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Comment by scythe

>What is happening to this paradise state?

Well, the decline in precipitation is due to changing air circulation related to climate change. Speaking very broadly, the Southwest is likely to get drier, while the rest of the US will either get wetter or stay the same. We don't pay attention to areas with increased precipitation, although it might lead to some flooding: it's generally easier to deal with than drought. But obviously droughts are not related to the effects of locally determined economic policy in the short term (drought resilience contrasts).

What else is happening is primarily due to the fact that California's population has grown very rapidly in a short period of time. Historically, population transfers like this were accompanied by wars and massacres. By that standard, California has been relatively peaceful and successful since the end of the California Genocide.

We can point fingers at bad policies responsible for specific problems, but the overall immaturity of the political system in California is the general underlying factor. Examples include the minuscule size of the California legislature relative to its population, or the too-big counties in SoCal that were drawn when nobody lived there.

parent scythe 5 years ago

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