PSAR was recently honored for writing excellence by the San Diego Press Club,

PSAR received an award in the “In-House or Employee Publications” category for recent “Voice of Real Estate” stories, an ongoing series covering the latest real estate industry trends. 

In addition, PSAR was honored in the “General Writing for Internal Publications” category for a series of profile stories about PSAR members.

It was the seventh consecutive year that PSAR has been recognized for writing excellence by the San Diego Press Club.  

The PSAR member profile stories have generated high readership levels and fostered closer bonds among PSAR colleagues. A frequent response to the stories among members who have worked together for years is, “I didn’t know that about you.”

It was the fourth consecutive year that PSAR has received a Press Club writing award for its “Voice of Real Estate” series.

The monthly Voice articles feature updates on local and statewide housing market conditions based on statistics from the California Association of REALTORS®, as well as other recent news about real estate and economic trends, cited from news reports.

The Voice articles also satisfy a core standard from the National Association of Realtors requiring real estate trade associations to provide realtor members with regularly scheduled information on the housing market, and real estate trends and issues.

The San Diego Press Club’s recent 48th annual Excellence in Journalism Awards drew over 1,100 entries, making it one of the largest journalism competitions in the nation. Judges were press club members in Alaska, California (San Francisco, Orange County), Florida, Louisiana(New Orleans), New York (Rochester), Ohio (Cleveland), and Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

The San Diego Press club presented over 500 awards in 130 categories and 10 divisions. Winners included reporters, writers, artists, photographers, videographers, corporate communicators, and public relations professionals. Top winners included The San Diego Union-Tribune with 42 awards in online, daily newspapers, and photography categories, Ranch and Coast Magazine with 22 awards in magazine and photography categories, and the San Diego Business Journal with 19 awards in non-daily newspaper categories.

The San Diego Press Club is one of the largest clubs of its kind in the nation with 400 members, all in the news communications field. The group offers professional growth activities and promotes integrity and high ethical standards in journalism.

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High Court Says CDC Lacks Authority         Breaking News - June 30, 2021

In a 5-4 ruling Tuesday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lacked authority to implement a blanket, nationwide eviction moratorium.

Although the court declined to lift the ban immediately, the ruling means the current moratorium will expire at the end of July.

“This is a massive victory for property rights,” says NAR President Charlie Oppler.  “For more than a year, mom-and-pop property owners have been pushed toward financial ruin as they upkeep their properties and pay their taxes and mortgages with no income of their own.  With the pandemic waning and the economy improving, it is time to restore the housing sector to its healthy, former function.  Property owners also deserved this absolute clarity from our federal court system regarding property rights in America to avoid similar financial harm in the future.”

“This ruling keeps in place certainty for tenants for another month while bringing clarity to struggling housing providers.  It is now critical that the nearly $50 billion in rental assistance NAR helped secure gets out to those who need it most,” Oppler continues.

The eviction ban was first issued in September 2020 during President Trump’s term and was extended by President Biden several times through the end of July.

With the support of NAR, the Georgia and Alabama Associations of REALTORS® challenged the orders in federal court.

In May, a U.S. federal judge sided with housing providers, ruling the moratorium unconstitutional.  However, the judge issued a stay of her ruling pending appeal.

PSAR extends congratulations to PSAR member and broker Jose Payne King who is serving this year as a National Association of REALTORS^® (NAR) 2021 Global Ambassador (GA) to the countries of Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.

PSAR has endorsed the following candidates for the 2020 General Election

Measures and Propositions

Santee
Vote No on Measure N which would limit new housing and add to traffic.

City of San Diego
Vote Yes on Measure E which removes an overly burdensome height limit
in the Midway District.

California
Vote NO on the Prop 15 Property Tax Increase 
Vote NO on the Prop 21 More Rent Control 

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PSAR's Mission is to empower Realtors to flourish while being accountable to
each other, our clients, and our community.

Since 1928, the Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS® has played a significant role in shaping the history, growth and development of the Real Estate industry in San Diego County.

Today, May 7th, Governor Newsom released updated industry guidance to begin reopening with modifications that reduce risk and establish a safer environment for workers and customers. This guidance includes, among other things, information pertaining to real estate transactions.  Use these guidelines to responsibly plan and reopen for business.

The California Department of Real Estate advises all licensees to review the newly posted "COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Real Estate Transactions" and "COVID-19 General Checklist for Real Estate Transactions" found in the links below.

The Resilience Roadmap is a plan for modifying the statewide stay at home order to gradually reopen. When modifications are advanced and the state’s six indicators show we’ve made enough progress, we can move to the next stage of the roadmap. We are now moving into Stage 2, where some lower-risk workplaces can gradually open with adaptations.

This Guidance for Real Estate Document  provides guidance for businesses operating in the real estate industry including sales and rentals of single-family, multi-family, apartment, commercial, and industrial properties to support a safe, clean environment for workers.

• Specific plan
• Physical distancing
• Cleaning and disinfecting protocols for workplaces

It also has topics for employee training and individual control measures and screening, 

The COVID-19 General Checklist for Real Estate Transactions
This checklist is intended to help people involved in real estate transactions implement their plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and is supplemental to the Guidance for Real Estate Transactions. This checklist is a summary and contains shorthand for some parts of the guidance; familiarize yourself with the guidance before using this checklist.

