Why do people stay in California?

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by fintstone

It was not a generalization at all (even though it seems that such is very common). They are not everywhere. No homeless encampments in front of celebrities homes or those of dotcom billionaires and professional athletes. The difference is that many on the west coast have become indifferent to such scenery and avert their eyes...pointing to natural scenery. Even one homeless encampment, one person being beat my a mob because he holds a difference of opinion, one person squatting on the street or one street littered with feces and needles is something that much of the nation has never seen...even once...and, if it did happen, most communities would find it totally unacceptable and try to do something about it. While there may be crime elsewhere, people in middle and rural America certainly don't look the other way. Law and order is basic to any society. You could place a stack of packages on my front porch while I was away for six months...and they would all be there when I got back. I could leave my 911s outside unlocked...and nothing would happen except they would rust. I can walk alone anywhere without fear, day or night...as long as I respect private property. The worst that would happen is a sheriff's car might roll up on me and ask if I need help. The scariest thing my family ever has to endure (other than my driving) is that someone from one of the local churches might show up at our front door and invite us to come to their church service on Sunday. Even then, they certainly take a polite no thank you as an answer and go away.

Sure, I would live to live in CA...and visited there occasionally until recently (last 8-10 years). In fact, I had planned a long trip there this year and possibly another next year which I will cancel. It was always a nice place to visit...but a hard place to live (unless wealthy)...and becoming a hard place to visit. Maybe locals know how to avoid dangerous neighborhoods and stay safe. I guess I would not as I would have thought the areas where the videos were taken above were safe (they were when I lived there).

I’m certainly not a billionaire nor famous and I don’t see mass encampments where I live. Are there homeless people? Sure. I think the climate has as much to do with it as handouts. Like I said, homelessness and panhandling is pretty bad here in San Antonio where I’m at currently. It’s a problem that occurs most places.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by fintstone

No homeless encampments in front of celebrities homes or those of dotcom billionaires and professional athletes.

Because they have the money or the influence to get officials not re-elected and as such, their neighborhood is the one place where the rule of law is still held.

I will say there is a lot of places in CA that aren't crime, drug, and homeless infested. The problem is that (generalization) 99.9% of the population live in the places plagued.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by fintstone

Pretty sure that those are not within 10 minutes of you house and free like the ones I posted. You probably didn't even take the photos as i did.

No, not all are within 10 minutes of where I live...but a couple are. And no, I didn't take those photos, but I could easily go out and find equally beautiful and/or interesting local scenery to photograph that's very close by.

Originally Posted by fintstone

I don't understand why people keep posting photos of scenery...

For the same reason that others, like you, continue to post photos and videos of homeless encampments, protests, and lowlifes sprawled out in the street. You seem to have a very one-sided view of what it's like here, and I thought we needed a bit more balance.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by rcooled

No, not all are within 10 minutes of where I live...but a couple are. And no, I didn't take those photos, but I could easily go out and find equally beautiful and/or interesting local scenery to photograph that's very close by.

For the same reason that others, like you, continue to post photos and videos of homeless encampments, protests, and lowlifes sprawled out in the street. You seem to have a very one-sided view of what it's like here, and I thought we needed a bit more balance.

Once again...no one has ever even insinuated the scenery is a problem. I know what is there. Everyone knows what is there. Nice scenery and homeless encampments, protests, and lowlifes sprawled out in the street. The only people that seem to ignore the obvious are people who live there. It seems that without photos/videos proving otherwise, many folks tell themselves and everyone else that everything is just fine (because there are redwoods and a beach). Adults need to start to accept the problems and start demanding action to stop the decline...as it is getting worse. Maybe living there, things have just changed so slowly that you don't see it like those of us that who used to live there and only visit now and then. It is like seeing an old girlfriend on meth. First just a little different and hollow eyed...eventually a toothless hag or dead. CA really needs an intervention by those that love it.

The nice scenery would be there without the problems...you don't have to allow one to have the other. Paradise lost.

[tdw28210]

This is kind of interesting....

