With pandemic-era renter protections ending and rents rising by close to 20 percent, renters in Sacramento are finding it harder to afford housing in the region.
The wave of evictions feared by housing advocates as COVID-19 renter protections came to an end is hitting Sacramento as the last remaining eviction protection measure draws to a close at the end of this month. As stated in an article by Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks and Theresa Clift in The Sacramento Bee, “Typical rents in the Sacramento region increased nearly 20% last year. Even full-time workers struggle.”
“According to an estimate from the California Housing Partnership, a person needs to earn at least $31.25 an hour — or more than twice the minimum wage — to afford the median rent of a two-bedroom home in Sacramento County without spending more than 30% of their pay on housing.” The article continues, “The city’s Tenant Protection Program, which the council adopted in 2019, prohibits landlords from raising rent more than 10%, annually, but does not apply to renters of single-family homes.”
Despite renter protections, more than 1,231 evictions took place in Sacramento County between march 2021 and March 2022, affecting low-income households the most. “About 42% of sheriff lockouts that occurred in the second year of the pandemic took place in a census tract with a poverty rate of 20% or more.” Meanwhile, over 30,000 people who applied for rent relief have not received it—and are not likely to. “The agency said it has processed many of those applications through its wait list, but that it simply doesn’t have the funding required to aid all those households.”
FULL STORY: Exclusive: Evictions soar in Sacramento as remaining COVID tenant protections set to end
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.