RONG-GONG LIN II
Los Angeles Times

The expected annual cost from earthquake damage in California is climbing sharply amid an increase in property values and a better understanding of how soft soils could result in greater damage during shaking.

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California is projected to lose an average of $9.6 billion a year from earthquake damage, the new estimates show. That’s a 157% increase from the last estimate, in 2017, when the price tag was $3.7 billion a year, according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“In any given year a big earthquake strikes … you can easily anticipate a $100 billion loss,” USGS research structural engineer Kishor Jaiswal, the principal investigator for the report, told the Los Angeles Times.

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The totals underscore just how much the value of older buildings has soared in recent years, yet they remain vulnerable to major damage or collapse in the next big earthquake.

It is also a sober reminder of the seismic toll facing California. After the state’s other major earthquakes — in 1906 in San Francisco, 1933 in Long Beach, 1989 in the Bay Area and 1994 in Northridge — it took years, if not decades, for cities to recover, and massive costs had to be paid not only by governments and insurers but also individuals who were never made whole.

According to the new report, Los Angeles and Orange counties share the highest price tag of any metro area in the nation, with a combined projected average annual loss of $3.3 billion a year. In second place is the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area, with a projected loss of $1.8 billion a year.

The seismic price tag for California is about 65% of the nation’s annual earthquake cost, which is $14.7 billion a year.

The projected annual average earthquake losses in other areas of California include $1.3 billion for Riverside and San Bernardino counties, $917 million for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area, $285 million for San Diego County and $220 million for Ventura County.

Assuming the yearly earthquake loss projection remains the same, over the course of three decades, California is projected to lose $288 billion from earthquake damage. Such a figure is consistent with recent earthquake scenarios, such as a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern San Andreas fault or a magnitude 7 earthquake on the Hayward fault.

Of that total, the five-county Southern California region — L.A., Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties — would lose nearly $150 billion. And the nine-county Bay Area would lose roughly $90 billion.

“It’s a sobering reminder about why we need to prepare for those rare but large earthquakes, as just one major event can eclipse the costs of the more frequent but smaller ones,” USGS Director David Applegate said in a statement.

The authors of the report calculated an “annualized” earthquake loss to average out the cost of earthquake damage on a yearly basis.

It’s similar to how car insurers calculate the premium people pay yearly: People might be in a collision once every few years, but insurers calculate a yearly bill for drivers that takes into account the annual average projected cost of future collisions. How much the yearly car insurance premium will be can vary, depending on factors such as the driver’s age, accident history and the type of vehicle driven.

The magnitude 6.7 earthquake that hit Northridge in 1994 caused as much as $20 billion in damage and more than $40 billion in economic loss, “making it the costliest earthquake disaster in U.S. history,” according to the California Geological Survey.

And the damage from that earthquake, centered in the suburban San Fernando Valley, pales in comparison to the destruction that a major quake centered beneath older neighborhoods, such as in downtown L.A., would cause.

The 1994 earthquake’s magnitude was relatively moderate. By contrast, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake would produce 45 times more energy, and such a temblor hasn’t hit Southern California since 1857 and Northern California since 1906.

The world’s last magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck in February, resulting in strong shaking in Turkey and Syria. More than 50,000 people died.

A significant portion of California’s buildings constructed in the 20th century are vulnerable to earthquake damage or collapse. Retrofitting them now would leave cities far more resilient — keeping people alive, homes intact, and workplaces and neighborhoods functional.

The state’s rise in property values could enable some owners to use the equity they’ve accumulated to finance retrofits, experts say. A retrofit now can cost far less than repairing extensive damage after an earthquake, which could leave a building so wrecked it might need to be replaced.

Some cities in California have required property owners to retrofit certain types of vulnerable buildings. A Los Angeles law passed in 2015 requiring that apartment buildings with flimsy first stories — often used for carports — be strengthened has resulted in retrofits of more than 8,700 out of 12,400. That’s a completion rate of 70%. An analysis estimated that at least $1.3 billion was spent on those retrofits.

FEMA and state officials have worked to make grants available for retrofits. Homeowners in certain ZIP codes in Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley can apply for retrofit grants of up to $13,000 through the end of May to strengthen “soft-story homes,” where there’s a top-heavy living space built over a garage that is vulnerable to collapse in an earthquake.

“This study reinforces the nation’s need to be proactive about making communities safer from threats like earthquakes,” FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks said in a statement. “This includes adopting the latest seismic building codes and investing in earthquake resilience projects.”

