Episode Details

Have we got a show for you on Talk of the Bay. Rob Oliveros from “Santa Cruz Against Runaway Development” is going to go head-to-head with Santa Cruz YES IN MY BACKYARD advocate, Rafa Sonnenfeld. They will be talking about what seems to be on everyone’s mind, the “D-word,” that is, development. Are the buildings too tall, are the new units too expensive…or, is this exactly what voters have chosen, more apartment units in Santa Cruz? What happens when people discover that rents have not actually fallen, but have creeped up, even with all these new units? The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $132,800. Rents have increased by around $200 per month over the past year, and Zillow reports that units renting for $5,000 or more have had a big increase in the city of Santa Cruz. What should beleaguered locals be looking at: leave? find a better-paying job? Search for more housemates? Or just tough it out and pay 50-70% of your income on rent? Today on Talk of the Bay, we will be discussing all of these issues with two long-time Santa Cruz housing observers, YIMBY advocate Rafa Sonnenfeld and Rob Olivares of SC Against Runaway Development. Santa Cruz musician Russell Brutsche will also be live in the studio and provide the soundtrack for today’s show.