Welcome to big city California Land

[aj3647]

aj, It doesn't matter, California is a one party state. California policies and laws are made by Democrats. If California has very low income equality, you an hardly infer that it is because Republicans get outvoted there all the time. Of the 10 states listed with the most income inequality, 6 were blue CA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, IL, 2 were purple NV, FL, and 2 were Republican TX and WY. NY has the most income inequality of any state. Republicans aren't responsible for income inequality in CA; Democrats are.

New affordable housing in Santa Cruz where the median home value is $860,000.

Yes, California has high income inequality...because the richest people in America choose to live there for a wide variety of reason [[good weather, ocean coast, work in Silicon Valley, etc.). Is it really better to say that West Virginia or Alabama or Mississippi are better off than CA because those states are more uniformly poor and thus have less income inequality? Which party runs those states again?

[oladub]

Yes, California has high income inequality...because the richest people in America choose to live there for a wide variety of reason [[good weather, ocean coast, work in Silicon Valley, etc.). Is it really better to say that West Virginia or Alabama or Mississippi are better off than CA because those states are more uniformly poor and thus have less income inequality? Which party runs those states again?

aj, California is a one party state in which that Party allows income inequality. Whether or not rich people choose to live there for good weather as you claimed, the US News article lists California at the bottom for quality of life. That is after averaging California's 1% into the mix. It is still #50. If billionaires moved to Norway for skiing or job opportunities, I doubt that Norway's government would condone California's income differential and homelessness. Scandinavian social democrats and California Democrats created different outcomes.

[Zacha341]

Yep! Well stated. The dems and far left own California's politics and free fall social dysfunction.

Even if you're a loyal dem, Cali's dystopia is that 'Uncle Fester' you really wanna to keep in the basement when company comes over!

It's getting harder to hide craven Fester, and justify what far left policies are doing to California.

The fix in part is for the citizens of that state, dem and repub, to rise up against their high and mighter handlers and demand more accountability. NOW!

It's pretty incredible. Pelosi etc. steadily pandering to illegal immigrants when they don't even have the fiscal and social infrastructure for their existing populations. It takes a few visits to know daily life in like say S-Fran. Incredibly bad once you get off their ever-shrinking areas of touristification.

They even have no-go zones for visitors avoid -- due to the filth and squalor.

Good that their news media is finally coming forth to tell the full truth of how bad it is. Finally.

Scandinavian social democrats and California Democrats created different outcomes.

[bust]

Yep! Well stated. The dems and far left own California's politics and free fall social dysfunction.

Even if you're a loyal dem, Cali's dystopia is that 'Uncle Fester' you really wanna to keep in the basement when company comes over!

It's getting harder to hide craven Fester, and justify what far left policies are doing to California.

The fix in part is for the citizens of that state, dem and repub, to rise up against their high and mighter handlers and demand more accountability. NOW!

It's pretty incredible. Pelosi etc. steadily pandering to illegal immigrants when they don't even have the fiscal and social infrastructure for their existing populations. It takes a few visits to know daily life in like say S-Fran. Incredibly bad once you get off their ever-shrinking areas of touristification.

They even have no-go zones for visitors avoid -- due to the filth and squalor.

Good that their news media is finally coming forth to tell the full truth of how bad it is. Finally.

California was mostly republican until relatively recently. There were only 4 Democratic governors in California during the entire 20th Century. There have only been 3 the past 50 years [[Jerry Brown served twice). It's not until the past 20 years that there have been more terms served by democrats than republicans, and even then a republican served 2006-2010.

A lot of "progressive" democrats live there now too. And not-so-progressive democrats [[including some who call themselves "progressive"). But quite a few republicans and "conservatives" remain -- especially in the valley, the rural areas, and the south of the state.

Of the three big cities only San Francisco is overwhelmingly democratic. LA is mostly democratic, but elects republicans too. San Diego and Orange County are mostly republican.

I know San Francisco fairly well and don't consider anywhere a no-go zone. It's an incredible place to live. But I agree it has problems. Especially the income inequality and segregation that run rampant there. It seems to me those are related to the fake progressivism that characterizes quite a few. And the powerful influence of real estate interests. Especially when it comes to NIMBYism with regard to affordable housing [[which brings us back to income inequality). I find it especially disingenuous when "progressives" fight affordable housing anywhere close to their own homes. [[Usually they say it is "incompatible with the character of the neighborhood.")

