The great housing hoax

Almost everyone in San Francisco agrees the city needs more housing, and that need has been at the heart of a long list of political battles and debates. But the subtext of those debates is largely ignored by the Chamber of Commerce: housing for whom?
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Under Prop. J, condominium developers would set aside about 26 percent of every new building for sale at below-market rates to individuals earning as much as 120 percent of the federally defined area median income, which is an average that includes Marin and San Mateo Counties and is about 20 percent higher than San Francisco's own median.

An individual earning up to $76,850 annually would qualify, as would two people earning $87,750 or a family of three earning $98,800.

The Chamber of Commerce insists teachers, firefighters, nurses, cops, and even office workers meet these salary requirements and will fill these homes.

But while some cops and firefighters might indeed fit in, the median teacher's salary, for example, is just $56,000, and most teachers make less. The typical registered nurse earns about $46,000 a year. Many of the professions the term "workforce" calls to mind – including secretaries, janitors, and bus drivers – make about that much, or far less. Even among general managers and executives, the mean annual wage is $75,000.

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http://www.sfbg.com/38/20/cover_propj.html