4 ms·

I don't think single party control is a good thing anywhere. I lean Democrat like most of us here, but I find myself avoiding deep blue cities. A lot of Democr

I don't think single party control is a good thing anywhere. I lean Democrat like most of us here, but I find myself avoiding deep blue cities. A lot of Democrats are just as selfish, Republicans tend to be more open about it. Deep blue cities have the same corruption and social segregation as red ones do. A lot of "hot" cities outside SV are Democratic mayors in Republican states. The mix keeps corruption low and forces compromises. The homeless issue is a city scale prisoners dilemma. By offering better services you attract homeless. Homeless people aren't stupid and will move to places that suit their lifestyle better, just like we do. The only way to avoid it is better policies on a national level. Otherwise cities that treat homeless better just become a magnet for them.

nickpinkston 6y ago
The "homeless people move to SF thing" is significant, but often overstated: "[The] survey showed that 71% of San Francisco’s street people had formerly been housed in the city." http://www.housethehomeless.org/myths-about-homelessness/ http://www.housethehomeless.org/myths-about-homelessness/
- throwaway189262 6y ago
  Housed for how long? It's common for people with mental and substance abuse issues to move in and out of housing transiently because they frequently lose their jobs. There's a recent example of numerous homeless coming to the city because the mayor promised housing during corona https://abc7news.com/homeless-in-san-francisco-coronavirus-sf-help/6158835/ https://abc7news.com/homeless-in-san-francisco-coronavirus-s...
  - hindsightbias 6y ago
    There was a time you could do time or lose a job and come back to a SRO unit. Not like anyone warned there was a problem: https://thebolditalic.com/life-inside-sf-s-vanishing-single-resident-occupancies-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-20bf7aa0b3c8 https://thebolditalic.com/life-inside-sf-s-vanishing-single-...
    - throwaway189262 6y ago
      The huge expense of housing is due to insane NIMBYism that somehow gets tied to progressive policies. Protect the children, the forest, the neighborhood. There's enough laws going around to protect everything that nothing can change at all. And it may or may not be intentional that this housing shortage increases property values. My theory is that red states distaste for regulations discourages everyone from weaseling housing policies for their own interest. Housing is definitely cheaper in cities within red states. And in my experience there's less homeless, which may be directly correlated.
imtringued 6y ago
>The homeless issue is a city scale prisoners dilemma. By offering better services you attract homeless. Homeless people aren't stupid and will move to places that suit their lifestyle better, just like we do. The only way to avoid it is better policies on a national level. Otherwise cities that treat homeless better just become a magnet for them. Well, you're wrong about one thing. The homeless don't have to move. If SF attracts homeless people then it is entirely possible that people in the "grey zone" become homeless on their own. A lot of people just move in with their parents or friends if they lose their home. If the stigma of homelessness is smaller than the stigma of living with parents it's entirely possible that people go to shelters just to save themselves the embarrassment of failure in front of their friends and family. Especially if that "shelter" is just a free apartment room.

nickpinkston 6y ago

The "homeless people move to SF thing" is significant, but often overstated: "[The] survey showed that 71% of San Francisco’s street people had formerly been housed in the city." http://www.housethehomeless.org/myths-about-homelessness/ http://www.housethehomeless.org/myths-about-homelessness/

throwaway189262 6y ago
Housed for how long? It's common for people with mental and substance abuse issues to move in and out of housing transiently because they frequently lose their jobs. There's a recent example of numerous homeless coming to the city because the mayor promised housing during corona https://abc7news.com/homeless-in-san-francisco-coronavirus-sf-help/6158835/ https://abc7news.com/homeless-in-san-francisco-coronavirus-s...
- hindsightbias 6y ago
  There was a time you could do time or lose a job and come back to a SRO unit. Not like anyone warned there was a problem: https://thebolditalic.com/life-inside-sf-s-vanishing-single-resident-occupancies-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-20bf7aa0b3c8 https://thebolditalic.com/life-inside-sf-s-vanishing-single-...
  - throwaway189262 6y ago
    The huge expense of housing is due to insane NIMBYism that somehow gets tied to progressive policies. Protect the children, the forest, the neighborhood. There's enough laws going around to protect everything that nothing can change at all. And it may or may not be intentional that this housing shortage increases property values. My theory is that red states distaste for regulations discourages everyone from weaseling housing policies for their own interest. Housing is definitely cheaper in cities within red states. And in my experience there's less homeless, which may be directly correlated.

imtringued 6y ago

>The homeless issue is a city scale prisoners dilemma. By offering better services you attract homeless. Homeless people aren't stupid and will move to places that suit their lifestyle better, just like we do. The only way to avoid it is better policies on a national level. Otherwise cities that treat homeless better just become a magnet for them. Well, you're wrong about one thing. The homeless don't have to move. If SF attracts homeless people then it is entirely possible that people in the "grey zone" become homeless on their own. A lot of people just move in with their parents or friends if they lose their home. If the stigma of homelessness is smaller than the stigma of living with parents it's entirely possible that people go to shelters just to save themselves the embarrassment of failure in front of their friends and family. Especially if that "shelter" is just a free apartment room.