Did You Know This ? California Spends $1 Million Per Homeless Apartment
UCLA Econ Professor Says These Are Studio Apartments
Some factoids that you can break out at cocktail parties for you people who live outside of the homeless stat—I mean the golden state.
Last week on Matters of Policy and Politics (published by Stanford University), a UCLA econ professor mentioned a number of valuable cocktail factoids that you can use to make fun of us in California.
Here’s just two:
1) California spends one million dollars (don’t even do the Austin Powers thing, it’s not funny) per studio apartment for the homeless. And there ain’t that many of these things being built (shocker at that price) for the leader in national homeless.
The Economics Professor at UCLA is Lee Ohanian. When he talks about California, listen to anything he says. It’s valuable stuff. He has his finger on the pulse of this state. https://economics.ucla.edu/person/lee-e-ohanian/
Here is a link to that episode. It gets juicy about half way through if you want to fast forward because you’re busy.
Why is there homelessness in California ?
I hate it when people say “to be fair,” so I won’t say it. (If someone says that in your presence, say, “why just now be fair ?”). It’s a stupid phrase.
California has ideal weather that attracts people inclined to homelessness. And, the policies encourage homelessness. They even help it along. The cost of living in this state is insane. Gas, for example, is almost the highest in the nation besides Hawai’i. But that’s because of the taxes on the gas here.
Here is a link to the interview with Lee Ohanian : https://www.hoover.org/research/matters-policy-politics-california-update-san-franciscos-doom-loop-newsoms-wanderlust
I promised you two.
California spent 33 Billion Dollars paying out fraudulent unemployment claims in 2020 and 2021, took out a loan to pay for it from the federal government, and defaulted on the loan, sticking repayment with California business in higher payroll taxes.
You can’t make this up.
What could possibly go wrong if these grade-inflates continue, not just in California, but the entire country ?
I’m feeling frisky. I’m gonna give you a third cocktail party factoid.
The current governor of California ran on increasing available housing (thereby decreasing costs of housing) by 3.5 million housing units. By his own measure, he is falling 87% short of that goal. The only meaningful progress has been 13% toward that goal.
And he thinks this is a success. He thinks this is an A on that paper.
Folks, that’s called grade inflation.
I got a new edition of California Political Review (worth it). Short punchy articles. Lots of interesting factoids.
This stuck out at me :
“A professional couple who make 200,000 think it’s hilarious to think they could afford a home in Los Angeles.”
You think the cost of housing might, oh possibly might, be somehow, someway related to the homeless issue ?
By the way: These are … Democrats. Democrats creating these conditions for sky high costs, a hollowing out of the middle class, and taxes out the wazoo.
It’s amazing I have to say that. It’s amazing that some people think I’m being catty if I do say it.
But it’s like saying the sunset is beautiful. You have to say it, even though it’s obviously true.
You say it anyway. You find yourself saying it out loud.
How can you not ?
Have a great day,
Luke