KPBS Midday Edition

Food, Gas And Housing Prices Up

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer, Radio News

Published April 14, 2021 at 12:31 PM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

Speedway gas station in Del Mar, Calif. is shown here. April 14, 2021.

The cost of housing, gas and food have been increasing, bringing San Diego’s inflation rate to one of the highest in the nation.

San Diego’s housing prices have skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. And now we find out that other costs, such as gas and food, have also been increasing, bringing San Diego’s inflation rate to one of the highest in the nation.

From March 2020 to March 2021 prices increased 4.1% overall, compared to 2.6% nationwide.

Some economists have warned of inflation increasing due to stimulus money being infused into the economy. But, University of San Diego economist Alan Gin told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the inflation rate hike may be more of a reawakening of the local economy than a red flag.

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But U-T business reporter Phillip Molnar wrote that an inflation rate above 4% is rare for the San Diego metro area.

Molnar joined Midday Edition on Wednesday to explain why San Diego's rate of inflation is one of the highest in the nation.

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KPBS Midday Edition Consumer Housing

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer for KPBS Radio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

See stories by Brooke Ruth