[Noah930]

That map/chart doesn't look accurate. Texas gained (no surprise). People left California (no surprise).

But Florida was a big loser? A lot of people moved to Michigan?

[Zeke]

I'm really sorry I started this thread. So tiresome....

If your location isn't CA, STFU.

[fintstone]

Op asked the opinion of those that no longer lived in CA:

Originally Posted by zeke

seahawk's mention in another thread, "california, in the early 70's, was just a different place than it is today" got me to thinking why am i still here? If i went looking for high school and jr college buddies nowadays i would find hardly any, if even a single one.

Either jobs or retirement has given all of them reason to leave. I wonder if some still think of ca as the place where they grew up. Surf city, hot rods and woodies (not restored — in real use), early disneyland, sunset strip and laurel canyon (birth of many rock and roll groups and stars), damn good and cheap skiing close by, great rivers up and down the state along with enough lakes and outdoor recreation for nearly all.

And the weather, which for the most part is actually the same. Hot in a lot of places in the summer and chilly on the coast to 7 foot depths of snow in the mountains in winter. Lots of open space even still, but always crowded now on weekends. It was a wonderful place to be with boredom never a factor.

There were drive-in dairy stores and drive-in movies 12 months a year. Car shows consisted of cruising whittier blvd, sunset blvd, and the main drag in almost every town. (listen to randy newman's "i love la" and watch american graffiti and you get the absolute essence captured in a song and a movie.)

is the magic gone? I think so. Ask tabs, he was here in socal for his youth and many of his years before leaving for vegas. (if you went to the lv suburb of henderson, nv and asked how many are originally from ca, i think a big majority would raise their hands.

Small coastal towns on the central coast are still charming if not touristy. Prices for a modest house are out of the reach for 99%. Especially for those that need a job with a salary in the low 6 figures to maintain such a place and pay the taxes.

So, to any of you ca expats (red beard, etc.), is the magic gone? Does it live only in the minds of us diehard remaining natives (3rd generation here)?

Do all the palm trees keep us from seeing the trees instead of the forest? (less the 3.7 million acres burned in the last 2 months, well mostly last 5 weeks.)

i find myself isolated in more ways than the covid shut down. I find my kind exist only as seniors who were there when it all went down. I think of the lyric in "american pie," a repeated line, "the day the music died."

now that song was not written about ca and the day the music died has been interpreted as a reference to buddy holly and ritchie valens (a native ca'n) deaths in 1959. But the overall gist of the work is how america was heading towards a downward spiral that may have begun with the viet nam war.

Nevertheless, some ca institutions still forage on. You can still get a date shake on the way to palm springs, and the surf's up, baby. The cable cars run in sf and route 66 is still marked in many places ending in santa monica. There are 9 national parks, more than any other state and they don't change much. There's 840 miles of coastline, 3rd behind ak and fl.

But that's all physical stuff. It's the people shift that has drastically changed. Did they not notice the magic? Well, it is after all, magic and sometimes things seem to disappear, only to reappear.

Maybe for only some, though. The reality is the place is dirty and rude. That didn't used to be but i know we are not alone with that.

i do wonder what ca expats think. There is a saying here that if you leave you can't get back.

[Lexus4321]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'm really sorry I started this thread. So tiresome....

If your location isn't CA, STFU.

post #348 though......

This thread Q is for the people who still live there, or no longer live there???

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'm really sorry I started this thread. So tiresome....

I understand. I started a thread in PARF to discuss something with other Christians. It got flooded with atheists bashing my belief. I was informed they have a right to post and no one can tell them not to. I guess the same rules apply here.
That said, I will suggest that we voluntarily respect the wishes of the OP and only reply if we live there or have moved from there.

[Bugsinrugs]

Power has been shut off here due to high winds. Generators up and running. The question is , do I have enough gas for two and a half days? I’m thinking that 15 gallons should get me through. Ah...the times they are a changing.

[RWebb]

I lived there for 4 months - I'd do it again too

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

Power has been shut off here due to high winds. Generators up and running. The question is , do I have enough gas for two and a half days? I’m thinking that 15 gallons should get me through. Ah...the times they are a changing.

