Housing markets like this are bad for people and bad for the economy. It is bleak. There is no actual value being created when home prices skyrocket; it means that supply is severely restricted, and it prevents efficient location of people near their jobs.
However, there is a bit of a problem problem when people like, say, teachers, police officers, firefighters and can't afford to live anywhere near an entire big urban area which needs them. Rich people depend on non-rich people to do things like stock groceries on store shelves, teach their kids, police the streets (protecting all those riches), put out the fires (protecting all those riches) etc.
I feel like a unified regional government could help fix some of these commercial/residential disparities, but too many towns have too much to lose for that to happen. And I wouldn't want to wish the voters of Dublin or Livermore onto SF/Berkeley/Oakland residents.
Glad to live in a city (Chicago) with a much saner housing market.
I've started going to city meetings in Cupertino and Sunnyvale, and I agree the only solution is top down.
I want the newly available Cupertion Vallco site to be full of housing, but I've resigned myself to the fact that Cupertino just isn't going to do it. The mayor doesn't want it, and the home owners don't want it. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up with more office space than housing.
In Cupertino, Palo Alto, etc. housing is currently controlled by local nimby interests. We do have a state oversite process: https://abag.ca.gov/planning/housingneeds/. CA knows we're not doing the right thing, here and in the rest of the state. Check out the statewide housing assessment: http://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/plans-reports/index.sh.... It shows the picture clearly. We're like a person driving a car with their feet - we're just doing something dumb. We need to get around the political inertia to change our current approach.
Looking around for what we can literally do as citizens, I found our state senator had an open house last week, but I missed it with a cold. So, show up and ask for more housing and ask him to get sb 827 and 828 passed! If you're local, follow his schedule at http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/sign-e-notices-and-email-updates and show up with me!
replying to myself: I just sat in a Sunnyvale El Camino Real planning meeting. Sunnyvale is adding substantial capacity on El Camino, about 7000 additional units in a much denser style, like what we need in the rest of the bay. So, We can do this in the bay! It's not a question when, but of how long. The sooner you get involved, the sooner more housing projects get started!
Only of the (very few) reasons I like the GOP tax bill is that it will likely lead to California tax overhaul, including reducing income tax and ending Proposition 13.
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 48.8 ms ] threadGlad to live in a city (Chicago) with a much saner housing market.
In Cupertino, Palo Alto, etc. housing is currently controlled by local nimby interests. We do have a state oversite process: https://abag.ca.gov/planning/housingneeds/. CA knows we're not doing the right thing, here and in the rest of the state. Check out the statewide housing assessment: http://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/plans-reports/index.sh.... It shows the picture clearly. We're like a person driving a car with their feet - we're just doing something dumb. We need to get around the political inertia to change our current approach.
The state process just doesn't have enough grip to get our hands back on the wheel. It seems like sb 828 might improve the oversite https://artplusmarketing.com/california-needs-a-housing-firs....
Looking around for what we can literally do as citizens, I found our state senator had an open house last week, but I missed it with a cold. So, show up and ask for more housing and ask him to get sb 827 and 828 passed! If you're local, follow his schedule at http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/sign-e-notices-and-email-updates and show up with me!