Rent Freezes Spread Across Southern California

David Wagner reports from Culver City, California, after the city took steps to enact a temporary rent freeze as a first step toward enacting a permanent cap on rent hikes.

Culver City joins a growing roster of municipalities in California enacting tenant protections in the face of skyrocketing housing prices. Nearby Inglewood has already capped rents temporarily, as has Los Angeles County for unincorporated areas.

According to Wagner, rents have skyrocketed in Culver City in recent years due to an influx of tech businesses. "Apple has plans to hire 1,000 employees in Culver City in coming years, and Amazon is slated to move its Amazon Studios production arm into the city in 2021."

Before enacting the temporary rent cap this week, Culver City was one of few municipalities on the Westside of Los Angeles without any rent caps or eviction protections, according to Wagner.

Reporting for the Greater L.A. podcast on KCRW, Anna Scott provides additional coverage of Culver City's historic vote.