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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: Calling aging a ‘doom loop' perpetuates stereotypes. Here's what getting older is about
Regarding 'This is the real doom loop. It will change everything about life in the Bay Area ' (The Graying Bay, July 14): The Chronicle's recent series on aging highlights an urgent issue — but framing it as a 'doom loop' reinforces harmful ageist narratives. Aging isn't a crisis befalling 'them' — it's a shared journey for all of us. When media language suggests older adults are primarily a burden, it creates distance and justifies inaction. It obscures the contributions elders make every day — working, caregiving, volunteering and anchoring neighborhoods. It also ignores the deep inequities older adults of color face due to decades of displacement, rising housing costs and systemic exclusion. Organizations like Bayview Senior Services and Self-Help for the Elderly are already doing the work — supporting elders with dignity, cultural responsiveness and deep community trust. But they need sustained investment, not scarcity. San Francisco has the potential to lead the nation on aging equity — but that means going beyond crisis narratives. It means supporting housing reform, community care infrastructure, and the nonprofits that hold these systems together. Just as importantly, it means reshaping how we talk about aging itself. Aging is not a doom loop. It's an opportunity — if we're willing to meet it with courage and care. Jarmin Yeh, board chair, Metta Fund; associate professor, UCSF Institute for Health & Aging U.S. is in devolution Regarding 'Kaiser Permanente to pause gender-affirming surgeries for patients under age 19' (Health, July 23): I believe there was a typo in the Kaiser statement regarding gender-affirming care when it says the 'environment for gender-affirming care continues to evolve.' Surely, what Kaiser meant is that this environment continues to devolve. In my youth, my generation embraced the concept of social and political evolution (if not revolution). Those in power today want to return us to a simpler time. In the imagination of the MAGA world, men are the workers and providers, women bear and care for children and the home. Poor and colored people should keep to themselves while not at their service jobs. The government's primary charge is to let capitalism run rampant. Don't call it bias though; it's just the way the Lord intended the natural order to be. America used to be a beacon of enlightenment and progress. It has become a repository of ignorance, intolerance and contempt. May God have mercy on our souls. Joel Wiener, San Carlos Unending fight Regarding 'Texas man's lawsuit against California doctor could force another abortion pill showdown' (Politics, July 23): Anti-choice litigants, not content with having overturned Roe v. Wade, are now wielding the Victorian-era Comstock Act to demand that the Supreme Court outlaw the safe and effective abortifacient mifepristone, despite that medication's use in multiple other therapeutic situations. If they succeed, one must ask what dual-use items they may next target for prohibition — coat hangers, perhaps? Rik Myslewski, San Francisco Spread the wealth I was stunned to read that nine households own 15% of the wealth in Silicon Valley. Here's a dream: They each chip in a few billion dollars to free California from the retribution of the Trump administration. High-speed rail could be completed, arts institutions could be funded, social and environmental agencies could fulfill their roles, public transportation could expand, academic institutions could continue their work and public universities could offer tuition-free education to Californians. The list goes on. I'm sure these nine households know each other. They could get together in one afternoon and immeasurably raise the quality of life for us all.
