It is painful that Palo Alto is getting very expensive. There are definitely two populations: Tech industry families, and old Palo Alto residents trapped in t

It is painful that Palo Alto is getting very expensive. There are definitely two populations: Tech industry families, and old Palo Alto residents trapped in their homes. [0] For better or worse, the locals have decided to restrict supply of new houses to protect the value of their existing inventory. If if they opened up 5,000 new units in Palo Alto, it still would barely make a dent. The scope of the problem, and the Not In My Backyard syndrome highlights that it's a regional problem, and not a city-wide one. State laws need to make it easier to build everywhere. (Yes - I buy that environmental impacts need to be studied, but when they're used solely as an excuse to stop development, the poorest suffer, and real environment issues get put to the side) In the end Palo Alto will suffer if all the new building is done in Redwood City, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. In 30 years, the residents of Palo Alto will be living in dilapidated old houses while their neighbors have newer ones to choose from. [0] This is due to CA tax assessment laws that restrict mobility. I can write more on this.