Home building flailing across state

The Yuba-Sutter area suffered the largest decline in the construction of new homes in the state for the 12-month period ending in August, a report released this week said.

For the 12 months that ended in August, Yuba and Sutter counties were hammered by a 93 percent drop in single-family home construction, said the report released by the California Building Industry Association

By comparison, single-family housing construction fell by 60 percent in the East Bay during August compared with the totals for the same month the year before.

"This is the worst since the Great Depression," said Michael Ghielmetti, president of Pleasanton-based Signature Properties, and an officer of the Home Building Association of Northern California.

The downturn in the East Bay activity was steeper than California, which suffered a statewide decline of 58 percent in new-home building during the 12 months that ended in August. San Joaquin County single-family building fell by 65 percent. The San Mateo-San Francisco-Marin region slumped by 31 percent.

Solano County was the statewide bright spot with a 3.3 percent increase over the year-long period.

"What's happening now is worse than anything else we have gone through," said Jeff Schroeder, senior vice president with Pleasanton-based Ponderosa Homes, and an officer with the regional home builder's group, which is based in San Ramon.