It's not a policy problem, stop blaming the government for the stupid decisions of individuals. It's a market problem, if renters said I'm not paying 1600 per month then the rent would be lower.
Pretty sure “stupid decisions of individuals” includes older residents demanding that no new housing get built in their neighborhood lest it “turn into Manhattan” when the reality is that an extra unit on every block would house everyone who’s moved to the Bay Area in the last 10 years.
Thus perpetuating a housing problem that prevents them from moving anywhere else in the Bay Area because now it‘s unaffordable.
This guy gets it. If you’re unhappy about expensive rent just talk to your employer and negotiate living somewhere else. Or quit, and find another company that will play ball. There are plenty. Presumably most people here work in tech and there is zero requirement that you work in the most expensive city in the world.
So while they wait for the market to respond to decreased demand at current prices levels, prices are sticky in the downward direction, where exactly should they lay their head at the end of the day?
Thus perpetuating a housing problem that prevents them from moving anywhere else in the Bay Area because now it‘s unaffordable.