The News From 2049: Texas Surpasses California

Decades Earlier, the Golden State Gave Up on Growth and Progress

Austin, December 2049

Today, state officials held a massive parade and public barbecue to celebrate official federal confirmation that Texas is America’s greatest and most important state.

The occasion: The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates showing that the ever-growing Lone Star State, with more than 40.3 million people, had surpassed stagnant California, stuck at just under 40 million people for 30 years.

As Texans boasted about their new status—“We are the greatest civilization of the greatest country on earth,” declared 79-year-old U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, now in his seventh term—Golden State leaders issued …

by Joe Mathews | August 29, 2023

What Do Unhoused People Want Most? Ask Them

Two Recent Studies Bridge the Gap Between Well-Intentioned Plans and What Those Experiencing Homelessness Actually Need

by Rob Eshman | October 17, 2022

Government officials, activists, academics, homeowners, and two very competitive mayoral candidates constantly explain what the over 69,144 unhoused people living in Los Angeles County need and want. But you know …

California Housing Is Becoming More Affordable—Relatively, Anyway

You Still Get More House for Your Money in Austin or Boise Than L.A. or San Francisco, But the Difference Is Dwindling

by JERRY NICKELSBURG | April 6, 2022

California housing prices have soared during the pandemic. The California Association of Realtors reports that the median selling price of a single-family house here increased 11 percent, to $796,000, between …

Where Would I Sleep on the Streets of Los Angeles?

Taking Part in the Annual Survey of Unhoused Angelenos Helps Connect Me to All the People in My Adopted Home

by Annabelle Gurwitch | February 21, 2022

If I were sleeping outside … where would I be?

We’d been invited to ask ourselves this question as we walked the streets in the dead of night, canvassing for strangers. …

a moving truck on the Golden Gate Bridge

Let’s Pay Californians to Move

Relocation Subsidies Could Solve Housing Gridlock and Make This State a Better Place to Live

by Joe Mathews | October 19, 2021

Are you a Californian who wants to make your state a better place?

Then move.

Any place within California will do, though it would be great if you could relocate to a …

Mayor Garcetti, Delhi Is Waiting to Transform You—And the Future of L.A.

If You Become Ambassador to India, Here’s What You Need to Know About My Hometown

by Moira Shourie | June 2, 2021

Namaste Garcetti-ji,

The rumor that you, the mayor of my adopted hometown, Los Angeles, will be President Biden’s next ambassador to my native country, India, is picking up steam. And so …

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