Safe, Pleasant Areas for Black, Mixed Family

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by LiaLia

OP, look into San Pedro.

(You can thank me later. )

San Pedro would be a good idea for some but not rush hour from there to San Marino. he said he wanted the rush hour to be short. Certainly San Pedro to San Marino is no short

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by nmnita

San Pedro would be a good idea for some but not rush hour from there to San Marino. he said he wanted the rush hour to be short. Certainly San Pedro to San Marino is no short

The 110 Freeway terminates in San Pedro at one end, and does not even make it to San Marino on the other end, terminating in Pasadena. Opposite ends of a major freeway does not make a good, stress-free, or short commute.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

The 110 Freeway terminates in San Pedro at one end, and does not even make it to San Marino on the other end, terminating in Pasadena. Opposite ends of a major freeway does not make a good, stress-free, or short commute.

That pretty much is my point as well. We lived in Arcadia, Glendora, and Altadena. I grew up in Eagle Rock and our daughter owed her first home in Monrovia. I couldn't actually believe anyone would suggest San Pedro for someone working in San Marino.

[Screenwriter70]

Originally Posted by Tencent

The Presidency. She was hard on petty Marijuana related offenses in an era where both the State and the nation in general were looking towards decriminalization.

The reason I bring up her is whenever Marijuana is discussed it can be a highly racialized issue which most Americans think of Black vs. White. And because of stereotypes and "Black Flight" from CA, the first thing some Whites may think when a Black couple moves in subconsciously is there is a 1 in 2 chance they are a dealer of some kind. (Because many working class Blacks born and raised in the area left decades ago and recently high income Black families as well. ) Old Abuelitas often ignorantly think the same, that once we move on their block, mysteriously their grandkids will begin toking voraciously and rebelling. It is something OP should be conscious and aware of.

Many Whites I meet from California regularly assume (even in a professional setting) that I am 1 degree of separation from a dealer, Hitman or roughneck of some kind. It's almost as if you're Black and successful in California you are an anomaly and there has to be something else to it. (Mostly assumed to be something nefarious) Now Liberal elite Whites won't actively discriminate against you due to these beliefs but will passively trip over themselves and interactions can be awkward until you clear the air and set the record straight. They tend to tippy toe around Frank life discussions, topics like crime which are inevitable if discussing where to live or do business. The topic often segues into how they have meth heads among extended family and that is a cue for you to confirm their assumptions that your mamma was on section 8 and yo daddy was a banger or low rider. I don't have time to get into this but California liberal Whites can be extremely annoying to deal with beyond light rapport. I'm not saying ALL but MANY. It's a difference in culture, humor and sense or overly caring for political correctness. If you want to know if I've seen a gang turf war just ask and stop using euphemisms and beating around the bush already.

That has been my limited experience of being Black in California in general as well as 2nd hand accounts from friends and Black business associates.

It is something for OP to be aware of. Not that this only happens in LA.... I would advise reading about the story of the Black Uber engineer. SF is a different animal entirely but you'll see some persistent themes that can be applied to the region.

Wow. I hope it's not as bad as the South. My fiance and I will be living in the Inland Empire, we're an interracial couple and while we don't get too many evil eye stares from people here, there is thinly veiled racism from a lot of older people, mostly White. I've never had an issue with Asians or Hispanics though, and we've got a lot of the latter in my hometown. I'm working in the film industry as a screenwriter and need to be near LA for meetings, hence the move - we will be in the area by February 10.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by EverLost

Good questions.

First, I want to say that I'm not being intentionally evasive but I'd rather not accidentally expose too much about our life / work / family, so I am being circumspect.

I haven't been to LA since the early 2000's, so my experience is almost non-existent. My trips then weren't pleasant but it had more to do with oppressive heat, smog and horrid traffic than interactions between people per se. I'd like to give the city another chance, almost 20 years on. My husband has only ever been through LAX.

I'm not scared to move but I am cautious because LA is sprawling and different in every way from the cities in which we have lived. Every city we've lived in as been at least 20% black and most of the neighborhoods I've lived in have had a significant black minority as well. In any context, the experience of being in the 2% of visible minority is a lot different than being in the 20% but some situations are more tolerable. The most expensive nabes in Manhattan have very, very few black residents and I've dealt with tons of suspicion and cold shoulders, which is annoying, but tolerable. On the other hand, in the least-black parts of Miami I've found explicit racism, including denial of service, and actual physical intimidation.
I could tolerate living in the former; I'm really reluctant to even revisit the latter.

We do have children but we have options other than local zoned schools, hence my comment that schooling wasn't important. FWIW, our mixed-heritage children are racially ambiguous and would phenotypically fit well in a majority Asian or Latino school. I do worry about the mental toll of anti-blackness on them but I don't have concerns about their physical safety based on their appearance.

As a New Yorker, I obviously understand population churn and gentrification. However, there's not ongoing battles between black and Latino gangs in, let's say, Brooklyn. The Latin Kings aren't targeting black families with firebombings or randomly stabbing black people in the subway. Based on what I've read and a little that I've heard secondhand, that seems decidedly different in at least parts of Los Angeles.

The opportunity to move came almost out of nowhere, so if it seems like we are under-prepared to take on such an endeavor, we absolutely are. The opportunity just came up.

We definitely plan to visit soon but our trips will be short and our homebuying budget isn't large for the area, so I was just trying to get initial feedback about places we could feel comfortable. I naively started off suggesting San Marino, which I had never heard of, because my husband would be working there. My husband naively started off suggesting East LA, because of affordability. Clearly we both had a lot to learn!

Thanks for your help.

Well you're welcome and thank you for the additional information.

I really think you and your husband need to come visit first and do your research in person. Which seems to be what you're going to do. Now I have been in LA more than 30 years and still love it and think the positives out way the negatives.

But it has changed and not for the better since you were here almost 20 years ago. The homeless problem and the horrible conditions of the roads. My car has less than 30,000 miles on it, I just had to get new tires(one was replaced 2 years ago due to a huge pothole) and needs shocks. It is from the roads and I don't drive that far from home.

Since you mentioned the heat, it has gotten hotter here and stays hotter here much longer. It was in the 90s till almost Thanksgiving in 2019. The summer before that we saw temps at 116 degrees in LA proper.

Where you're looking to live and work you won't be that impacted by the traffic but you will be by the heat if that is an issue(I'm not a fan of really hot weather either).

So keep this in mind.

Yes, San Marino (which isn't City of LA) is very pricey.

Regarding your children, JMO but you do need to keep school districts in mind. Unless you're looking at private schools. If you're thinking of some type of home schooling, I would think that would be hard on your kids. They're leaving their friends behind and will need social contact.

Best of luck.

[Chickenfriedsteak]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

Where Kamala went wrong nationally, IMHO, was when she wanted to take on the "victim" role in the early Democratic debates, a la her public sparring with Joe Biden. Yet, a cursory glance at her resume and biography indicates a life of relative privilege, compared to your average black American and black Californian.



People -- as a rule -- don't like hypocrites and fakes. It's a near-universal turn off.

Both parents having been professors? Yes, privileged. Quite privileged she was. The poor bused child face she put on was a huge turn off and deceptive as hell.