People build deep into the forests, then when a fire starts and their homes in the forest burn, they sue the power company. What’s a quick way for the power company to avoid said lawsuits?

[Bugsinrugs]

Originally Posted by upsscott

People build deep into the forests, then when a fire starts and their homes in the forest burn, they sue the power company. What’s a quick way for the power company to avoid said lawsuits?

My feelings are....turn the power off if it means that we won’t have a fire. I can live for a while with my generators. .
That being said, PG&E is our power provider. Years ago they got approval for rate increases because of infrastructure maintainence and tree trimming. They took the money and rewarded upper management and shareholders. Remember the gas main explosion in San Bruno? That main was supposed to be replaced years prior and they took the money and then killed people. They should be broken up but that’s another topic.

[sammyg2]

No one leaves california, it's perfect here, there are no homeless people or drugs here, taxes are really low and the politicians are all honest and have our best interests at heart.

Is that what you wanted to hear?

[CalPersFatCat]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

Power has been shut off here due to high winds. Generators up and running. The question is , do I have enough gas for two and a half days? I’m thinking that 15 gallons should get me through. Ah...the times they are a changing.

You should consider the Generac XD5000e. Commercial Grade Diesel. 12.5 gallon tank. Will run for 2.5 days on that 12.5 gallons of diesel. When there is a "run" on gasoline, you will still be able to buy diesel. Northern tool sells portable fuel tanks to allow you to push your run time to a week or more.

*** This unit will run one of your 2.5 ton Central air conditioners if installed with a soft start module. The generator will run you $3,700. The soft start module $500 and an electrician should charge about $2,000 to install a manual transfer switch at the panel where your AC breaker is located.

DL

[CalPersFatCat]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

No one leaves california, it's perfect here, there are no homeless people or drugs here, taxes are really low and the politicians are all honest and have our best interests at heart.

Is that what you wanted to hear?

You forgot to add that life is really, really pleasant and easy, but only if your are "talented."

DL

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

My feelings are....turn the power off if it means that we won’t have a fire. I can live for a while with my generators. .
That being said, PG&E is our power provider. Years ago they got approval for rate increases because of infrastructure maintainence and tree trimming. They took the money and rewarded upper management and shareholders. Remember the gas main explosion in San Bruno? That main was supposed to be replaced years prior and they took the money and then killed people. They should be broken up but that’s another topic.

Agreed. The Camp Fire was started because of a $10 turnbuckle that should have been replaced decades earlier. They are a terrible company right now.

[look 171]

I read only the first few threads and knew this was going to go to siht really soon. Yes, we have a huge homeless problem (many are from your state), but that's not all of LA or CA. They are not everywhere like the photos or news lead you to believe. On my way to the fwy, sure they are under bridges where only 5-6 years ago, those areas were clean. There are many normal neighborhoods have no homeless hanging around, not only homes of starts or the rich. As a matter of face, most areas, bums aren't seen. Downtown is pretty bad, but only small sections of it are bad. Its impossible to really understand a city as a visitor or only live here for 5-6 months. This place is vast and interconnected by miles of fwy or simple streets. If you really think its so bad, why are there still traffic jams daily, and people are still coming looking for their opportunities? They can't be all wrong can't they? May be is you? The large cities are difficult to get use to if you are from a smaller town with plenty of elbow room. All large cities are expensive to live. NYC, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong to name a few. There's the crazy politics and tax. We just deal with it. Its part of the siht we all have to deal with. Small town have their siht show too I am sure I dislike. But we deal w it.

[Lexus4321]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

My feelings are....turn the power off if it means that we won’t have a fire. I can live for a while with my generators. .
That being said, PG&E is our power provider. Years ago they got approval for rate increases because of infrastructure maintainence and tree trimming. They took the money and rewarded upper management and shareholders. Remember the gas main explosion in San Bruno? That main was supposed to be replaced years prior and they took the money and then killed people. They should be broken up but that’s another topic.

Sounds like the fed govt