July Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month

The federal government officially cancels California’s high-speed rail funding, data shows arrests of unhoused Californians spiking, and the state creates an agency devoted to housing Half of rural hospitals in Texas face closure due to financial problems. In Minnesota, a proposed highway project with six roundabouts is “a highway engineer’s fever dream,” and Florida homeowners are being increasingly dropped by their insurance companies — but not in the places you’d expect.

The full list of July’s most-read stories:

1. DOT Officially Cancels California High-Speed Rail Funding

USDOT revoked $4 billion in federal funding for the California High-Speed Rail project, citing cost overruns and delays on the beleaguered LA-to-Bay Area rail line. Portions of the line are under construction in the Central Valley, and CAHSR authorities say they are committed to finding new ways to fund the project’s completion.

2. California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling 

California law enforcement authorities are citing and arresting more unhoused residents in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, even in cities that say they have not altered their official policies.

3. Report: Proposed DC RENTAL Law Would Harm Black and Low-Income Residents 

A proposed bill advancing through the Washington, D.C. council would have negative impacts on Black and low-income residents, according to a report from the District’s Council Office of Racial Equity (CORE). The Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords (RENTAL) Act would speed up evictions and remove tenant protections, likely intensifying disparities for Black residents.

4. Opinion: Minnesota ‘Buttonhook’ Project a ‘Highway Engineer’s Fever Dream’ 

Is a $58 million project in Minnesota that will build six new roundabouts to preserve access to big box stores the best way to fight congestion? 

5. Half of Rural Texas Hospitals Could Close 

Funding issues are putting healthcare out of reach for more and more rural Texans.

6. After a Six-Year Struggle, Tenants in Boston’s Mattapan Neighborhood Win Permanent Affordability 

A group of Boston tenants secured permanent affordability for over 300 rental units after a six-year fight against corporate landlords.

7. Florida Home Insurers Disproportionately Dropping Low-Income Households 

Non-renewal rates spiked in rural inland counties, not the coastal counties most vulnerable to storms.

8. North Carolina Deploys 2,500 AI-Based Traffic Signals 

North Carolina launched the nation’s largest deployment of AI-based traffic signals, which the state hopes will improve operations and road safety.

9. One Fifth of California Homes Owned by Investors 

Roughly 20 percent of housing units nationwide are owned by investors, signaling a growth in the financialization of housing.

10. California Creates Housing-Focused Agency 

The new agency will separate housing and homelessness services from the existing Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency in an attempt to simplify the state’s affordable housing systems.