A recent poll shows that nearly two-thirds of residents in California have considered relocating. The survey highlights mounting concerns about soaring living expenses, increasing crime rates, parental rights violations.
According to the survey, 40% of state residents express a significant or substantial inclination to move, while an additional 24% state that they are considering the idea, albeit not as seriously. The primary reason cited by respondents for their desire to depart from the Golden State is the lack of affordability, with 61% expressing that living costs are excessively high. Data from RentCafe indicates that the cost of living in California is almost 40% above the national average.
Further, in recent years, the state has experienced a surge in crime, which critics argue is exacerbated by lenient law enforcement policies. For example, one California’s law categorizes theft of items valued at $950 or less as a misdemeanor. This classification often leads to limited investigation efforts by law enforcement, and even if pursued, prosecutors often choose to let such cases go unresolved.
Another concern to parents in California are policies and bills limiting parental rights in directing the upbringing of their children. One example is a California Department of Education policy many school district follow which requires school employees to deceive parents regarding the name and pronoun a child uses at school. If a students at any age don’t want their parents to know they identity as another sex at school, then the school will keep this information secret from their parents, even if that requires deception.
A State Senate Committee recently passed a bill (AB 665) that would permit children as young as 12-years-old to consent to their own mental health care and place themselves into state-funded group homes without parental permission or knowledge.
Additionally, there is a bil (AB 957) still under consideration that tells judges in custody disputes, that parents who won’t affirm their children’s transgender identity are a threat to their “health, safety, and welfare.” These are just a few of the bills that have resulted from the ongoing tension between parental rights and the state’s involvement in matters of child upbringing and gender identity.
Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council, told the Washington Stand that most of the controversial bills being considered by the California Legislature push radical gender ideology onto children while conservative voices are being silenced.
“I think [we are monitoring] almost 40 bills in the state of California that are dealing with different types of issues,” he explained. “Most of them are specifically related to sexual orientation and gender identity…We’re talking about placing those decisions in the hands of young people who are still emotionally developing. They’re emotionally vulnerable. They are trusting that adults are going to have their best interests at heart. And when they say, ‘Your parents actually don’t have your best interests at heart. They actually don’t want you to live out your true, authentic self. … We know what’s best for you over your parents.’ I mean, that is extremely, extremely dangerous.”
“I think you’ve seen a huge shift in the political climate of the state of California,” Keller continued, noting that the state hasn’t had a conservative governor in nearly 30 years. “You’ve seen, despite the fact that we still have an overwhelming number of conservative voters, their voice is being silenced and their values are being attacked at a really alarming rate…It’s easy to be salt and light, but it is a lot harder to fight back against some of the insanity that’s coming out of the legislature in Sacramento.”
A substantial number of residents have already left California, resulting in significant population decline. The state has experienced a net loss of 800,000 individuals over the past three years. Until the state makes communities safer and respects parental rights, this mass exodus will only continue.
