This article at Bloomberg View highlights the ironic contrast between Silicon Valley’s support for bringing more workers into the country from overseas and its opposition to the zoning reforms necessary for providing places for those foreign workers to live within a reasonable proximity to their work:
A recent Guardian article describes the plight of Silicon Valley software engineers who struggle to get by on six-figure incomes. It’s hard to feel sympathy for these guys, I know. But this isn’t a woeful tale of rich people living beyond their means, it’s a sad observation that no matter how high employee wages go, the limited housing supply leaves the region unaffordable for a large number of workers.
For whatever inexplicable reason, big technology companies insist on building their offices in areas with tight zoning restrictions. Mountain View, hometown to Alphabet Inc.’s Google, gained 17,921 jobs between 2012 and 2015, but added only 779 units of housing over the same period. San Francisco added a bit more than 9,000 housing units while gaining half a million jobs. Given the scarcity of housing, many new incoming residents have to outbid a current resident to move in. Palo Alto’s city planning commissioner recently resigned because she and her husband could not afford to raise a family in Palo Alto — even though both had jobs at leading tech companies.
It seems to me that the article highlights an important point. There are many more considerations that the law should take into account beyond those it already does. Accommodations, travel conditions, distances, and modes of travel are among them.
AFAICT, what the kids at these places do is live with 4 or 5 people in a 2 bedroom place so they can afford it. It is just like extended college life. When you get married you have to move, especially if you want to have children.
Steve