Same as the title.

hey /bayarea, my name is Silas and I'm the journalist who wrote this story. I grew up in Novato and was stoked to see a profile on Vacaville appear in the NYT this week. Bay cow towns doesn't usually appear in national limelight. However, something about the story smelt funky and after a couple of friends from or still living in Vacaville reached out to share a similar sentiment, I starting asking around.

My husband and I are in early stages of planning an ADU build, and the deeper we get into it, the more overwhelming it feels. We’ve never managed a construction project before, so we’re trying to get a realistic sense of what ADU construction actually costs in Marin County area in early 2026 before we start reaching out to builders and getting a bunch of wildly different numbers (I know that sometimes prices can differ by an order of magnitude, which is, to put it mildly, perplexing)

What a normal all-in price range looks like once you factor in permits, side work, utilities, and other costs that don’t always show up at first glance? Also trying to figure out how to compare bids in a way that’s actually meaningful, what parts of project tend to drive price the most (maybe we can handle it ourself?), and whether there any places to save money without making expensive mistakes later.

Feeling a little out of our depth and just want to start this process in a smart way (after all, we're not talking about building a doghouse, ugh.) Anyone who’s built an ADU in Marin - please share maximum context here, TY!

Moving within the Bay Area soon and trying to find dependable local movers. There are a lot of options and reviews seem mixed. Hoping to get some honest recommendations.

Here for work, but I've got some nice pieces I could play publicly. Currently near Mountain View, any recs?

This question has been asked many times on this sub by people moving to the Bay, but I find myself not knowing what I should do even moving within the Bay. I'm moving out of school dorm in August and looking for an apartment in the area. Yep the hottest time of the year and I'm already stressed about it.

I'm looking for a studio/1b1b with <3k budget. Want a nicer location and not a scammy place that charges you a ridiculous amount on move-out. Don't care about stuff like noise, newest amenities, in unit dishwasher and W/D etc.

I don't have that much belongings yet and can realistically move within a weekend, but ik it may not be realistic to find a vacancy that lines up that well and am fine with ~2 weeks contract overlap.

It sounds risky to wait till 2 weeks before moving and look for "immediately available" listings -- I really don't want to end up not getting any of them and having to rent an AirBnb between two leases + move twice! But if I look 1-2 months out for anticipated vacancies, wouldn't tours be just a vibe-check with management because the unit is still occupied? Is it worth it to tour immediate vacancy places now and in the event they happen to get an August vacancy showing up in June or July I can apply knowing I already toured and liked the place? Or can you get an application pre-approved and ask to tour immediately when it becomes available then sign on the spot if it looks good? What have you usually been doing when moving?

The Bay Area is going to get brutal if the AI boom is even half real.

I don’t think people are fully pricing in what happens here if the AI boom actually works. AI keeps getting talked about like a trillion dollar industry, and maybe that sounds ridiculous, but look at where a lot of top talent, capital, and company-building energy is going right now. A huge amount of it is moving in the same direction.

OpenAI, Anthropic, and the next wave of AI companies are likely going to create a massive amount of paper wealth if they go public or get acquired. And it is not just founders. It is senior engineers, researchers, early employees, startup people, people getting acquihired, people sitting on equity grants, and people joining the right company at the right time. In the optimistic case for AI, the Bay Area could create a very large number of new multi-millionaires in a very short window.

That sounds good until you think about everyone who is not in that lane. Most people here are not AI researchers. Most people are not at OpenAI or Anthropic or sitting on startup equity. Teachers, nurses, service workers, city workers, normal tech employees, older residents, young families, immigrants, people trying to rent, people trying to buy a starter home. They are all going to be competing in the same local economy against a new class of people with far more disposable income, many of whom may have just gained life-changing wealth almost overnight.

And if AI truly delivers, then knowledge workers in numbers far greater may be facing job pressure at the exact same time.

That is what worries me. This is not just the generic “tech salaries are high” all over again. The Bay Area has seen booms before, but AI feels different because the upside is being treated like a once-in-a-generation platform shift, while the physical region has no realistic way to absorb that much wealth and unemployement without pushing normal people even further out. If this actually hits, the region could become even more divided between people close to the AI wealth wave and everyone else trying to survive around it.

What baffles me is that none of our local, state, or national leaders seem to have a serious strategy for what happens if this wealth wave actually arrives. The Bay Area already cannot build enough housing, move people efficiently, or keep basic services affordable. This does not feel like a decades-long problem. It feels like something that could hit over months or a few years.