But many other cities in California have not acted to require retrofits. And even in L.A., city officials have yet to address the potential seismic risk of older steel-frame high-rises built before the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The USGS has said that it is plausible that five steel-frame buildings in Southern California could collapse in a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault, and 10 could be so damaged that they would be no longer safe to occupy.

Some cities remain far behind. Much of the Inland Empire, which covers Riverside and San Bernardino counties, still has many older brick buildings that are not retrofitted — among the highest-risk structures in an earthquake. They can collapse, not only killing the buildings’ occupants but also raining projectiles onto nearby sidewalks, parking lots and roads, with the remains of brick walls hurled with such force that they could crush cars and buses.

In the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, a brick wall in San Francisco fell onto a parking lot, leaving cars crushed; five people died. And in a magnitude 6.3 quake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2011, falling bricks rained onto Red Bus No. 702, killing eight people, including the driver.

The number of people who need to be housed after a major earthquake could be enormous. The study estimated that a quake so large it had a 1-in-250 chance of occurring in any given year could result in more than 200,000 people needing short-term shelter in California. In an earthquake so large it had a 1-in-1,000 chance of occurring in any given year, more than 700,000 people would need short-term shelter.

The latest study also presents a more realistic picture of expected damage in places including L.A. and the Bay Area, where many buildings are on top of basins that amplify ground motions during an earthquake, Jaiswal said. Such shaking can result in a worse outcome for tall buildings that are atop basins compared with those built directly on bedrock.

“If you have a deep basin, with sediments overlaying on the hard rock, those ground motions get amplified,” Jaiswal said.

Compared to earlier models, the latest report factors in localized softer soil and basin conditions, which contributed to the increase in the projected damage cost for places such as L.A. and the Bay Area.

Other areas that saw an increase in earthquake hazard from the previous model include the Salt Lake City area, and much of the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui’s valley region and the southern coast of Oahu.

The Seattle area was estimated to have an annual earthquake loss of $781 million; the Portland, Oregon area, $403 million; the Salt Lake City area, $174 million; the Memphis, Tennessee area, $131 million; and the New York City region, $49 million.

The fact that earthquake risk exists in areas of the eastern U.S. may come as a surprise, but such quakes can happen. A magnitude 5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia in 2011 caused $200 million to $300 million in damage, and necessitated $15 million in repairs to the Washington Monument.

Other damaging earthquakes in the eastern U.S. on record include one off of Cape Ann, Massachusetts in 1755, estimated to be magnitude 5.9, which resulted in damage to the Boston waterfront; an estimated magnitude 4.5 quake near Petersburg, Virginia in 1774, which shoved homes from their foundations and was felt by future President Thomas Jefferson; and an estimated magnitude 7 quake near Charleston, South Carolina in 1886 that killed 60 people, according to the USGS.

In the early 19th century, there were three large earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone, around the area along the Mississippi River where Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas meet. The largest earthquakes were a magnitude 7.5 in December 1811, a magnitude 7.3 in January 1812 and a magnitude 7.5 in February 1812.

“Earthquakes are a national problem,” the USGS said in a statement.

New York City has a low probability of a damaging earthquake, but one that occurs could still cause significant damage because of the city’s density and the age of its buildings, according to the city’s emergency management agency. One big risk for New York City is a large number of older brick buildings that have not been retrofitted.

In early October, a group of volunteers from Napa County Landmarks gathered at the Napa’s downtown historic post office. Their goal: rewrap the huge lanterns that flank the post office entrances. The post office was heavily damaged in the 2014 earthquake and has since been sold for development.

Jennifer Huffman, Register

Throwback Thursday: Photos from the 2014 Napa earthquake

Fire damage after earthquake in Napa

Four homes were destroyed by fire after the quake and up to eight more were damaged at the Napa Valley Mobile Home Park, according to the Napa Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

Howard Yune/Register

Napa Earthquake

This building, located at Second and Brown streets, sustained major damage in Napa’s 6.0 earthquake. California is predicted to have a much stronger quake in coming decades.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

Browns Valley Market employees clean up the disaster left by the 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. on Sunday morning, August 24, 2014.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Larry Giovannoni, owner of Browns Valley Market in Napa, pauses while cleaning up the disaster left by the earthquake. Giovannoni estimates that their losses will be over $1 million.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Skateboarders use the buckled pavement of Meadowood Court as ramps for performing stunts after last August’s earthquake.

