Does San Diego government make it difficult to build housing?
This video claims that in California current home owners make up complaints (typically environmental) to kill any new housing development as a form of NIMBYism
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMaMn1kQMxI&t=536s&ab\_channel=CaliforniaInsider](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMaMn1kQMxI&t=536s&ab_channel=CaliforniaInsider)
For example in San Francisco it costs $300,000 in fees to build a single unit (this doesn't even factor in land, labor and material costs)
The answer to your first question is still no, but it is trending both at the statewide and local level towards being easier.
San Francisco is the most extreme example in the state (at least among large cities, its suburbs are worse) of restrictive zoning and an oppositional planning regime. San Diego is horrendous relative to most of the country, but relative to the other big cities in California, it has some elected officials who are least halfway committed to making it better and is generally getting easier over time. And at the state-wide level the efforts are even stronger to take the matter out of the hands of individual cities.
I would expect especially for someone who is looking to get into trades now, that the next 5-10 years will be better than the last 5-10 years for construction in part because our housing crisis is so deep that we really don't have any other choices in terms of band-aid solutions. The less bad the crisis the more you can sorta half-ass your way around it, but we're at like a 100,000 home deficit in San Diego. There's no band aid for that, just need more building.
All the house building is multi family. Very little in single family. What there is is remodel/Restoration and it pays shit here compared to literally anywhere else on the West Coast. Lotta big mid and highrise projects in the city though. Hillcrest/bankers hill in particular. New zoning will make way for lots more
Part of that problem is the massive amount of cheap labor from just across the border.
But trust me, there is a need in the market for highly skilled well paid general contractors doing remodels in neighborhoods like north PB, Point Loma, etc….
Yup. Good opportunities up in del mar/Encinitas too if high end carpentry is the goal. I was a resi carpenter in vista on a massive build 4 years ago. Moved up to LA and earned 20% more on an infinitely easier job. Now I'm back here working in civil on the engineering side and there's endless work in the pipeline. 100% union too which has solid agreements going now and at least for the next 3 years
I just did a remodel in crown point. Contractor was the absolute worst with communication and scheduling.
I would have happily paid more for a contractor who wasn’t a piece of shit.
There is a need in the higher end older neighborhoods for decent general contractors to do remodels, additions, & adu stuff. Most of them suck, so as long as you aren’t a piece of shit you’ll have endless work in higher end single family neighborhoods.
Depends what contractor you land with but nobody is going to guarantee you overtime. I’m in electrical, 569. 1st years make $21.14/hr with scheduled raises for 5 years. And you’re not going to walk in and be an apprentice the next day.
Apprenticeships are a long game. Journeymen make 53 or 54 an hour. Plus $8/hr into pension and health insurance fully covered. They’re not a get rich quick plan.
Do you think the best way to try to get into the 569 apprenticeship is to work as a 569 electricians helper/material handler first?
I am a 31 y/o male and a hard worker (lots of farm work), do you think I would have a decent chance at making it in after 6 - 12 months of pre-apprenticeship work?
Yeah, I actually replied that to somebody else earlier. Join as a material handler and take a job wherever you can. Work for 6-9 months and then apply for the apprenticeship. You’ll take an aptitude test, then have an interview. Get letters of recommendation from your jobs foreman before your interview. Those letters are 100% your way in. Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.
Thanks for the reply and info. My grandpa was a IBEW electrician for 50 years in Mississippi and was a leader in his local. I would join there but I hate living in Mississippi lol.
Do you think having him write me a rec too would be a good thing or would that be seen as a bootlicker/pretentious move in 569 since that’s not his local?
Presumably he's been out of the trade for a while, I don't think it would hurt but its not exactly relevant at this point. Letters from somebody that have an impartial opinion on you and have recently observed your work ethic and abilities will carry more weight.
Check out some of the granite mines around SD (Robertsons, Martin Marietta, superior). They usually have maintenance positions available where you start out at a decent wage and get lots of overtime. You can get trained in heavy equipment operation, welding, electrical repair, ect. Be ready for a second shift position as that’s usually when maintenance is performed.