San Francisco Chronicle
22-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: What cities, state can do about Bay Area's housing ‘doom loop'
Regarding 'This is the real doom loop. It will change everything about life in the Bay Area' (The Graying Bay, July 14): The Chronicle's series discusses related housing issues — those growing older in their large single-family homes that, when sold, are unaffordable to the great majority, especially to families with school-age children. Part of the housing problem stems from two big mistakes: Single-family zoning (ironically, invented in Berkeley) was designed to make housing more expensive and make neighborhoods more exclusive for white residents. Proposition 13 lowered property taxes for those who stay put in their homes, thus shouldering more local government operating costs on newer residents and newer homes. I live in a townhome community, where an aging population is staying in their homes — perhaps longer than necessary for their housing needs. But because townhomes are less expensive than single-family homes, we are seeing an influx of young families with children move in — a delight to see. We need cities to encourage townhomes and other 'missing middle' housing, and the state should make smart changes to our property tax system to equitably apportion costs while focusing housing relief on lower-income populations. Gary Farber, Walnut Creek Stop fearmongering One makes a facile comparison of the rising authoritarianism in our country to the favorite bogeyman, Vladimir Putin. No, our authoritarianism is 100% made in the U.S., and there is no good reason to bash Russia to prove it. The other stokes fears of China's advances in biotech, posing it as an 'economic risk' and 'national security threat.' No, China is just advancing in this area, peacefully, based on its internal conditions and capabilities. If it is advancing more quickly than the U.S., isn't that our fault? The fear-mongering hysteria about Russia and China by our politicians and media is dangerous, misleading and counterproductive. I hope the Chronicle will offer space for the voices arguing for world peace and not just to the Russia and China bashers who are whipping up fear, hatred and hysteria. Victor Ochoa, Oakland Escape to Alcatraz Regarding 'Bondi, other officials tour S.F.'s Alcatraz as part of Trump's pledge to reopen prison' (Politics, July 17): President Donald Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison for the 'worst of the worst.' Currently, those prisoners are sent to a maximum security prison in Florence, Colo. I have been a criminal defense attorney for 38 years, and a former client spent time in Florence. He described to me a Dante's Inferno of violence and fear. He was never so happy as when he was transferred out. I am certain that any prisoner at Florence would jump at the chance to be transferred to Alcatraz. It will be smaller, the weather will be better, and there will be beautiful views. Eric Weaver, Berkeley Public broadcasting is the frontline of impartial discourse in this country. The loss of over $1 billion in federal funding is a crippling blow to this important system. The state of California could, at no cost to its budget, guarantee a loan to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to be repaid from the restoration of funding in the next Congress or by contributions from subscribers or wealthy benefactors. Let us stand firm against this unfolding tyranny. The nation is depending on California to show grit and imagination.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
We're expanding our coverage of aging in the Bay Area
The Chronicle launched a series today about what may become the most important force to shape life in the U.S. in the years ahead. It's not an issue that you've seen scrawled across headlines and social media, like crime, homelessness, immigration or artificial intelligence (though it intersects with some of those). The 'doom loop'? No. Well, not the one you're likely thinking of, anyway. America is getting older fast, and experts say the rapid-aging trend is about to shift into overdrive. The ramifications of older demographics will rip through every part of society, placing unprecedented demands on housing, health care, education and social services. As explained in the story we published today, this trend could be particularly pronounced in the Bay Area. 'Fueled by a pandemic-spurred exodus of young people and laws that motivate homeowners to stay, the region has aged faster over the past half-decade than any other major metro area,' write data editor Dan Kopf and reporter Roland Li. The series was born when conversations in our newsroom about how the Bay Area was changing couldn't escape the gravity of this region's aging data. When Kopf and Transformation Editor Robert Morast would meet to forecast the future of San Francisco and the region, they kept returning to this massive demographic shift. It's been happening slowly, over decades, almost unnoticed, then accelerated during the pandemic, as many younger workers and families migrated out of the region. Seen as a whole, it pointed to undeniable effects on the region's economy, housing