Steve Mann: Is S.J. County housing market on a solid foundation? – Lodi News-Sentinel

If you think the local housing market is bad, a national real estate data analytics firm has put some numbers on it. A recently-published report says we live in the “riskiest” housing market in the nation. Wow! “California has 6 of 10 ‘most vulnerable’ housing markets in the U.S., but San Joaquin County is the nation’s riskiest of the 590,” according to ATTOM Data Solutions. It says California’s high-risk counties are less-populated regions to the north (like where we live). “Their prices may have been pushed out of economic balance by remote workers seeking cheaper homes to live in away from the Bay Area job hubs,” adding, “Local house hunters need 58% of (their) incomes to buy a $505,000 median-priced home.” Remarkably, it says 6.7% of mortgages are underwater in San Joaquin County, and 0.11% of homes around here are somewhere in the foreclosure process. On top of all that it says the county has 7.2% unemployment. We’ve written in that past that Lodi is the second-poorest city in the county, second only to Stockton, based on per capita income. Local incomes not only drive the economy and sales taxes that help fund the government, but they are also a huge factor in attracting new retail businesses here.

CLOSED: Cactus Mexican restaurant in Woodbridge has closed. Last Saturday was their last day. “We would also like to express our appreciation to our customers for their trust and support over the past 34 years. Being a part of this community has been such a blessing,” write the owners.

NO CAMPING: Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local governments can enforce anti-camping ordinances, after all. That means the city doesn’t have to provide a place for individuals to stay before they can evict campers from public properties, such as parks and sidewalks. What does that mean for Lodi? “This decision is a significant win for cities and supports the efforts the city of Lodi took to manage the challenges associated with the growing problem of homelessness,” says Mayor Lisa Craig. She says the council will confer with the city manager and city attorney to determine their best options going forward. “My perspective as mayor is that every resident and visitor to Lodi should feel safe in both their person and their property when walking in or traveling through our city,” says Craig. “It’s my desire to see the Supreme Court’s decision result in greater enforcement of our existing laws and a cleaner and safer Lodi for our residents,” she adds.

THE NUMBERS: Business is booming at the city’s emergency homeless shelter on Sacramento Street. A recent report to the Lodi Committee on Homelessness shows Inner City Action, the city’s homeless shelter operator, handled over 2,000 check-ins, served 1,100 breakfasts, 1,200 lunches, 700 dinners, and provided 1,400 Showers during the month of April. They also received help from 345 volunteers and provided 1,235 overnight stays for clients. Next door, the Salvation Army’s Hope Harbor served 7,000 meals, provided 1,882 overnight stays, donated 1,200 food carts, secured six IDs for clients, obtained two utility vouchers, and provided 265 showers for clients in April. Since opening on July 22, 2022, Inner City Action staff have overseen more than 50,000 check-ins (day clients and overnighters), over 33,000 showers, and 29,000 overnight stays, according to the report. The average daily check-in count is between 60 and 80 clients. Some 111 people have transitioned into either programs or housing in the first year of operation, the report says. Groundbreaking for the Lodi Access Center should be coming up within the next few months.

Construction could take up to a year, according to city officials. Earlier this year the city scaled back plans for the center in order to save money, anticipating a shortage of operating funds and a risk of having to subsidize the facility from its general fund. The state has signaled an end to the gravy train that has paid for most of the homeless mitigation efforts to date.

THE CRYSTAL BALL: While nothing is official yet, it looks like the former cherry orchard on the corner of Hutchins and Harney will be made into a housing development, according to Community Development Director Della Monica. He issued the statements when a planning commissioner inquired about the future of that property. Della Monica said the property is currently owned by the Costa family and they are “seeing the end of their agricultural work at this location and are looking into developing housing at this location.” He added that the property would need to go through the usual annexation process, which could take years, thus it will be a while before the land is actually developed. Meanwhile, most of the trees at that location have been chopped down with only the stumps remaining to be cleared.

FINAL CHAPTER: We reported last week on the city’s settlement with the owner of Enzo the dog, who died at the hands of police almost three years ago. Upon hearing that the city paid out $150,000 to settle the case, several readers were shocked. So, we asked the city council for their take on the situation. Councilman Ramon Yepez said, “What happened to Enzo was unfortunate, and I believe the police department needs better training and stricter adherence to procedures to prevent such incidents in the future.” Councilman Mikey Hothi reserved further comment, saying, “The public statement released was negotiated by both parties and I have no further comment due to the sensitivity of this legal matter.” Mayor Lisa Craig said, “The City Council supports our Lodi Police Department personnel, including our animal control professionals, who must make difficult and sometimes life-and-death decisions every day. The settlement agreed to by the city places no fault on our officers for actions related to a dog running loose and posing a threat to (the) children and adults the animal encountered. I’m confident that on top of the department-wide Humane Society training LPD has now received, the construction of the new Animal Shelter will create positive outcomes for lost, abandoned or neglected animals and their owners, current and future.”

LAST LAUGH: Kathy Hodge posted, “Took some clothes to Lodi House today. The girl kept telling me how cute the clothes and the shoes were. I almost took them back.”

Steve is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays and Fridays in the News-Sentinel and at stevemann.substack.com. Write to Steve at [email protected].