Pac 10 Football Forecast for 2010

Being the sports fan that I am, especially at the high school and college level, and being a grad of the University of California system (Cal, UCLA, UCSB), and a long time fan of USC…I am partial towards the Pac 10. This year, not a lot of national excitement about the Pac 10 teams, but, being the optimist that I am, I think the Conference will ”hold its own”. However, pre season pundits are not giving much credit, but a reporter for the Orange County Register, Marcia Smith, has done one of the best brief comments on the Pac 10 teams and what we can expect. Next week I will see Cal and can see how her evaluation of the Golden Bears holds up…but here is her well done analysis:

The Pac-10 has entered a new era, adopted a more modern-looking logo reflecting the West’s mountains and ocean and taken a more aggressive national stance thanks to second-year Commissioner Larry Scott’s bold steps to get coast-to-coast exposure and erode the not-so-mythical East Coast Bias.
Scott says 2010 is going to be a special season for the “Conference of Champions.”


USC quarterback Matt Barkley and UCLA defensive back Rahim Moore will help lead their respective teams into the 2010 college football season. Click on the PHOTO to see the predicted Pac-10 finish.
•The state of Oregon boasts both league programs with the best chances of making national runs. The loaded Oregon Ducks (No. 11 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll) and the Oregon State Beavers (No. 24 AP), powered by brothers Jacquizz and James Rodgers, look to turn heads to the Pacific Northwest.•The Pac-10′s spectacle team, USC, enters without the charismatic, win-forever coach Pete Carroll, without a top six in the preseason ranking for the first time in six seasons and without being the favorite to win the conference title. Instead, the Trojans have a generous No. 14 AP ranking, a new coach in Lane Kiffin, NCAA sanctions to work within and all the turmoil that comes with being in the NCAA doghouse. They have the talent but might lack the numbers to get through a season that could go either way if key players don’t stay healthy.
•Potential 2010 No. 1 NFL overall draft selection Jake Locker returns for a senior season at Washington for unfinished business. The talented quarterback has yet to guide the Huskies to a bowl game or a winning record.
•Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson and Washington State’s Paul Wulff open the season on the coaching hotseat while Cal’s Jeff Tedford needs to figure out how to guide the Golden Bears closer to meet their expectations.
•Talented quarterbacks Nick Foles at Arizona and Andrew Luck at Stanford hope to lead their teams back into the national conversation with creative offense.
•And UCLA, despite coming off a victory in a minor bowl, will continue Rick Neuheisel’s rebuilding project, with Westwood eager to see the Bruins finally get over the hump.

So, it all starts next week. In the meantime I have to live with my good friends from Oregon…..and see the Green and Gold from Oregon one day and the black and orange from Oregon State the next. But, I stay true…Go Bears!

My Letter to the Editor

In the Editorial earlier this week, the Editor made some comments about City Councilman and current Mayor, Patrick Jones…and this is my reply:

As I read your editorial “Million Dollar Lanterns” a couple of points became clear to me. At the risk of not endorsing one candidate or another, the fact the Patrick Jones is asking the “hard questions” as a current city council member is admirable. And, even though the circumstances for the funding of the Lanterns may not be exactly as was stated by Mr. Jones, the fact of the matter is the City has had been involved in some rather extensive funding of similar projects over the past few years, and these expenditures are seldom questioned by Council. If the staff wants to spend it, it is approved, has been the impression, right or wrong. From man hole covers to Hilltop palm trees, as income from fees and taxes flowed in, it was spent. Like the federal government, if you do not spend what is given to you in a fiscal year, next year that agency will get less to spend.

Things are going to have to change, if we are going to survive in tough economic times, and we have a few years left. Property taxes will be going down, thanks to Prop 13 and follow on Prop 8. Fact. Income to the county will be less, and the flow down income to the City will be less. Fact. If income is not there, expenses will have to be cut. Fact. And, the City Council, whomever it is, is going to be facing this reduction in expenses head on. Some things will have to go…and hopefully it will not be jobs. But streets need to be fixed; the Redding infrastructure is getting old and repairs will have to be made; and the increasing pensions already approved will have to be paid…so how can we even spend a relatively little on “Lanterns” when these hard decisions on funding for the basics of our city government responsibilities must be made.

