Do you make to much to qualify for section 8?

[Big A]

Time to move to Palo Alto.

To help those who aren't among the wealthy elite buy homes, the City of Palo Alto is considering building and subsidizing new housing for families making $150,000 to $250,000, CBS SF reports.

Nearly anywhere else in the country, a family bringing in $250,000 a year is considered wealthy. In fact, this salary puts you in the wealthiest 3 percent of Americans.

But in Palo Alto, Calif., this income bracket sticks you in the middle class. This high-tech hub centered in the Silicon Valley's hot job market has the country's third-highest median family income among small cities at $167,408, according to a 2014 Money survey.

This all means buying a home can be next to impossible.

In the town where Google's Larry Page and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg reside, the average cost of a three-bedroom home is around $2.18 million, an unaffordable price to middle-class families without hefty down payments.

Palo Alto hopes their plan would help teachers, firefighters, government works and others with salaries that don't cover the cost of living remain in the city.

CBS reports that the plan would include building smaller, downtown units close to transit as well as residential homes.

[mstng86]

Everybody has a choo choo train in their driveway too

[slingshot]

First world problems...

[Buick355]

Why the fuck would anyone live somewhere where $2mil only gets you a small 3 BR home? Move just about anywhere else in the continental US and buy a decent sized home for $500k, and then a Bugatti Veyron to drive onto the lake.

Idiots

[abecx]

Why the fuck would anyone live somewhere where $2mil only gets you a small 3 BR home?

Because the salary and benefits are some of the best in the country. I was eating gourmet meals every day with fresh fruits and as much coconut water or whatever else I wanted to eat/drink all for free. They would pay you for time to travel to work and cover gas or public transportation, $250 a month in parking allowance, gym memberships to $50 a month, just tons of free things. You had unlimited paid days off, and could work from home as you pleased. It is a few times better up in san fran/palo alto area.

Employers also don't treat their employees like shit like they do here in Texas. Opportunities happen and if you're smart enough to take advantage of them and prove your value, you are compensated for it.

I think calling people idiots for wanting to live better lives is a bit of a stretch simply because of housing costs. I guess if one believes that owning a home means you've made it in life then perhaps, but some of the places I've lived at are better than most homes in Texas. While buying a small home in California in general is next to impossible without at least 200k saved up, the rental market is pretty nuts for what you can get/live in depending on where you choose to live. I was able to walk to LA Live since it was 2 blocks over to see pretty much any event one would ever want to see at the Staples Center.

[CexMashean]

And then you left.

[Buick355]

Because the salary and benefits are some of the best in the country. I was eating gourmet meals every day with fresh fruits and as much coconut water or whatever else I wanted to eat/drink all for free. They would pay you for time to travel to work and cover gas or public transportation, $250 a month in parking allowance, gym memberships to $50 a month, just tons of free things. You had unlimited paid days off, and could work from home as you pleased. It is a few times better up in san fran/palo alto area.

WTF, are you serious? Is this typical in CA for employers to treat their employees like this? That seems crazy. I guess I can see why people would want to live there. The cost of labor there must be astronomical though.

[abecx]

And then you left.

Its rare that a company will pay you California rates and let you move anywhere in the country you want to, I would be an idiot to not take advantage to live near the people I care about and be closer to all you fags. Plus, now I can afford to buy us all castles.

WTF, are you serious? Is this typical in CA for employers to treat their employees like this? That seems crazy. I guess I can see why people would want to live there. The cost of labor there must be astronomical though.

I can only speak for the tech sector, and yeah it was like this everywhere I interviewed ( about 5 places total ). All the amenities is how they got talent to work for their company. Since there is so many people living in the state, company provided benefits were bragging rights on how companies got and kept the best talent. I asked for a moving bonus to move from Houston to cali, they gave me $10k without even batting an eye or asking for receipts.

oh and to clarify, I wasnt even interviewing at companies you've heard of.

[mstng86]

I loves us, he REALLY LOVES US!

[slow99]

WTF, are you serious? Is this typical in CA for employers to treat their employees like this?

Tech in San Francisco area, sure. I lived in San Francisco and covered tech companies in silicon valley. As far as finance/investment banking - firms have cost of living adjustments that go into salaries. The companies I know there, New York City and San Francisco were the 2 locations that got the adjustment. I guess there were other things like covering the cost of my move, but that's pretty standard imo. The company back in Dallas covered my move back from SF to here.

[juiceweezl]

Because the salary and benefits are some of the best in the country. I was eating gourmet meals every day with fresh fruits and as much coconut water or whatever else I wanted to eat/drink all for free. They would pay you for time to travel to work and cover gas or public transportation, $250 a month in parking allowance, gym memberships to $50 a month, just tons of free things. You had unlimited paid days off, and could work from home as you pleased. It is a few times better up in san fran/palo alto area.

