The 234 Apartment

EAST VILLAGE (KUSI) — City planning officials gave final approval Wednesday to the building of Quartyard II, an innovative urban park in East Village. The project, first conceived by a group of students at the New School of Architecture and Design, was built with old shipping containers at Park and Market but closed in June when the property was turned over for re-development. Last month, the agency that handles development matters granted a conditional use permit to a new site at the corner of 13th and Market. The proposal included tables , games, food and beverages, an off- leash dog area and a stage for live entertainment. Lt. Colonel (Ret.) David Gapp, who lives in the area decided to appeal the permit, saying the live music was not appropriate for the neighborhood.  Gapp said while there were no residential buildings adjacent to the old Quartyard location, he said 2,000 people live in seven nearby buildings in the area around the new site. Gapp says many of those residents are...

Embed from Getty Images WE NEED YOUR QUESTIONS! This column wouldn’t exist without you. So if you’re struggling with life, love or anything in between, all you have to do is complete this form, and we’ll do what we can to help. Anonymity guaranteed. ◊♦◊ (Question has been modified for space and clarity.) I’ve been having problems with my mom. I’m a recent college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in music education, and I live at home. I have no savings or income, although next week I’m starting a 9-to-5 minimum-wage job that lasts three months. I have to finish paying for my tuition ($1,700); I need to take certification exams so I can start teaching (about $600); and I need to save up for a car and an apartment (both are expensive). My mom is demanding I pay $100 a week for rent and $80 a month for my phone, for a total of $480 per month. At my minimum wage job , I will make somewhere around $1,600 per month, which will not leave me much to pay off my debts, or save for the things ...

David Engberg wheels through the third apartment he’s had in two years. PHOTO BY KARLOS RENE AYALA David Engberg and James Clark cling to their independence by a thread. Both men were born with cerebral palsy and live off Supplemental Security Income , or SSI—a stipend that puts them under the federal poverty line . So far, they’ve managed to keep a roof over their heads by splitting the cost of rent. But since the affordable housing crisis hit , the roommates have been priced out of two apartments in just two years. The stressful shuffling was witnessed by Jennifer Schmidt, their case manager at InAlliance, a nonprofit that provides employment and living services for people with disabilities. Advocates such as Schmidt are becoming increasingly alarmed by the way skyrocketing rents are affecting Sacramento County ’s 14, 000 disabled residents . Several independent surveys suggest Sacramento is experiencing some of the largest rent increases in the nation. Few feel those tectonic ma...