Salaries have also risen significantly in the past 10 years, particularly in Silicon Valley. This may account for the lower eviction rate despite the increase in rents.

> This may account for the lower eviction rate despite the increase in rents.

And it may not. I can't find any numbers to support that at all.


article above: "Rents in San Mateo County have increased nearly 55% since the start of the decade."

SC County
2011 Median pay for full-time, year-round county employees $74,582
2018 Median pay for full-time, year-round county employees $92,359

Source: trans CA

Hardly enough to absorb a 50% increase. There are other suggestions in the article.

Unemployment was much higher 8-10 years ago. Housing is very tight now because of high employment and the fact that people are not moving much.

chris of University South
> Unemployment was much higher 8-10 years ago.

Are those numbers for the USA as a whole, or the Bay Area? Employment in the Bay Area has always seemed to be fairly high,with the exception of the lull around 1990, though it is recently even higher. Salaries are higher too, but when the magnitude of this comes into focus, think of all that money that could or should be going to health care, education, housing improvements, updating cars to hybrid/electric that is just going into the hands of landlords, most of whom have owned property for a long time and are reaping windfall profits. This is very bad for everyone except a select few with enough capital to be insulated from the realities everyone else has to face.

When things evolve to a toxic pathological state government action is understandable and warranted. Inequality of this magnitude is destructive to our society.

"8-10 years ago"

Falls on the outside of the Bush Great Recession (2008-2009.)

I remember December of 2008; looking for a place, rents skyrocketed during that economic calamity because so many folks were being put out of homes. It was counter-intuitive. It would take a quick search to find those numbers.

Meta-comment: that is great you are drawing content from Cal matters.
Another great source of information about what’s actually going on here is my blog plastic Alto

Doesn't seem like such a mystery. The underclass has mostly already moved out of San Mateo, displaced by H1Bs, educated immigrants, and office buildings.