Latest news briefs include a shooting in a Citrus Heights neighborhood on Wednesday, an update on home sales and prices in the city, and local news related to rent control, a murder charge, and more.
Data: Citrus Heights home sales remained steady through December; prices up vs. prior year
Monthly home sales in Citrus Heights during December remained the same as November, holding at 102 homes closing escrow each month, according to the most recent data reported in The Sacramento Bee last week. Year-over-year comparisons show prices in Citrus Heights rose by double-digits, with the city’s 95621 zip code showing home sale prices rose 12.4%, from an average of $267,000 in December 2016 to $300,000 during December 2017. In the 95610 zip code, which covers the eastern half of Citrus Heights, home sale prices increased from an average of $300,000 in December 2016 up to $345,000 in 2017, a difference of 15%.
Carmichael and Elk Grove saw similar increases of about 15% during the same periods, while Orangevale saw a 23% increase. The Sacramento Bee’s report included data for sales of detached single-family homes and also included price comparisons of homes sales of all zip codes in the Sacramento region, through December. (See full report)
Police investigating shooting in Citrus Heights neighborhood on Wednesday
Citrus Heights police are investigating a shooting in a residential neighborhood on Wednesday evening that left a victim suffering from several gunshot wounds, Fox 40 reported. The news station said the incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 on San Simeon Drive, near Mariposa Avenue, leaving an unidentified victim with “non-life threatening” injuries.
Fox 40 reported that several suspects fled the scene after shots were fired, but said police did not provide any suspect descriptions. According to the news report, police said the shooting did not appear to be random and officials did not believe there were any remaining threats to the neighborhood. (Read Fox 40 story)
Frost says more rent control would exacerbate housing crisis
Former Citrus Heights councilwoman and current County Supervisor Sue Frost said in a social media post on Friday that recent calls for more rent control would exacerbate the state’s housing crisis. After sharing an article on her Facebook page titled “‘Extreme’ rent control could be coming to California soon,” Frost posted the following statement: “California regulations have caused a massive housing crisis, resulting in so few houses on the market that prices are much higher than many younger families can afford. So California thinks the correct solution is to do the one thing that nearly every economist agrees exacerbates the problem? Unbelievable.”
In responding to a comment that questioned how rent control makes things worse, Frost linked to an article in The Economist that advocated for “a more effective policy” of building more housing to alleviate rising costs, rather than imposing rent control. (See Facebook post)
More briefly:
- Murder charge. Michael Abeyta, 28, of Citrus Heights, was arrested and charged with murder after skeletonized remains were found near Auburn last Saturday. (See video)
- Garbage contest. Republic Services was recognized in an online publication for supporting Citrus Heights residents through annual contests and involvement. (Read more)
- Motorcycle fatality. Ruben James Puga, 38, of Citrus Heights, was killed in a vehicle collision while lane-splitting on his motorcycle on Interstate 80 in Roseville. (Read more)
- Sex offender arrested. A 28-year-old registered sex offender with a Citrus Heights address was arrested by Hayward police after allegedly posing as a basketball coach. (See news release)