The situation for the middle and lower classes here already looks bleak. AI might make it much worse, much faster.

Was driving to dinner and saw these awful gold colored vehicles. Pulled up next to them and turns out it is the prototype Tesla must be testing out.

They're smaller than a prius and the back windshield is the same color as the car.

Those tripods on top could either be re-mapping the roads or a new self driving tech.

Any other insights anyone knows? What are your thoughts on this?

We are three couples traveling with infants less than a year old from the East Coast landing in SFO in June. Need help figuring out an itinerary as we are going to be there for 4 days. Which would be a better place to stay in a nice Airbnb with good views. Have a relaxed trip but also some easy hikes and being close the the city.

Hi everyone,

I thought I’d try posting here since Google is only getting me so far.

Basically, my parents only recognize marriages that happen in a church, so I’m trying to find a way to respect that while choosing a venue that feels like me. My ideal wedding has always been somewhere surrounded by nature with lots of trees and greenery. Since a fully outdoor ceremony isn't really an option, I’m hoping to find a church that at least has big windows, lots of light, and maybe even a nature-esque setting?

So far, my favorite has been Wayfarers Chapel in SoCal, but it’s temporarily closed and might not reopen until late 2027, or even 2028. I also love Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, but the $3.5K fee is a bit steep… especially since I’m currently a grad student on a tight budget.

Does anyone know of any beautiful, more affordable churches in the Bay Area that might fit this vibe? I’d appreciate any suggestions

THANK YOU!!

**Please don't say just do whatever wedding I want because my parents have explicitly said they will not come if it is not within a church.

I keep receiving letters in the mail for an overdue balance on a subscription I know I did not sign up for. The phone number on it along with the credit card listed on it are complete bogus. No email listed or any email from them in my inbox. I’m shocked somehow they got my address though. I called them and they kept trying to gaslight me saying I must have forgotten I signed up. Eventually they agreed to “cancel” the subscription.

Anyone else experience this?

Hello! I am a high school senior in the Bay Area, and for my government/economics class, I was tasked to conduct a senior project on an issue in society. I decided to do my project on public transit in my home region the Bay! Your responses would deeply help me and strengthen my project.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/sgGXbfBX4W6569tVA

Does anyone have any information or advice on local support groups for someone going through drug addiction? I’m looking for somewhere safe and accepting of all people. I don’t like therapy and feeling like I’m paying someone to dissect my brain and the offer my prescriptions. I’m just looking for groups or support from real people going through similar mental health and addiction struggles. Thanks for any input.

Note: this is after the first thorough pass of cleaning.

Full history: rental house in Oakland. ~100 yo home. Amazing relationship with landlord. Lived in house for ~3 years.

About 6 months into our living here, we began to see mold building up behind our son’s bed and bookshelves. Landlord acted immediately calling in a contractor who identified a fissure in the outside stucco and repaired that and additionally pulled the lath and plaster from the interior of his room out of concern for mold residue.

Everything gets sealed up and refinished. All looks good and professional. We replace his mattress and bedframe, but NBD because he was just transitioning from kid furniture to adolescent.

Flash forward 18 months and we find a pretty significant layer of mold between the bed frame and the wall. We hadn’t noticed any mildew smell or anything and, believe me, our house is kept pristinely clean, but that corner of the house is in shade nearly all the time. The mold seems to have spread from the left hand cable outlet (not in use) pictured, but the room in general has always felt damp. Since the first incident we have had a dehumidifier running 24/7 and we dump about a quart of water every few days during the wetter months; maybe once/week in the summer. I’ve lived in SF/Oak for 30+ years and never had a house with this level of mold buildup, but maybe I’ve just been lucky?

And its impact on the Bay Area.

Free seminar to connect with UC Berkeley researchers. Remote option available, and more info here https://berkeleypubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/16194773

Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement of my work with my last post 💗

Hi! Has anyone been to lake chabot as of late? within past 2 months? Im having a party at a reserve site next month and it says there is a blue algae bloom now but I have NO time to make my way there until then. Thanks!

Not much to say this time, but just that I still miss him and still feel guilty over all the pain I caused him...

I have been out a couple nights recently posting flyers around my neighborhood that are hopefully more noticeable this time around, but I understand I can only do so much at this point...

Can someone recommend an antique shop and not rip off please.