You get caught in Mexico and possibly CR, its ONE YEAR jail minimum jail time. No way out for ANYONE.

This is not something to mess around with these days.

They have revised some of their gun laws but used to be not long ago that if they found as little as one live round it was off to jail.

They don't F around.

Jeff, if my job went away it would suck. Not sure that would be different anywhere else in the country. And with my skill set I'm more likely to get another gig in CA. But ymmv...but you have to admit that you are the prototype bitter ex-Californian. I'm 3rd generation SoCal, so I just don't know any better ;)

Hotel California, you can check out, but you can never leave.

Leland.....

What you need to get your mind off of all this BS is....

A big Porsche project.
Well.....what's it gonna be?
:p

California has both the good and bad.
Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy and dwell on mostly the good?
Good luck with your big change.

Before he left, he was the prototype bitter Californian. I've never met someone with such a loser attitude in my nearly 3 decades here. And that includes gang members, parolees and homeless people.

The bottom line is that if you are someone who is not very creative or good at life in general, CA. is probably not the place for you. If you depend on riding the coat tails of a boom economy to make life work, this is not the place because those come and go. Face it, when the economy is raging like it was in the '90s, any fool with a pulse can get over. I've had sales jobs here where a dead person could make $10k a month.

This place is a microcosm of the U.S. as a whole, IMO. Great rewards go to risk-takers and people who are able to adapt quickly to changes in the job market or the economy. Not so great for time-clock punchers anymore, though we had decades of steady employment in high-paying wage earner-type jobs like aerospace and aviation.

I'm doing fine here and always have, the same goes for nearly everyone I know. I also know people with insanely great jobs that they never would have gotten in a million years had they not been in L.A. $300k+ w/ travel and all expenses paid, etc... Jobs that do not exist in places other than here and to a smaller extent, NYC. Even when broke, it's a lot more interesting and beautiful here and the people are great.

I've extended the challenge here before: come to L.A. and spend a couple hours with me, then tell me if it sucked or was fun. If it sucks, post about it here for all to see.

9% income tax, and in LA 9.75% sales tax, so effectively 20% tax on purchases. Pay up sucka.

Leland,

I moved here (Santa Clara, CA) from Hawaii for my g/f...well...she didn't want to be in the same state as her ex, and missed her mom (in the upper armpit of CA, Stockton). Since I had been here before, I figured eh, what the hell, have always thought it was nice here, plus I have family here. Of course, a year and a half later, I friggin' hate the place, mostly for the the reasons you have stated. Can't seem to find a job (automotive) either. I have successfully shown her just how much I hate the place, and if you play your cards right, your wife will realize that you're far more important to her than her hometown, and be open for other options after she gets her bachelors. Unlike your wife, the g/f has to get licensed (optometrist) in whichever state we're looking at, so it's a bit harder to just get up and move.

Also, the g/f's best friend is at Lawrence Livermore, let me know what you're looking for.

You wanna move to PNW?

I know of a really sweet gig that, from what I know of you, is right in your wheelhouse.

Excellent post Jeff! To me this is the more important issue to be addressed.

Denis,

I lived in SoCal for a while and like Jeff, absolutely hated it. Just not my cup of tea then and am guessing it never will be.

I am not a "clock puncher" and have been a success at everything I have attempted, so we can throw this out of the mix. For me its the "fruit and nuts" as well as "we try to please everyone, especially the fruit and nuts" attitude that is leading Kalifornia into the dumps. Being politically correct is slowly going down the drain in this great country, thank God as its been one of the worst things to happen to our country and society in years.

Regarding your comment about Kalifornia being a small part of all of the US, thats pure bull hockey. Thank GOD the rest of the country is REAL and not like Kalifornia because we would be on the road to ruin if it were. Sorry but you are biased and see things from a different viewpoint from many of the rest of us. You like it so enjoy but please do not think that what you guys live in is normal, because its far from it.

Joe A

Lee send me a PM with regards to work. I know some guys in CA for Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations.

I had a choice of jobs, when I moved to Texas:

Central Valley California or Houston. The CVC job would have been a little less than double the pay plus a bonus. The problem was I had to live in Bakersfield and commute an hour each way or live on the central coast, and commute 1.5 hours, each way. There was literally NOTHING where the plant was located, except orange & nut trees.

Perk for the job, all the almonds and pistachios I could choke down...

I chose Houston.

If I had to move, Texas would be high on the list. If I could not live in the Hill Country (Austin, San Antonio) Houston would be next on the list, followed by Ft. Worth.

A $300k/yr Job in Ca is no better than a $100k job almost anywhere else, because the cost of living out there is so freakin' goofy with the taxes and all of that.

And no way that the loss of personal liberty is worth any amount of nice scenery.

Then there's the traffic....

I like Pennyslvania just fine thanks. Philly is a toilet, but once you're outside the city this area is really, really nice to live in.

my first job offer out of college was with Halliburton. in Midland texas. the recruiter /company partially sponsered our mini baja car. MIDLAND!! i graciously declined.

That just simply is not true

I'm "move challenged" as I've got logistics with son and ex-wife. Currently the plan is to stick it out in Santa Monica for another 5 years (through high school) as the public schools here are great. If one or the other of us loses our jobs, then all bets are off...

Been to Houston - not my thing. I could see Austin - great music scene.

As for "normal," having traveled a fair amount for work the past few years, I fail to see how CA is so radically different than other places (gun and smoking laws not withstanding). As far as day-to-day life it isn't some other planet. I've seen equally as bad traffic in other places (DC and Boston come to mind), and due to the homogenization of the US, a lot of the outlying areas of LA look like other sprawl areas. There are parts of Hattiesburg, MS that I could have mistaken for parts of suburban LA (minus the weather).

America is quite diverse, and CA is quite diverse. Having lived in the three major metropolitan areas of CA, I can say that some things are similar, others are different. I stay in CA *because* of the diversity and the opportunities. Maybe I'm an outlier but I've so far been able to carve out a decent niche for myself, and have a fun and rewarding life. I have no doubt that I could do the same elsewhere, but it would be different. Aside from the outdoor activities (excellent mtn biking within miles of my urban apartment, surfing miles and miles of beaches, etc), I'm currently playing in 5 different musical situations, different styles, different clubs, different musicians, etc. And I work with people in "the industry" who are intensely creative and brilliant. While parts of that equation exist elsewhere, not sure the whole package is anywhere other than CA. Maybe it does exist, but since I'm here I haven't really had the impetus to go elsewhere to find it. But ymmv...

What's simply not true?

The 300 to 100 comparison. There are so many factors that go into that comparison that saying it is no better almost anywhere just isn't true. It could be the case in some instances (LA to South Dakota maybe) but it isn't just how much stuff costs. There is way more than that to enjoyment of a location. And shockingly enough, some people value things differently