Employers also don't treat their employees like shit like they do here in Texas. Opportunities happen and if you're smart enough to take advantage of them and prove your value, you are compensated for it.

I think calling people idiots for wanting to live better lives is a bit of a stretch simply because of housing costs. I guess if one believes that owning a home means you've made it in life then perhaps, but some of the places I've lived at are better than most homes in Texas. While buying a small home in California in general is next to impossible without at least 200k saved up, the rental market is pretty nuts for what you can get/live in depending on where you choose to live. I was able to walk to LA Live since it was 2 blocks over to see pretty much any event one would ever want to see at the Staples Center.

...but liberals...

[abecx]

...but liberals...

I am a big devils advocate when it comes to listening and arguing viewpoints and there were some very heavy liberals for sure, but some of the things they preach or talk about are spot on. I will say that I've found more educated people in California but more experienced and actual hands on talented people in Texas ( aka having actually done it before, not referring to manual labor ). I clashed a lot over there especially since I have no college education. I want to talk and type about this much but I feel like i'm bragging. I just wish that as Americans, we could meet in the middle on more topics and stop the us vs them mentality that is so present in our culture.

[juiceweezl]

I am a big devils advocate when it comes to listening and arguing viewpoints and there were some very heavy liberals for sure, but some of the things they preach or talk about are spot on. I will say that I've found more educated people in California but more experienced and actual hands on talented people in Texas ( aka having actually done it before, not referring to manual labor ). I clashed a lot over there especially since I have no college education. I want to talk and type about this much but I feel like i'm bragging. I just wish that as Americans, we could meet in the middle are so many more topics and stop the us vs them mentality that is so present in our culture.

I'm not from Texas but live here now. My company is based in Pleasanton. I get to Cali a handful of times each year, and I love visiting San Fran when I can extend my stay. That being said, I couldn't live there because there are too many extreme liberals. That's not to say there aren't too many extreme conservatives here in TX, but the larger city areas here are closer to the middle for the most part.

I agree with you 100% on how everyone should agree to be a little more open minded though. The problem is that so many people are being told what to think instead of thinking for themselves. My 12 year old son has really taken an interest in the election this year, and I'm trying my best not to influence him. He's reading on his own and studying candidates and issues. When he asks me about them, I specifically ask him if he wants my personal opinion or just the facts about something. I'm impressed (and proud) of his approach to this. It's interesting what he says sometimes and then how he reacts when you point out a fact he has missed about something.

[GhostTX]

Because the salary and benefits are some of the best in the country. I was eating gourmet meals every day with fresh fruits and as much coconut water or whatever else I wanted to eat/drink all for free. They would pay you for time to travel to work and cover gas or public transportation, $250 a month in parking allowance, gym memberships to $50 a month, just tons of free things. You had unlimited paid days off, and could work from home as you pleased. It is a few times better up in san fran/palo alto area.

Employers also don't treat their employees like shit like they do here in Texas. Opportunities happen and if you're smart enough to take advantage of them and prove your value, you are compensated for it.

I think calling people idiots for wanting to live better lives is a bit of a stretch simply because of housing costs. I guess if one believes that owning a home means you've made it in life then perhaps, but some of the places I've lived at are better than most homes in Texas. While buying a small home in California in general is next to impossible without at least 200k saved up, the rental market is pretty nuts for what you can get/live in depending on where you choose to live. I was able to walk to LA Live since it was 2 blocks over to see pretty much any event one would ever want to see at the Staples Center.

And what percent of CA employees fall into that? I doubt it's over 15%. Hence this whole subsidy BS with teachers, firemen, etc. I've got 2 friends living over there, in 1000'-ish apartments (condos...whatever) and are paying more than my house mortgage a month. Their companies don't have any perks like that. In my business trips over there, people I spoke to like CA for the weather and the coast. When I've asked about the exuberant cost of living, the response were more or less "where else I have sun, surf, mountains and spring weather year round?"

I am a big devils advocate when it comes to listening and arguing viewpoints and there were some very heavy liberals for sure, but some of the things they preach or talk about are spot on. I will say that I've found more educated people in California but more experienced and actual hands on talented people in Texas ( aka having actually done it before, not referring to manual labor ). I clashed a lot over there especially since I have no college education. I want to talk and type about this much but I feel like i'm bragging. I just wish that as Americans, we could meet in the middle on more topics and stop the us vs them mentality that is so present in our culture.

IMO, the problem is we've met in the middle too much, and it's always the conservatives gave up more while the liberals gained more. We're now rife with this entitlement mentality.

[David]

Nobody on the site would qualify for section 8 in Cali.