Housing Trends in California

An attorney at Zurich Staff Legal in Sacramento, California, Matthew “Matt” Zumstein studied law at the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. He is a U.S. Supreme Court Bar member and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1999. Matthew Zumstein is interested in construction and real estate law as it impacts the state of California.

COVID-19, drought, heatwaves, and forest fires may have dampened the California housing market, but year-over-year increases still show a high upward trend. July 2021 home sales stats show that after recording four-straight months of record sales, overall home prices in California moderated slightly, yet in the southern part of the state, they hit an all-time high.

On a month-to-month basis, the median home price in California slipped one percent to $811,170 in July 2021, a decline from $819,630 recorded in June. That is 21.7 percent, up from the $666,320 figure recorded in July 2020. For the fourth-straight month, the median home price remained above the national $800,000 benchmark.

Gig Worker Initiative Unconstitutional

A member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, Matthew Zumstein is a seasoned litigation attorney with Zurich Staff Legal in Sacramento, California. With a JD from the University of the Pacific, he represents both commercial and personal clients. A resident of Redwood City, California, Matthew “Matt” Zumstein is interested in worker-employer benefits and compensation issues related to California.

A 2020 ballot measure in California has been ruled unconstitutional. It had exempted food delivery and rideshare drivers from a state labor law. The judge said the measure infringes on the power of the legislature to streamline workplace standards. Voted on in November 2020, the initiative exempts drivers for companies like Doordash, Lyft, and Uber from the 2019 Assembly Bill 5, a labor law that requires companies to extend benefits to more workers.

The affected companies have spent about $200 million to push Proposition 22. Their proposal obligates them to provide workers with a health care subsidy in place of having to comply with Assembly Bill 5. The coalition of gig companies behind Proposition 22 is appealing the court decision to declare the gig worker initiative as unconstitutional.