By Joel P. Engardio -- By evolutionary standards, San Francisco should be headed for extinction. We have fewer children than any major American city. More dogs than kids live here. It's not that we aren't making babies. The first generation of Google and Facebook engineers are 30-somethings and starting families. Lots of gay couples are having children. The problem is many parents flee San Francisco when their kids reach ages four or five.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- There was a time when suntans were "healthy" and cigarette ads featured doctors. We found true health by questioning what we thought was good for us. The elixir that charms San Francisco today is rent control. It's the only tonic we trust in a housing crisis where a million dollars can't buy a modest home and renting costs thousands a month. Yet home prices continue to soar. Is our cure making things worse?
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Today's price to live in San Francisco is $1 million for a modest home or thousands a month for a market-rate apartment. That's the reality of supply and demand when 800,000 people want to live on a tiny peninsula where Tartine scones and a Bi-Rite Creamery can be found on the same Mission District block. It's especially tough on middle class families fleeing San Francisco. We have fewer children than any major American city and the ones we have are often relegated to sleeping in converted closets. We can do better.
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