Obviously we have some challenges, but my feeling is that we are at least taking baby steps in the right direction w.r.t. the kinds of policy solutions we need (even if the execution is not always perfect and things don’t happen fast enough).
California on the other hand is supposed to represent the economic might of America, and its decline, however small (1) makes great headlines, especially from a political angle and (2) scares people because the image of American supremacy they have grown up with their entire lives is under threat.
Everywhere else has the same problems, but they aren't as bad.
Rent isn't as high, the homelessness issues are lower, the local governments are somewhat less ridiculous...
On a per capita basis, yes they are.
For example, I no longer have to step over human feces and used needles. My rent is literally half what it used to be.
I was paying twice as much to live in a place with less space and more unpleasantness, and I don't how how you make any of those "per capita" problems because everyone experienced them.
You could move to hundreds of places within CA and make the same claim.
Only one of those states has weather suitable for living outside.
More importantly, the comment I was replying to was not limited to "homelessness" as the thing where CA was worse than elsewhere. Rent in particular needs to be evaluated relative to local worker earnings.
my pet peve example is crazy agressive driving/general disregard for speed limits and on the road etiquette
the joke used to be „watch out for that corrolla driver” now it is „watch out for that tesla with out of state plates”
As an Oregonian, I'd welcome more California drivers. They know where their accelerator pedal is and how to use it.
For me, the joke is "Watch out for that left-lane driving Prius".
I think there's some sour grapes involved [0], and also the fact that it's a bastion of left-of-center politics makes it a natural target for right-wing media .