Home sales in San Diego County and across the state rebounded in April, and the statewide median home price exceeded $900,000 for the first time ever, according to figures released Friday by the California Association of Realtors.

Unadjusted raw sales increased on a year-over-year basis, with the Central Coast rising the most from a year ago, and Southern California showing sales gains of 8.7% from April 2023.

Statewide, the median price recorded a new all-time high in April, jumping 11.4% from $811,510 in April 2023 to $904,210 in April 2024, exceeding the $900,000-benchmark for the first time in history, CAR determined.

In San Diego County, the median price for a single-family home was $1.04 million last month, a 2.7 % increase from $1.02 million in March and a 12.6% rise from $930,000 in 2023.

California’s median home price was 5.8% higher than March’s $854,490. The year-over-year gain was the 10th straight month of annual price increases for the Golden State. Seasonal factors and tight housing supply conditions will continue to put upward pressure on home prices in the coming months.

“April’s rebound in both home sales and price shows the resilience of California’s housing market and is a signal that buyers and sellers are beginning to adjust to the higher interest rate environment,” CAR President Melanie Barker said. “Market fundamentals are showing signs of improvement, and competition is on the rise again; homes are selling faster and nearly half the share of homes is selling above asking price — the highest in nine months.”

All major regions in the state registered an annual increase in their median price from a year ago, according to CAR. The median price of an existing single-family home in Southern California jumped 12.1% year-over-year to $880,000, a 3.5% increase from last month.

The median price in the Los Angeles metro area rose 4.9% from April to $840,000, a 13.5% increase from last year at this time.

The median price in Los Angeles County increased by 2.6%, from $805,100 in March to $825,970 last month.

Orange County saw its median home price increase 2.9% from March to $1.44 million, 17.6% higher than last year at this time.

The San Francisco Bay Area recorded the biggest price jump on a year-over-year basis, increasing 15.5% from April 2023. Along with Southern California at 12.1%, they were the only two regions posting a double-digit price gain from a year ago.

In Southern California, the lowest median price was Imperial County’s $377,500, an 8.2% increase from last month.

The statewide median price in April was $904,210, up 5.8% from March and up 11.4% from $811,510 in April 2023.

The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home was 16 days in April and 20 days in April 2023.

The San Diego Unified School District announced it has rescinded all but nine of the 234 notices of potential layoffs it said it issued to teachers in March.

However, about 60 classified, or non-teaching, employees are still set to be laid off, SDUSD board President Shana Hazan said May 16.

Elementary school teachers, counselors and secondary teachers in English, physical education and social science were spared from being laid off, according to the San Diego Unified teachers union, which had rallied against the cuts over the past several weeks.

To rescind the layoffs, the district struck a deal with the union May 14 to create “student support” jobs at high-needs schools for up to 50 educators who would otherwise be laid off, said Kyle Weinberg, president of the union, the San Diego Education Association. Those student support educators will provide small-group instruction or fill in for early-childhood staffing vacancies in transitional kindergarten classrooms.

The district and the union said the agreement was meant to help preserve staffing stability in schools. The deal also preserves pay levels for the student support teachers, Weinberg said.

The district and the union said the agreement was meant to help preserve staffing stability in schools. The deal also preserves pay levels for the student support teachers, Weinberg said.

Having educators in the student support positions also gives the district flexibility to call on them if regular classroom teaching vacancies open during the school year without having to incur costs of hiring temporary contract staff, Weinberg wrote in a message to union members May 16.

“The superintendent was adamant about this additional flexibility,” he wrote.

In March, the SDUSD board voted to eliminate the equivalent of more than 480 jobs to help close what was projected to be a $94 million budget deficit for next school year. Those jobs included classroom teachers, central office administrators and many kinds of classified jobs, including special-education support, bus drivers, custodians and noon-duty assistants.

The district employs about 12,000 people, and employee costs make up more than 90 percent of its unrestricted budget.

Every year by mid-March, school districts are required by law to issue notices to anyone they may potentially lay off for the following school year, and they have until May 15 to finalize layoffs.

Because mid-March is relatively early in the state budget cycle, districts often are able to rescind many layoffs by mid-May once they get a better idea of their budget outlook for the following school year.

“There’s this mismatch in timing between when we are required to give pink slips, this March 15 date, and the time required to really do the thoughtful financial analysis,” Hazan said.

Besides the union agreement, the district was able to avoid more layoffs because of employee reassignments and transfers to vacant positions, as well as voluntary resignations and retirements, according to Hazan. She also said the district is able to use grant funding and money from restricted funds to help reduce the number.

“The fact that of all the teachers who received layoff notices, there are only nine that remain is a huge testament to the really tireless work that our fiscal and instructional team has done to align our goals for students with available dollars,” Hazan said. ◆

The city of El Paso and El Paso International Airport celebrated Frontier Airlines’ launch of two new nonstop routes.

Just in time for summer plans, travelers can now take advantage of convenient flights to Ontario, California and San Diego, California.

City officials, including Mayor Oscar Leeser, celebrated the nonstop routes at the airport Thursday, May 16 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Director of Aviation Sam Rodriguez expressed his excitement about the new services when announced in March, “these additions further enhance our connectivity, providing travelers with more options and convenience.”

More: Historic 1899 stagecoach to be displayed at El Paso airport

• Ontario, California (ONT): Frontier’s new service to Ontario will operate three days per week, with flights starting Friday, May 17. Ontario is part of the Southern California market, already served by Southwest (LAX and Long Beach) and American (LAX). The addition of Frontier’s flights provides travelers with more options to fly.
• San Diego (SAN): Beginning Thursday, May 16, Frontier will offer nonstop flights to San Diego three days a week. Southwest currently serves San Diego with daily flights, and Frontier’s service will enhance passengers’ travel options, city officials said.

These new routes complement Frontier’s existing service from El Paso to Denver and Las Vegas. 

Where do most tourists go in summer?

Expedia’s Summer Outlook and Google Flights identified the same cities among their most searched summer 2024 destinations based on flights, though rankings varied by platform.

Top 5 domestic destinations 

• New York
• Orlando, Florida
• Los Angeles
• Las Vegas
• Seattle

Top 5 international destinations

USA Today contributed to this story.