fcoolaiddrinker

I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately I’m sure everyone will be back on my beach this summer. Just like last.

CincoDeMayo

Pay to play...someone is going to have to pay for all those things in CA once everyone starts to leave.

Dont be so defensive, you did not discover CA. CA being a wreck is no surprise or secret at this point. I was born and raised there, a native Californian, and it is a mess. The fact some people cant see that just shows why it continues to get worse.

Oh but hey....the weather.....

fcoolaiddrinker

I grew up in ca as well. Moved away for college and chased commuter jobs for years. Finally moved back around 5 years ago. Up until pre pandemic a year ago was pretty happy with the move. Wife got a big raise that has continued. Fiscally ca was in the black and had 35 billion rainy day fund. I’m sure that’s down to almost nothing. The biggest issue I notice now that didn’t really exist mid 90’s when I moved are the homeless. It was bad going into this thing and I’m sure it’s going to be worse coming out. So I’m that sense I agree it’s a mess. Unfortunately neither party seems to have real solutions.

OOfff

imagine living a life that involves more than state politics

CincoDeMayo

I grew up in the Bay Area. My airlines flies into OAK and southern CA, so im seeing more of SOCAL than before as a kid. The homelessness in Southern CA seems unprecedented. But to your point, what was it 20 years ago 30 years ago as a kid? I dont remember seeing the homeless camps as a kid, but then again, I was usually concerned with "kid" stuff....

Oakland has always smelled like ****, so at least some things haven't changed..although regentrification is changing parts of Oakland and SF as well

fcoolaiddrinker

Pre pandemic major parts of San that were pretty bad neighborhoods growing up are now nice. Like I said there’s just a ton of homeless and I don’t see that improving any time soon. Prices are continuing to go up with cheap loans and low inventory.

Firefighterpilo

It is not necessarily the politics out here as much as the crime, pollution, homelessness, and taxes. Although one could argue the politics of this state 100% created the mess and are what keeps making it only worse.

OOfff

every place you live requires you take the good with the bad.

atooraya

39 million people live in California. That’s more than double (16.2m in AZ, NV, ID,OR) the population of its surrounding states combined. LA has more people than the entire state of Nevada. LA, San Diego and the Bay Area has more people than the entire population of Arizona.

The crime is fueled by poverty and crimes of opportunity when police resources need to be diverted. The drug abuse and mental health issues drive the homelessness. There was a documentary where a couple with a kid were in a homeless camp because they had a drug issue. They got clean, both found jobs, but decided to stay in the homeless camp because hey, free rent is cheaper than a 600sqft studio for $1200/mo.

When you have that many people in a small area, congested, living on top of each with huge wealth gaps, it doesn’t create some utopian dreamscape of something like Salt Lake City or Knoxville.

fcoolaiddrinker

I’m hesitate to do it (had enough politics for a lifetime recently) but here goes. If Newsom gets recalled or in 2022 look for Kevin Faulkner. He was the San mayor and just termed out or would have been re-elected in a landslide. Pre pandemic decade low crime rates and increased police pay and training in the wake of George Floyd. He also did a pretty good job managing this mess. One example, he kept beaches open when OC were closed. He officially threw his name in the hat about a month ago.