Question for those who live in California

[kenmbz]

We just did a Cali run from Yosemite to San Diego with lots of stops (sorry Ultra did not have spare time to say hi, but drove through Oakland a few times.)
In San Francisco by all the fancy hotels, lots of wandering homeless and druggies.
In Tahoe, lots of people talking about the empty house rules and angry.
In LA/SF etc. Almost everything is locked up in Walgreens etc.
LA downtown is back to the way it was in the early 90's, dangerous.
We have relatives we visited, none had a single kind word for Newsom.

These ADUs are already a problem, people erecting them on small plots so they are pretty much in your back yard. One relative had three bordering her back year in Laguna Niguel (expensive area).
One was relatives in the ADU, the other 2 are kids renting and partying all night, police will only drive by and not knock on door unless they see actual signs of violence.
That relative is putting in triple pane glass and sound proofing it's gotten so bad.

There are still plenty of nice places away from the cities. Santa Barbara has turned into a somewhat lower class area, but it was fun to drive onto the pier and park (did not do that last time I was here). We liked Santa Cruz, pretty much how I remembered it from the 90s and 2000's

Solvang is pretty, but even the bakery seems fake (we went to Carmel bakery earlier and my family said no comparison, and Carmel bakery was cheaper). Nice for a drive through, but don't understand why someone would overnight here unless the drive to their next stop was too long.

my wife was very focused on us retiring to Orange County, but is now rethinking that based on what we saw and conversations with relatives and locals.

We bypassed Santa Monica as last time we were there about 5 years ago, it was too packed in with big hotels and lost most of it's appeal.

Still lots of farms up north by Davis (went to US Davis to look at for my son). Go on for miles and miles. But man, you can see where they don't irrigate is dry and dead.

Great weather, bad politics.

And the lovely SF and LA traffic

 

[ultrarunner]

We just did a Cali run from Yosemite to San Diego with lots of stops (sorry Ultra did not have spare time to say hi, but drove through Oakland a few times.)
In San Francisco by all the fancy hotels, lots of wandering homeless and druggies.
In Tahoe, lots of people talking about the empty house rules and angry.
In LA/SF etc. Almost everything is locked up in Walgreens etc.
LA downtown is back to the way it was in the early 90's, dangerous.
We have relatives we visited, none had a single kind word for Newsom.

These ADUs are already a problem, people erecting them on small plots so they are pretty much in your back yard. One relative had three bordering her back year in Laguna Niguel (expensive area).
One was relatives in the ADU, the other 2 are kids renting and partying all night, police will only drive by and not knock on door unless they see actual signs of violence.
That relative is putting in triple pane glass and sound proofing it's gotten so bad.

There are still plenty of nice places away from the cities. Santa Barbara has turned into a somewhat lower class area, but it was fun to drive onto the pier and park (did not do that last time I was here). We liked Santa Cruz, pretty much how I remembered it from the 90s and 2000's

Solvang is pretty, but even the bakery seems fake (we went to Carmel bakery earlier and my family said no comparison, and Carmel bakery was cheaper). Nice for a drive through, but don't understand why someone would overnight here unless the drive to their next stop was too long.

my wife was very focused on us retiring to Orange County, but is now rethinking that based on what we saw and conversations with relatives and locals.

We bypassed Santa Monica as last time we were there about 5 years ago, it was too packed in with big hotels and lost most of it's appeal.

Still lots of farms up north by Davis (went to US Davis to look at for my son). Go on for miles and miles. But man, you can see where they don't irrigate is dry and dead.

Great weather, bad politics.

And the lovely SF and LA traffic

Always appreciate in the field commentary especially when contrasted from earlier visit(s)

The city lights view with SF as a backdrop as pretty as ever…

I think 1400 single family homes for sale here with lots of price reductions…

Neighbors since 1989 just listed saying they no longer have the time to wait for a turn around… licensed electrician with his own business… said theft is number 1 problem he faces.

I’m lucky in that good neighbors around me…

I have 2 nieces and a daughter from childhood friend at UC Davis plus know some recent grads…

Both nieces really happy with 1 on athletic scholarship plus has very good academics as does her cousin.

Everyone I know from Davis has done well from
vet school to google superstar…

My nephew went North Eastern in Boston and nearly broke the bank and parents thrilled his sister at UC…

 

[plowhog]

Same story repeats ... now Elon Musk and X are fleeing San Francisco.

I noticed these two quotes in the article:

"San Francisco’s long relationship with X is nearly over — and city officials are far from heartbroken. ...

Mid-Market is looking better than it did in the depths of the pandemic, but its office vacancy rate is 46 percent, 10 points higher than the city as a whole. Uber and Square moved out, and Zendesk retains a small footprint but has bigger offices downtown."

What surprises me is how the community leaders thumb their noses at fleeing businesses without seemingly regarding the consequences to the community. Maybe its similar to a relationship breakup or spurned lover?

