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MASS EXODUS AHEAD!, CALIFORNIA HOUSING CRISIS — Workers Living in Offices, Cars & Sheds!

721 views · Published 15 February 2017 · 11:44 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: Mike Martins · 2017 · News & Politics

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“First-world problems are starting to merge into second-world and third-world problems.” — Mike Martins

California has always represented the dream: sunshine, opportunity, Hollywood, Silicon Valley and the idea that if you work hard enough, you can build a life for yourself.

But what happens when working people can't even afford somewhere legal to sleep?

In this video, I'm looking at a disturbing report out of California showing just how serious the affordable housing crisis has become. California rents are reportedly at record highs, while the homeownership rate has fallen to its lowest level since the 1940s.

One of the stories that really got me was about a Bay Area entrepreneur who was reportedly living in a 10-by-10 office and paying $300 per month because regular housing was beyond what she could afford. She had previously lived in offices, backyard sheds and even her Toyota Corolla.

Think about that.

We're talking about the heart of Silicon Valley—one of the wealthiest and most technologically advanced regions on Earth—and people are sleeping in offices and illegally converted garages.

The report says more than 1.5 million California households are spending over half their income on rent. Officials in San Jose were also encountering people living in sheds, shacks and illegally converted garages, sometimes without proper plumbing, sanitation or ventilation.

California also has laws requiring cities to plan for housing across different income levels, but according to the officials interviewed in this report, cities weren't necessarily being held accountable for whether enough of that housing was actually constructed. California had reportedly averaged roughly 80,000 new homes per year over the previous decade, which officials argued wasn't enough to maintain affordability.

And homelessness? The report puts it at roughly 118,000 people experiencing homelessness on a given night in California.

This isn't somebody complaining because their new television isn't big enough.

Housing is becoming a first-world problem with third-world consequences.

That's what worries me.

Something fundamental is changing when people can work, have an education, start businesses and still struggle to obtain a basic legal place to live.

Where does California go from here?

Comment below, especially if you're watching from California. I want to hear what you're seeing on the ground.

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