Southern California has a lot going for it: sunny skies, beaches, mountains, sports and entertainment. But for some, it’s just not enough.
Recent U.S. Census Bureau data shows that Southern California population growth is starting to slow down, marking a departure from historic rapid growth.
“The cost of land, the cost of material, the cost of labor that add up to high home prices,” said Kome Ajise, the executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, which hosted its 35th annual demographics workshop in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.
“We have a lot of four-year universities that graduate thousands and thousands of talented young people every single year, and we can’t keep them here because they can’t afford to live here given the fact that housing is really expensive in this region,” Ajise said.
Ajise acknowledged there are also political reasons to leave the state. High crime and homelessness are two of the primary factors.
“People are going to make choices,” Ajise said. “And this is one of the beauties of living in America is you have the right to decide for yourself based on your convictions.