Will California Fail (Oakland, Pasadena, Concord: school districts, colleges, living in)

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by sav858

Actually the opposite is true, the better public schools are usually in the suburbs where houses are EXPENSIVE. Schools are bad in places like Concord, Pittsburgh, Vallejo, etc..where houses are cheap. Schools are relatively good in places like Walnut Creek, Lamorinda, San Ramon, etc..where homes are expensive.

Clayton Valley, Ygnacio Valley, Concord High, College Park High, etc are all good public schools in Concord/ Pleasant Hill and houses are relatively cheaper compared to most of California.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Clayton Valley, Ygnacio Valley, Concord High, College Park High, etc are all good public schools in Concord/ Pleasant Hill and houses are relatively cheaper compared to most of California.

NO they are not. YV and Concord High are NOT good schools in the least. YV in particular is horrible IMO. And lets not forget about Mt Diablo High, which is god awful. College Park and Clayton are mediocre to decent at best. None of those schools would be considered "good".

Houses are cheaper than most of the Bay Area but pretty close to the statewide average. It's a middle class area with bad schools like many middle class areas in CA. To have good schools you need to be in an UPPER middle class area like WC, Lamorinda, San Ramon, etc...

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by sav858

NO they are not. YV and Concord High are NOT good schools in the least. YV in particular is horrible IMO. And lets not forget about Mt Diablo High, which is god awful. College Park and Clayton are mediocre to decent at best. None of those schools would be considered "good".

Houses are cheaper than most of the Bay Area but pretty close to the statewide average. It's a middle class area with bad schools like many middle class areas in CA. To have good schools you need to be in an UPPER middle class area like WC, Lamorinda, San Ramon, etc...

You're exaggerating to make a point to say those are horrible schools and to call College park and Clayton Valley Mediocre or decent is ridiculous.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by City Boy

You're exaggerating to make a point to say those are horrible schools and to call College park and Clayton Valley Mediocre or decent is ridiculous.

Maybe you just have lower standards for schools or something b/c I don't think it's a stretch at all to call some of these schools horrible and others mediocre. There is a reason why parents don't want their kids going to YV. There is a reason that Northgate High and other schools in the Mt Diablo School District in Walnut Creek are trying to leave the Mt Diablo School District to join either WCUSD or Acalanes UHSD. Sorry but looking at test scores, facilities, programs, and curriculum those schools are NOT "good" and most are not even decent.

Maybe you have trouble admitting what a sorry state Ca's K-12 schools are in but it's reality. CA has bad public schools overall and that is NOT an exaggeration, it's a fact. And sugar coating or pretending it doesn't is not helping the situation at all. Study after study keeps showing our schools to be failing in comparison and we need to do something about that.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Nothing is the same as it was 50 years ago? Nothing.

well that was just an example. Of course nothing stays the same. I meant more from the standpoint of a place where people wanted to raise families, a place that was secure, with not a lot of crime and a great economy, a place everyone wanted to live (most everyone) I really didn't mean to return to the 50s. Of course no one can expect that or probably really even want it.

Nita

[Sassberto]

California is already a failed state. We're failing to protect our people, educate our children, provide healthcare, to all but the wealthy. We have become a first-world example of a third-world society. We don't even have the money to call ourselves financially sound despite all these social problems. So it's not a question of whether or not we will fail - the question is: what are we going to do to fix it?

Denial about the situation seems to be endemic. We consider those who "can't make it" to be "failures" and "losers". We tell young families who can't afford to own a home in a safe area with decent schools to "go back home". We continue to tell ourselves that "everyone wants to live here", but that's just not true anymore. We say "transplant go home" while an immigrant society starts our tech companies and maintains nearly every aspect of our physical footprint. We have become everything that California was supposed to be the antidote to - classicist, elitist, a haven for the wealthy and privileged.

Resting on our laurels got us here... the only way out is to buckle down and take back what is ours. But as long as we continue to deny the reality.... we will remain a failed state.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by City Boy

It's hard not to be when half this forum insists on trashing the state I'm from. It's not about being Naive to the problems, you act like residents don't know what's going on. We are living through it, but it's not the end of the world and it is NOT as bad as you are all making it out to be.

If you have the money you can send your kids to just about any Private school. As for the public schools the suburbs are cheaper than the city, so it depends on where you want to live. The better public schools are usually in the suburbs where houses are cheap.

Forget? How can I forget I'm from Oakland, what do you mean forget? As for the job thing that's not native to California. People can't find jobs from the biggest cities to the smallest cities in EVERY state.

