Is Orange County Too Rich For its Own Good?
The Political Fighting Over the Southern California Region Misses All the Ways that Wealth Hollows Out the County's Dynamism
California has a peculiar peril: Our state is becoming too rich for its own good.
For evidence, just look at Orange County.
The dangers of too much wealth have not been much of a topic this fall as the county of 3.2 million—more than the population of 21 states—hosts a national political war over control of Congress. But they should be. Because, for all the conversation about our state’s considerable problems with poverty, today’s wealth may be a greater threat to California’s future.
By the statistics, Orange County looks as flawless …