Register file photo

Napa Earthquake

While waiting for inspectors, Vintner’s Collective manager Garret Murphy stands outside the historic Main Street building whose facade was badly damaged in the Aug. 24 earthquake. 

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Nicholas George of Carneros cranes his head down into a deep fissure in front of his house on Old Sonoma Road on the day of the South Napa earthquake Scientists used more sophisticated tools for measuring the quake. 

Register file photo

Napa Earthquake

Two men walk past an earthquake-damaged home on First Street on Monday morning. Residents throughout the valley spent Monday assessing the damage and cleaning up from the 6.0 earthquake that struck Sunday.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

Damage is visible to the facade of the Napa post office on Second Street on Sunday morning following the quake. Repairs have not yet begun on the downtown building.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

The damaged facade at Alexandria Square at Brown and Second streets became an iconic image of Napa’s earthquake.

J.L. Sousa/Register file photo

Napa Earthquake

A number of glass panes were broken at the downtown Napa Post Office following a 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Sunday, causing major damage to a number of downtown buildings.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

One of the many cracks that developed following Sunday mornings earthquake is seen on Old Sonoma Road on Monday morning. City and county crews were patching roads throughout the valley.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

The Historic Courthouse was red-tagged after a section of building fell off during Sunday’s 6.0 earthquake. Repairs will be expensive and take a year or more, officials say. 

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

Buckled and cracked asphalt, like seen here on Craigie Court, is a common sight throughout Napa following the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 3:20 a.m.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

Jim Nichols of South Dakota disposes of debris at Browns Valley Elementary School on Monday morning following the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Napa on Sunday morning. He was visiting his mother who lives in Napa when the quake struck and was cleaning up at her home. There are a number of locations where local residents can get rid of debris from the quake.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa quake debris

A mountain of earthquake debris — damaged dishes, furnishings and treasured possessions — is piled up in front of the Education Center at Jefferson Street and Lincoln Avenue Tuesday afternoon in Napa Valley. With schools reopening Wednesday, Napa Valley Unified School District is asking the community to cease using the Ed Center site. Debris boxes are available at a half-dozen city parks.

Howard Yune — Napa Valley Register

Napa Earthquake

Dennis Fagent, right, of ZFA Structural Engineers, and local architect and consultant Stephen Cuddy assess the damage done to the historic Vintner’s Collective building by Sunday’s 6.0 earthquake. The building was red tagged on Tuesday, but inspectors on Wednesday found that the inside of the building was intact, concluding that the repair needed was largely on the outside veneer.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Structural damage to the Napa Square building has forced the closure of some neighboring buildings after Sunday’s 6.0 earthquake.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

Napa’s Chief Buidling Official Dan Kavarian tapes a red tag Thursday morning  to the door of the recently opened Velo Pizzeria on Main Street. Though the restaurant was recently seismically retrofitted, it abuts a masonry building on Brown Street that poses a safety threat to adjacent structures, according to the city. The Brown Street building, which has also been red-tagged, is owned by Brian Silver, a Napa attorney.

who has historically refused to bring his buildings up to earthquake codes.

Janelle Wetzstein/Register

Napa Earthquake

Residents of the Charter Oaks Apartments on Browns Valley Road are seen near one of the carports that collapsed following a 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Sunday.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

This home at Vallejo and Yajome streets was knocked off its foundation following the 6.0 earthquake August earthquake. 

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

The sidewalk buckled where a crack went across Twin Oaks Drive and through the home of Tim and Ann Whitlock, knocking the two story home 5 inches off its foundation.

Register file photo

Napa Earthquake

A brick chimney on a home on Hermosa Drive lies in shambles after last August’s earthquake.

Eagle file photo

Napa Earthquake

A broken water pipe gushes a stream of water over a deep crack in the pavement along White Cliff Circle after a 6.0 earthquake struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. on Sunday morning, August 24, 2014.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Napa firefighters spray down one of four homes at the Napa Valley Mobile Park destroyed by fire after a 6.0 earthquake struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Aug. 24. The fire department believes the fire was caused by a ruptured gas line.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Falling debris damaged this car at Third and Brown streets following a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Sunday.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

The Sam Kee Laundry building, which currently houses The Vintner’s Collective, shows damage from the 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Sunday.

