Many Areas In California Falling Short Of Low-Income Housing Goals
Low-income housing production in many California city and county jurisdictions is pacing far behind required timelines and goals, according to a new report from research firm Beacon Economics and nonprofit Next 10. The analysis cross-examined building permits issued in each of the state’s 539 jurisdictions against their Regional Housing Needs Assessments (RHNA), a state calculation assessing housing needs by income level. At its current pace of building, Long Beach isn’t expected to meet its RHNA housing production goals until 2040, according to the report. One hundred jurisdictions across the state haven’t been reporting their progress in meeting RHNA goals, the report found. Only 25.9% of housing units needed, as identified by the RHNA process, have been permitted. “Nearly half” of those permitted units fall into the “higher-income housing” category. Click here to learn more.

Mayor Garcia Supports Moratorium On Drive-Throughs
Mayor Robert Garcia supports and has spoken with city staff about a proposed moratorium on new drive-through lanes in the city, according to his communications deputy, Veronica Quezada. The mayor tweeted yesterday that he had received a letter from various community action groups which requested a moratorium. The letter, sent to the Business Journal by Quezada, called drive-throughs “the worst kind of new development – auto-oriented, low-density, unhealthy and generic.” The letter noted that Long Beach Development Services has begun studying drive-throughs and suggested a “time-out” from approving new ones in the meantime. In a series of tweets yesterday, Garcia stated, “I agree that many of these drive-throughs do not belong in pedestrian corridors and near sensitive land uses.” He added, “A moratorium would not affect drive-throughs already approved or in the pipeline. I support this approach and their advocacy on the issue.”

Personal Expenditures, Exports And More Contributed To Q4 GDP Growth 
The United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to an initial assessment released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The increase was attributed to “positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), nonresidential fixed investment, exports, private inventory investment, and federal government spending.” GDP growth decelerated compared to the third quarter, during which time GDP increased 3.4%. The announcement was delayed from January 30 due to the government shutdown.

c|a ARCHITECTS Promotes Damon Barda To Director Of Design 
Long Beach-based c|a ARCHITECTS this week announced the promotion of Damon Barda to director of design. As leader of the design team, Barda is overseeing a planned Children’s Village – a collection of outpatient services and facilities – at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach and a University of Southern California research lab, among other projects. Barda has 30 years of experience in architectural design with a focus on the health care industry.