Compared to what we have to deal with here, in the North-East, there is absolutely no excuse for anyone in the Oakland area to resort to illegal means. They have four seasons of moderate temperature, all of it beautiful. Every day is a perfect 50 degrees to 75 degrees. There aren't even any in bothersome insects to deal with.
You can live very comfortably with a minimal investment in housing, no heating, no insulation, there isn't even that much rain. The public transportation is excellent and every street has beautiful sidewalks, on both sides of the road. The only hardship are the people which you must deal with. Because the environment is so easy, I believe that it allows the insane to prosper. But what about Canada then?
In the end, I left because I missed the seasons. I lost track of time without them, there was no urgency.
Yeah, the weather is so good, some folks just gotta stir up trouble for others. That's over 30 years of living throughout the Bay Area has taught me.
Is Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown still Mayor of that fine city?
This is the only part of your post I can take issue with. Housing prices are pretty crazy now, even in Oakland. The only place you can find a shack for under $400,000. in the Bay Area is North of Ukiah (Willits); East of Sonoma-Napa Counties (Lake County); or near Vallejo-Fairfield.