Question for those who live in California

[ultrarunner]

That's a lot! How much property do you own there?

Some states give some sort of property tax exemption to a primary residence. My sisters both live in Vermont, and they pay a lower rate on their homes than they do on other property, including in one case a second home. I believe Florida also charges a higher rate to non-residents as well.

As JMC noted, the money's got to come from somewhere. Here in N.H. we have neither a sales nor an income tax, so our property taxes are on the high side (though not appreciably more than those in Vt., which has both). Lots of "user fees" too...can be pricey to register a new vehicle.

Just the one...

The zoning and setbacks have changed since I bought.

At the time of purchase the property could support 3 homes based on 5 acre minimum.

Now it's just the home that exists...

The county actually slightly lower the land value after the zoning changed...

BUT the county greatly increased the home value citing the new building restrictions.

 

[deserteagle71]

My brother has a ccw in northern calif, depends on county. But he cant travel to los angeles with it concealed.

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? No problem carrying in an area where its doubtful you'll ever need to defend yourself...but its illegal to carry in an area where your chances of needing to defend yourself are high!

 

[TN8Man]

Thank you for the response.

Again, I found out about the cost of living out there when we visited first hand, and you hear everything bad about California, but the two weeks we spent there we absolutely loved every minute of it.

First time I heard of a 40% inheritance tax and one of the speciffic reasons why someone was leaving. Couldn't find anything online.

Our "base camp" when we were out there was staying at Angels Camp. Talking with the locals (particularly at the gas station), pretty much the same philosphy in any other rural area I've lived in in the US.

I escaped SoCal after I retired. I was born and raised in SoCal but I did spend some time at Beale AFB near Yuba City. Not surprised you find the more rural areas of Cali nice, they are nice. It's the metro areas that are not so nice anymore.

Growing up I never imagined leaving California but by the time I retired I could not wait to get out.

 

[scootr]

I too am against many of the CA regulatory actions. But -
The CA lands and weather are some of the best and nicest in the world. The average temperature here in February is 68º with about 4 days of rain for the month. That's pretty hard to beat. Rural CA is not comparable to metropolitan LA or SF or Sacramento or Fresno or Bakersfield in terms of costs and crime. Beachside communities are extremely expensive to live in. San Diego is the wonderful but unaffordable for most people unless you are willing to make some serious compromises on living arrangements.
I've been here for 46 yrs. 24 prior yrs in IL, PA, and CT. Brrr
Bought my first house in So CA for $14k lol. That little home is $280-400k today.
Our current place has quadrupled in value 25 yrs. Crazy expensive. We thought about leaving a few yrs ago. I did extensive searches on demographics, climate, and costs. We found no place affordable as nice. And true if you sell and decide to come back later it will cost you dearly. So we are planted. The politics are painful, same for many blue states. We endure that and love the Mediterranean climate here.
It's about 68º and sunny today, Every inch is green from the rains. The wheat is well sprouted. Vineyards greening up. Fruit trees blooming. It's not perfect but the weather is close.
I heard there is a Noreastern blowing in to the NE today.

 

[plowhog]

not trying to get this into a bashing California thread on guns

There are some wonderful rural areas of CA that you can live in. I still own property in CA including one "gem" of a rural property that is tremendous.

But, if you legally reside and work in CA, you cannot escape that your work and labor is taxed, and then those taxes go to pay for things you likely oppose.

Many city dwellers are a different breed from rural. In general, I would venture that people living in rural areas largely oppose the directions the State is headed in. But there are not enough of them to carry weight vs. the city dwellers.

The bottom line for me is I decided to stop my payment of taxes going toward things I oppose. So I moved those payments to a different State instead. And reduced the tax burden somewhat as Nevada has no income tax.

Now I live just across the border from CA. I enjoy the many wonders and benefits of the State of California while minimizing my contributions to the nonsensical parts. I haven't totally escaped the long arm of the CA taxation system, but I cut it about 90%.

btw, the flight of high income taxpayers from CA has not gone unnoticed. There are current bills being debated in the CA Assembly to "claw back" tax money from departing residents. Proposals include imposing a tax or fee to leave the State, and making departing residents subject to CA taxes for up to 10 years after you move away.

