hugopal Has anything actually improved there in recent years?
Hmmm. Probably not. Don’t get me wrong, I still like it here but it has major issues that frankly feel intractable. They’re also issues that cannot be fixed locally. Homelessness and housing costs, forest fires and climate change…that needs federal intervention but we don’t have a functional federal government so we piss into the wind locally.
As for tech helping local businesses….meh. These aren’t people who go out much, get free food and gyms on their campuses, they drive up housing costs so places cannot find labor. Corrupt politicians dole out tax breaks so not much benefit there. Many of the workers have no interest in staying here long term so there’s no investment on their part in the greater community. I mean, we’re in a better spot than Detroit or Cleveland or whatever rust belt town you want to choose, but we’ll be in a good spot due to climate and having three world class universities. The Bay will always be desirable.
