‘We hear the digs’
By Joe Kovacs
(Photo by Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash)
As a mass exodus continues from California, an editor at the Los Angeles Times is begging those departing not to criticize the Golden State as they leave.
“To the people leaving California: May the road rise to meet you as you seek better lives in new places. Now, can you please extend some goodwill to those of us who remain?” wrote letters editor Paul Thornton in a commentary titled: “If you want to leave, fine. But don’t insult California on the way out.”
“Several friends and members of my extended family have moved out of this state, so I can understand the factors that drive such decisions. But reasons to leave don’t explain the impulse to insult California on the way out.”
Thornton admitted the numbers of folks exiting the region are simply staggering.
“More than 800,000 Californians moved away in 2022, and many thousands more left last year,” he explained. “Often, the departees, cash in hand from the sale of their $1-million bungalows, feel the need to express disdain for their home state, and even some anger too.”