This is not as far-fetched as it sounds. My parents retired to Nevada but had to pay CA income tax for many years even though they were not residents. Only when the US House of Representatives introduced a bill to prohibit that (which passed) did this finally cease. But it took nearly a decade.

 

[scootr]

There are some wonderful rural areas of CA that you can live in. I still own property in CA including one "gem" of a rural property that is tremendous.

But, if you legally reside and work in CA, you cannot escape that your work and labor is taxed, and then those taxes go to pay for things you likely oppose.

This ^^^^
I'm mostly certain the same is true of rural residents living and working outside of metropolitan NY, Boston, Philadelphia, and so on. Unfortunately for all of us the largest segment of our population live in these Metropolitan areas - in fact in the 2020 consensus 86% of Americans lived in metropolitan areas. It is in these areas that the govt concentrates its handouts and vote garnering. Leaving the rest of us to lovit or leavit.

 

[plowhog]

mostly certain the same is true of rural residents living and working outside of metropolitan

Agreed. Nevada faces the same issue with Las Vegas/Clark County basically controlling the state.

But what $$ gets ultimately spent on is at least somewhat less stupid here.

 

[ultrarunner]

King county very much controls Washington State...

LA and Bay Area dominate California policy...

CA is very serious on a exit tax of such...

Friends that have left have found they are still dealing with California years later.

One moved to AZ and had a project car he was working on with a California Title and non-op registration.

Since the car is a project he had nothing to register when he moved to AZ.

California maintains not transferring the Title is the basis he still had a presence... can't make this stuff up.

Another friend is lifelong Alaska but the winters too much in their 80's

They bought a seaside condo and CA is after them... several back to back audits where they have to prove they are Alaska residents every year based on income source and half year plus one day in Alaska...

 

[ultrarunner]

Maybe the real divide is the age old city vs country philosophy?

Country mindset tend to be more indecent and and self sufficient asking little except to be left alone.

City is more it takes a village where everything is intertwined and more government dependent for food, shelter and safety.

Years ago there was a book the Late Great State of California…

I recall it was more about life after a giant earthquake and how the Central Valley farmlands became one giant lake…

I think about the changes I have seen as I expect my parents and grandparents did the same.

They arrived starting in the late 1800’s and found paradise on earth… mild climate, year round gardening, abundant resources, natural beauty and people from every corner of the globe with one goal to make a better life for themselves but more important for future generations.

 

[California]

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? No problem carrying in an area where its doubtful you'll ever need to defend yourself...but its illegal to carry in an area where your chances of needing to defend yourself are high!

Lifelong California resident and I've simply never ever felt that sense that I wish I were armed, in a public place.

When we found massive bear scat in our remote mining camp at the time our kids were toddlers, I bought a nice S&W .357 revolver and carried continually there. Now it's been locked up in my camping gear for years. No need for it.

As for scary places - for 20 years in my work, it was common to visit small contractors and sub-contractors in the worst parts of town all over the state who wished to bid state public works contracts. Purpose to verify they had adequate accounting systems to bill T&M honestly, with records sufficient for later audit. And in some cases going back for that later audit if there were some questions. Quite a few times I was pretty sure I was the only white face anyone in the neighborhood had seen around there for a while.

And now 40 years ago, I and a Native American did interviews at small businesses after a state measure passed mandating that minority businesses had to be solicited for public works projects. There was suddenly a need to distinguish legitimate minority small businesses. (As bidders, or included in some percentage as subcontractors to the large firms). My buddy handled the ethnic verification while I did the financial side - especially rooting out the several cases where a foreman - or in one case, the owner's wife - had suddenly transformed to a claimed 'separate and independent' minority business supplier.

I simply never had the sense that I had 'sat in the wrong pew', that it was time to get the heck out of there.

There are decent people everywhere and even those who aren't, don't necessarily represent a personal risk if you don't cause something yourself.

I don't feel a need for CCW.