The suburbs look good right now

More than ever, life outside cramped cities has been hailed as both highly coveted and, yes, healthy. Avoiding the new virus has been a significant reason for this push. So has a need to work from home and avoid commuting to an office.

There is a great deal of solid evidence that the suburbs offer families in particular a chance to maintain safer living conditions in individual single-family homes.

Recent statistics indicate that people are fleeing major cities. Demand for more space in suburban homes is rising as are prices. The evidence is clear. San Mateo County fits the pattern.

People are voting with their feet — and their wallets. They want the sort of suburban living that some left-leaning politicians loathe. We have more than our share of those intrusive types right here on the Peninsula.

Chief among them, of course, is that crusader for stack-and-pack “affordable” housing, state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who continues to champion legislation that would create, if not force, a city-type ambience in the ‘burbs.

Wiener, who regrettably represents a portion of our North County, has more than his share of acolytes (a majority of the South San Francisco City Council comes to mind) who view neighborhoods devoted solely to single-family homes (in zoning parlance, R-1) as elitist, unfair, damaging and, in the end, somehow shameful.

The fact that families strive to move to such enclaves — and have for a very long time — doesn’t seem to move these legislators and social engineers much at all. They know best.

Still, it is instructive to point out that the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has happily ensconced his own family in a splendid 12,000-square-foot mansion on a sprawling, gated property in the Sacramento suburbs.

One wonders how many apartment buildings could be constructed on Newsom’s 8 acres of land in Fair Oaks if the dedicated Wienerites had their way. But let’s not quibble.

The argument is not going away. Foes of single-family (R-1) neighborhoods will persist in their misguided attempts to undo decades of rational financial choices by families.

The pandemic and its unforeseen consequences have provided one more strong reason to retain the R-1 suburban housing stock, if not increase it. The people have spoken.

SOME PANDEMIC PERSPECTIVE: A full year on, the impact of the pandemic on San Mateo County residents continues to be a mixed bag if you delve into the statistics. To wit:

As of the end of last week, there were 39,048 COVID cases reported on the San Mateo County Health website. Of those infected, 525 were listed as deaths, a fatality rate of 1.3%.

Based on a U.S. Census Bureau estimated population of 766,573, the 525 local deaths represented less than one-tenth of 1% of our total residents. Those aged 70 and over accounted for 405 of the deaths. Just one individual under the age of 30 was listed as deceased. 

The pandemic’s proportional deadly impact on different ethnic groups generally mirrored their percentages of the county’s total population. Whites made up 39% of the county’s residents, according to the Census Bureau, and they had 39% of the virus-caused deaths.

Corresponding fatality figures for Asians were 31% and 28%; Hispanic/Latinos were 24% and 23%; Pacific Islanders were 1.5% and 3%; African Americans were 3% and 5%.

The overall virus case numbers indicated a significant proportional disparity among county ethnic groups. In order of magnitude, they were: Hispanic/Latinos, 42%; whites, 15%; Asians, 11%; Pacific Islanders, 2%; African Americans, just over 1%.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE LORAX: Fans of the children’s books of the late Dr. Seuss have lately seen some of their favorite tomes banished by fretting woke censors. Not to worry. Last weekend’s Wall Street Journal list of the top 10 best sellers in the fiction category included no fewer than five Seuss books. Marvin K. Mooney, you can stay now.  

John Horgan, a longtime fan of Dr. Seuss’ wild and crazy Thing 1 and Thing 2, can be reached by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com.