Comment by unlinked_dll | Hacker News Reader

Comment by unlinked_dll | Hacker News Reader

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It's not just homelessness. How would you live in this state making 50k/yr? 40k? The state is completely dystopian outside of tech, especially once you get out of San Francisco (hell I was there yesterday - place seems pretty damn poor to me)

Just as an anecdote I live in a 650 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment. The previous tenants were a family of four. My good friend lives a block away - he's cycled through phases of 3-4 room mates in a run-down 2 bedroom apartment.

There are millions of people in this state packed together like sardines and paying 40-50% of their meager income for that privilege.

This state is riddled with economic inequality, we may not be a poor economy but we have an enormous number of poor people shouldering its weight.

There are plenty of people I know happily employed in the entertainment industry in the largest city in the state. "Completely dystopian outside of tech" is a total exaggeration.

I'd be curious to know if they have kids.

I think California is far more tolerable if you don't have kids. Without kids, you don't need a big place. A couple could live comfortably in California in a home that's 1000'.

But once you have kids, you need to live in a zip code with good schools, and you need SPACE.

That gets expensive.

It's a good point. They don't have kids.

How many of those people live in rent-controlled apartments, or bought their home a long time ago? There can be thousands of dollars monthly cost difference in identical houses from huge appreciation and very low tax growth.

None I know.

I'm in the entertainment industry in that city. It's the most dystopian place in the state in my opinion. It pays worse and burns people out faster than tech from what I've seen. Some people get lucky and have a stable job with decent income. There are far more scraping by on the odd PA gig trying to make something happen.

And the city itself is a dump outside a few outrageously priced neighborhoods.

I mean, I was a grad student without much money in L.A. for over a year and quite enjoyed my time there. I don't see the "dystopia" at all, but to each their own.

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