and cultural systems. And those changes aren't just happening here. The Bay Area may be the first crest of a massive wave that's about to wash over the entire nation. In one neighborhood where the median age is 55, homeowners distilled their outlook on their homes to the same six words: 'Carry me out in a coffin.' But some report the once-vibrant area is now sleepy, less diverse, a shadow of its former self. And it faces hard questions about the local economy and what comes next. (To read our story about this neighborhood as soon as it publishes, check out our Morning Fix newsletter on Tuesday.) We'll be publishing a new story every day this week on the aging of the Bay Area. Today, we're jumping into the data that shows what areas in the region have aged the most and how San Francisco stacks up against other major cities. There's lots more to come. And our coverage won't stop there: Two reporters in our newsroom, Erin Allday and Catherine Ho, have already begun covering not only the impacts of this demographic shift, but also issues that we hope will be especially relevant for an aging population. Allday and Ho are both longtime reporters on the health beat at the Chronicle, writing about everything from research at the Bay Area's cutting-edge medical institutions and biotech companies to government policy to medical industry news to practical health and wellness tips. They plan to leverage their experience and sourcing to provide comprehensive coverage on aging in our region. We hope you'll keep following this important topic with us, and let us know what you'd like to see. You can track all of our coverage here.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
This is the real doom loop. It will change everything about life in the Bay Area
The Bay Area is facing a doom loop. It's just not the one we usually think about. For years we've heard of the potential economic doom spiral circling San Francisco, where a massive city budget deficit fueled by remote work leads to poorer services and even more residents fleeing. But another threat has been building in relative silence. The Bay Area is getting old fast, and it's accelerating. Though aging is a global trend, the San Francisco metro area — which includes San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Marin counties — is already the third-oldest among 20 of the largest regions in the U.S., trailing only two places in Florida. And no other region is growing older at a quicker pace. That means fewer children, more elderly people and a declining number of 20-somethings. The confluence of demographic shifts will profoundly impact every aspect of life in the San Francisco area. Combined with rising housing costs and growing hostility toward immigration, the graying of cities and towns means the region's continued prosperity is in doubt. 'The aging thing might be the most important thing happening in American society that people aren't paying attention to enough,' said urbanism expert Richard Florida, a professor at the University of Toronto. 'And, in places like the Bay Area where everything's so expensive, it's arguably even more important.' The Chronicle assigned journalists to explore various manifestations of the region's rapid aging, and will continue to do so through the rest of the year and beyond. We'd also like to hear from readers about their experiences with, and concerns about, the trend. In Berkeley, we found a once-vibrant neighborhood that is now essentially a retirement community of single-family homes. In Sonoma County, we visited a city with a family-friendly reputation that lost 35% of its children in a decade. In San Francisco, we spoke to bar owners trying to survive a one-two punch: older patrons are spending less while younger guests are drinking less. It's not all doom and gloom. We also found some industries thriving. A longevity clinic in South San Francisco serves patients who pay as much as $19,000 a year in a bid to live longer. And it's an excellent time to be offering financial services such as estate planning to the elderly. The great aging of America will touch every community, from coast to coast. But, as it often does, the Bay Area will offer an early look at what's to come, with over half the people in the region's nine counties projected to be cresting 50 by 2055. So just how old is the region? Even before the COVID outbreak, the San Francisco metro area was one of the oldest in the U.S. During the pandemic, the metro's median age grew faster than any other major region, jumping from a little over 39 in 2020 to almost 41 in 2024. For context, Houston's number hasn't even reached 36 and Seattle is still approaching 38. Among the 20 largest metro areas in the U.S., San Francisco is now the third oldest, only bested by retirement-focused Miami and Tampa. S.F. had the biggest increase in median age since 2020 Median age of residents in the 20 most populous metro areas The San Francisco region is not alone. Every major U.S. metropolitan area has been growing older over the last several decades, with the share of seniors growing faster than the number of children, and most other rich countries are also facing the declining birth rates and