When I lived in Sacramento, the CA legislature enacted punishing new regulations that chased Waste Management out of its Folsom, CA headquarters. It moved its HQ to Texas instead, devastating the local economy.

At the time, Senate pro tem Darrell Steinberg boasted something like: "No problem they are leaving, we'll just go get ourselves a different Fortune 500 company to headquarters here in their place."

Well, over a decade later I'm not aware of a single Fortune 500 company that has chosen to relocate into business-hostile California.

Home

edit post News Nintendo Black Friday 2025 Deals Announced: See All Switch Games Discounted November 10, 2025 Optimal Column This

dnyuz.com

 

[Oaktree]

Great weather, bad politics.

California politics has been kind of squirrely as far back as I remember.
As for the weather, I guess it depends. One of my sisters spent the better part of a year in the Sacramento area after she graduated college. One of the things that prompted her to return home was the monotony of the weather...she made a comment that after a while you wish it would just be cloudy one day for some variety. I think it would bug me too.

 

[plowhog]

One of the things that prompted her to return home was the monotony of the weather...she made a comment that after a while you wish it would just be cloudy one day for some variety.

I did not realize how true this is until relocating to Nevada. Now I enjoy all sorts of things going on with the weather. Being on the ""back side" of the Sierra Nevada mountains guarantees quite a variety of weather and I like it.

 

[scootr]

I've been in Sunny CA for 46 yrs. The monotony of sunshine could be a thing you have to get used to but it beats rain and snow every day. As for all the problem listed above the same type of problems prague any metropolitan area. CA countryside is beautiful. Northern CA has plenty of weather and rugged woods if that's your thing. Our area has lots of agriculture, vineyards, orchards, wheat farms, and grazing lands.

 

[ultrarunner]

Same story repeats ... now Elon Musk and X are fleeing San Francisco.

I noticed these two quotes in the article:

"San Francisco’s long relationship with X is nearly over — and city officials are far from heartbroken. ...

Mid-Market is looking better than it did in the depths of the pandemic, but its office vacancy rate is 46 percent, 10 points higher than the city as a whole. Uber and Square moved out, and Zendesk retains a small footprint but has bigger offices downtown."

What surprises me is how the community leaders thumb their noses at fleeing businesses without seemingly regarding the consequences to the community. Maybe its similar to a relationship breakup or spurned lover?

When I lived in Sacramento, the CA legislature enacted punishing new regulations that chased Waste Management out of its Folsom, CA headquarters. It moved its HQ to Texas instead, devastating the local economy.

At the time, Senate pro tem Darrell Steinberg boasted something like: "No problem they are leaving, we'll just go get ourselves a different Fortune 500 company to headquarters here in their place."

Well, over a decade later I'm not aware of a single Fortune 500 company that has chosen to relocate into business-hostile California.

Home

edit post News Nintendo Black Friday 2025 Deals Announced: See All Switch Games Discounted November 10, 2025 Optimal Column This

dnyuz.com

I've been to council meetings listening to officials say bigger and better will replace...

The exception is pet projects with public funds and incentives that inevitably go bankrupt or require on going support.

Raiders and A's leaving the state on the sports side.

Auto makers left what was once home... except for Tesla rising as the only against the odds story.

A huge foundry making cast iron pipe for over 100 years had enough and moved to Tyler TX.

City leaders celebrated as they do when manufacturing industry leaves... good riddance and then spend millions on redevelopment studies.

Even smaller field offices from large companies like Grainger are fleeing SF, Oakland, etc... to smaller nearby communities.

Chevron sold it's magnificent Bay Area world headquarters relocating to TX... now a special Chevron tax is a ballot measure.

Mom and Pop Housing providers getting out and big hotels and Malls closing...

The cities are run by people that have never met a payroll... have no idea the time and money to get a simple permit to take out a single backyard tree or do Christmas holiday store front window decorations.

Unlike others, I see it as only a matter of time until replicated nationwide...

Old enough to remember when California mandated unleaded fuel and friends in other states said never will it happen here... we now know never is measured in years.

The same California politicians dominate power positions in Washington DC.

My thought is for so long California leaders believed business will tow the line because it's California and if a few leave it's the ones we don't want here anyway.

 

[scootr]

Interesting CA map divided by voter results

 

[bcp]

Interesting CA map divided by voter results

Is this a change from earlier maps that were more blue or red?

The problem with these county or congressional district maps is that there are more people in the smaller area blue parts. Square miles don't vote.


Bruce

 

[scootr]

Is this a change from earlier maps that were more blue or red?

The problem with these county or congressional district maps is that there are more people in the smaller area blue parts. Square miles don't vote.


Bruce

Correct, the majority of people live in the coastal metropolitan areas.

 

[ultrarunner]

Interesting CA map divided by voter results

The most favored is a 3 or 4 division and then there is the State of Jefferson which was nearing possible reality just at the time WWII started.

WA also has a movement for part of the state to join Idaho.