Brenda Speth/Register

Napa Earthquake

Napa firefighters subdue the last flames of a fire that destroyed 4 homes at the Napa Valley Mobile Park after a 6.0 earthquake struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Sunday morning, August 24, 2014. The fire department believes the fire was caused by a ruptured gas line.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

Quake caused major damage to the tasting room and barrel storage building at Trefethen Family Vineyards. This was originally the Eshcol Winery building, built in 1886, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

One of the glass panels on the 9/11 Memorial in downtown Napa shattered following a 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. Sunday. A number of downtown buildings sustained major damage.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

Merchandise is tossed inside of Shackford’s Kitchen Store following a 6.0 earthquake which struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. causing major damage to a number of downtown buildings.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

This fountain in the Christian Brothers Courtyard at Justin-Siena High School was one of the casualties of Sunday morning’s 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Earthquake

A 6.0 earthquake struck Napa at 3:20 a.m. last Sunday. This photo was taken inside the Register newsroom.

Lisa James/Register

Napa Earthquake

People stop to survey the damage to Quent Cordair Fine Art Gallery in downtown Napa following a 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa at 3:20 a.m.

J.L. Sousa/Register

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The post Projected losses from a serious California earthquake soar. What’s behind seismic inflation? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

• By Robin Sheeran
• BBC News NI

23 October 2022

Image source, Getty Images

People in Northern Ireland need to be aware of the dangers involved with heating their homes this winter, the fire and rescue service has warned.

As the cost of living continues to rise, for some it could mean turning to energy sources which have not been regularly serviced.

Chimney sweep Craig Morrow told BBC News NI he recently worked on a chimney which had not been swept for 20 years.

This was down on 809 the previous year.

There has also been a 50% decrease in house fire fatalities, with three recorded during the same period. That is down from six in 2018/19.

However, firefighters have issued safety tips and a warning that if people turn to older electrical heaters or cut corners with servicing, there could be a fire risk.

Group Commander Suzanne Fleming said portable heaters that had not been used for some time is a particular concern.

Check the cable is not frayed and don’t place the heater too close to a sofa or curtains, she warned.

“Open fires would be the other great risk,” Ms Fleming continued.

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“If people try to use chimneys that haven’t been used for some time they may actually be blocked,” she told BBC News NI.

Turning to the dangers of carbon monoxide, the danger comes “with any fossil fuel that you burn”.

“It will make you drowsy and you won’t know you’re getting drowsy,” the senior firefighter said.

Image caption,

Chimney sweeps can be booked up months ahead

Craig Morrow, a chimney sweep who is based in Belfast, said “all it takes is one hot ember to go up the chimney” to cause a chimney fire.

He advised that people should have chimneys swept at least once a year, or twice if it is in use during the summer.

A chimney fire, he explained, can start when a type of soot called creosote forms.

Wood-burning stoves, gas fires and Aga-type cooker chimneys also need to be cleaned, he added.

Mr Morrow warned that some people have turned to using chimneys which had been dormant for decades, partly due to it being a cheaper source of energy as prices rise.

‘Test appliances’

Gas engineer Gordon Glenn said boilers need to be regularly maintained.

“Some insurance policies will make your home insurance null and void if your boiler has not been serviced once a year,” he said.

Carbon monoxide alarms too, as these will “usually last for seven years,” he explained.

“It’s a secondary level of householder safety. For the price of a carbon monoxide detector and a proper inspection by a qualified person it could save somebody’s life.

“You wouldn’t ride a bike to Dublin that’s been sitting for 12 months without checking the brakes first, so why would you use an appliance that hasn’t been tested,” he added.

If you’re having gas appliances serviced you’ll need to find an engineer who’s on the Gas Safe Register.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Firefighters are concerned people could be creating fire hazards by cutting back on costs

How to stay safe

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has compiled a list of safety measures for people to follow in their homes.

• Those with chimneys that have not been used for a while must ensure they are not blocked. They must be serviced by a qualified person
• Always use a fire guard for an open fire
• A carbon monoxide alarm must be in the same room as a fire – fires can produce carbon monoxide which you cannot see nor smell
• Portable heaters or electric blankets must be checked first – no frayed wires or damaged, loose wiring
• Do not overload plug sockets – this can cause overheating
• When using portable heaters do not place items in front of them – they can catch fire. Do not leave them unattended and turn them off before going to sleep
• Do not dry clothes on portable heaters

The post Value of Residing: Folks urged to warmth properties safely as vitality prices soar appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Landlord concessions and tenant improvement allowances (TIAs) have been on the uptick over the last few years. Remote and hybrid work trends have led to higher competition for office tenants, and as a result, many landlords are offering longer periods of free rent and higher tenant improvement allowances. Some major markets, particularly New York City, are seeing more of this than others, but improvement allowances and concessions are up across the country. Negotiating these deals has become a critical part of the leasing process for landlords, who need to balance filling office space and keeping property cash flowing. 

