>>> SO CAN YOU IMAGINE HAVING TO COMMUTE THREE HOURS TO AND THEN
FROM YOUR JOB EVERY DAY?
SIX HOURS OF TRAVEL WITHOUT EVEN
FACTORING YOUR ACTUAL WORK DAY.
WELL, IT IS BECOMING MORE AND
MORE COMMON.
ITS A PHENOMENON CALLED SUPER
COMMUTING, AND THEY DONT MEAN
THAT IN A GOOD WAY.
NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT JACOB SOBOROFF SAW IT IN FULL SWING
OUT IN SAN FRANCISCO.
WATCH THIS.
>> Reporter: EVERY DAY AT 4:23 P.M., BERNADETTE PRICE CLOCKS3
P.M., BERNADETTE PRICE CLOCKS OUT OF HER JOB AT SAN FRANCISCO
UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER TO
START HER THREE-HOUR COMMUTE
HOME.
>> AND WERE GOING TO HAVE
EXACTLY THREE MINUTES TO GET
ACROSS THAT STREET.
>> WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS?
>> BECAUSE ITS TOO EXPENSIVE TO
LIVE HERE. WE HAVE TO --
>> 4:23:03.
>> 4:23:03. >> OUT.
>> OUT. >> WHERE ARE WE GOING?
>> ACROSS THE STREET.
>> SO WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR CARDS
READY?
READY?
>> YEP.
>> HERE WE GO. DO YOU EVER MISS IT?
>> YEP.
>> YEP. BUT I ALWAYS RUN TO THE NEXT
STOP.
STOP.
>> SO IF WE MISS IT, WEVE GOT
TO RUN TO THE NEXT STOP? >> YEP.TO THE NEXT STOP?
>> YEP.
>> DO YOU LIKE DOING THIS?
>> NOPE, BUT IT KEEPS ME IN SHAPE.E, BUT IT KEEPS ME IN
SHAPE.
>> TO LIVE CLOSE TO WHERE SHE WORKS, BERNADETTE WOULD HAVE TO
FORK OVER AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF
CASH.
CASH.
>> THANK YOU.
SO THE APARTMENTS THAT I PASS BY
EVERY DAY THAT I DECIDED TO CALL AND CHECK ON ARE THESE RIGHTCALL
AND CHECK ON ARE THESE RIGHT HERE.
HERE.
>> AND WHAT WOULD YOU SAY, WERE ABOUT TEN MINUTES FROM WHERE YOU
WORK AT THE HOSPITAL?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. $4,500 IN A SHADY AREA.
>> IN A STUDIO APARTMENT.
>> YES.
>> YES.
THIS IS IT. >> THIS IS THE WEST OAKLAND
STOP.
STOP.
WHAT WOULD IT COST YOU TO LIVE
HERE?
>> THOSE APARTMENTS ARE LOW INCOME APARTMENTS, AND I DONT
QUALIFY FOR THOSE.
>> BECAUSE?
>> BECAUSE? >> I MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY.
>> TOO MUCH IS $64,000 A YEAR
BECAUSE SHES MARRIED WITH A
13-YEAR-OLD SON, WHO SHE RACES
TO PICK UP EVERY DAY FROM
FOOTBALL PRACTICE.
FOOTBALL PRACTICE. GOING ROUND TRIP BETWEEN SAN
FRANCISCO AND STOCKTON SOUNDS
EXTREME, BUT ITS BECOMING MORE
COMMON.
COMMON.
3% OF ALL AMERICANS ARE NOW
SO-CALLED SUPER COMMUTERS,
SPENDING OVER 90 MINUTES GETTING
TO AND FROM WORK.
IN STOCKTON, WHERE BERNADETTE
LIVES, THAT NUMBER IS 8%.
SO WE ONLY HAVE AN HOUR AND A
HALF TO GET TO YOUR SONS
FOOTBALL PRACTICE.
>> PRAYING THAT I MAKE IT.
>> NEXT STOP FREEWAY?
>> YEP.
>> AS I JUST LOOK IN THE
REAR-VIEW MIRROR AND I SEE THE
SUN IS SETTING, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT HE PROBABLY LEAVE THEO
ME THAT HE PROBABLY LEAVE THE HOUSE BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP
AND GET TO THE HOUSE BACK HOME
AFTER THE SUN HAS GONE DOWN.
>> THATS CORRECT.
>> THIS IS OUR EXIT? >> THIS IS OUR EXIT COMING UP.
>> SO WERE LOOKING FOR NUMBER
3?
3?
>> NUMBER 3.
THERE HE GOES.
>> HI, OOIMT E.J. >> NICE TO MEET YOU.
DO YOU WANT TO GO HOME?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> ALL RIGHT, LETS GO.
>> WHATS IT LIKE TO NOT BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR MOM IN THE MORNINGS?
>> KINDA SAD BECAUSE I WANT TO
SPEND MORE TIME WITH HER.
>> WHATS IT LIKE TO HEAR HIM
SAY THAT?
SAY THAT?
>> ITS SAD. I TRY TO CALL HIM AND WAKE HIM
UP EVERY MORNING.
SAY THE MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE SO
THAT WE HAVE A GOOD DAY.
>> WHATS THE QUOTE YOU SAY TO
EACH OTHER?
