Not sad to see a few people pulling stakes

I am a native Californian. I was born in Los Angeles in 1962 and grew up within a quarter-mile of the Los Angeles/Orange County line. In 1984, the U.S. Navy stationed me on a submarine out of Point Loma. That’s when I moved to San Diego and I’ve been here ever since.

Back in the 1970s, there was a popular bumper sticker that said, “Welcome to California. Now go home.” The point was (and I totally agree) that we love tourists coming into our state spending their money, but we already have enough people here and we don’t need any more. The infrastructure can’t handle it. The roads are congested, we have to ration water, and there’s not enough electricity available during the summer (think “rolling blackouts”). It’s also expensive out here, especially housing, energy and taxes.

Yet they still came to California. Some came for the mountains, deserts and beaches that are all within a couple hours’ drive. And, of course, the beautiful weather. Some were brought here by the military. Others had unrealistic dreams to make it in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Or they were lured by the high-paying technology sectors in the Bay Area and San Diego.

But not everyone who came out here is California dreaming. It’s expensive to live here (for a reason). It’s crowded. There’s lots of competition for everything from job opportunities to a decent place to live (if you can afford it). Many transplants ended up homeless on our streets — and, if you think it’s bad in San Diego, take a walk through Hollywood some time.

But when your company moves its operations to Texas (and you along with it), think about more than the fact that you can get a 1,500-square-foot, 2-bedroom apartment in Dallas for what it cost you for a 400-square-foot studio in Encinitas. At least it doesn’t snow here. And if it did, we probably wouldn’t be without food, water and power for a couple of weeks.

Now (finally), more people are leaving California than are moving here. Fine by me. Off you go, then. Whatever gets traffic on the 805 moving faster during rush hour.