Ben Christopher
@FromBenC
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Reporter for @CalMatters where I cover housing. Occasional dad tweets. He/him. Tell me things: [email protected]
Oakland, CA
Joined July 2011
Annnnnd that's my cue to exist. I'll leave this account live for now to check DMs every so often, but I don't plan to post here anymore. You can find me on Meta's Twitter at benc_cm. Appreciate you all!
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RT @CalMatters: Breaking: The California Supreme Court gave the greenlight for UC Berkeley to build student and homeless housing at People’….
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RT @CalMatters: If you’ve thought about buying a house, perused your local listings and then deleted the Zillow app from your phone while q….
calmatters.org
High interest rates generally push prices down, but that’s not happening with houses in California.
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RT @foonrhee: Today's @CalMatters newsletter @FromBenC .-- @CAREALTORS on home prices.-- @carolynjones100 + @ericayee_ on @CADeptEd test sc….
calmatters.org
High interest rates generally push prices down, but that’s not happening with houses in California.
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After deeming Toddler healthy and physically average, Doctor tells us to limit our two year old's meals to TWO TABLESPOONS. Fixating on a demonstrably low risk of obesity while ignoring the health consequences of a lifetime of body image issues. Docs: get your shit together.
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RT @CalMatters: Breaking: California’s COVID-era $5.2 billion rent relief program is at risk of running out of money. That could leave the….
calmatters.org
California’s COVID-era rent relief program appears to be running out of money as more than 100,000 renters still awaiting help?
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RT @politico: Caltrans official says she was demoted for objecting to highway expansion
politico.com
Jeanie Ward-Waller was removed last month from her position overseeing California's transportation planning.
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To everyone who hasn't yet realized I'm now on the housing beat and is still emailing me about election stuff, please kindly re-direct those emails to Stella and say hello!.
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Just weeks ago, Newsom dismissed the prospect of appointing Sen. Feinstein's replacement as "a hypothetical on top of a hypothetical.". From @akoseff: "That hypothetical is now real.".
calmatters.org
The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein means that Gov. Newsom has to decide who will fill her seat when three Democrats are already running.
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The uber exclusive Bay Area burb of Atherton is having a tough time finding room for all the new houses the state is forcing them to plan for. One reason why: City council won't consider anything with more than 10 units per acre.
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I dunno, I feel like ADHD might not be the main culprit here.
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@landpolicy Reminds me of this stellar 2018 story by CalMatters' former housing reporter that profiles a two homeowners on a single block in Oakland. One was paying $13k per year in property taxes. The other, $7k.
projects.scpr.org
As California home prices reach staggering new highs, the growing disparity between the property taxes newer and older homeowners pay on similarly valued property has renewed a problematic question:...
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A study by @landpolicy on how much property taxes vary within cities. Here's a chart showing the diff btw taxes paid on newly purchased homes and homes owned the median length of time in that city. Thanks to Prop 13 and soaring real estate values, CA cities dominate the top 10.
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RT @foonrhee: Also: .-- @FromBenC on last-minute changes to #HousingCrisis bills by @Scott_Wiener @CASenCaballero .-- @TonyThurmond jumps i….
calmatters.org
In a high-profile protest on California crime, Oakland businesses urge the city to do more to stop thefts and improve public safety.
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RT @akoseff: After an effort to rescue California's home insurance market fell apart in the Legislature this month, Insurance Commission @I….
calmatters.org
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveils a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners.
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RT @CalMatters: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara (@ICRicardoLara) unveiled a new plan to shore up the California insurance market for ho….
calmatters.org
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveils a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners.
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RT @mzinshteyn: You may have missed it, but a bunch of California bills and laws are removing restrictions on building homes for low-income….
calmatters.org
A patchwork of bills passed by the California Legislature may give affordable housing developers the green light to build across the state.
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RT @NancySkinnerCA: How California lawmakers greenlit ‘any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want’.
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