EACH OTHER?
>> IM A LEADER, NOT A FOLLOWER. >> IM A LEADER, NOT A FOLLOWER.
>> AND IM WILLING TO BE A GOOD
DAY TODAY.
DAY TODAY.
>> WAS TODAY A GOOD DAY? >> TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY.
GOT HIM ON TIME.
ALWAYS A GOOD DAY IF I GET HIM
ON TIME.
ON TIME.
>> JACOB SOBOROFF IS WITH ME NOW.ACOB SOBOROFF IS WITH ME
NOW.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING. >> I TELL YOU, IT REALLY
IRRITATES ME.
IRRITATES ME. HERE SHE IS WORKING SO HARD.
COPS, FIREFIGHTERS, TEACHERS,
THOSE ARE THE ONES HAVING TO DO
IT WHILE THESE TECH GIANTS MAKE
GAZILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR
WORKING ON A CHIP.
WHICH IS FINE, ITS IMPORTANT.
BUT WHY SHOULD THE PEOPLE THAT
KEEP THE COUNTRY RUNNING HAVE TO
WORK THAT HARD TO MAKE IT FROM A
TO B.
TO B.
>> IN MY OPINION THE ONLY PEOPLE
THAT SHOULD WAKE UP AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING ARE PEOPLE THAT WORK
IN MORNING TELEVISION LIKE YOU
AND MYSELF.
AND MYSELF. BERNADETTE, WHO I TALKED TO THIS
MORNING, TOLD ME FIRST -- SHE
SAID HELLO BUT SHE WOKE UP AT
3:00, A LITTLE EXTRA EARLY,
BECAUSE SHE WAS GOING TODAY WITH
E.J. TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL
ORIENTATION.
ORIENTATION. HES ONLY 13 YEARS OLD AND SHES
TRYING TO PLAN THAT FAR AHEAD.
THE PEOPLE WHO HELP US THE MOST
IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES ARE THE
ONES THAT STRUGGLE THE MOST IN
THIS CIRCUMSTANCE.
THIS CIRCUMSTANCE.
>> THEYRE THE ONES GETTING THE SHORT END, ABSOLUTELY.TING THE
SHORT END, ABSOLUTELY. ITS NOT EVEN THE DOCTORS AND
THE LAWYERS, ALTHOUGH THEYRE
GETTING FORCED OUT TOO BECAUSE
OF THE COST OF HOUSING.
ITS THE COST OF HOUSING.
IN SAN FRANCISCO, MEDIAN HOME
VALUE IS $1.293 MILLION.
ALMOST $1.3 MILLION.
THATS WHAT SHED HAVE TO PAY IF
SHE WANTS A HOME THERE.
IN STOCKTON, ITS $274,000.
SO THERES NO QUESTION WHERE
YOUD LIVE.
YOUD LIVE.
>> AND PRICES ARE GOING UP IN
STOCKTON AS WELL.
PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER JUST GOING
TO THE SUBURBS, THEYRE GOING
BEYOND THE SUBURBS IN ORDER TO
BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND WORK IN
THE CITIES.
THIS IS HAPPENING, I THINK, IN
40 OF THE 50 STATES, SUPER
COMMUTING HAS BEEN ON THE RISE.
AND IN 30 OF THE 50 STATES, DOUBLE-DIGIT INCREASES BETWEEN
LIKE 2010 AND 2015.
ITS OUT OF CONTROL AN ITS
SOMETHING, AGAIN, THAT IN SAN
FRANCISCO, ALL THROUGHOUT
CALIFORNIA, PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET MORE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUT THEY
HAVENT BEEN SUCCESSFUL YET.
>> THERE WAS SOMETHING
INTERESTING PROPOSED IN
NANTUCKET LIKE PUTTING AN EXTRA
TAX ON EVERYBODYS PURCHASE.
>> YEAH, IN ORDER TO PAY FOR
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
BUT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS ARGUING,
THE PEOPLE WITH THE MONEY, I
DONT WANT TO PAY ADDITIONAL
TAXES, I WANT TO KEEP THAT MONEY IN MY POCKET. TO KEEP THAT MONEY
IN MY POCKET.
>> DO YOU WANT A FIREFIGHTER TO SHOW UP IF YOUR HOUSE CATCHES ON
FIRE?
FIRE?
HE CANT DO A THREE-HOUR COMMUTE.DO A THREE-HOUR
COMMUTE.
THATS THE TRADE-OFF.
>> THATS THE EXACT POINT.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE
OUR EVERYDAY LIVES POSSIBLE. IF YOU WENT TO THAT HOSPITAL IN
SAN FRANCISCO AND BERNADETTE
WASNT ABLE TO COMMUTE THERE,
YOU WOULDNT HAVE SOMEBODY TO
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH.
>> ELON MUSK IS THE SOLUTION.
HE SAYS HES GOING TO BUILD A
SUPER RAIL THAT WILL GET US FROM
D.C. TO NEW YORK IN 29 MINUTES.
HE CLAIMED THAT HE HAD VERBAL
APPROVAL FROM THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. WE HAVENT SEEN ANY ACTUAL
EVIDENCE OF IT, BUT YES.
>> I WILL RIDE IT FOR YOU.
>> OKAY, GOOD.