Well now lets' see? I know most do realize the problems, but you seem to live in a bubble. You say you have a good life,apparently have no financual problems and are just content with life. At least that is pretty much what you are saying. I was wondering how you could have your eyes closed living in Oakland. Now you say you do not have them closed.

The lack of jobs is much more prevelent in Ca than in most states, but not all. Texas has an unemployment rate around 7.5 as does OK. AR is barely 7% It was 7.5% NM might even be lower as are many states. So it is much worse in California which is one of the reasons the state is in such bad condition, but only one reason.

You say houses are cheap in the better schools district? Have you checked places like San Marino or Arcadia, even Glendora? All outstanding schools districts in So Ca as well as So Pasadena? I don't know enough about the school districts in the bay area to judge.

I am not one that is blasting your state. I do understand how you feel, I feel the same way when people get the idea AR is nothing but a bunch of rednecks who marry their cousins and have 10 cars parked on their front lawn. Most of those people have never been to AR. I think many of us are simply saying, Calif may not every return to the status it once had. You are the one that said nothing stays the same.

There was a time when the New England states were the place to live and remember when no one wanted to live in the south. Colo was just a little state sorta in the middle of the country and Phoenix, what was that city all about? How many people thought of relocating to Or or Wa? And how about Idaho? All these states as well as Texas and Ok are attracting big companies. GTE left Ca and settled in Dallas. Pennys and AA both left NYC and relocated to Dallas.

Again, I do know why you are so defensive, like I said I am the same about NWA and I wasn't born here. People don't realize all we have here. That being said, I don't know why you think those of us who no longer live in the state would want to see the state go under. I think you can not accept anything that might differ a little from your thoughts, or that is how it seems. Maybe I am wrong.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

sav858, I've pulled up other rankings and we are either ranked 47th, 46th, or 45th. That is still rather low.

Cityboy, I don't think people are bashing CA our state. It is like the economy things are really that bad and can get worse. It doesn't seem like people really realize just how bad things are right now. People who still write on these boards after they have left still care about this state. Sure you get some people that want to see the state fail but IMHO most of the posters long for improvements.

I can guarantee you I am one that doesn't want to see it fail and I don't think it will. I just think there are rough times ahead. Heck, I will probably inherit a duplex when my step mom passes away. It was worth close to mil not all that long ago. I don't want to think what it isn't worth right now. Plus Ca was home for 40 plus years.

Nita

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

California is already a failed state. We're failing to protect our people, educate our children, provide healthcare, to all but the wealthy. We have become a first-world example of a third-world society. We don't even have the money to call ourselves financially sound despite all these social problems. So it's not a question of whether or not we will fail - the question is: what are we going to do to fix it?

Denial about the situation seems to be endemic. We consider those who "can't make it" to be "failures" and "losers". We tell young families who can't afford to own a home in a safe area with decent schools to "go back home". We continue to tell ourselves that "everyone wants to live here", but that's just not true anymore. We say "transplant go home" while an immigrant society starts our tech companies and maintains nearly every aspect of our physical footprint. We have become everything that California was supposed to be the antidote to - classicist, elitist, a haven for the wealthy and privileged.

Resting on our laurels got us here... the only way out is to buckle down and take back what is ours. But as long as we continue to deny the reality.... we will remain a failed state.

How refreshing! Truth and reality! Well put!

[Screw Sacramento]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

California is already a failed state. We're failing to protect our people, educate our children, provide healthcare, to all but the wealthy. We have become a first-world example of a third-world society. We don't even have the money to call ourselves financially sound despite all these social problems. So it's not a question of whether or not we will fail - the question is: what are we going to do to fix it?

Denial about the situation seems to be endemic. We consider those who "can't make it" to be "failures" and "losers". We tell young families who can't afford to own a home in a safe area with decent schools to "go back home". We continue to tell ourselves that "everyone wants to live here", but that's just not true anymore. We say "transplant go home" while an immigrant society starts our tech companies and maintains nearly every aspect of our physical footprint. We have become everything that California was supposed to be the antidote to - classicist, elitist, a haven for the wealthy and privileged.

Resting on our laurels got us here... the only way out is to buckle down and take back what is ours. But as long as we continue to deny the reality.... we will remain a failed state.

Brilliant. It is especially poignant how you mentioned that those who can't make it are deemed failures and losers. I can think of a recent example of someone with no college degree and a high paying job compared to those with Masters that can't find any kind of work. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to it.

I wish California would ever just grow a pair to crack down on the immigration and take back what was ours but unfortunately the diversity we pride ourselves on is the same thing swamping us. I have seen people from the middle east become promoted over military veterans, just because they were from the middle east and it's the politically correct thing to do. When did we ever stop taking care of our own? It's a sorry state of affairs here.