I have friends who rent (and probably will never be able to own) and parents who own who freak out when apartments or new construction goes up in Santa Cruz. There’s a notion that any building will ruin Santa Cruz. They’re not in the tech industry either.

I know several folks who do work in tech and they’re able to buy a house outright and it’s better to commute from Santa Cruz and be able to surf than live in a boring city like Mountain View.