rent control

These Bay Area residents live in affordable housing. Why did their rent skyrocket?

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These Bay Area residents live in affordable housing. Why did their rent skyrocket?

BY JEANNE KUANG | CalMatters When California lawmakers passed a rent cap four years ago to protect tenants from large and frequent rent hikes, they exempted hundreds of thousands of units reserved for some of the state’s poorest renters. Low-income housing, after all, is usually built with public subsidies that already impose rent ceilings on … Read more

California consumer price regulation often protects companies

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California consumer price regulation often protects companies

In the 19th century, California began experimenting with regulating the prices of vital services and commodities. Nearly 150 years later, Californians still don’t know if it’s working as we debate whether to expand the practice. Years of bitter conflict between Central Valley farmers and the monopolistic Southern Pacific Railroad over freight rates led to creation … Read more