Editorial: Rebuild Santa Rosa the right way
Californias most destructive wildfires caused tragic deaths and widespread displacement in Wine Country. Unless local leaders move quickly, it could also make Californias housing crisis far, far worse.
The Wine Country fires this month destroyed thousands of homes. The damage was particularly extensive in Santa Rosa, a once-affordable enclave that lost a full 5 percent of its housing stock. The horrible economics of disaster practically prescribe a difficult future for the residents of Santa Rosa higher home prices, higher rents and a long rebuilding process.
Its very, very tough, said Oscar Wei, a senior economist with California Association of Realtors. Displaced homeowners will need a place to stay, and so will renters, and the supply of rental properties has gone down.
There have already been scattered stories about enormous spikes in rental prices, which spurred both the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Rosa City Council to vote for tighter rules against gouging, or raising prices by more than 10 percent.
I think raising the rent on someone because you can, due to an emergency like this, is predatory behavior, said Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey.
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http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Rebuild-Santa-Rosa-the-right-way-12310322.php