Tenant improvement allowances, also sometimes referred to as a fit-out or build-out allowance, are usually negotiated by landlords and tenants during a lease transaction. A credit is given to the tenant for improvements to the space leased and can go toward things like walling, flooring, HVAC, electrical costs, and plumbing. Things that may not be covered under a TIA could be things like furniture, electronics, and any moving costs. These allowances are often calculated based on an allowance per square foot, for example, a TIA could be calculated at $10 per rentable square foot, which in a 15,000-square-foot space, could mean a $150,000 allowance. TIAs aren’t expected to be returned to the landlord, but most landlords look to recoup the cost of the allowance by adding a portion of the TIA in the base rent or extending the length of the lease. 

In Manhattan, the country’s largest office market and a city that’s often looked at as a barometer for the entire nation, flight-to-quality has been a much-talked-about trend. But while it’s true that office tenants are flocking to newer buildings with the most high-end amenities, they’re being given a lot of incentive to do so. Office tenants signing leases of at least 20,000 square feet and at least seven years at Class A buildings in Manhattan have been getting an average of 24 percent of their total rent as concessions, which includes free rent and TIAs, since 2020, according to Avison Young. “Quite frankly, I don’t see that number going down over the next several quarters,” said Avison Young’s Danny Mangru. Pre-pandemic, tenants in Manhattan’s office market received an average of 16.7 percent of their total rent as concessions, including free rent and TIAs, throughout their lease term. Trophy office tenants had the largest packages, at 17.2 percent of their total rent. Now, concession values have jumped across all building types, averaging 21.3 percent. 

The sharp uptick in TIAs isn’t just limited to New York City. Higher figures are also being seen in major markets including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., markets that all experienced jumps in TIAs and free rent periods since 2019, according to Avison Young data. While average TIAs were $128 per square foot in Manhattan between January and June of this year, figures were even higher in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., where TIAs averaged $135 per square foot in both cities. In Texas, many companies are choosing to sign longer leases in order to receive bigger TIAs. With steep construction costs continuing to stick around, agreeing to longer lease terms for a bigger TIA package makes sense for both landlords and tenants. 

These latest numbers show an overall tenant-favorable office market that may continue for some time. “Three years now we’ve definitely seen a year-over-year decline in rents and a year-over-year increase in what tenants require,” said Chris Okada, CEO of New York City-based commercial real estate firm Okada & Co. “So playing the lowest rent on the block game really doesn’t separate you anymore, because everyone’s playing that game.” In New York, Okada has seen the size of TIAs quadruple since 2020, with averages going from about six months of free rent to the equivalent of almost two years of free rent. The high TIAs can vary widely not just by neighborhood, but even block by block, as his firm has seen. “I think it’s a, ‘this is what we know we can get’ scenario,” Okada said. Tenants that are paying top dollar in rent know they have a lot of options. “Why wouldn’t you do that?” he said. “They just want a good deal.”

See also

But Okada isn’t worried about high TIAs. He sees the uptick in recent years as a cyclical occurrence that has historic precedence. “We’ve been here before,” he said, pointing to office occupancy reaching anywhere between 16 to 18 percent over the last few decades during economic downturns, from the time period of the Great Recession, the dot-com bubble in the late 90s, after 9/11, and in the early 1990s. “People in business for more than 20 years have seen this before numerous times and know rents can recover quickly and double,” Okada said. He also isn’t worried about the state of the office going forward, given the significant shift to remote and hybrid work. “There’s always a new wave of space users that come in and take up more square footage, it happens every single economic cycle,” he said. “Maybe it will be AI companies next?” That prediction could very well turn out to be true. After all, AI companies looking to lease space in the beleaguered San Francisco office market have been a beacon of hope for the city’s real estate industry.

In today’s office environment, tenants tend to have a lot more options to choose from and a lot of incentives to sign a lease. TIAs and rent concessions are on the rise in major markets around the country, and while getting free rent and a hefty sum to build out a space is definitely favorable to an office tenant, by getting a longer lease term in exchange, landlords can have the assurance of cash flow for their property. Higher TIAs and rent concessions are expected to continue for the foreseeable future by many in the industry, especially as office occupancy has been slow to improve over the last several months. But as history has shown, burgeoning industries that are less impacted by economic conditions, like the AI industry, could help turn office markets around and turn the tide on higher TIAs and concessions.

