SF finally gets new affordable housing and the state’s California Dream for All program is gearing up for a second round where aspiring homeowners can get their down payment footed by the state. Read that and more in his week’s Bear Essentials but first our feature story:

HAPPY TRAILS

California's next grand outdoor adventure is brewing with the Great Redwood Trail, stretching an ambitious 300 miles from the San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay. Think of it as the Pacific Crest Trail's trendy cousin, offering a scenic trek through the state's northwestern wonders. But don't pack your hiking boots just yet; the trail is more blueprint than bootprint at this stage.

Here's the gist: a 400-page plan has hit the streets (or should we say trails?) after 16 months of chit-chat with locals, outlining a vision to turn a mostly-deserted railway into a hiker’s paradise. Traversing through Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino’s forests and canyons, it plans to link up with the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Trail. Think fewer trains, more terrain.

The price tag? A cool $1 billion, give or take. Funding’s still up in the air, with ideas like federal bucks and “adopt-a-mile” schemes on the table. The real challenge? Coordinating this massive jigsaw puzzle among different landowners, from counties and cities to tribes and vintners.

If realized, the trail could be an economic bonanza for the North Coast, potentially pulling in millions of visitors and their wallets. The plan’s under public scrutiny until early June, but if this trail does see the light of day, it has the potential to become a quintessential California bucket-list experience all its own.

READ MORE

🤫 Everything you should know

- Two programs are opening applications to help people get affordable housing. First, San Francisco is creating affordable housing and prioritizing San Francisco Unified School District employees and teachers. The building will have 24 studios, 43 one-bedroom, 58 two-bedroom and nine three-bedroom apartments. And for non-SF residents, the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan Program is opening for qualifying borrowers on April 3. First time home owners can get up to 20 percent of a property's value for a down payment. Winners will be selected by a lottery system. San Francisco Chronicle

- California regulators are weighing a transformative proposal aimed at easing the burden of residential electricity bills for lower-income residents and those in areas frequently battered by extreme heat. This innovative approach proposes splitting monthly energy bills into two segments. Firstly, a 'flat rate' of $24.15 covering essential infrastructure costs such as wires and transformers – with a significant reduction for low-income households, potentially paying only half or a quarter of this amount. Secondly, a 'usage rate' that is 5–7 cents per kilowatt hour less than current electricity rates, providing a more affordable option for daily energy consumption.  KQED

- Faced with deteriorating infrastructure, Californians are taking a stand, morphing into repair vigilantes out of sheer frustration. Take the case in Compton, where a couple experienced the jarring inconvenience of a pothole-induced tire blowout right outside their home. Undeterred, Alex De La Rosa turned road warrior, acquiring pothole-fixing skills online and tackling the repair himself. This hands-on approach didn't just solve their problem – it sparked a neighborhood movement, with locals requesting their help on other troubled spots. However, the city has stepped in, halting their DIY repair missions with an official cease-and-desist letter. . Los Angeles Times

⛰️ Landslide Closes Highway 1…Again

Just a week following the clearance of a previous landslide, a critical 1.4-mile segment of Highway 1, nestled between Big Sur and Carmel-by-the-Sea, has been shut down due to a new landslide. This recurrent disruption highlights a glaring issue: our infrastructure is failing before our eyes. Reactive measures are no longer sufficient; it's high time we prioritize proactive, preventive infrastructure solutions to avert these continuous catastrophes.. Los Angeles Times

💯 Great Water News

California's water supply gets an A+ rating. This season's snow pack has done wonders for our water storage. But that doesn't mean we’re out of the woods, we need to take advantage of mother nature's help and build a system that will ensure we get an A+ rating every year. KTVU

Good EV News

California can be the future for EV infrastructure! The Department of Energy’s Future Grant Program announced $500K for an EV Equity Workforce Program.