But that's a problem in wealthier neighborhoods across the whole country. Marin County, Westchester County, the Detroit area too.

And yes, the definition of "affordable" is often ridiculous.

The grossly outsized influence of real estate developers and landlords in local politics is also to blame.

Those run-down blocks in San Francisco's Tenderloin? Maybe that's where you mean by "no-go zone". I don't vouch for any of these suggestions, but this shows it clearly isn't. And we can almost entirely blame the landlords, real estate developers, and the local government officials they've bought for the problems that exist there. I doubt they'll last much longer, though -- true to their plan.

Regarding the US News measure of quality of life, it seems air quality plays a hugely disproportionate role in their rankings. No wonder the top states by their measure are rural northern states with small populations. I don't buy it. Cities cause air pollution. [[Thanks, petroleum-fueled cars.) Especially when they're surrounded by mountains and get lots of sun. But that doesn't mean people don't enjoy living in and around cities, especially ones with mountains and sun. It's often quite the opposite, isn't it?

List of Governors of California
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._of_California

Historical List of US Representatives from California
https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_United_States_Representatives_from_Califor nia#1900s

California’s Political Geography
http://www.ppic.org/publication/cali...cal-geography/

[Zacha341]

Cool, information and feedback Bust. Yes, one should not forget that Cali is a huge state, with no doubt much beauty and amenities and the repubs have had a hand in the politics, spending and policy making too. Still, the dems charge as of late have allowed far too much to go in LA and SFran and the question remains as to what to do with 50K+ homeless population? Where do they start?

....List of Governors of California
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._of_California

Historical List of US Representatives from California
https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_United_States_Representatives_from_Califor nia#1900s

California’s Political Geography
http://www.ppic.org/publication/cali...cal-geography/

[ABetterDetroit]

U.S. News Best States Rankings

California comes out #32 in this ranking. It's economy is rated 4th. in the Country while it ranks #50, dead last, for quality of life. This article credits high tech for the good economy. I would add that California also benefits greatly by being the center of so much Asian trade; linking Asian manufacturing and cheap labor with its U.S. market.

California has the 7th. worst income inequality in the U.S.. Its 1% averages $1.4M and its bottom 99% average $49k of income annually. It voted 62% Clinton and 33% Trump.

It is far from perfect but I can not understand the logic of villainizing the 4th best economy [[according to this article) among states based on not agreeing with their local politics.

Clearly California has something functioning economically much better then Michigan has over the last half a century and what those economic factors are should be identified.

A analytical approach does not require political idiological input in the slightest.

Take the top 10 performing state economies, find what they have in common then implement those economic factors here then take the 10 worst states find what they share and dump that garbage.

Never for a second lose sight of the fact that we have to compete directly against 49 other states for economic success.

Winners never get caught up in the bullshit. Losers always do exactly that.

[oladub]

It is far from perfect but I can not understand the logic of villainizing the 4th best economy [[according to this article) among states based on not agreeing with their local politics.

Clearly California has something functioning economically much better then Michigan has over the last half a century and what those economic factors are should be identified.

A analytical approach does not require political idiological input in the slightest.

Take the top 10 performing state economies, find what they have in common then implement those economic factors here then take the 10 worst states find what they share and dump that garbage.

Never for a second lose sight of the fact that we have to compete directly against 49 other states for economic success.

Winners never get caught up in the bullshit. Losers always do exactly that.

California does have a strong economy based on Silicon Valley innovation, a healthy litigious atmosphere offering a million lawsuits a year, Hollywood and its sidekick pornography industry, and is the major hub of Asian trade. Chicago and the midwest used to be the hub of trade when most things were manufactured in the U.S.. Since our political elites of both parties sent so many jobs abroad, California ports became the center of trade. I have a cousin who was one of the first people Hyundai hired in the US. She did very well at Detroit's expense and is an example of how California profits from its import trade. It is in California's financial interest to keep flooding the U.S. with products of cheaper Asian labor. That brings us back to income inequality. Not only does California sport its own income inequality, it benefits from having moved American jobs to Asia; nice foreign corporate headquarters for Asian companies in California vs. rusting shuttered factory towns in the mid-west.

The US News article already took California's economy into account. That's one big reason why California ranked 32nd of 50 overall. California still ranks near the bottom or at the bottom of income inequality, public school scores, homelessness, high state taxes, net out migration of state to state residents escaping, housing costs and quality of life. Considering that California is a one party state and that party claims to support working people, this is at least an irony. I think its a warning.