California has done a brilliant job of forcing out the middle class. The current residents can be categorized into three groups:
- The very, very rich, usually tech millionaires, Silicon Valley employees, and successful professionals. They can afford walls and security gates for their property.
- The remaining middle class, many of whom work for the government in one way or another - state, county, city employees, teachers, etc. This group is still going strong, but obviously cannot finance the boondoggle known as California.
- Bums. Homeless, Drug addicts. Drug dealers. This population is BOOMIN!!!!
What California has lost are the middle class construction and manufacturing jobs that paid a good wage, allowed people to buy homes and put their kids through school, and pay their bills. California is so stupid and corrupt that it has killed the home building industry, and multi-billion dollar industry that pays workers a good deal of money, due to building limits, regulations, solar requirements, etc. Wow, what a shock, the state has a housing crisis that it thinks can be solved with more regulation and requirements that developers build "subsidized" housing. **** California.
As to manufacturing jobs, those were driven out by environmental regulations and NAFTA. California used to build billions of dollars worth of car parts, steel, computers, doors, windows, other construction materials, but those jobs are now in Mexico, Arizona and Texas. Once again, **** what California does to the middle class.