C.A.R. RED ALERT

Two weeks ago, the federal economic stimulus package known as the CARES Act was signed into law. Starting this week, Economic Impact Payments - often called "stimulus checks" - will show up in some Americans' bank accounts.

Who is eligible for the Economic Impact Payment?

U.S. citizens or resident aliens who:

• Have a valid Social Security number,
• Could not be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer, and
• Had adjusted gross income under certain limits.

Most eligible U.S. taxpayers will automatically receive their Economic Impact Payments without having to take any extra steps, including:

• Individuals who filed a federal income tax for 2018 or 2019
• Individuals who receive Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), or survivor benefits
• Individuals who receive Railroad Retirement benefits

How do I get a stimulus check from the IRS if I did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019?

The IRS has launched a new we portal for people who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019 but are eligible for stimulus checks. This new web portal is easy to use, safe, secure, and free. Individuals who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019 should use this tool, including:

• People who did not make enough money to require filing. This may include single filers who made under $12,200 and married couples making less than $24,400 in 2019.
• People receiving veterans beneficiary payments and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

What if I receive Social Security payments (65 years +) or social security disability payments?

You do not need to file a tax return to receive stimulus money. According to the IRS, you will automatically receive $1,200 Economic Impact Payments. However, you may want to file a tax return if you have qualifying children under 17 years of age. In that case, you may receive up to $500 per child.

What will I need to file?

• Full name, current mailing address and an email address
• Date of birth and valid Social Security number
• Bank account number, type and routing number, if you have one
• An Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) if you received from the IRS earlier this year.  
• Driver's license or state-issued ID, if you have one.
• For each qualifying child: name, Social Security number or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number and their relationship to you or your spouse

When will my check be delivered?

The IRS is sending out direct deposits and paper checks starting with the lowest income earners. The IRS began depositing money on April 9. If you received prior tax refunds via direct deposit, funds will likely be automatically deposited into your bank account. The IRS will begin sending paper stimulus checks on April 24, 2020. The plan is to send paper stimulus checks to taxpayers with the lowest adjusted gross income first. Therefore, taxpayers who earned less than $10,000 will receive a paper check first.

On Friday, April 17, the IRS will release a new tool for tracking your payment status online and confirming whether your payment type will be direct deposit or check.

The California Labor Secretary released a letter called the "Open Letter to Californians Regarding Unemployment Insurance (UI) Payments and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Timeline" on April 14th.  CAR will be releasing and FAQ on this within the next day or two.

Here is a summary of the facts:

• The Employment Development Department (EDD) computer systems are not crashing.
• Californians eligible for certification on April 12 began to see the $600/week additional payments provided for under the federal CARES Act today.
• The CARES Act also created a special program for this crisis called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA.
• PUA provides federally funded benefits distinct from the UI program for certain individuals out of work or partially unemployed due to the COVID-19 crisis, including the self-employed, individuals who lack sufficient work history, and independent contractors. Federal guidelines on how to administer PUA came out on April 5 and include gig workers as an example of those eligible for PUA.
• Since April 5th, the EDD has been helping Californians get what they are entitled to under PUA.
• There will be a one-stop shop for applying for UI and PUA. Individuals will be able to go to UI Online to self-certify that they meet the COVID-19-related criteria for PUA. The EDD will make clear in the self-certification that certification of eligibility for PUA does not affect determinations of employee status under state law for other protections and benefits.
• Under PUA, individuals can receive weekly unemployment assistance that may be equivalent to what individuals would get under UI (depending on their earnings and whether earnings can be verified).
• Those who get PUA also get the $600/per week additional payment added to UI for weeks they are unemployed from March 29 until the end of July.
• PUA benefits can cover people unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19 from January 27, 2020 through December 31, 2020 depending on date of actual impact. (In other words, it is retroactive to the time before the federal stimulus bill was passed and before funding was made available.)
• When you apply and your application is approved, you will get PUA benefits going back to the first full week of February as long as you can show that your inability to work was COVID-19 related.
• A new system will be able to pay individuals within 24 to 48 hours of their application. The EDD needs two weeks to create this new system.
• 

Thank you San Diego Congress Members Juan Vargas, Scott Peters, Susan Davis and Mike Levin for your vote today as the House passed H.R. 5377, a bill that temporarily eliminates the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions for 2020 and 2021. The Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act would also increase the cap to $20,000 for married couples for 2019.

C.A.R. President President Jeanne Radsick stated "We are pleased that the House has passed a bill to temporarily eliminate the cap on the amount of state and local tax that taxpayers can deduct on their federal tax returns. The combined hit of a reduction in the mortgage interest deduction and current $10,000 SALT cap in the tax law has disproportionately hurt taxpayers and real estate in California," 

"Ensuring the tax code incentivizes housing and real estate will continue to be a top priority for REALTORS^®, and C.A.R. thanks the many California Congressional members who support easing the double taxation penalty that harms California homeowners."

The bill moves on to the senate where it will face stiff opposition.

PSAR Invites you to meet and greet the candidates for County Board of Supervisors for District 1.

Learn more to make an informed decision in the upcoming elections.

Candidates

RAFAEL CASTELLANOS   •   BEN HUESO   •   NORA VARGAS

District 1 Cities and Communities include:

- Lunch will be provided - 

Friday, November 8th, 2019
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
PSAR South
880 Canarios Ct., Chula Vista, CA 91910