https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/g5vyv3/watch-residents-in-americas-most-expensive-zip-code-argue-against-affordable-housing

For years, the town of Atherton in California—located in the heart of Silicon Valley—has been an enclave for the wealthy. While it's not literally protected by gates, the municipality has long been criticized for using zoning laws to ensure it can "keep out anyone who is not wealthy or white," as one housing advocate told The Guardian in 2020. The end result is that it's consistently ranked as being the most expensive zip code in the U.S. to live in.  

Recently, housing has become a hot-button issue for Atherton residents, many of whom are tech executives. California law requires Housing Elements (plans documenting a community’s housing needs and strategies to meet them) to be updated regularly, with Atherton slated to provide an update for a 2023-2031 cycle. Part of this process means specific cities must present a plan to rezone areas for affordable housing (or, at least, more housing construction in general), or be subject to sanctions and loss of funding from the state.