A new report shows California has the highest poverty rate in the US, alongside Louisiana, and rates have shown little improvement.
Despite the abundant wealth in the state – more billionaires live in California than anywhere else in the US – in 2024 about 7 million people, or 17.7% of residents, could not afford to cover their basic needs. In 2021, California’s poverty rate reached a historic low of 11%, but as pandemic-era policies came to an end, rates surged in the state and across the US, according to the report from the California Budget and Policy Center released last week.
California is like the survivor show. You stay until you get booted out by costs.
And people wonder why I dislike Newsom and his Democratic allies. They’re experts at passing laws and crafting ballot measures which sound progressive, but are actually schemes for padding the pockets of wealthy interests. Raising sales taxes which disproportionately impact poor people, only every trying to address the housing crisis with more construction of houses, even cleverly passing a measure for funding ecological projects that give capitalists an opportunity to profit(it’s been a bit since I heard about the details, but it was in the last election and I was blown away by their ingenuity).
Our state is not some shining beacon of liberalism, but fucked by capitalism just like everywhere else.
I looked into the history of the state recently. Knowing what I now know about the Spanish Mission System, it makes perfect sense that our laws look very much like they were written by The Mob.
I don’t get the problem with trying to solve housing by constructing more???
The housing crisis is not a problem of lack in supply. More than enough houses exist in the US for everyone to have a roof over their heads. The houses they are building are not going to go to houseless people or even bought by renters or families trying to expand their spaces, they will either be rented out at rates the houseless still can’t afford or used as tax havens.
I get what you’re asking but just building new buildings without programs to make sure they get into the hands of people in need it’s just spinning wheels. Things like what I just described combined with rent control and regulate the use of real estate as an investment would go a long way to fixing things.
But if you keep building and building it should have an effect. Empty places still have to pay property tax. I guess im just saying im fine with us push push push build more housing but yeah I like other laws with it. One thing is I would like rental to be limited for non apartment buildings where the owner does not live there and not allow apartment buildings to do airbnb as that is for hotels/motels and taxed for such.
Our state is not some shining beacon of liberalism, but fucked by capitalism just like everywhere else.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but those aren’t contradictory. Liberalism is fucked by capitalism, right?
No, you’re 100% right, but people who think California is good tend to think liberalism isn’t a justification for an empire to serve the wealthy.
It’s a great place to live. Even on the streets.
Shameful.
And where is wealth disparity the highest?
If I had to guess, I would say either here or New York. We flip flop for richest state with them every so often.
