California has become the worst run state in the entire country.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the state was already dealing with a record number of homelessness, higher taxes, and intense regulations.
Once the coronavirus began to spread, California was hit especially hard due to its massive population.
Fear of the virus has led to lockdowns and even more regulations and restrictions for citizens.
California businesses are also leaving the state in record numbers.
The population rate in California has hit a record low, and as the population currently stands, it is projected that the state will lose a seat in Congress, as well as an electoral vote.
The Washington Examiner has more on the state of California:
An exodus sparked by high taxes, coronavirus lockdowns, and regulations has driven California’s population growth rate to a record low, which is projected to cost the state a seat in Congress and an electoral vote.
“This is a real sea change in California, which used to be this state of pretty robust population growth,” said Hans Johnson, a demographer at the Public Policy Institute of California, regarding the net migration loss, which has now occurred three years in a row. “It hasn’t been for some time now. But it’s now gotten to the point where the state is essentially not growing population-wise at all.”
According to a population estimate this week, 135,600 more people fled the Golden State than moved there, which marks only the 12th time since 1900 that the state saw a net migration loss. It is the third-largest drop recorded.
Johnson added that the population decrease could cause the state to lose a seat in Congress as well as an Electoral College vote for the first time. The state did not gain any seats following the 2010 census, which was also a first.
Residents have cited high taxes as a main driver of the decision to leave.
ABC 7 News has more on why Californians are leaving in record numbers:
More people are leaving California than moving here, continuing a trend that coupled with fewer births has slowed the growth rate in the nation's most populous state to a record low amid a pandemic that is reshaping its future.
Officially, California added 21,200 people from July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020, increasing the state's population a paltry 0.05% to 39.78 million people - still by far the most of any state.
But the bigger news from Wednesday's new population estimate was that 135,600 more people left the state than moved here. It's only the 12th time since 1900 the state has had a net migration loss, and the third largest ever recorded.
California became a state in 1850 after a gold rush spurred a massive migration of people moving west to seek their fortune. The state boomed again following World War II because of the aerospace and defense industry, and again in the 1980s and early 1990s as technology companies made Silicon Valley a household name.
That growth slowed for the first time in the mid-1990s after the U.S. cut back on its aerospace spending following the end of the Cold War. It happened again during the leadup to the Great Recession in the late 2000s. New population estimates released Wednesday by the state Department of Finance show it's now happening a third time, as California recorded its third consecutive year of net migration loss.
The reasons why aren't yet fully understood. In recent weeks, a string of high-profile business leaders have announced they are leaving California for states with lower taxes and fewer regulations - including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the headquarters of tech giants Oracle and Hewlett-Packard, whose roots trace back to the founding of Silicon Valley.
A niche industry has emerged around the trend, with real estate agents starting websites like "exitcalifornia.org" and "leavingthebayarea.com" as the state's median home price hit a record high of more than $712,000 in September.
"With COVID and a lot of tech companies allowing people to work remotely, it's certainly opened up the door for a lot of people to consider making the move out of California," said Scott Fuller, a real estate agent whose business is aimed at helping people leave California - something he did in June when he moved his family to Arizona. "We're seeing a lot more high-income earners who are actively planning an exit strategy."
Matt Frinzi carried out his exit strategy on Tuesday, when he finished packing up his BMW X3 and left his home in San Francisco for Reno, Nevada - a state that does not have an income tax. Frinzi has lived in California for 25 years, saying when he moved to San Francisco in the 1990s he thought it as "the premiere city in the United States."
"I wouldn't give you a nickel for it now," he said.
Frinzi said he came from a working class immigrant family in New Jersey, building a nice life in the medical business. Now, with some in the state Legislature pushing for a new "wealth tax" on the state's highest earners, Frinzi said it was time to leave. The coronavirus pandemic furthered his resolve to move, he said, because of "government overreach," including the state ordering businesses like restaurants and hair salons to close.
People are fed up with how poorly California has been run for a very long time.
The coronavirus lockdowns were clearly the final nail in the coffin for a once beautiful and prosperous State.
Gavin Newsom is on borrowed time, but it isn't clear if anyone can save California from itself.
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