View from the Bay

View from the Bay

It has been a month since arriving in California and Megan and I are settling into our San Francisco lives well. I’m taking some time before looking for work so it makes sense to reflect on what we have learned about the fantastic people, culture and geography of the Bay Area and Northern California.

I heard somewhere that your first 100 days in a new environment is when your mind most inquisitive and you evaluate why behaviours and outcomes are a certain way. I’ll put this into practice by sharing recommendations for new arrivals and visitors, but I also want to attempt to decipher and explain the good, the bad and the ugly of life here. Given my background I will pay close attention to city and state politics and I will do a piece on the key issues influencing the midterm elections in November. Hope you enjoy and let me know if you have any questions or are visiting.

What hits you most initially? The hills are epic and everywhere, meaning getting from A to B can be a white knuckle ride, but the views are stunning. The famous Twin Peaks in the middle of the City provide the real 360 experience and the hairpin routes are magnets for tourists and cyclists.

From high up you can truly absorb that San Francisco is at the tip of a peninsula, surrounded by the sea. The Pacific is an ever present influence and shapes life here, from ‘Karl’ the famous Bay fog that rolls in frequently, to superb seafood and pristine beaches for chilly dips - my favourites have been China Beach and the Aquatic Park.

A lot of leisure time is spent outdoors even on the misty days and its reputation as the healthiest US city is well earned. Most residents are not far from green space and cycling, running and walking is the norm. A special walk is on the North West shoulder of the City, Land’s End - where you can view the length of Ocean Beach - through pine forests, Presidio (originally an 18th Century Spanish garrison) finishing at the popular Marina for some chowder and beer.

The independent and alternative nature of the city is world famous. It has a relaxed and calmer feel than elsewhere and people don’t seem in a hurry or to get irate about much. It remains a safe harbour where people can express themselves however they want. A local told me that SF has a proud tradition of independent stores so you won’t find many brand superstores or fast food chains here - I would recommend Haight-Ashbury, the birthplace of ‘60’s counterculture, for good nightlife and vintage shops.

Despite its obvious attributes, the City does have fundamental problems. I have had a small insight into some since arriving and, simplistically, they can be boiled down to the economics of the City, the cost of living and how society deals with the effects of poverty and poor health.

In a densely populated area, housing is high on residents’ concerns. You will struggle to get a 2 bed apartment for under $3,000 pcm - and these are not well equipped or modern. This is a huge factor in why the majority of public sector workers do not live in the city they serve.?

Affordable and safe housing is not an easy issue to resolve. The problem stems from longstanding barriers to increasing supply and there are hopes that proposition measures in the upcoming elections can help accelerate new development. The expectation and lack of investment from landlords and Airbnb hosts is also an issue. Historically, the popularity of San Francisco has meant landlords automatically raise rents whilst not updating properties - many we have seen haven’t been touched in decades. The tide may be turning as remote working means that people can do their jobs anywhere and subsequently the population of the City has actually reduced since the pandemic. Landlords are having to drop their price, but only marginally.

I knew it would be an expensive city but the price of food was a shock. Around $7 for bread and $5 for milk. Elsewhere in California food prices are less expensive but with high rent here, businesses put up their price in order to make a profit. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to keep a family fed here and the advertisements for food banks are as prominent as they are uncomfortable.

The most visible and distressing issue is the thousands of rough sleepers in the downtown area where severe mental health disorders and drug taking is evident. Nothing can prepare you for seeing these homeless encampments and the desperate situations people are living in.

The cause of high homelessness is multi faceted - with the opioid fentanyl playing a significant role - but it is clear that numbers have increased. I am interested to learn more about the City’s response as it appears there has been a shift towards treating individuals rather than penalising them and attempting more outreach to transition them into sheltered accommodation. Public health bodies leading on engagement rather than law enforcement makes sense but the overall problem seems insurmountable and I have heard grumblings about a lack of police activity and the impact of new drug sobering centres. There are also tensions within City government with the Mayor, London Breed, taking a lot of heat and openly criticising her Attorney General about results. This is a key political flashpoint that will not go away quickly.

A month in and it has also been great to integrate into new organisations such as the Golden Gate Triathlon Club and the SF Democratic Party. We are looking forward to exploring more of California (San Diego next!) and moving to our next apartment in Bernal Heights in the Southern (and sunnier) part of town.

George Loureda

Chief Engineer at London Borough of Camden

2 年

Enjoyed your update, keep them coming

Neil Gadhok

Government Affairs Director at Intuitive

2 年

Sounds like you’re settling in well. Our HQ is in Sunnyvale. Recommend a trip out to Santa Cruz - it’s awesome there

Aman Singh

Product Manager

2 年

Great observations Joe! It's an amazing city with some fundamental problems. In my (admittedly one and only) visit, I was shocked to see the levels of homelessness and addiction. Exploring the area around Union Square via the 'wrong' streets led to scenes reminiscent of charity adverts in war torn countries. I'm glad that the city seems to be treating addiction. The baseline issue of housing seems to be one that won't be resolved without some previously unseen levels of compassion and a lot less nimby-ism. Outside of that it's truly an incredible place. I loved the culture and vibe of Haight-Ashbury too. Get yourself over to Yosemite for some walking as well. Good luck in Bernal heights and hope to see you out there next year!!

Ned Lamb

Decarbonising homes at scale ????

2 年

Nice one, good luck with it all. Always interested in your view as a fellow “trailing spouse”!

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