Housing Needs in Bishop: Include the Young, Too:
The successive generations to current residents are pushed out of the area by a number of factors, lack of housing, affordable and otherwise, is one. We should include them in our discussions on the subject.
Bishop, CA-This video by IMACA was made in 2012 and some housing has been added since then, but not enough. Therefore, this message is still relevant. In the video, however, IMACA says that Bishop's population is "growing." The 2010 US Census said it did increase, but only by a whopping 304 people since 2000! One of the questions we should be asking is: how is it increasing? By birthrates to current residents? Or by people from outside the area? People shouldn't move anywhere on a whim, except to be closer to friends or family that can help you if needed, for a job, or if you have housing available for you already. Hopefully, IMACA and the city of Bishop are discussing the seniors and disabled that are natives to the area. Certainly, I am no xenophobe, I'd welcome anyone to the area who want to move there, provided this doesn't overdevelop it with suburban sprawl and turn it into another Lancaster: we don't want TOO MANY people, but they should still move there for responsible reasons, and that goes for relocating to any community. I was raised half my life in Bishop, have family and friends there, and want to move back, but I know that my prospect for a job there is close to nil. The only way I would move back is if I was offered a job and then relocated for it.
The problem I see with this video is that it doesn't address the community most at need of housing: young people, the next generation of native/current residents. Any community would want their successive generations to stay within it and contribute positively to it, unfortunately there are no actual careers in Bishop, except for government, as most of the economy is tourist-based and thus low-income, put that together with the lack of housing, affordable or otherwise, a good community college, but that is only two-years and offers very little in academics, and what you have are the young people who do want to stay (many get jaded by a life in a small town and want to leave it to go to the "big city"), are forced to leave it. This takes much needed potential tax-payers away from the area putting the burdens more and more on the few wealthy or seniors that are left to pick up the tab for city and other government services.
The people of Bishop need to address the lack of affordable housing and access to housing for young people. Property owners in the region have all the power and many do discriminate. I was told flat out by one that they do not rent to people under 25. Mind you, we were not talking a bout a senior home! Discrimination, even based on age, for the most part, is illegal, but property owners in Bishop can do pretty much whatever they want. Also, most property owners ask for a first and last months rent AND a deposit. It is not unusual to have to spend $1,000 just to rent a place that is only $400 a month. Not too many people in Bishop, young, senior, or otherwise, have $1,000 just lying around. So what the city and IMACA needs to discuss is 1.) creating more affordable housing, perhaps trough tax incentives and other incentives for developers and property owners, and by more land exchanges with the City of LA, 2.) access to that housing for the low-income, especially young people just starting out, perhaps through low-interest loans or grants, and 3.) how renters are treated by property owners, and combat any illegal actions, including housing discrimination. Those are the issues that should have been pointed out in this or some other video, along with the seniors and disabled. What are your thoughts?
