insurers costs which in turn are charged against the policy and erode the policy value and/or result in increased premiums.
Under current law, insurers are required to provide each policy owner with an annual report on the status of the policy. However, the annual report does not tell the policy owner when increases in costs and expenses are about to occur.
These increases often, over time, completely consume the cash value of the life insurance policy, eventually rendering it worthless.
As a result, consumers are unable to make informed decisions about their policies, which often require substantial payments on very short notice to keep them from lapsing.
AB 2634 requires an insurer to provide at least 90 days notice before any increase in the cost of insurance applies to consumers. The bill also requires the insurer to generally provide an illustration showing the impact on the policy values and necessary premium payments before and after the increase.
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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
More than $72 million was awarded nationwide.
The SCBGP provides grants to state departments of agriculture to fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
The California Department of Food and Agriculture will fund 83 projects, awarding grants ranging from $25,000 to $300,000, at nonprofit and for-profit organizations, government entities, and colleges and universities.
Selected through a competitive process, these projects focus on increasing sales of specialty crops by leveraging the California Grown identity; increasing consumption by expanding the specialty crop consumer market, improving availability, and providing nutritional education for consumers; training growers to equip them for current and future challenges; and conducting research on conservation and environmental outcomes, pest control and disease, and organic and sustainable production practices.
Additionally, CDFA solicited fixed-amount awards to fund projects that address the priority to assist California specialty crop growers, farmers, producers, and manufacturers in adopting the requirements of and meeting the standards for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act.
CDFA continued its partnership with the Center for Produce Safety in the evaluation and recommendation of food safety related projects.
These projects represent an ongoing effort to address food safety practices and minimize outbreaks of foodborne illness with proactive research.
The 2018 SCBGP project abstracts are available online at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/grants.
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- Written by: Clearlake Tractor Supply
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., local farmers, crafters and artisans will be onsite selling homemade and homegrown goods at the store located at 15930 Dam Road.
According to store manager Vernon Parker, there's no better way to celebrate the fall harvest season in the Clearlake area.
"Farmers markets are a great way to highlight skills, foster community relationships and support neighbors," said Parker. "We are excited to provide a platform for our customers to showcase their homemade and homegrown goods."
Local goods for sale will be displayed in tented areas in front of the store. Participating vendors include:
– Bee Heaven: On site 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
– Sudsy Lady: On site 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
– Glass Fusion: On site 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Contact the Clearlake Tractor Supply store at 707-995-5060 for more information or details about participating in the event.