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It’s no secret that people are leaving California in record numbers. The state is struggling under Gavin Newsom’s feckless leadership as crime spikes, homelessness, and open-air drug use grow, and high taxes and insane regulations choke out industry. It isn’t just citizens leaving, either.
A growing number of companies have left the Golden State, citing the reduced cost of doing business in Red states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. For many retailers, the choice to close outlets in crime-infested cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco has been easy, if not regrettable. When faced with mounting losses versus picking up and leaving, retailers like Nordstrom and Walgreens have opted for the latter, especially in the crumbling husk of San Francisco.
Celebrities have also been leaving in droves. Mark Wahlberg, Katy Perry, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and Rod Stewart are but a few of the actors, comedians, musicians, and entertainers leaving in search of a more normal life in a Red state. Considering the direction of California socially and politically, it is hard to blame someone like Wahlberg for moving to Nevada to give his kids a chance at a normal life.
As the exodus continues, an editor at a once influential newspaper is imploring those who leave not to trash the state on their way out. An editor at the Los Angeles Times named Paul Thornton recently wrote: “To the people leaving California: May the road rise to meet you as you seek better lives in new places. Now, can you please extend some goodwill to those of us who remain?” It is a sweet sentiment, but Thornton misses the point.
The rest of his statement misses the point, and ignores the fact that people are leaving for good reason. He continued: “If you want to leave, fine. But don’t insult California on the way out. Several friends and members of my extended family have moved out of this state, so I can understand the factors that drive such decisions. But reasons to leave don’t explain the impulse to insult California on the way out.”
Why? Why extend grace to a state and its leaders that have ruined it to the point one has to leave? California is a beautiful state of mountains, beaches, and natural wonders that once made it the ultimate destination for the dreamer. Now, it is just a hollow shell of a state that is nearly impossible to afford and dangerous to reside in, and the blame starts at the top.
Thornton openly acknowledged the staggering numbers of people leaving. He continued: “More than 800,000 Californians moved away in 2022, and many thousands more left last year. Often, the departees, cash in hand from the sale of their $1-million bungalows, feel the need to express disdain for their home state, and even some anger too.” However, he also clearly outlined exactly why so many are leaving when he said, “The urge to rationalize a difficult decision can be powerful, and trading an overpriced 900-square-foot home in L.A. for a mansion in Texas often comes with a big catch: You need to stay indoors half the year and make good use of all that extra, climate-controlled space.”
As it turned out, you can also live better in Tennessee, Nevada, Florida, and many other Red states without suffering the heat of Texas, heat which, by the way, California also experiences at times. All without the ever-present fear of being robbed or killed and without having to pass open-air drug dens on the way to take your kids to school. California can recover and recapture its mythos and glory, but it will take changes from the top down, and for the foreseeable future, that doesn’t appear likely.
