San Francisco's rental market is increasingly unaffordable, with record rents exceeding $3,700–$4,500 monthly in 2026. While a New York Times article focused on six-figure tech workers struggling to find apartments, data shows rental affordability is primarily a crisis for low-income households, with 83.8% of bottom-quintile renters spending over 30% of income on housing.
Activists in Oakland are organizing opposition to a proposed data center development by Behring Companies, viewing it as an economic and environmental threat. The campaign, led by groups including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, seeks a temporary moratorium and permanent ban on data centers, while proponents argue such projects could boost the city's struggling economy.
A journalist spent $4,000 on a quadruped robot dog from Chinese company Unitree for a reporting project on robotics. The robot successfully walked two miles in Washington DC but collapsed from overheating on the return trip, illustrating current limitations in battery efficiency and thermal management. The purchase demonstrates how affordability of robotics technology may unlock new use cases despite limited practical applications today.
California's inclusionary zoning policy, which requires developers to set aside units for low-income renters, may be counterproductive. A UC Irvine study found the policy reduces annual residential construction by nearly a third and costs approximately $800,000 per affordable unit in excess rents from market-rate renters, potentially higher than direct financing alternatives.