Sunday, November 16, 2008

California's Sundown?

Once an optimist, Joel Kotkin takes a rather negative view of California's future. An excerpt:

Out-migration is a key factor, along with a weak economy, for the collapse of the housing market. Simply put, the population growth expected for many areas has not materialized, nor the new jobs that might attract newcomers. In the past year, four of the top six housing markets in terms of price decline have been in California, including Sacramento, San Diego, Riverside, and Los Angeles. The Central Valley towns of Stockton, Merced, and Modesto have all been awarded the dubious honors of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation during the past year.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Kotkin comments that "The real problem lies in the decline of the state’s political culture. Our society may be evolving spectacularly but our politics are devolving.”

As a California resident for many years, I agree that we haven’t had the best leadership in this state. From local to state officials, our leadership has been disappointing for as long as I can remember. Given the population and pool of talent in this state, the mediocrity we've seen in elected officials has been difficult to explain.