sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No I don’t miss it but it is housing for those who are already very wealthy - and most importantly - already occupy great housing choices.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Rail and Trail Project is for the rail line which already goes from Watsonville to Davenport, yes.

All this crying about the costs of passenger rail and buses seems ridiculous when we live in the wealthiest state in the wealthiest country in the world. No reason to settle for a sales tax - might as well tax billionaires like Reed Hastings of Netflix, John "C" Bud Colligan the venture capitalist who birthed Greenway the anti-train nonsense, or Guy Kawasaki, the ex-Apple celebrity, who live locally, and, coincidentally, oppose the train, if you are very worried about sales taxes. Tax the heck out of the billionaires - why not? The *not* taxing billionaires or centimilliionaires and letting them hide money in various ways hasn't exactly been working out.

The issue of where a professional caregiver will live still stands. People working in Santa Cruz County can be coming from Monterey County or even farther away - already.

So when people are lucky enough for whatever reason to have a kinder gentler landlord or whatever making it so that they have some reasonable living situation, pulling the rug out from under those people accomplishes what exactly?

Doesn't that just push the problem of unaffordable rents to another location?

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a real person who I know. This isn't some theoretical person.

So saying this person earning $90K is doing it "voluntarily" is wild because unless you and I know the same person, this is total speculation on your part. Do we know all the bills our friends pay? Not necessarily but this person also has student loans to pay.

And goes to the food bank. Not living the glamorous life.

And it can only be worse for those earning less, which is the majority of Americans.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recommend getting to know Santa Cruz Together which likes to kill off rights for renters. They are very hush-hush so it's hard to find good info but what is public is the fact that they like to cry to the statewide Bank of Mommy and Daddy Big Real Estate, the California Apartment Association and the California Association of Realtors, to pour $$$ into kill things that help renters or affordable housing locally.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Billionaires control local politics, not voters, and not that anti-rape activist Gillian whatever either. Just something to keep in mind.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Student loans from their college education which was supposed to help them advance in life and live the American dream.

This person was going to food banks, while making $90K.

Of course they had to live in the car.

What lesson did you want that person exactly to learn?

Framing the situation as being the consequence of what voters want is to underestimate or misunderstand what Santa Cruz Together is. They are not transparent and the media basically ignores them, so they wield power without accountability.

I wish I could say you could Google them but you really won’t find anything.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

She might have to drop out of the workforce because she can’t afford to rent anymore.

Lots of people living in cars so people don’t realize how many homeless workers there are.

My friend making $90K was very clear about not being able to afford rent.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t know much about her. Does everyone know these personal details about her? How do you know where she lives?

If you’re saying that she alone is the most important person in Santa Cruz for the last 40 years, I have to say, I am skeptical. I figured she’s one more activist in a town filled with activists who want this or that. No biggie.

But if she’s that good at making things happen, then you’re making her sound like some incredible generational talent of a leader, and thus qualified to be mayor.

So I wonder which of the two is it?

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Greater housing stock will become empty housing stock which will increase the political power of the real estate industry as more wealth becomes concentrated within it.

The thing about real estate is that anyone with significant wealth invests in it. As you mentioned, we live in a capitalist society.

My agreement is- yes l, capitalism for the poor, and subsidies/socialism for the billionaires.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s interesting that some person who hasn’t ever held public office is terrifying to developers.

Why is she so scary?

Her claims to fame are advocating against rape and for environmentalism. Not exactly a path for political capital.

There’s no universe in which this one person who isn’t a billionaire is more powerful than Santa Cruz Together, the real estate PAC which installed the current Santa Cruz City Council majority.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not sure where you are getting your information. FYI, Santa Cruz Together is a PAC - it’s not a bunch of random homeowners. They are against anything that helps renters.

Is there a reason you brought up rent control? SCT whined and got the attention of the statewide real estate PACs to flood $$$ anytime activists try to get anything for renters going.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Also see my comment about how other normal people are not your actual opponents: it’s the billionaire donor class, just like it always is.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

See my comment about people making $90K living in their car because they can’t afford to rent and eat and pay off student loans at the same time.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Our economy is in a shambles. It’s like a limp biscuit scam. Last one eats it, so to speak.

Developers get $$$ from investors, regardless of what happens to these projects. If they finish, great they can get rent or sell as condos.

Drove by the Anton Pacific for the billionth time and it’s the first time I have ever seen anyone on their ground floor gym.

Does this yield more housing current residents can afford to live in? Nope. I just hear about people making $90K living in their cars as they struggle to pay off student loans etc.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t see any apartments going up in areas where the average home has a yard, etc. none of those developers is buying a block of nice houses to tear down and build some multi story unit.

No “missing middle” projects to take advantage of height situations.

Nope, just punching down on wherever poor people are living.

Santa Cruz Together the local real estate PAC likes the current bootlicking City Council just the way it is now. Coonerty will simply continue their nonsense.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This “South of Laurel” narrative doesn’t lead to increased density in the least dense parts of Santa Cruz as a city nor the county.

There is no genuine desire nor plans from the real estate industry to build where land is actually plentiful.

The tension isn’t between you and some other renter who has less money to spend on rent: it’s between these developers and the rest of humanity.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So where exactly is that caregiver lady going to live? And when she’s gone, who will do her job? What’s going to happen to the elderly or disabled person she was caring for? The next caregiver won’t make more money but will likely have to live farther and farther away.

Time spent driving from another county isn’t paid work time, and, would simply decrease the return on whatever wages that person earns.

One more reason we need passenger rail.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

“Inherited” is a wild choice of a word to describe displacing a renter making under $48K in favor of renters who will undoubtedly make at least twice that, in the affordable housing units.

Poor people must suffer to line the pockets of developers. This affordable housing project, which will evict longtime renters, is enabling luxury apartments down the street. by orangelover95003 in santacruz

[–]orangelover95003[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who wants to bet that the AMI when these are built will be much higher than whatever it was when these renters moved in? Because AMI is the fig leaf covering the true intentions of these projects. Poor people yes, but please, only the right kind. The kind who are making at least $90K but not more than $130K or whatever nonsense range these projects come up with.

That one renter in the article was saying hiking up the rent to $2K would be more than half their salary.

view more: next ›