The post Tenant Enchancment Allowances Soar, as Landlords Scramble To Fill House appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

While Californian companies like Tesla and Oracle are giving up Silicon Valley in favor of central Texas, Texans more than Californians are driving the rental market.

AUSTIN, Texas – The largest source of potential tenants for Austin’s booming rental market comes from Houston, according to newly released data from Apartment List.

While Californian companies like Tesla and Oracle are giving up Silicon Valley in favor of Central Texas, Californians and people from other states aren’t high on the list.

According to the data, Houstoners accounted for a fifth of all Austin apartment searches from July 1 to September 30, followed by Dallas supporters at 12% and San Antonians at just under 10%.

San Francisco and San Jose accounted for about 2% of Austin apartment searches, while Los Angeles accounted for about the same percentage.

Data from Realtor.com showed that Travis County’s rental prices hit an average of $ 1,695 in September, higher year-over-year growth than any other tech hub including Boston, Chicago, Denver and Seattle. But the average Austin rental price was still cheaper than the other 10 locations, and well below the $ 3,450 price in San Francisco.

Austin property prices continue to rise as professional transplants choose to buy rather than rent. A report from Texas Realtors for the third quarter showed the average home price to be up to $ 465,000, up nearly 33% year over year.

The apartment list data also showed that Austinites looking to rent elsewhere are looking to San Antonio, with about 30% looking for apartments there, compared with 5% looking to Houston. Dallas residents now make up 14% of searchers in the Houston area, up from 8% last quarter.

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Alligators reportedly kill dog in the Del Valle neighborhood

The post Houstonians high record of renters shifting to Austin as costs soar appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

18m ago

Gas prices soar above $5 a gallon in San Francisco Bay Area

Prices at gas pumps in many San Francisco Bay Area communities have soared over $5 a gallon, according to California AAA. 

The price of a gallon of regular, unleaded gas at one Shell Station in San Francisco was posted at $5.85 on Wednesday night, CBS SF Bay Area reports.

CBS SF Bay Area

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said the price at the pump was at least $1.30 higher than a year ago. Lundberg also said Bay Area residents were paying the most at the pump in the entire nation — $4.77 per gallon. The lowest average was in Houston, at $2.98 per gallon.

Nationwide, AAA is projecting this Thanksgiving to be the third-busiest on record, with 53.4 million travelers expected compared to 56 million in 2019 and 53.7 million in 2018. Most will travel by automobile, said AAA spokesman Doug Shupe.

According to Gasbuddy.com there were a few deals to be had. At one Valero station in California’s Redwood City, a gallon of regular unleaded was at $4.21. In Concord, the Bonfare on Grand was at $4.27. The ABC on Mission Ave in Hayward was at $4.29 and the Smart Stop on San Pablo Avenue in Pinole was at $4.27.

Katie Cox was aghast when she gassed up her car at a station in Alamo on Wednesday.

“I literally was like, oh my gosh, it’s almost $5 a gallon. It’s crazy,” she said. “It makes you think twice about how much you’re driving.”

According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gas in California on Thursday morning was $4.647, up from $3.177 at the same time last year.

12:28 PM

Trump asks appeals court to delay transfer of Jan. 6 docs

Former President Trump has asked a federal appeals court to delay the transfer of his White House Documents to the House Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In an emergency motion filed Thursday, lawyers for the former president asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to issue a “brief” injunction halting the transfer of the court documents so as to allow further time for litigation and procedural questions.

“President Trump respectfully moves this Court to enter an administrative injunction enjoining release of the privileged documents while the Court considers President Trump’s Motion for a Stay Pending Appeal,” the filing reads.

The appeal says this will give both the Trump legal team and the House Committee lawyers time to write up positions on a longer delay as the appeal goes forward.

According to the filing, “The DefendantAppellees’ take no position on the request for an administrative injunction,” which means, according to the filing, both the National Archives and the House Committee accept the request for a brief pause.

The appeals court must rule on the emergency motion before any delay in the document transfer can occur.

The request comes after a lower court judge refused to pause her own decision that would allow the Trump records to be handed over to the House Committee as requested. The former president initially sued the Committee after President Biden refused his claim of executive privilege. 

Read more here.