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Crosscurrents

Finding affordable housing means a longer commute for one Silicon Valley worker

According to a 2013 study, one in six people who work in Silicon Valley spend at least two hours on their commute. Nuemi Guzman is one of those people. She’s a legal assistant with the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley.

 

Guzman and her husband wanted stable housing where they could raise their three kids. The only place they felt they could afford to buy is Los Banos. But, it’s 80 miles away from her office in San Jose. For Guzman this means waking up very early, and driving with her husband to Gilroy. There, she hops on a bus to San Jose. In the evening, she does it all over again in reverse, all the while crossing her fingers there isn’t an accident or other traffic jam along the way. We gave Guzman a recorder to document her commute and this is what she brought back.  

 

Click the audio player to hear the story

 

The battery in Guzman's recorder didn't survive the trip. Her usual two hour commute back home took more like six that night, all due to a fire on the side of the highway.

 

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Crosscurrents Housing & Homelessness
Angela Johnston is the Senior Producer of Uncuffed and an editor in the KALW newsroom. She holds a Master’s degree in journalism and graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy program. She’s worked for KALW in numerous roles - from the deputy news director, to the health and environment reporter, and she's covered everything from lead poisoning to climate change. Her work has aired on KALW, KQED, Reveal, and The Pulse. She also freelances as a producer and editor for Cosmic Standard and AFAR Media. Outside of work, she loves to swim in the bay, surf small waves on her longboard, read, backpack, cook, and garden.