 

[jyoutz]

The most favored is a 3 or 4 division and then there is the State of Jefferson which was nearing possible reality just at the time WWII started.

WA also has a movement for part of the state to join Idaho.

Would those be economically viable states? Just wondering.

 

[ericm979]

Is this a change from earlier maps that were more blue or red?

Not for the last 30 years or so. Before that, CA had Republican governors and other officials. But the Republican party in CA was much different then.

Would those be economically viable states? Just wondering.

The ones made up of SF, LA or San Diego would be. If LA county was a state it'd be about 14th in revenue. Admittedly it's large in area and population. The central valley is a huge agricultural area and might be able to stand on its own or as a major part of a new state. But the far north, sierras and desert don't have much of an economy. They're partly supported by the more populated counties. For example far Nor Cal Trinity county took in $45M in 2022 and recieved $75M. Any new state that's primarily made of those places will have a tough time.

The state of Jefferson has been a pipe dream for nearly a century. Far north California, and southern Oregon, are both far from their respective state's centers of gravity. They feel remote which is why I like them.

Logging was historically the big revenue generator in Jefferson. 80 or 100 years ago logging was a viable way to support an economy. But most of the area has been over-logged and poorly managed. The trees they're bringing out are tiny compared to 40 years ago. Even if they're been managed sustainably, in today's economy logging is pretty low value... unless you're willing to buy $20 2x4s.

I don't think the state of Jefferson or any of the many Californias proposals are going to happen. With a two party system, if a change benefits one party the other one will block it. In the 1800s there was a similar situation with pro- and anti- slavery sides wanting to add new slave or free states. But unlike that era there's no pressure to do any of these state splits and thus no reason for the sides to compromise.

 

[ultrarunner]

Would those be economically viable states? Just wondering.

Hard to say and California as a powerhouse would no longer have the same status.


In many ways it's the dense urban hubs vs the remainder...

Integrating infrastructure would be a challenge as SF water comes from the mountains, etc...

Many outside the urban areas want no part of urban...

 

[plowhog]

public funds and incentives that inevitably go bankrupt or require on going support ... Raiders and A's leaving ... Auto makers left what was once home... huge foundry making cast iron pipe for over 100 years had enough and moved ... smaller field offices from large companies like Grainger are fleeing SF ... Chevron sold it's magnificent Bay Area world headquarters relocating to TX... Mom and Pop Housing providers getting out .... big hotels and Malls closing...

You have a tendency to sugar coat how things really are, eh?

 

[Quaffer]

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.

Curious of your reaction to this, wondering how well it was distinguised?

BREAKING: $100 Billion Federal Contracting Scam. 8(a) Firm Admits to Violating Federal Law, Using Minority-Owned Status as a Front to Obtain $100M+ No-Bid Government Contracts While Outsourcing 80% of the Work. - O'Keefe Media Group Federal Contract

Explosive investigation reveals a $100 billion federal contracting scam, exposing how ATI Government Solutions exploits the 8(a) SBA program, using minority-owned status to secure no-bid contracts while outsourcing 80% of work.

okeefemediagroup.com

 

[KennyG]

On minority contracting, it's pretty easy to meet the letter of the rule without conforming to the spirit of the rules. I saw this all the time while I was working. Someone with a successful business reincorporates with his wife as owner - instant woman owned business. Same with taking in a black or hispanic partner - who knows what the actual partnership arrangement is.

 

[California]

Curious of your reaction to this, wondering how well it was distinguised?

BREAKING: $100 Billion Federal Contracting Scam. 8(a) Firm Admits to Violating Federal Law, Using Minority-Owned Status as a Front to Obtain $100M+ No-Bid Government Contracts While Outsourcing 80% of the Work. - O'Keefe Media Group Federal Contract

Explosive investigation reveals a $100 billion federal contracting scam, exposing how ATI Government Solutions exploits the 8(a) SBA program, using minority-owned status to secure no-bid contracts while outsourcing 80% of work.

okeefemediagroup.com

I had a longwinded reply composed then it vanished. Anyhow - Our examination to verify minority businesses and put them on a solicitation list found a few instances of a wife or a trusted foreman suddenly listed as an co-owner or more commonly, a supplier.

But nearly all the firms we examined were legitimate, often they were subcontractors on State work now encouraged to bid state jobs directly.

The state purchasing branch had lost a lawsuit, so it was now required to identify and solicit minority bidders. That suit had proven that minority businesses were being ignored in solicitations, and purchases from them was far below the proportion of minority citizens in California. So the state was required to make an effort to bring those numbers up. My buddy, Native American, handled the ethnic aspect while both of us verified suppliers and identified the real owners.

As for that example you cited, state contracts require at least 50% to be performed by the firm's own employees so that contracting-out model isn't such a problem.

A few years after that statewide review of potential minority vendors, I had a different role reviewing completed contracts as a requirement for federal reimbursement. We didn't find any projects exceeding that 50% subcontracted rule.