could be close to grandparents. Stuck it out for almost 10 years but it was clear that it was not the same vibrant, optimistic place it was in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up. Moved to Texas just because I always wanted to be in Texas (stayed in the same job) and it was great. Work opportunities took us to the NYC area and it is also great overall (different from Texas but still great in different ways). I'm still regularly in CA for work and every time I go back there is just an overall sense that most people are surviving rather than thriving. The most depressing part is that there is no apparent resolve or willingness to change anything — the place is falling apart and rather than change the approach they are doubling down on failed policies.

As an aside, I was reading Federalist Paper # 12 and Hamilton made an observation that struck me as particularly poignant and timely: "... it is impracticable to raise any very considerable sums by direct taxation. Tax laws have in vain been multiplied; new methods to enforce the collection have in vain been tried; the public expectation has been uniformly disappointed, and the treasuries of the States have remained empty." Interesting how we always think that applying loser principles in new ways will lead to different results.