work at home – SF CEQA

By Sarah Frier : bloomberg – excerpt

After major companies announce their employees won’t need to come in, many are recalculating the cost of living near the office…

Both Facebook and Google have announced that most people won’t need to come in this year, and Twitter Inc. has told some workers that if they wish to work from home permanently, they can. Employees are now considering the thousands of dollars they could save living somewhere else—maybe even permanently. Urban parents of young children suddenly find themselves coveting backyards and playrooms in larger homes that would be affordable on a tech salary pretty much anywhere except the Bay Area..

BOTTOM LINE – The pandemic is leading many tech employees to consider working from home permanently, so they can escape California’s sky-high rents for less expensive digs elsewhere….(more)

abc7news – excerpt (includes video)

Board president Cindy Chavez is laying the groundwork for what some are calling a visionary plan.

“Let’s be as creative and innovative as we can. Let’s not let all the suffering that we’ve had for the last eight weeks go to waste,” she said.

After the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Chavez is looking for a commute-free commitment from large Silicon Valley companies, when and where it’s possible.

The proposal would start with the 22,000 employees county-wide, and if approved by the board, departments would be asked to look at ways to support as much telecommuting as possible…

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a diverse public policy organization representing more than 350 companies, supports the idea and says the more participation the business sector can have in formulating the plan, the more it’ll be embraced by others.…(more)

In my opinion working closer to home is the key to making stronger more independent cohesive neighborhoods. If more people work at home they will have more family time and more leisure time and that will translate into more time spent in their neighborhoods. The more time they spend in the neighborhoods the stronger the local communities will be.