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The wealthy SF landowners are geniuses. They collect billions in rent each year - they suck up all those sweet sweet tech dollars. All they have to do is show u

The wealthy SF landowners are geniuses. They collect billions in rent each year - they suck up all those sweet sweet tech dollars. All they have to do is show up to city meetings and vote down more building (except commercial zoning of course!!). SF landlords are super progressive too (lol) -- they want to keep that "rent control" going. Rent control ensures no new housing, massive demand, no need to renovate, and sky high rental prices.

nradov 5y ago
Peter Thiel recognized that problem in 2018 and cut his SF Bay Area investments: "One thing I’ve been thinking about as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley is the vast majority of the capital I give to the companies is just going to landlords. It’s going to commercial real estate and even more to urban slumlords of one sort or another." https://finance.yahoo.com/news/peter-thiel-vast-majority-capital-give-companies-just-going-landlords-134709786.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/peter-thiel-vast-majority-cap...
ec109685 5y ago
Traffic is horrible in the Bay Area. Is the answer really “more people”? If it is, it needs to be coupled with infrastructure investment.
- Tiktaalik 5y ago
  It's an easily addressable issue. We've had the technology since the 19th century, but just as there are the nimbys disingenuously working hard to their benefit to ensure that new housing for workers isn't created, you have people like Elon Musk and others in the car/oil industry working hard to defeat rapid public transit and other public works.
- chmod600 5y ago
  The freeway is jammed by people who can't live close to their job and entertainment because of bad housing policy. Restricting the housing supply might very well be the cause of traffic, not the solution to it.
  - seanmcdirmid 5y ago
    There are two causes at work here: 1. Build great transportation infrastructure so it is easy to get to work from outlying suburbs. That takes the pressure off on the need to buy centrally. This doesn't have to be (and probably shouldn't be) just freeways, it could be subways and urban rail. 2. Build very dense housing so people can live near their jobs, thus not needed as much infrastructure. The best cities (e.g. Tokyo) do both.
  - ec109685 5y ago
    That assumes if a family has two income earners, they both work in the same city.

nradov 5y ago

Peter Thiel recognized that problem in 2018 and cut his SF Bay Area investments: "One thing I’ve been thinking about as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley is the vast majority of the capital I give to the companies is just going to landlords. It’s going to commercial real estate and even more to urban slumlords of one sort or another." https://finance.yahoo.com/news/peter-thiel-vast-majority-capital-give-companies-just-going-landlords-134709786.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/peter-thiel-vast-majority-cap...

ec109685 5y ago

Traffic is horrible in the Bay Area. Is the answer really “more people”? If it is, it needs to be coupled with infrastructure investment.

Tiktaalik 5y ago
It's an easily addressable issue. We've had the technology since the 19th century, but just as there are the nimbys disingenuously working hard to their benefit to ensure that new housing for workers isn't created, you have people like Elon Musk and others in the car/oil industry working hard to defeat rapid public transit and other public works.
chmod600 5y ago
The freeway is jammed by people who can't live close to their job and entertainment because of bad housing policy. Restricting the housing supply might very well be the cause of traffic, not the solution to it.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago
  There are two causes at work here: 1. Build great transportation infrastructure so it is easy to get to work from outlying suburbs. That takes the pressure off on the need to buy centrally. This doesn't have to be (and probably shouldn't be) just freeways, it could be subways and urban rail. 2. Build very dense housing so people can live near their jobs, thus not needed as much infrastructure. The best cities (e.g. Tokyo) do both.
- ec109685 5y ago
  That assumes if a family has two income earners, they both work in the same city.