Manuela Tobias
Cal Matters ReporterManuela is the housing reporter for CalMatters. Her stories focus on the political dynamics and economic and racial inequities that have contributed to the housing crisis in California and its potential solutions. Manuela previously covered income inequality and survival at The Fresno Bee for the California Divide.
She is a former staff writer for PolitiFact and has interned at Politico Magazine, New York Magazine and The New Yorker. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she has lived in Latin America, Europe and across the United States. She has a B.A. in comparative literature from Georgetown University.
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The last statewide eviction protections for low-income California tenants affected by COVID-19 ended Thursday, but many still haven’t heard back about their rent relief applications. Some local protections are still in place. -
A handful of activists represent the bulk of the state’s enforcement of the law. That could change as the state housing agency hires more staff. -
Gov. Newsom says the situation with homeless encampments is unacceptable. The state housing agency is funding more services, while Caltrans is clearing some camps. But advocates are wary. -
Non-English speaking immigrants face some of the biggest hurdles to receiving California rent relief. Advocates say informal leases, lack of technology access and language barriers are getting in the way. -
The California eviction moratorium is scheduled to end after Sept. 30, but legislators aren’t planning to extend the protections for renters. -
Affordable housing advocates are asking why bills supported by state Senate leader Toni Atkins are stuck in the Assembly. One answer appears to be a labor provision pushed by the State Building and Construction Trades Council. -
Challengers in the California recall see Newsom as vulnerable on the issue, but some experts and advocates say their ideas could worsen life for homeless people. -
Gov. Newsom and legislative leaders reach a spending agreement to help residents recover from the COVID-19 economic crisis and, perhaps, help Newsom defeat a recall campaign. -
Gov. Newsom and key legislators agree to extend statewide eviction ban through Sept. 30, to provide full back rent for tenants and landlords. The deal includes fixes to speed rent relief payments. -
With a budget surplus bonanza, Gov. Newsom calls for spending $12 billion more to end homelessness in California. One idea: expanding motel conversions, an emergency plan during the pandemic.