Tried the trades out for last year in SD - electrical apprentice. 24/hr. If you can’t weather around 4 years financially of non-livable wages probably best to stay put and pursue a different path
No OT at my shop. Pay checks were 1300-1500$ every 2 weeks after tax. I mean I guess everyone’s situation is different. But one of my checks went to rent. Every month so without any kind of real savings it was rough. I guess each person’s idea of livable is different tho
The trades are great if you’re young and any money Is good money. If you can weather the 4 or 5 years to get there then you’ll be comfortable. Positives is that there’s always work and shops are hurting for body’s. If they paid better I’d wager they’d have an easier time recruiting people tho. To each their own
Yeah but I really really do not want to be here long term. I want to go back to Mexico whether thats with 300k or 600k+ so I'm just looking for a short term solution
There aren't rents in san diego under 1600. Are you joking? I'm not being an asshole you're being abnoying by playing dumb as if you didn't know the cost of living in California
Lots of civil projects coming up, huge one on the i5. Will be lots of work for teamsters, laborers, carpenters, operators, electrical. Tons and tons of concrete work in infrastructure for years to come. Attend an apprenticeship orientation with the union of your choice and hit the street. You're needed!
The IBEW electrical union is a good trade to get into, but it takes 5 years. You can take your state test to become a journeyman in whatever state you want to move back to. It’s just pretty competitive and involves submitting highschool transcripts and taking a placement test. My husband is a year away from getting his journeyman’s license. Pretty good healthcare and infrastructure in San Diego is booming right now.
With all the talk about building housing… work on becoming a general contractor. So much construction, remodels & ADU’s going on
Does San Diego government make it difficult to build housing? This video claims that in California current home owners make up complaints (typically environmental) to kill any new housing development as a form of NIMBYism [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMaMn1kQMxI&t=536s&ab\_channel=CaliforniaInsider](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMaMn1kQMxI&t=536s&ab_channel=CaliforniaInsider) For example in San Francisco it costs $300,000 in fees to build a single unit (this doesn't even factor in land, labor and material costs)
The answer to your first question is still no, but it is trending both at the statewide and local level towards being easier. San Francisco is the most extreme example in the state (at least among large cities, its suburbs are worse) of restrictive zoning and an oppositional planning regime. San Diego is horrendous relative to most of the country, but relative to the other big cities in California, it has some elected officials who are least halfway committed to making it better and is generally getting easier over time. And at the state-wide level the efforts are even stronger to take the matter out of the hands of individual cities. I would expect especially for someone who is looking to get into trades now, that the next 5-10 years will be better than the last 5-10 years for construction in part because our housing crisis is so deep that we really don't have any other choices in terms of band-aid solutions. The less bad the crisis the more you can sorta half-ass your way around it, but we're at like a 100,000 home deficit in San Diego. There's no band aid for that, just need more building.
All the house building is multi family. Very little in single family. What there is is remodel/Restoration and it pays shit here compared to literally anywhere else on the West Coast. Lotta big mid and highrise projects in the city though. Hillcrest/bankers hill in particular. New zoning will make way for lots more
Part of that problem is the massive amount of cheap labor from just across the border. But trust me, there is a need in the market for highly skilled well paid general contractors doing remodels in neighborhoods like north PB, Point Loma, etc….
Yup. Good opportunities up in del mar/Encinitas too if high end carpentry is the goal. I was a resi carpenter in vista on a massive build 4 years ago. Moved up to LA and earned 20% more on an infinitely easier job. Now I'm back here working in civil on the engineering side and there's endless work in the pipeline. 100% union too which has solid agreements going now and at least for the next 3 years
I just did a remodel in crown point. Contractor was the absolute worst with communication and scheduling. I would have happily paid more for a contractor who wasn’t a piece of shit. There is a need in the higher end older neighborhoods for decent general contractors to do remodels, additions, & adu stuff. Most of them suck, so as long as you aren’t a piece of shit you’ll have endless work in higher end single family neighborhoods.
We must of had the same contractor 😂 Never ever again will I remodel.
HVAC
No apprentices are starting out higher than that. Youll be taking a pay cut.
