Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Choices

Choices. Life is all about choices. Other than who our parents are, each of us has made or will make a myriad of choices that determine how things turn out for the rest of his/her life. Yes, of course, some of the things that happen to each of us is beyond our control, but for the most part each of us controls his/her own destiny.
Do I study hard in high school or do I fool around a lot with my friends?
Do I go to college?
Which college do I go to and which major do I take?
Who do I marry?
Where should I live?
About ten years ago a friend of mine and his wife realized that unless an unknown rich uncle died very soon, it was going to be difficult, if not impossible, for them to afford to buy a house in Southern California. They had three kids and wanted them to grow up close to their grandparents. They had a difficult choice. They could stay in SoCal and rent a small place or they could move somewhere where housing was much more affordable. Yes, their potential new locale needed to have warm weather as each of them grew up in SoCal, and it needed to be west of the Mississippi so that getting back to visit the grandparents would be possible. Choices!
It was difficult, but they moved to Austin, Texas.

As I am sure that you all are well aware housing affordability in California is now even more of an issue than it was ten years ago. For the last 62 straight months home prices have increased in California, and in the last year prices have increased 6.3% in SoCal.
Recently a nurse who works in San Francisco bemoaned the fact that she has to drive 80 miles to and from work each day, “I find it very frustrating that I cannot afford to live close to my job.” Apparently, for whatever reason, she lives two hours from her job.
Choices!
According to the most recent U.S Census Bureau data (which for the first time included ‘cost of living’) California had the highest percentage of residents struggling to pay for the basic necessities, and the median price of a home is twice the national average.
This is a tailor-made situation for the politicians in Sacramento. From their perspective the only option to solve this problem is to throw money at it. (From their perspective the answer to almost anything is to throw taxpayers money at it.) The present options include a bond issue to pay for affordable housing and veteran housing and/or a $75 fee for some real estate transactions – again to provide money for affordable housing programs.

My question is: If housing is so unaffordable in California, and if about 20..4% of its population live under the poverty line, why don’t more of them move somewhere where housing is affordable? Of course, not all of those people who cannot afford to live in California can move, but a considerable number can. Why don’t they?
Choices!

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