@FromBenC

Reporter for @CalMatters where I cover housing. Occasional dad tweets. He/him. Tell me things: [email protected]

 Oakland, CA
calmatters.org/
Joined July 2011
  • Tweets8.4K
  • Following4.9K
  • Followers5.6K
659Media
Ben Christopher retweeted
CalMatters@CalMatters6 Jun 2024
Breaking: The California Supreme Court gave the greenlight for UC Berkeley to build student and homeless housing at People’s Park, ending a years-long legal debate over whether student noise is an environmental pollutant. cal.news/3x2qISh 📝 @FromBenC 📸 Semantha Norris
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Ben Christopher retweeted
CalMatters@CalMatters19 Oct 2023
If you’ve thought about buying a house, perused your local listings and then deleted the Zillow app from your phone while quietly weeping — you’ve probably noted that interest rates are high these days. cal.news/3S6pzBb 📝 @FromBenC

Why aren’t high interest rates pushing down home prices?

High interest rates generally push prices down, but that’s not happening with houses in California.

calmatters.org
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Foon Rhee@foonrhee19 Oct 2023
Today's @CalMatters newsletter @FromBenC -- @CAREALTORS on home prices -- @carolynjones100 + @ericayee_ on @CADeptEd test scores -- @AlejandroLazo on @AirResources on #methane from cows -- @JeanneKuang on #tinyhomes calmatters.org/newsletter/ca…

Why aren’t high interest rates pushing down home prices?

High interest rates generally push prices down, but that’s not happening with houses in California.

calmatters.org
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Ben Christopher retweeted
CalMatters@CalMatters6 Oct 2023
Breaking: California’s COVID-era $5.2 billion rent relief program is at risk of running out of money. That could leave the more than 100K renters who had applied and are still awaiting a decision officially out of luck. cal.news/3PIinZm 📝 @frombenc

Is California’s COVID-era rent relief program running out of money?

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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Ben Christopher retweeted
POLITICO
@politico3 Oct 2023
Caltrans official says she was demoted for objecting to highway expansion ow.ly/EC2G104WB8z

Caltrans official says she was demoted for objecting to highway expansion

politico.com
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Foon Rhee@foonrhee27 Sep 2023
Also: -- @FromBenC on last-minute changes to #HousingCrisis bills by @Scott_Wiener @CASenCaballero -- @TonyThurmond jumps into 2026 @CAgovernor race -- @CommonCauseCA et al on language access for voters calmatters.org/newsletters/w…

California crime concerns spark protest in Oakland

In a high-profile protest on California crime, Oakland businesses urge the city to do more to stop thefts and improve public safety.

calmatters.org
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Alexei Koseff@akoseff22 Sep 2023
After an effort to rescue California's home insurance market fell apart in the Legislature this month, Insurance Commission @ICRicardoLara will pursue many of those ideas through regulation, @FromBenC reports. calmatters.org/politics/2023…

Can this plan fix California's insurance crisis? What you need to know

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveils a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners.

calmatters.org
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Ben Christopher retweeted
CalMatters@CalMatters22 Sep 2023
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara (@ICRicardoLara) unveiled a new plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners. Insurers would return to wildfire zones, but would have an easier path to rate increases. cal.news/3EOBZWp 📝 @FromBenC

Can this plan fix California's insurance crisis? What you need to know

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveils a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners.

calmatters.org
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You may have missed it, but a bunch of California bills and laws are removing restrictions on building homes for low-income residents. Read @FromBenC on the pros and cons of moving faster with affordable housing. And yes, this is another #CEQA story. calmatters.org/housing/2023/…

How California lawmakers greenlit ‘any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want’

A patchwork of bills passed by the California Legislature may give affordable housing developers the green light to build across the state.

calmatters.org
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Nancy Skinner@NancySkinnerCA19 Sep 2023
How California lawmakers greenlit ‘any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want’ calmatters.org/housing/2023/…
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Ben Christopher retweeted
julie cart@julie_cart18 Sep 2023
Honored to have won this international award in Long Form Writing. Proud of this series and of @CalMatters as a platform for in-depth journalism. Thank you Marla Cone, an extraordinary editor. calmatters.org/series/califo…

Trial by fire: The trauma of fighting California’s wildfires

As California’s wildfires intensify, California's firefighters suffer from the increasing strain of post-traumatic stress, fatigue and suicide.

calmatters.org
Covering Climate Now 🦋 @coveringclimate.org@CoveringClimate18 Sep 2023
📣 It's your favorite time of year again... #CCNowAwards season! We are thrilled to announce the WINNERS of the 3rd annual Covering Climate Now Climate Journalism Awards! Grab your 🍿 and follow this 🧵 to find out who won... coveringclimatenow.org/award… #CCNowAwards 🙌
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A little-noticed change to Senate Bill 423 means San Francisco could be forced to rapidly approve housing starting next year. sfstandard.com/2023/09/15/sa…

San Francisco Singled Out in State Bill That Fast-Tracks Housing

A little-noticed change to Senate Bill 423 means San Francisco could be forced to rapidly approve housing starting next year.

sfstandard.com
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Adam Ashton@Adam_Ashton14 Sep 2023
'We are horrified': Late changes to Newsom's $6 billion mental health bond surprise providers calmatters.org/health/mental…
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Adam Ashton@Adam_Ashton13 Sep 2023
Great piece by Ryan Lillis of @sacbee_news showing that building affordable housing costs twice as much as market-rate housing in Sacramento. ‘Unsustainable’: It now costs $670,000 to build a single affordable housing unit in Sacramento sacbee.com/news/local/homele…
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Foon Rhee@foonrhee12 Sep 2023
BREAKING: @AsmTinaMcKinnor bill to allow #CALeg staff to unionize passes Senate, a big step after more than two decades. Final vote in Assembly, then to @GavinNewsom @SameeaKamal of @CalMatters with what you need to know: calmatters.org/politics/2023…

For more than 20 years, California lawmakers wouldn't let their staffers unionize. That's about to...

Staffers at the California Legislature appear on the cusp of getting the right to form a union, but with limits and not until 2026.

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Ben Christopher retweeted
Sara Libby@SaraLibby11 Sep 2023
California lawmakers just passed a bill that would give cities the power to allow ADUs to be sold separately from homes, as if they were condos. sfchronicle.com/california/a…
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Alexei Koseff@akoseff11 Sep 2023
A last-minute deal could end two years of acrimony between unions and fast food giants by giving workers a $20 minimum wage starting next April and backing off increased corporate liability for labor violations. calmatters.org/politics/2023…

Last-minute deal: Wage hike for fast food workers, no ballot measure in 2024

A deal announced by labor and the California fast food industry would give workers a $20 minimum wage and pull a measure off the 2024 ballot.

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Ben Christopher retweeted
Los Angeles Times
@latimes25 Aug 2023
Californians are moving inland for cheaper housing, and finding extreme heat that's getting worse latimes.com/california/story…

Californians move inland for safety, cheaper housing — but find extreme heat that’s getting worse

Many Californians in the counties with the most affordable housing will be most at risk for extreme heat in the decades to come, according to a Times analysis.

latimes.com
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Ben Christopher retweeted
Liam Dillon@dillonliam24 Aug 2023
Some news. After six years, the Gimme Shelter housing podcast (@cahousingpod) has officially come to an end. It was a great run talking about California's housing affordability crisis and chatting with so many fascinating people about it (1/3)
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The slow-motion collapse of California’s wildfire insurance market is about to force a political reckoning. politico.com/news/2023/08/21…

Wildfires are about to burn California politicians

politico.com
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