By Lynne Miller
Hey, we locals who are reaching into our 7th and 8th decades may not be happy with the ‘state’ of California. We just may have noticed that our government is not serving local people.
Most of us in this age group have paid a TON of taxes, and know more are to come. We have been ‘marked’ as NIMBYS who are selfish, heartless, and not concerned about people who are sick, homeless, and/or penniless.
Truth is, we who are approaching the final graduation from life have worked hard, volunteered, raised families, supported less fortunate, and when inspired for our own reasons, protested and fought against unfair and unjust groups, laws, and politicians. So now, looking over our shoulders at the rubble created by new laws, we not only have the right to speak out, but the right to consider our personal options.
Selling to the highest bidder may seem like a contradiction if we have fought against the very laws that have created land grab and high-density development.
If someone knocked on my door, if I was retiring my business, or moving out of Cali seemed like my best option, that person attached to the knuckles on my front door might be invited in. Money does have a loud sound system, that travels to visions of the ‘good life.’ It is easy to point fingers and vilify a person who chooses to ‘take the money and run’. Maybe, if we had all been educated voters and done our homework, we would have voted for people with “integrity”.
I know, it is hard to discern the liars from the truth tellers. Virus of the Mind is a book I read years ago, and I have seen the mind virus weave its way into our thinking and our beliefs. The owner of The French Gourmet–I don’t know whether to applaud him or chastise him, (one of the owners of the land sold to the Turquoise Tower.) If I stand in the place of a life well-lived and a retirement well-deserved, then the highest bid is a reasonable choice. If I stand in the place of a community member who knows it is time to retire, and puts greed aside, selling out to the top bid that will tower above the neighbors seems like an unthinkable choice. To be honest, both options are viable.
The new ADU modifications that have been proposed would allow me to take my backyard (now referred to as a privilege) and replace it with ADUs, and more people than our ecosystem can tolerate.
I could change my angry battle with an out-of-control government to a silly grin, a bottle of gin, and greenbacks falling from my pockets. I could sell out, get out of Cali and live on some beach where I might run into the people Jimmy Buffett sang about.
I understand the choice, and with the political deck stacked against local residents who just want to live their life as they chose/choose, who are tired of that battle next-door, across the street, around the corner, I wave to the ‘sell-outs’ and wish them God Speed. Oh, and once you settle in paradise, remember your old neighbors and write to us if you find a property we might enjoy!
Just may have noticed? Hardly. Raising families doesn’t stop at the age of personal responsibility. In retirement, I’ve continued to invest in my children, where necessary, to navigate the impossibility, rather than being a forever renter, before what I have is passed onto them. And as I’ve visited many cities, the problems look like they remain the same, regardless of location. Our problems look the same everywhere, more so than you believe. Take a random weekend fun trip and look around. Just don’t do it here, the taxes just went up, lol.
But, there is nowhere in the US I can find that beats our climate. Just the other day, 71 in SD, 66 in SF, and 90 in Portland? Snow? Ice storms? Heat waves (a bit)? Pretty good in general.
Politicians are bought by special interest money. Political capital is the donor exchange for lower taxes. Today’s reality, public be damned. What we pay to be represented, everybody pays. That’s the base rate for every politician. Your election solely relies on special interests and that pay back.
Enough is enough People! Please exercise some thought. The right to a maximum profit is nonsense—there is no such right. Yes, I belong to those 70 to 80 year olds who through hard work and lots of luck have won in the housing roulette. Lived in OB in the ‘70s then northern CA until the ‘80s then in Bay Area until 2004. Made enough on our house to pay cash for a house in San Diego. Now that house is worth $1 million plus through only general maintenance on our part-double what we paid. We could cash out and move to Margariaville and buy something for lots less and live the life. But—we are not solitary creatures and I hope to never be one of those spoiled brat rich kids playing Monopoly with a sympathetic mother who allows rules to be bent to favor the little brats—-all wanting to be the one who eventually has everything. So I say, if you’re looking to get out enough is enough-the medium price of houses in the US is only $400 thousand and change so sell to a real person and fuck the developers and fuck the war on the people perpetrated by our mayor and city council and just get out if you are so inclined. There are still a lot of great people in SD but it’s getting hard to see them past the multi-story monstrosities and the incompetence and malice of our local government. Resist and be able to look at yourself in the mirror…