Bleak Housing

Joe Rution should be applauded for his common-sense breath of fresh air relative to the housing situation and the misguided attempts to resolve it by the City of Santa Barbara. The housing problem is not just a supply problem but also a demand problem.

As a corollary to what he said, I am surprised that nothing is done by government or others to address the monopoly that the South Coast has on primary locations, and head offices specifically, for various governments, schools and colleges, nonprofits, NGOs, religious institutions, brick and mortar businesses, Internet businesses, professionals, medical institutions/businesses, investment advisers, retail shopping, etc., etc. If these entities would have been spread out a little in the rest of the county, a lot of pressure would have been taken off the housing supply.

As it is, the situation is a function of the needs and desires of the Power Elite, and their arrogance. Why create policies for housing without somehow dealing with this demand question? Executives and managers can afford to buy houses or pay the rents, and want the comforts and cachet of being in Santa Barbara, without worrying about where their employees or customers/patrons come from or how much they pay for housing if they try to live here.