So, I commend Mr. Jones for making his opinion heard, and I challenge the incoming City Council to heed the warning…the revenue that we have had for a number of years will not be there in the next few years, so look long and hard at the “future lanterns” that will proposed for our beautiful city. Can we afford it…the never ending question?

www.ronlargent.com ronlargent@kw.com

Mobile Home Parks for sale in California

We now have 6 mobile home parks for sale in Northern California…and are looking for buyers. What do we do that is different than others? 1. We are very big on the internet…2. We know what we are talking about, having sold many parks over the years…and 3. We know buyers and what they are looking for….no spin to what we are presenting.

The Largent Commercial Group (www.ronlargent.com) specializes in the listing and sale of mobile home parks, RV parks, manufactured home communities, and old fashioned trailer parks (yes, they still exist)

Selling a Manufactured Housing Community (Mobile Home Park) is decidedly different than selling apartments or commercial centers and the best Buyers are almost always investors who currently own other parks…or at least this is my impression after dealing with this subject for many years. As a seller, and one of the most important factors in the sale of your property is the immediate exposure we can provide to an unprecedented data base that has been developed through internet affeiliations and associations over the years, plus the social media exposure.

So, if you have been thinking about a stable investment, e-mail us for info on any of the six parks, or go to our web page… www.ronlargent.com or e-mail ronlargent@kw.com

Salvation Army Golf Tournament at Tierra Oaks

Wow…what a day….enjoyed by over 20 teams from Redding and the North State…and what a day as the temperatures remained mild and Tierra Oaks was at its shimmering beauty. This course is certainly one of the finest and most difficult in the north state as it winds through the magnificent golf course facing homes and estates. The tourney was benefiting the Redding Salvation Army Corps, allowing children from all over the area to go to a summer camp conducted by the Salvation Army Del Oro Division.

The 18 hole course was a challenge for all…then all gathered for a splendid mexican food buffet…and then the auction and drawing, with over 200 gifts and give-a-ways donated by individual and businesses from all over the North State.

Thanks to the Redding Elks for their sponsorship; to Tierra Oaks Golf Club for the facility and the hospitality; and to the more than 30 volunteers who made this happen. A great event, and thanks to all….you are making dreams come true for hundreds of deserving children that would not have a camping experience if it were not for you.

Football Season "a-comin' "

In the local paper today, a nice article on the just played Lions All-Star Football game; the outstanding players and outstanding plays; and a good game synopsis. I am looking forward to the high school football season. It is always good. Then, last night I went to the Youth Peewee Football practice where my grandson plays for the Foothill team. These kids are 13 and 14 years of age, and they really work at learning the fundamentals of football to equip them for high school. A good program for a lot of kids, and very well coached.

Personally, I really “get into” college football. Having been part of USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Cal…one way or the other, every weekend I watch some college football. With season tickets to Cal games, I get to see most of the Pac 10 teams in action, and having lived in the football crazed states of Ohio and Texas…it is good to see the Pac 10 teams hold their own nationally. However, very little college football coverage locally, so I decided to give folks an update in my blogs on what is going on in the Pac 10…from my point of view. Stay tuned for my thoughts on your particular Pac 10 team. Suffice it to say in this writing that both Oregon and Oregon State are in the Top 25 pre-season picks nationally. The Trojans of USC, even with the damaging NCAA penalties, are still figured to be a “team to beat”, and Stanford returns a star studded field with a great QB. So, where is Cal? All bets are off on Cal, but the football “guru’s” see them as a spoiler in many games. As last season, which Cal team will show up, is the question.

Should be an interesting and exciting year for College football…and I am ready. More to come.

ronlargent@kw.com www.ronlargent.com

The New Consumer Protection Bureau...Good or Band?

The following appeared in the Los Angeles Times ( of which I was a “paper boy” for 6 years when I lived in Compton, CA), and then was passed on to agents by the California Association of Realtors (CAR)…and I thought it might be of interest to you.