longer lifespans that lead to an older population. Still, the Bay Area is the tip of the cane. While most metros are likely to have more seniors than kids at some point in the 21st century, the San Francisco area is on track to see it happen as soon as the late 2020s. S.F. now has a similar share of children as adults over 65 Share of residents under 18 and over 65 years in four metro areas from 2005 to 2023 Chart: Nami Sumida/S.F. Chronicle · Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota The San Francisco area already has the least children of the nation's 20 largest metros. In 2024, less than 19% of the area's population was under 18. And the county of San Francisco is even more devoid of kids, with just 13.5%, the second lowest share of the nearly 150 counties in the U.S. with over 500,000 people, second only to the county made up of Manhattan. Of course, the Bay Area isn't uniformly elderly. Certain parts of the region — such as around the UC Berkeley and San Francisco State campuses, the city's Marina neighborhood and parts of downtown Oakland — are quite young. Conversely, some areas are exceptionally old. Two Berkeley neighborhoods, Thousand Oaks and Northbrae, have median ages nearing 60. What makes these places remarkable is that, unlike most older communities, they don't include nursing homes or senior care centers. Most of the residents have been living there for over 20 years, according to a Chronicle analysis of census data. Marin and Sonoma counties are also particularly old, with median ages of 48 and 44, respectively, placing them among the 25 oldest out of the nearly 300 counties in the U.S. with over 250,000 people. Over the next several decades, the Bay Area is expected to age rapidly. Projections from the California Department of Finance suggest that about half of the people in the region's nine counties will be over 50 by 2055, with a median age of 51 or higher in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. The area is expected to get a bit younger again after 2055, when most of the baby boomers have passed, but that's 30 years away. The Bay Area will witness seismic changes brought by aging, including burdens on Social Security, emptier classrooms and a shallower labor pool, experts say. The region will need more senior housing and services like home health aides, a difficult lift in an area with some of the nation's highest construction costs and a labor shortage for skilled caregivers. 'We have to grapple with the fact that this is the future,' said Stacy Torres, a UCSF assistant professor of social behavioral sciences and an expert on aging. Public schools, already struggling with pandemic enrollment losses, may increasingly shutter, making it even more difficult to raise kids in the city and threatening more educators' jobs. And while powerhouses like Stanford and UC Berkeley are drawing plenty of applicants, colleges like San Francisco State and the University of San Francisco have seen enrollment declines since the pandemic, chipping away at the Bay Area's role as an education hub and the growth of its well-educated labor force. The economy could stagnate further as a lack of young workers and stalled population growth cause 'downward pressure' on both labor supply and consumer demand, said Jeff Bellisario, executive director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a business-backed think tank. A reduction in the number of young people is already hurting some businesses — seen in the struggles of bar owners — and could exacerbate a shortage of skilled workers. Ted Egan, San Francisco's chief economist, notes that the number of younger people without college degrees was already dropping before COVID, while educated young people continued moving in, many for tech jobs. But post-pandemic, the number of educated young people has also declined. To make matters worse, when residents do decide to have kids, they become more likely to leave the city, according to surveys. 'It's a major trigger point,' Egan said. 'People bump into space limitations in a rent-controlled apartment.' For those lucky enough to be homeowners, California's landmark property tax cap, Proposition 13, has kept annual increases low. But there's a downside: studies show a 'lock-in' effect that discourages homeowners from moving out and potentially downsizing, constraining the supply of new listings. That has helped fuel both San Francisco's aging-in-place trend and the brutally expensive housing market. Meanwhile, fertility rates are down in Mexico and China, two major sources of immigrants to the Bay Area. President Donald Trump has also singled out those countries in his immigration crackdown. 'I don't see immigration as a permanent source of population growth for the city if the underlying economics don't change,' Egan said. Bellisario and Egan don't think aging will lead to the region's demise, particularly because it's a global trend. Instead, it's likely to spur broader efforts to adapt and adjust society. 'Does it break the region's economy?' Egan asked. 'It hasn't yet.'
San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's tariff threats are back. What should you do about your 401(k) and investments?
