Why the hard time for Cali?

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

I turned down a job a few years ago in San Francisco. They offered 250K salary and that (according to the cost of living there) would not have been enough for me and my family to live on.

SF is going to run you a minimum of $4000/month in rent, probably more like $6000 to support a family. That's $72,000 just for rent. A car is going to run you another $2000/month, so that's $24,000. Then you're hoping for 20% in savings and 25% in taxes. That's $150,000 right there, before any other expenses or food.

It's a very expensive place.

originally posted by: Irishhaf
Insane cost of living, they have been hemorrhaging people because of it. They are desperate to get more people in middle class or better to keep the tax income kind of stable.

The cost of living is because every 22 year old who just graduated college moves there and makes at minimum $150,000/year if they're in the technology sector. When people get salaries like that, prices increase.

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy
a reply to: SlapMonkey
Ooh the lake environment looks so much nicer, but are the people nicer and less fake up there as well?
Can you name one town in (warm) Cali which you'd recommend?
I say town, but I know US cities have smaller populations than some UK towns. 60 odd thousand people in my town but I have a friend in the US who lives in a 'city' but it's only around ten thousand population.

Lake Tahoe is very nice, it's split between California and Nevada and is basically the crown jewel of both states. It's home to several of the best ski resorts in the world, and there's usually skiiing available for around 7 months out of the year. In the spring and summer the lake is nice. It's at a higher elevation so the water is a lot colder than the ocean, but you can still swim in it, and the beach sand is still warm.

The problem with Lake Tahoe is that it's small towns where good shopping is hard to come by, and that it's hugely overdeveloped. If you think SF and LA are expensive, try Tahoe, it's even more expensive, and has much less in the way of good job prospects. Most who live there, bought a place for their post working years. There's very little there in the way of supporting yourself and you really don't want to be driving off the mountain each day (it's about a 45 minute drive to Reno which is the closest city... +30 min if you're on the far side of the lake), especially in the winter.

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy
Is it a national problem?
Makes me wonder why Cali is advertising on TV for Brits to move there if they have plenty of people already.

Yes and no. Every state has homeless but California has more. The reason is because most states "solve" their homeless problem by buying 1 way bus tickets, and deporting all of their homeless to California due to the weather. California has no option to bus them elsewhere, so they have to deal with it.

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy
Is it a national problem?
Makes me wonder why Cali is advertising on TV for Brits to move there if they have plenty of people already.

Yes and no. Every state has homeless but California has more. The reason is because most states "solve" their homeless problem by buying 1 way bus tickets, and deporting all of their homeless to California due to the weather. California has no option to bus them elsewhere, so they have to deal with it.

a reply to: okrian

I'm not the only one with the heart-attack ghost hiding in the shadows, I see.

My dad was out here in KY visiting us last summer and decided to have a heart attack while here--it was the "widowmaker" one, but my wife got him to the hospital quickly enough to where they could mitigate the symptoms and there was no damage to his heart.

He had to have three stents "installed" (as I call it) due to a 99%, 85%, and 75% blockage in three main heart arteries. And he's quite the healthy guy and "only" 66 years old.

My paternal grandfather died of a heart attack when I was 16--tore me up and I miss him terribly, still. He was also in his 60s.

My mom decided to have a mild heart attack last year, too, but survived. She's in her low 60s.

Needless to say, I'm keeping a closer eye on my ticker...you can be one of the healthiest people in the world, but genetics can get you every time.

Enjoy the sunlight. I know I bark a lot about politics, but in the end, even with the ridiculous cost of living, when my wife and I get out of debt and if my job become location independent, we're considering a move to Hawai'i so that we, too, can smile when we wake up and walk outside.

a reply to: Aazadan

You think that's bad, you should see what states do to Hawai'i when it comes to their homeless. Same thing, but the island (Oahu) is only so big.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy
Is it a national problem?
Makes me wonder why Cali is advertising on TV for Brits to move there if they have plenty of people already.

Yes and no. Every state has homeless but California has more. The reason is because most states "solve" their homeless problem by buying 1 way bus tickets, and deporting all of their homeless to California due to the weather. California has no option to bus them elsewhere, so they have to deal with it.

