Los Angeles (Pomona, San Fernando: low income, condos, buy)

[Ms.Phitt]

For those of you who need some more hard facts, Los Angeles City Clerk Frank T. Martinez has compiled the following data:

Affordable housing is scarce in Los Angeles.

More than 88% of City residents cannot afford to buy a median-priced home. Today, a family needs to earn more than $100,000 to buy such a home in the City. People such as teachers, construction workers, and nurses do not earn enough to buy a home in the City.

Rental housing is unaffordable by Federal standards if a family spends more than 30% of its income on rent. Almost half of City renters spend more than 41% of their income on rent.

50,000 homeless people and families live in the City.

Do CaliGuy's statement's still ring true after hearing the facts from a neutral source?

This is publicly available information. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself.

[Pasadenagirl]

I recently returned from a week in western north carolina, I hadn't been there since childhood, over 30 yrs. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was and how friendly people were. It's taken me 3 weeks to adjust to being back in pasadena. I cried for 2 days when I returned because I was relieved to see that there is something other than the l.a. lifestyle ( rush rush rush, rudeness, thoughtlessness). I do not travel much but I guess I should!

[Ms.Phitt]

More evidence of CaliGuy's lack of facts, from a report released by the Census Bureau (emphasis mine):

• Nearly every large metropolitan area had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004.
  
• Among the 25 largest metropolitan areas, 18 had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — the three biggest metropolitan areas — lost the most residents to domestic moves.
• Experts say it's a case of middle class flight in search of housing affordability.
• Smaller, wealthier households are replacing larger families in many big metropolitan areas. That drives up housing prices even as the population shrinks, chasing away even more members of the middle class.
• The median price is Los Angeles was $529,000.

Census: Americans Are Fleeing Big Cities
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...a211537D59.DTL

[fastfilm]

Thanks for the hard facts, Ms. Phitt. I will try to find the source of 300 illegal immigrants demanding services from our tax dollars moving into Los Angeles each and every day that is the replacement demographic for the middle class Americans moving out, and keeping this area overpopulated in the face of its professional work force leaving.

To the posters that defended all city life if one resigns to be a lifetime renter, I would counter that's a defensible personal choice as long you never plan to have any children or pets. Part of the American dream still is to aspire to have at least a modest version of it.

[johnlvs2run]

Originally Posted by Cali2ID

As my name suggests I am outta here. I am so done with the crime, pollution, illegals, cost of living,traffic, etc. I'm
done! I told my wife that when we leave for the last time I want her to take a picture of me at the NV./CA. border facing California flipping it off! There is only one good view of L.A. and that's through my rear view mirror.

Beware the pillar of salt.....

I've been looking around for 2 years now too, Wastern Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Nevada.

Having decided to build a passive solar home, WA and ID just don't have enough sunshine in the winters. Colorado is good in that regard, but very crowded, expensive and smog. I would love to live in Northest Nevada but their gold mines are drying up all the ground water and it will be depleted within just a few years, plus all the mercury and arsenic they have released in the meantime.

Santa Maria is a great place to live and an ideal climate all year. So far I've not found any better climate than here and probably won't but still looking. There are definitely things I don't like here, and those are making all the difference, keeping up my motivation to pursue my dreams before it's too late. After all I just have this one life to live and may as well look into making the most of it.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by Ms.Phitt

For those of you who need some more hard facts, Los Angeles City Clerk Frank T. Martinez has compiled the following data:

Affordable housing is scarce in Los Angeles.

More than 88% of City residents cannot afford to buy a median-priced home. Today, a family needs to earn more than $100,000 to buy such a home in the City. People such as teachers, construction workers, and nurses do not earn enough to buy a home in the City.

Rental housing is unaffordable by Federal standards if a family spends more than 30% of its income on rent. Almost half of City renters spend more than 41% of their income on rent.

50,000 homeless people and families live in the City.

Do CaliGuy's statement's still ring true after hearing the facts from a neutral source?

This is publicly available information. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself.

Well that is interesting except for the fact that 70% of all CA families cant afford housing at current costs without getting creative loans. CA is CA!

LA is a large city in CA so it slightly amplifies the trends of CA, but remember, ALL of CA is in the same boat.

[UB50]

Other states aren't much better. I have a friend (a teacher) with a masters degree and over 20 years of teaching experience and she is earning $35,000 a year. It won't buy the minimum $300K+ home in her community either -- without creative financing.

What's the benefit in that?

[UB50]

One thing no one ever mentions in Social Security.

Social Security is based on your highest paying years -- not based on "making a lot of money for the area you live in." That means a janitor earning $50K a year in California would get a lot more from Social Security than a paramedic making $27K in another state. And that janitor could move out of California and be collecting a decent amount in another state, while that paramedic is eating cat food in whatever state he worked in.

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't max out on Social Security in whatever state you are in, you aren't making enough money.

Of course, this counts on Social Security being around for a lot more years.... but I think it will be. Look for us to hit 400,000,000 population in 2020, 500,000,000 in 2030, etc. If the USA keeps growing populationwise, Social Security will work out for at least the next 50 years.

[jcp123]

My Mom lived there for 8 years back in the 70's and still hates LA with a passion. Too impersonal, too crowded, too expensive and too polluted. I haven't spent enough time there myself to form an opinion (born and raised Bay Area), but I'd like to live there for a little while just to see for myself what it's really like.

[Ms.Phitt]

Originally Posted by jlrobe

Well that is interesting except for the fact that 70% of all CA families cant afford housing at current costs without getting creative loans. CA is CA!

LA is a large city in CA so it slightly amplifies the trends of CA, but remember, ALL of CA is in the same boat.

Oh believe me, I know. That's a good reminder for other readers here, but I'm well aware of that fact. I was merely restricting myself to the topic of this forum, which is Los Angeles. Had this been a California forum, I'd have been certain to make that point as well.

Fastfilm: Thank you for all the facts and figures you've supplied, as well. It's helped me get a better understanding of why things are the way they are here.

Originally Posted by UB50

Other states aren't much better. I have a friend

I'm not so convinced of that, especially when you're citing evidence that is purely anecdotal. Census and other statistics show that almost all the other states are in fact better than California in terms of affordability. Look at the Census data I recently posted. The state data is similar, although I didn't post it here simply because this is a Los Angeles forum and not a California forum.

That said, it's a well-known fact that the trend has become exaggerated in recent years: now the poor are getting MUCH poorer and the rich are getting MUCH richer. Don't like it? Start by taking your dissatisfaction and sticking it in a voting booth! Put your ballot where your mouth is; local, state, and federal. There is no "affordable housing" and "decent living wage" fairy to magically come along and hand these things out - - as any Los Angelean can readily attest!