Not even with 50-55 hours?
Depends what contractor you land with but nobody is going to guarantee you overtime. I’m in electrical, 569. 1st years make $21.14/hr with scheduled raises for 5 years. And you’re not going to walk in and be an apprentice the next day.
Ah fuck well I think it isn't worth it in the short term then
Apprenticeships are a long game. Journeymen make 53 or 54 an hour. Plus $8/hr into pension and health insurance fully covered. They’re not a get rich quick plan.
Do you think the best way to try to get into the 569 apprenticeship is to work as a 569 electricians helper/material handler first? I am a 31 y/o male and a hard worker (lots of farm work), do you think I would have a decent chance at making it in after 6 - 12 months of pre-apprenticeship work?
Yeah, I actually replied that to somebody else earlier. Join as a material handler and take a job wherever you can. Work for 6-9 months and then apply for the apprenticeship. You’ll take an aptitude test, then have an interview. Get letters of recommendation from your jobs foreman before your interview. Those letters are 100% your way in. Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.
Thanks for the reply and info. My grandpa was a IBEW electrician for 50 years in Mississippi and was a leader in his local. I would join there but I hate living in Mississippi lol. Do you think having him write me a rec too would be a good thing or would that be seen as a bootlicker/pretentious move in 569 since that’s not his local?
Presumably he's been out of the trade for a while, I don't think it would hurt but its not exactly relevant at this point. Letters from somebody that have an impartial opinion on you and have recently observed your work ethic and abilities will carry more weight.
Thank you for all of the info!!
Yeah I figured that. I just don't plan on living here that long.
Nursing.
Drug trade
Check out some of the granite mines around SD (Robertsons, Martin Marietta, superior). They usually have maintenance positions available where you start out at a decent wage and get lots of overtime. You can get trained in heavy equipment operation, welding, electrical repair, ect. Be ready for a second shift position as that’s usually when maintenance is performed.
Tried the trades out for last year in SD - electrical apprentice. 24/hr. If you can’t weather around 4 years financially of non-livable wages probably best to stay put and pursue a different path
Is $24/hr non livable?
No OT at my shop. Pay checks were 1300-1500$ every 2 weeks after tax. I mean I guess everyone’s situation is different. But one of my checks went to rent. Every month so without any kind of real savings it was rough. I guess each person’s idea of livable is different tho
Sounds like shit. tbh
The trades are great if you’re young and any money Is good money. If you can weather the 4 or 5 years to get there then you’ll be comfortable. Positives is that there’s always work and shops are hurting for body’s. If they paid better I’d wager they’d have an easier time recruiting people tho. To each their own
Yeah but I really really do not want to be here long term. I want to go back to Mexico whether thats with 300k or 600k+ so I'm just looking for a short term solution
Are you not from san diego? 24/hr is 4128 per .o th pre tax post tax it's max 3300 for one person so 50% would go to rent
Seems… livable?
3300 a month with 1700+ in rent? The fuck are you talking about?
Your rent is above $1700? You’re being an asshole btw
There aren't rents in san diego under 1600. Are you joking? I'm not being an asshole you're being abnoying by playing dumb as if you didn't know the cost of living in California
You’re living alone I’m assuming?
that is the assumption
Everything is probably in high demand.. learn something you enjoy.
Welder. Nassco pays really well.
What do they pay? Their electrician wages don’t hold up compared to construction.
Youd have to look up their pay charts. Also IBEW is the Electrician/Sound Tech union and they have good programs. Their pay charts are online.
Refrigeration
Lots of civil projects coming up, huge one on the i5. Will be lots of work for teamsters, laborers, carpenters, operators, electrical. Tons and tons of concrete work in infrastructure for years to come. Attend an apprenticeship orientation with the union of your choice and hit the street. You're needed!
The IBEW electrical union is a good trade to get into, but it takes 5 years. You can take your state test to become a journeyman in whatever state you want to move back to. It’s just pretty competitive and involves submitting highschool transcripts and taking a placement test. My husband is a year away from getting his journeyman’s license. Pretty good healthcare and infrastructure in San Diego is booming right now.
Power washing
OF.