(06-09-2022, 09:27 AM)homebiscuit Wrote:

(06-09-2022, 08:38 AM)mikesez Wrote: The entire state of California presents an interesting dichotomy.  In terms of its ability to produce economically valuable entertainment and technology, in terms of its ability to attract and maintain talent, it's never been better and is still getting better.  In terms of habitable space and quality of life, it's getting much worse.

Its magnificent geology and climate will always draw people. Unfortunately they’ve lost the ability to manage it all.

 It's not a question of ability, it's a question of will.
 The article mentions some things that I would take as hopeful signs. One, the YIMBYs are gaining converts and decisions are starting to go their way.  Two, the recent election results plainly show that they are starting to value simple good policy over virtue signalling and ideological purity tests.  Of course none of us want to follow California's trends, but it would be nice if this particular trend made its way to national politics.

I also think California and big cities west of the Mississippi in general get too much blame for the obvious social problems they have.  We tend to ignore the fact that most of the homeless in Portland or Seattle or SF aren't from those cities.  There are other, more rural communities that create these dysfunctional people who then get attracted to places where handouts and drugs are easier to come by.  There are no easy answers here, and the leftists in city government tend to make these problems worse, but typically the problems are coming from elsewhere.  Even here in Orlando where we do not allow urban camping or free needles or many of these other aggravating things, we still attract a lot of people to come without enough money to take care of themselves and they end up homeless. I just walked 4 or 5 blocks in downtown Orlando and saw about one homeless person per block.  Did Orlando do something bad for it to be that way? I doubt it.

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