San Francisco Chronicle/Carolyn Jones, 3/25/14. "California seniors have highest poverty rate, study finds."
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.... " Poverty rising again. Senior poverty levels declined for decades in the 20th century due to Social Security and other safety-net programs, but started to rise again after the 2008 economic collapse, when millions of older people lost their jobs or homes, saw their savings evaporate or pensions slashed. In the Bay Area, especially, the soaring cost of living hits seniors especially hard because their incomes are fixed. Longer life spans also play a role. Some people simply outlive their savings, and spend more years enduring costly and debilitating medical care.
.... The situation is particularly dire in California, due to the high cost of health care and housing. About 20 percent of California seniors - compared to 15 percent nationally - live below the poverty threshold when taking health care expenses into account, according to the Kaiser foundation study. Stross, for example, receives less than half the amount required for seniors to cover basic expenses in Alameda County, according to the Elder Economic Security Index, which looks at rent, food, transportation, health care and miscellaneous expenses. He and his wife receive Social Security and small pensions, totaling $1,700 a month, but their rent is nearly $1,000 a month and they spend well over $1,000 annually on medications.
.... San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties are among the most expensive places in the country for seniors, requiring almost $30,000 a year, assuming a monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment of about $1,400." Read article.
Note: photograph from Ferm living shop,"kids tent".
Posted by Kathy Meeh
13 comments:
Many poor seniors are barely hanging on. These are the people our city chose to tax with the sewer assessment nearly doubling their property tax. No wonder there was a revolt when measure v was put up.
No Country For Old Men
Lots of people are barely hanging on. Most of them are not property owners. Not all, but most. Often they're senior renters caught in a hot rental market without rent control and on a fixed income, often with little more than social security. Quite a few I know of are on waiting lists to get in subsidized senior housing in Pacifica. Because of the shortage of such housing here, they are forced to sign up elsewhere. No Country for Old Men!
Build the library. Fix the highway. Build big expensive homes. Bring in a Ice Skating Rink. All will bring in revenue, which we need to supplement senior services. It is a must that we take good care of our Senior Citizens. And, I noticed how the city is using Specially Challenged people to clean up our beaches, a good idea. Maybe we can come up with some ideas for income for our Senior Citizens. I know our Services in Pacifica for our Senior Citizens have always been excellent, but with baby boomers losing most of their income (money saved),job, home looks like we should start planning to do more. Beach parking is doing well. Our environment is becoming a huge part of our income. Keep it up. We can come up with ideas to help.
9:47
The Pedro Point shopping center north parking lot is full every day of deadbeat surfers not paying. Same with Linda Mar. Some deadbeat surfer/stoner tried to beat up the securty guard in Linda Mar Shopping Center cause he was told he couldn't park in the shopping center and walk over to the beach.
Then we need more parking. LindaMar parking lot is full almost every sunny day. The restaurants at Pedro Point are busy so will the parking lots be full. Build parking in quarry.
It isn't just "deadbeat surfers" who have figured out how to avoid paying for parking. All Pacificans who visit the beach regularly have figured out that they can use Pedro Point shopping center parking and park over on Crespi and in the community center parking lot (not Samtrans) and up on Roberts Road and other places. Also, they fill up the free parking lots in Rockaway now all the time. Locals just changed which beach they go to. It's human nature to avoid paying when you don't have to. Paid parking at Linda Mar is a big FAIL.
The Linda Mar paid lot is full. How's that a fail? At some point the shopping centers will have cars towed. That will cost much more than parking.
Expect all the lots, paid and free, to be full any reasonably nice day from now til October. That's nothing new. La Playa and High Tide packed on the weekends so customers must be finding parking even with all those deadbeat surfers. Makes the place look alive.
The paid parking is a success. Our kids have already parked and received tickets, which they have dutifully paid, then went and bought permits. I see this as a huge success. I just hope Park, Beaches and Rec are prepared for the summer. I am predicting the kids home from school will be stopping by to get a permit to park. You know, got to get to those parties on the beach.
Paid beach parking is a success if it performs as planned and entirely funds adequate beach mntnce, improvements and rangers so the city doesn't have to spend General Fund money to do so. Failing that, not a success. Those numbers aren't in, yet. Think positive.
I hope they stop the daad beats from parking in Pedro Point Shopping Center. This center has a chance to make lots of money when the Highway 1 bridge is being repaired. Traffic will detour right in front of them. If the lot is full people will just drive by and not stop.
Oh you just don't like surfers. A full parking lot as long as it has frequent turnover is good for business. Might be smarter to just put a 2 hour time limit on the close-in spots. Of course, that would require at least occasional enforcement which I guess would be the financial responsibility of the merchants. We know the city won't do squat.
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