What the new consumer protection bureau will do for home buyers


Part of the financial reform bill signed into law by President Obama includes the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will write new rules and monitor problems and abuses in areas such as residential real estate settlements, credit scores, “truth in lending,” and equal credit opportunity.

MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERS

•Before the Bureau can begin implementing new laws to assist consumers, the president must nominate a director for the Bureau and the Senate must confirm the nominee. While this may take time, mortgage industry leaders say some of the core changes promised by the legislation either already are in effect or should be soon.
•Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has until Sept. 19 to designate a transfer date when key legal and regulator authorities shift from agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to the new consumer bureau. Once that takes place, the Bureau will begin implementing the new laws.
•One of the earliest and most widely anticipated changes expected to take effect impact home appraisals. By law, the agency must create new interim rules on appraisal accuracy and independence to replace the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) rules imposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2009. Many in the real estate industry, as well as home buyers and sellers, report HVCC standards led to low home valuations that, in some instances, derailed home sales transactions.
•A national hotline system also will be developed that will allow aggrieved mortgage borrowers and others to issue complaints and alert the Bureau to unfair and deceptive practices.
•Rules requiring mortgage loan officers to verify mortgage applicants possess the ability to repay the loans they’re seeking also is high on the list.
Bottom line…more bureaucracy…more processes…more delays. You have been forewarned.

www.ronlargent.com ronlargent@kw.com

Stillwater Business Park...Open or Not?

Last week I was invited to join others in the Redding Chamber of Commerce for a morning briefing…and then a noon-time business and community briefing. Both meetings were very informative. So, today I had the opportunity to take a business owner that is considering a move to the North State out to see Stillwater. His observations

and comments were most enlightening, and not surprising.

First, as we approached the Business Park from Airport Road, he looked puzzled and said, “we are out in the country…where are we?” I explained that we were near the airport, and that we are really pretty close to everything, etc….

Then, as we approached Old Oregon Trail, he commented “this place looks deserted”. Sure enough, no signs or much indication that we are approaching the touted Stillwater Business Park. As we drove into “the Park”, we stopped at the Gate and walked around a bit, for it was still cooler in the morning, and he commented, “this looks like a vacant failed commercial subdivision”. And, it does look pretty “ignored”, with weeds grown up along the road; with no signs of any kind of building site, etc. Now, granted, everything looks dry now, but the Park looks as if it has been deserted. The gate was closed, but not locked, so we drove in. Some very pretty sections and views as we drove along the wide streets, but nothing indicated to us that anything was planned or going on. We did get to see a plane take off, and that was encouraging, but that was the extent of civilization as we drove on.

Well, he asked the hard questions….who is responsible for the Park? who is marketing the Park? who is maintaining the park? are there any prospects for the first tenant?…and on to a few more. I answered as best I could, but, quite frankly, he had some very good points. And, as supportive as I am of the concept of a Business Park, Stillwater does not give one the impression that it is the “Business Park of the Future” for Redding and Shasta County, and as with my guest, perception becomes reality…and the perception of the Park is not too exciting to the outsider.

Being a solution type guy, and I mentioned this to some of our leaders last week, we need to objectively look at the Park as others are seeing it. Most new residential subdivisions are very well signed….from the Open House to the lots and homes that are sold, etc. And, the subdivisions look inviting, with cut grass and watered plants. Maybe this is how we might approach Stillwater…is it an inviting looking place and what are we doing to make it look as attractive as it can be. A huge amount of money has been spent on the Park, and much of the work was done by local contractors that gave us great prices…but let’s look at where we can go from now. Are there any extra hours that City or County work crews could “cut the weeds”? The answer to that question will be “they are too busy now and we cannot afford overtime”, but this is hard to believe when I see numerous workers standing around a work project doing nothing. What about volunteer groups? Have they been asked to help?…and so it goes.

In summary, Stillwater Business Park is a great idea…but now it has to become a reality….and that reality may rest in an aggressive promotion program, starting with signs and making the Park attractive. Not too much to ask, in my opinion.