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KCBX Two-Way: Rent prices spike in formerly more affordable California cities

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A home with a real estate sign in Tower District in central Fresno on June 28, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

New reporting from CalMatters looks into rent hikes across California. Some formerly “affordable” areas like the Central Valley are starting to see housing costs look more like the state’s major metropolitan areas. It’s happening on the Central Coast too, as the previously more affordable cities here, like Santa Maria and Salinas, are starting to see rent prices more like those in San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara.

KCBX's Benjamin Purper spoke with Ben Christopher, CalMatters’ housing policy reporter. The full article is available here.

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Benjamin Purper was News Director of KCBX from May of 2021 to September of 2023. He came from California’s Inland Empire, where he spent three years as a reporter and Morning Edition host at KVCR in San Bernardino. Dozens of his stories have aired on KQED’s California Report, and his work has broadcast on NPR's news magazines, as well. In addition to radio, Ben has worked as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer.
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