CALIFORNIA DREAMING: FANTASY OR NIGHTMARE?

A recent survey of other Americans reveals many negative attitudes about California.  

https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2024-02-14/golden-hate-survey-highlights-the-nations-negative-perception-of-california-essential-california

Many of the respondents have never been here,  so it is reasonable to assume that much of the response is based on media reports and other secondary information.  There is a peculiar political divide as well.   In response to this,  I put down some of my thoughts about the experience of living here  as honestly as I can:

There is no perfect place to live. I have never regretted moving to Los Angeles, CA 13 years ago (to be near the next generation of our family) but living here is far from perfect. 

It is more expensive to live here than most of the US.  You pay a 10% state income tax for the privilege of living here.  More people live below the poverty line here than in some other states.  This cost deters many from relocating, which is a realistic decision.  If enough people decide not to relocate,  the housing costs would go down.  But this does not appear to be happening,  because new people are always arriving.

According to the survey 48% of Republicans think CA is “not really American”.   It is a dramatically diverse melting pot where a casual walk along a trail may pass people speaking ten different languages.  Ethnic Hispanics make up a sizable population (many of whom predated Anglos),  as do people from asia, pacific islands,  Europe, and other regions.  A significant “native American” population is growing larger.  So those who view “American” as white people of European origin are correct that things have changed here (even more rapidly than they are changing everywhere in the US).  Whether this is a deficit for CA or the limited view of the Republicans surveyed is open to debate.  There are lots of Republican majority areas in CA.  And no one here seems to mind the other ethnic groups who make money,  do jobs,  and support the state’s economy.

It is the 4th (or 5th) largest economy in the world,  and a major component of the US economy, so it is not just going away. The cycle of job opportunities goes up and down,  and the economy is very fluid with rapid changes in both directions. CA (and LA) were idealized as wonderful places to come to live and work in the 60s and again in the late 90s and early 2000s.  Economic inequality is obvious and areas of extreme wealth contrast to very poor regions. Homelessness is a problem in all the major cities,  in part due to the lack of affordable housing, and in part due to the willingness of people to come here and live on the street in a milder climate,  with significant social welfare support.

The weather along the coast is often lovely,  but more extreme a short distance inland.  It is one of a few places where you can go surfing in the ocean and skiing in the mountains on the same day by car ride.  And if you wish can also go off road in uninhabited desert.  There are regions of incredible beauty Yosemite,  Joshua Tree N.P., Big Sur  and they get more crowded every year.  The distances even within regions are long, and the traffic can be terrible at times.  Your life depends on your car.

There are many natural threats:  earthquakes and tsunamis,  terrible fires,  torrential rains with mudslides and flooding, intense Santa Ana winds, and dry dessicating heat waves.  Most people rebuild on the sites of their destroyed homes,  even when that decision is probably inviting repeated damage.  Insurers are reluctant to insure homes in CA because of repeated damage and the cost of rebuilding (though this does not include the cost of land).

Many people move here from somewhere else, and building community depends on being able to blend with people different from you,  and with “native Californians” who are wary of newcomers.  There are regions of very rapid development like the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs which is becoming a new population center, especially for retirees.  There was a time when going to California was the idealized fantasy of many Americans.  This was fueled by intense marketing by the railroads and other state promoters to entice a growing population.  The expansion during WW2 and after made all this unnecessary.  But the glow continued for years after.  The reality of California today is more nuanced.  It is a wonderful place to live,  if you can afford it.  It is a beautiful place but not an easy one.  It is one vision for the future of other states,  with a diverse population, and a bureaucratic state government.  (Texas is a different model for the future.  Both can coexist in the same country and attract different folks.)