Wall Street seems to be shrugging off President Donald Trump's latest round of tariff threats. Should you? The 90-day 'pause' on sweeping U.S. tariffs was scheduled to end Wednesday, but Trump extended the deadline to Aug. 1. Fresh threats went out this week to more than 20 countries — including Japan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and Brazil — as well as the European Union for reciprocal tariffs ranging from 20% to 50% starting that day. On Wednesday, Trump said a 50% tariff on copper would also take effect on that date. The first time tariff threats were issued, in Trump's April 2 'Liberation Day' announcements, the markets reacted by plunging into bear territory. The S&P 500 lost 10%, Nasdaq was down 11%, and the Dow dipped 9.48%. And despite the Trump administration's firm messaging that the president would never back down on the tariffs, he did. A 90-day pause was announced, and an acronym was born on Wall Street: TACO, short for Trump Always Chickens Out. The chaos also sowed widespread financial fear among Americans. Some investors panicked and sold when the market dropped. People at or nearing retirement worried they didn't have the horizon to ride out a prolonged down period. The Chronicle asked experts at the time what people should do with their money, with their 401(k), and with their investments if they were already retired. They all said the same thing: Stay the course. Each pointed out that market fluctuations are to be expected, and things always get back to normal, though it might take a while. In this case, it took very little time at all: The market losses were erased by the end of May. A different picture this time This time around, Wall Street doesn't appear to be taking the trade war too seriously, though markets bounced around a bit during the week. There was a notable downturn of nearly 1% on major markets after the tariff letters went out Monday, but things quickly rebounded. Then a letter Trump sent to Canada late Thursday suggesting the country could face a higher 35% tariff led to another small downturn Friday: The Dow fell by more than 250 points and closed down 1.02% for the week; the S&P 500 was down .31% and the Nasdaq down .08% for the week, though both hit record highs on Thursday. Overall, 'The market really seems to be shrugging this latest round of tariff threats off,' said Christine Benz, the director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar. 'It seems to effectively be calling the president's bluff.' Still, she added, that doesn't mean we're out of the woods. 'U.S. stocks are not cheap, and when that's the case, they can be vulnerable to whatever shock that comes along, whether tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty or signs that the economy is slowing down,' Benz said. Historically speaking, the market always rebounds from those shocks. We just saw it happen in April. Back then, Matthew Chancey, a certified financial planner and the founder of Tax Alpha Companies, said some people experience a type of cognitive bias where they believe what they're experiencing is completely unique and no past patterns or rules apply — sometimes referred to in economics as the 'this time it's different' fallacy. People who said 'this is the end of the stock market forever' in April were wrong, and anyone who thinks this time around will be the definitive end of the American economy is probably wrong, too. 'The current administration has not articulated a consistent trade policy, and every position is only a compliment away from being reversed,' said Carlos Aguirre, a financial literacy and career development manager for San Mateo-based Peninsula Family Service. 'As a result, Wall Street seems to be tuning out the noise coming out of the White House.' Should you be tuning it out, too? Or is this an opportunity to make some moves to protect yourself and your savings? Here's what experts say. What should you do with your retirement and 401(k) right now? The Chronicle went back to every expert and asked them what people should be doing with their money right now to prepare for tariffs 2.0. The overwhelming advice: Stay the course. 'Generally that's always the right thing to do, keep it steady and don't do anything crazy,' said Sam Nofzinger, the general manager of brokerage for investment platform Public. Like Benz, he said just because things seem calm right now doesn't mean they'll stay that way: 'I do think we are going into some much more uncertain times.' On Public, he said he's observed some unusual investor activity over the past three months. More people have been searching for international stocks and crypto. He's seen more movement in diversified ETFs (investment funds that hold multiple assets like stocks, bonds and commodities) than traditional single stocks, and said for the first time in a decade he's seeing interest in international ETFs. And some people are opting to stash more in cash through high-yield savings accounts, reflecting uncertainty about the economy in the near term. 'What we're seeing, given the economy, people are a lot less confident in their job security than they may have been six to nine months ago,' he said. 'That's translating to higher emergency savings balances. People saving 12 months instead of six. I think we are seeing people get conservative because they're worried about their own situation.' Another chance to 'buy the dip'? In the post-Liberation Day downturn, some investors joked that it wasn't a stock market tumble — stocks were just on sale. If you put a little more money into the market then, what's known as 'buying the dip,' you probably saw a decent quick return. 'For folks that have a relatively good time horizon, any time the market is off 20% is a good time to buy,' Nofzinger said. But it could take years, not weeks or months, to see your return. JL Collins, the author of 'The Simple Path to Wealth' (the most recent edition of which was published in May), said he's not a fan of the practice. 'Research indicates 'buying the dip,' while sounding good, is not all that useful,' he said. 'Better to set up automatic investments and then, when the market happens to be down, celebrate buying shares at bargain prices.' Of course, it's always a good time to do a money check-in and revisit the fundamentals. If you did my Wealth Challenge back in January, we're now halfway through the year. (If you didn't, you can sign up at Are your investments and savings automated? Do you have a budget for your house — not in your head, but written down somewhere? Is your emergency fund in good shape? If you've got the basics down, there's no reason to sweat when politicians turn up the heat.
