Decades ago San Francisco was the beautiful city by the sea with gorgeous views and the iconic Golden Gate bridge. It’s still beautiful, but after decades of liberal policies and politicians the city has changed in a big way.
In the 70’s and 80’s I loved San Francisco, now it has lost much of its charm due to the huge homeless population, very high property crime, and ridiculous home prices that make the city all but impossible to afford (current median home price is $1.1 million) except for those in the tech industry. But who knows how long tech boom will last? For most industries there are booms and there are busts. Office rents in the city are now higher than New York city because of so many tech industries moving in. How long can that last?
Friends don’t believe me when I tell them when you see poop on the sidewalk in San Francisco you hope it’s from a dog. It’s often from a human. Human feces have become so prevalent there is now a map of where in the city it is most prevalent. The city is also grappling with urine soaked elevators on their rapid transit system. San Francisco has long been known as a city that tolerates everything and these problems are proof positive.
San Francisco is a ‘sanctuary city’ which means everyone is welcome, regardless of legal status and regardless of crimes committed. The city now has the highest property crime rate in the nation.
Homelessness has reached crisis proportions with an estimated 6,686 homeless people in the city in hundreds of tents all over the city, under bridges and on sidewalks. According to a recent survey, homelessness in San Francisco is the biggest concern of city residents. Businesses hate it but there’s little they can do when the homeless block access to their businesses. The city has tried to address the problem with little success. Nor can the businesses do anything about the beggars on every street corner of the city. Dodging beggars on every corner and feces on many streets makes for a less than pleasurable tourist experience.
In San Francisco there is no prohibition against sleeping on the streets or blocking sidewalks. There is no prosecution for drug crimes. As a result addicts are all over the city as are syringes. Syringe sightings in the city have increased by 41% over 2015. Feces sightings have increased by 39%.
San Francisco brings in $9 million a year from tourists and $4 million in tax revenue and yet the city is billions of dollars in debt. The city also wants to spend $5 million to defend illegal immigrants.
Interesting articles on what is happening in this once wonderful city, Reasons Why San Francisco is the Worst Place Ever, and 34% of Bay Area Residents are Ready to Leave.
More about what has happened to the city by the sea here.
