California -- America's first failed state?

Interesting read from the Grauniad:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/04/california-failing-state-debt

Good to hear there are some signs of life, too (green shoots of recovery, one might say). Thoughts from our resident Golden Staters?

 

Yet, just about everyone in the country would move there given the opportunity...

I spent the the bulk of my first 18 years of my life in California (I'm from the Bay Area). I've spent the next 18 in several different states. If everything was equal, I would rather live in California, than anywhere in the United States.

The problem is, all things are not equal. The house I live in now would cost about 3-4 times in California and possibly 5-6 times in certain parts of San Fran, LA or San Diego. If I could live in any city in the US, it would be San Diego. If you live in a big city in California and you don't make six figures a year, you're either commuting a ton, or living like a pauper.

 

Agreed and agreed.

 

Absolutely. Grew up there and would love to get back there some day. Besides, no matter where you go, that native Californian thing follows you...

 

I keep telling the wife we're going to live there one day. She brushes it aside. I've got the divorce papers drawn up just in case it comes to it.

 

And just about everyone in the Northwest wishes the Californians would move back to their own state...

 

The cost of living is what will keep me from ever returning. I'd rather live comfortably than have to overpay for a shitty place.

Several years ago I had a job offer from a Bay Area paper. I was sure I was going to take it and then, when I went for my interview, I went house hunting and realized that even with the ($15K) raise I was going to get, I couldn't afford to buy a house there.

I have friends in California who have paid nearly $1 million for homes that would go for $150-$250K in other (nice) parts of the country.

 

Californians have caused the prices of homes in Oregon, Arizona, Washington and Colorado to go up significantly. I'm sure there is some other state they've all flocked to recently to add to that list as well.

 

We're going to continue to have financial problems because of two things: Prop 13, and the rule that tax increases must be passed by a supermajority. Right now, Republicans are preparing a recall election for one of their own who had the audacity to vote for a minor tax hike that got the budget passed. That's what we're dealing with here. UC tuition has gone up about 20 percent in three years. Most state employees are furloughed a couple days a month.

The upside: I do not now, nor do I ever intend to, own a snowblower.

 

As a native Californian (Bay Area) its a very hard place to leave. Yes the cost of living is outrageous, housing is brutal. The purchase price of our house was/is ridiculous in light of comparables throughout the rest of the country.

However, as the cliche goes, "you get what you pay for." What we paid for is a relatively short 15-20 min. commute from a suburb just outside SF sitting in a small valley, with one of the best school districts in the state, and spectacular weather (no fog.)

California is hard to give up when the only potential natural disaster is an earthquake, winter is at worst 40 degrees at night, no snow, about 20 inches of rain a year, golf/tennis in December. Only 4 hours to skiing in Lake Tahoe. An abundance of regional and national parks within driving distance. The 10th largest worldwide economy.

 

So too little taxes is the California's problem? Really?

 

The financial problems of our state are the fault of our elected officials who fail to follow a fundamental economic principle, do not spend more than you take in; along with our populace who refuse to pay additional $$ (prop 13 set limits on property tax but do not bar other higher taxes) for schools and higher education.

My observation is that in the past 25 years, California spent crazy amounts of funds for building additional prisons and funding more correctional officers yet neglected to spend any additional funds for schooling and higher education. California has the mandatory Three Strikes Rule (3rd felony, even nonviolent, means mandatory life sentence) Yes California has more kids than other states but its no excuse for sitting near 50th in spending per student. Misplaced priorities.

Residents/voters seemingly will pay for bonds to build more public buildings because they know the set costs, but they refuse to increase taxes to pay for the costs of maintaining those buildings. Legislatures need to do a better job of balancing those budgets and making the hard decisions of cuts, especially now when $$$ is going down.