You do not have idea of what you are talking about. You really do not. I know a number of people who live in California and work for Costco who own their own home. They do not live in SF, the middle of Silicon valley, or out on Malibu or anything but they are able to afford decent places in areas where normal people live.
You have to realize that most people who are single do not need a huge 5br single family home to be comfortable and if they have a family their spouse also works. People adjust their expectations with their situation you feel that everyone regardless of who they are should be able to afford a large home in prime areas of California and that just will not happen for Most people in California regardless of who they work for.
The hell I don't. I live in southern California and make a lot more than Costco people, and not even I can afford a house here. Not Beverly hills, not SF, not even LA proper, but the outer suburbs of LA are unaffordable for a single earner making much less than 100k. No debt. I am in the process of leaving to another state where I can put a roof over my head that someone else doesn't own.
I have a friend who works for Costco. He has a family. They both work. They can barely survive in a 1 bedroom apartment in Orange County. Don't tell me Costco takes care of its people. That's a god damn lie. They still suffer and struggle and live like shit.
My point is our economy sucks, opportunities suck, cost of living sucks and salaries and wages suck. Our system is broken. It doesn't work. People break their backs simply to survive in this country with almost no hope of a retirement, at ALL. If you are a special breed with a big brain and plenty of education and you are making it, good for you. The rest of us should be in the fucking streets, hunting down those who put their own dealings before the health of an entire nation, and world.