Reasons Not to Move To California (Los Angeles, San Diego: for rent, house, unemployment)

[thealchemist787]

California is the greatest state! The most geographically and culturally diverse not to mention the best weather. THis place is amazing. If anyone wants to leave because theyre conservative, then go for it!! The less conservatives here the better.

[tetka_grunya]

Originally Posted by countofmc

I did read an article addressing this and some "hidden" ways living in a place like California can save money. One was the free entertainment factor. You have a ton of free attractions that you can enjoy that you are less inclined to want to travel and such. I personally think this might be legit. When I was younger I lived in a nowheresville place where there was really nothing to do. So every weekend our family would drive about an hour or more to go to a larger city to check out a museum, find a large body of water, etc. If you live in Bay Area, LA, or San Diego, you mostly have a ton of stuff to check out year-round. So your desire/need to travel might decrease. It has for me.

So I'm not ready to give up on the state yet as it offers quite a bit. That being said I am getting sick of the Bay Area as I feel it offers NOTHING for someone that doesn't work in the tech sector, and the COL is substantially higher here than even Los Angeles, to say nothing of San Diego (which I feel has a better overall QOL than the Bay Area)

In Bay Area most people drive 1 hour or more to get to their office (everyday!)
just 2c

btw gas is not cheap

[sponger42]

Originally Posted by ryanst530

Businesses that flock to California do so because they are able to easily find talented workers (since, naturally, talented workers want to live where the weather is nice and the scenery is gorgeous).

And those talented workers have no impact on the "liberal" politics? Those just evolved on their own from...?

[dexter14]

Are we talking northern or southern CA? Since Im assuming SoCal and Ive lived here my whole life, I'll play along...

Reasons to move to southern CA:
Beaches
weather

Reasons not to move to southern CA:
extremely expensive gas, groceries, rent etc..
overcrowded
traffic every hour of every day on most every freeway
2.5 million illegals and growing daily
horribly restrictive and anti 2nd amendment gun control laws. If you own guns, avoid this state at all costs
run by liberal Democrats who want to control your life
terrible for small business, you need a license or permit for EVERYTHING and ridiculous building codes

Thats just off the top of my head

[threepounduniverse]

Originally Posted by ryanst530

Nice try, but no.

Our relatively large GDP has much more to do with California's geographic desirability than our liberal politics. California has a terrible business climate, but (some) businesses are willing to put up with it since employees like living here. Businesses that flock to California do so because they are able to easily find talented workers (since, naturally, talented workers want to live where the weather is nice and the scenery is gorgeous).

As for job recovery... In case you don't remember, California had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country for several years following 2008. It's just now beginning to recover.

CA's recovery leads many states as well. It was one of the first to tank so that makes sense.

The callout in italics at the head of the article puts the source of the 'study' in its proper context: "California placed 48th in a study by the Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank, which based its rankings on business, sales, income and other taxes. Other studies contradict the findings."

A little farther down in the article you cite you'll see this:

"The survey of state business taxes did not attempt to measure non-tax factors, such as the quality of universities, access to talented workers and availability of venture capital, in determining a state's business-friendliness, Robyn noted.

Some economists are skeptical. The foundation's criteria are too limited, said Stephen Levy, chief economist and director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. "It portrays 'business-friendly' as only about taxes," he said, "and not about quality of education and quality of life in the state.

It's the end of your post which shows that clearly- any business which relocates or starts up in CA has already done the math and the answer is they most need access to the best workforce on the planet because they come from *all over* the planet to work for companies in CA... If the business relocates in Orem, Utah, not quite so much... all the low taxes and tax breaks in the world don't do much to offset a shortage of talented, educated employment candidates who love what the rest of Utah has to offer... that is a smaller group, no? '^)

Since any good Tech, etc. biz owner learns, the real intellectual property walks out the door every night.... an overriding factor for every business that decides to form, relocate or expand in this state.

Another factor that CA has going for it: cultural diversity of another type- rural vs. suburban and urban. We are leaving Santa Cruz for the 'other' CA... A vineyard and ranch out in the countryside between San Miguel and Paso Robles above SLO in that county. Our soon-to-be landlord rolled up in an ATV driven by his cool neighbor Alice and climbed out with a cold beer in one hand and an outstretched leathery palm with which to shake our hands. He was going to the Lynryd Skynyrd concert in town that night and told us about the huge family BBQ with a friend's live band that they throw every July for the neighborhood... a neighbor down the hill occasionally shoots a deer on his property. Is any of this a problem, he politely, almost apologetically asked. We replied that the sound of a rifle in the distance has always sounded reassuring, the BBQ sounds awesome, and look forward to seeing the grape harvest next year. The neighboring spreads raise cattle, Llamas, their vineyards supply the grapes for wineries all over CA. And we like fiscal responsibility, reasonable taxes and a 'live and let live' attitude... 130 miles from where I write this, in a scummy overpriced surfer/homeless petting zoo of a town is another 'California' altogether. Which is where we are moving... and we are solid Democrats who when we lived in Vermont proudly voted for Bernie Sanders... as did more than a few VT farmers, dairymen and business owners... in CA more than anywhere else I've lived (32 states and counting), culture/lifestyle does not have to equal politics. CA's kinda nice that way. '^)

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by thealchemist787

California is the greatest state! The most geographically and culturally diverse not to mention the best weather. THis place is amazing. If anyone wants to leave because theyre conservative, then go for it!! The less conservatives here the better.

So much for diversity and inclusiveness. Guess it's a liberal mindset, huh?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Anyone who is making a rational rather than emotional decision will weight costs against benefits against risks. People who make decisions like that tend to get ahead in life, even with life throws the odd curve ball. Someone contemplating any move needs to do this.

I would say based on what I have set forth, many middle class people would find it very hard to justify moving from where they are to this state. Similarly, many middle class people currently residing in this state are finding that a move away could improve their cash flow.

This sums it up pretty well.

Joel Kotkin said essentially the same thing here (and he's a Democrat by the way):

The Weekend Interview with Joel Kotkin: The Great California Exodus - WSJ.com

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by countofmc

Maybe because of people like you who tout diversity and the liberal mindset together without understanding the irony of your statement?

Time was when being a liberal meant you were open mined. Not so much today.

CA is expensive compared to places like Kentucky, but hey...you get what you pay for.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by mbell75

terrible for small business, you need a license or permit for EVERYTHING and ridiculous building codes

Thats just off the top of my head

Hey, if you'd been living in the apartment complex that was destroyed by this fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, you might not have a top of your head still sitting on top of your head.

That's in Texas, the place where businesses are free of those pesky, liberal, commie, California-style regulations that disallow hundreds of thousands of pounds of high explosives to be stored, by a company with a long history of safety violations, in close proximity to a public school, apartment complex, old folk's home, and residential dwellings.

West Fertilizer Company explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Hey, if you'd been living in the apartment complex that was destroyed by this fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, you might not have a top of your head still sitting on top of your head.

That's in Texas, the place where businesses are free of those pesky, liberal, commie, California-style regulations that disallow hundreds of thousands of pounds of high explosives to be stored, by a company with a long history of safety violations, in close proximity to a public school, apartment complex, old folk's home, and residential dwellings.

West Fertilizer Company explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Well at least in Texas you are free to conduct business as you see fit.

No worries. Well mostly....

And as one drives thru Oregon and crosses the CA border one is struck by how healthy and lush the forests are in our fair state compared to WA and OR. And yes O naysayer, we have tons of logging here. It's just that in CA we don't allow logging companies to rape the land.