True, then once they get here the the local municipalities play a little game of musical chairs with them. The wealthy neighborhoods have their cops and sheriffs round them up and give them rides the the middle class/lower income areas and drop them off. One city nearby actually loads a bus full of them and takes them to "lunch" over in my town, then leaves them here. This crap goes on daily, and every day it creeps into more and more of the nicer areas.

This went down 2 blocks from my house - if a resident hadn't caught it on video it would never have made the news. As it is the local officials only make a little noise so they can keep their jobs but never really do squat. Not sure how much more I can take...


ETA: The sheriff's claim they were "helping" this POS get to a bus stop. Only problem is that the nearest bus stop is 1 1/2 miles away from the city limits where they dumped him. Their story has changed 3-4 times since the "investigation" started, they are obviously full of crap but continue to lie to our faces.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: Aazadan

You think that's bad, you should see what states do to Hawai'i when it comes to their homeless. Same thing, but the island (Oahu) is only so big.

I'm aware of this as well, it's quite popular. When you send them to California, the state will sometimes bus them elsewhere such as Arizona which is nearby, warm, and also cheap. Most still wind up in California simply because 47 other states bus them there, and California can only bus out so many. It's more costly to send people to Hawaii, but it tends to be a permanent trip since the state can't fly them back to the mainland (and when they do, it's to California).

The amount of Californians relocating to Colorado is staggering. Apparently they a "just better"... Ask one they will be happy to let you know. With it they brought the same ideals and values that turned California into the **** hole it currently is. Sure some parts of California are still nice but San Francisco and anything south of that are a lost cause.

a reply to: JAY1980

Only if you're really going down west of the central valley. It's still pretty sane down in that dust bowl.

Well, relatively sane.

originally posted by: Annee
There is a lot of open desert for regulated camps. I support a "step system" that gives opportunity to earn your way out.

Oh, I'm all for camps. Although it's still a little problematic to essentially "arrest" and "confine" a person just because they are poor. What if they don't want to go? And even having mental problems is not reason enough for someone to be arrested, because if that was the case half the people posting here would be locked up.

The trick has to be getting these people to somehow volunteer for it, but most of these folks are like wild animals who don't want to be confined. They still have civil rights! I'm a firm believer that a small amount of money spent on a feral human is likely cheaper in the long run than the damage they'll cause or the cost involved in running them through the legal system and putting them in prison.

Like I said, I don't have the solution. Even Jesus said, "The poor will always be with us."

Thanks for all replies, interesting and humourous
I've streetmapped some lovely places, def lovely places

a reply to: Bhadhidar

Ok so what you're saying is that houses cost DOUBLE what they did when you successfully did what you are suggesting others do now...Yeah that's so much better...lol

Jaden

originally posted by: Masterjaden
Ok so what you're saying is that houses cost DOUBLE what they did when you successfully did what you are suggesting others do now...Yeah that's so much better...lol

Prices have doubled, and wages have... not.

a reply to: Blue Shift
I made a thread about that recently if you're interested...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

If I could afford the California Beach..I'd move there in a heartbeat. Quick drive from Las Vegas. Housing IS the issue. I don't want to live in an apartment.

Somebody should start a destination thread. What it takes to move there...job situations...security...little known secrets...skills in demand...networking for those of us that wouldn't mind helping others here to move. That would be nice.

originally posted by: amazing
Somebody should start a destination thread. What it takes to move there...job situations...security...little known secrets...skills in demand...networking for those of us that wouldn't mind helping others here to move. That would be nice.

Cool idea
I'd recommend Cornwall & Devon, its only the crap rain half the year lets it down.

originally posted by: amazing
If I could afford the California Beach..I'd move there in a heartbeat. Quick drive from Las Vegas. Housing IS the issue. I don't want to live in an apartment.

Somebody should start a destination thread. What it takes to move there...job situations...security...little known secrets...skills in demand...networking for those of us that wouldn't mind helping others here to move. That would be nice.

I don't know what skills you have but my unions help when members need to relocate.

www.iatse.net...

www.sagaftra.org...

They even help with housing when working on projects away from home. Often they will rent an entire floor of a hotel for cast and crew. Union Proud, Union Strong

a reply to: olaru12
Your post made me smile