California Exit Interview: The story of why people are leaving California will dominate upcoming political campaigns. Here’s the latest California Exit Interview, where we ask ex-Californians why they left.
Deanna Rhoades, 25, didn’t want to leave for Tucson. She’s a native Californian who was born in Walnut Creek and graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in ecology and evolution. She was looking for a research job studying wildlife.
“A lot of people think that if you study that there must be tons of jobs in Santa Cruz, because everyone there wants to do that. But that’s exactly the problem,” she said.
It’s a pricey place. Rhoades grew tired of paying $750 to $800 a month for a room in a house with three or more roommates. So, in July, she moved to Arizona. The job scene isn’t much better, but the cost of living is.
• What she found outside of California: plenty of studios for less than $700 a month.
• What she didn’t expect to find, but did: racial diversity — and good food.
• Biggest surprise: “How politically blue it is here.”
• What she misses most: “Being around a thriving community of hippies. I really vibed with a lot of hippies.”
• Surprising trade-off: Although she misses the ocean breeze and the redwoods, “I was so stressed out by my economic situation that I didn’t have the mental health to be able to fully appreciate them. I feel like because that aspect of my life is better here, I’ve actually been able to appreciate my surroundings more.”
• Least favorite thing about Arizona: “It gets really hot here in the summer. But my boyfriend likes to say that the heat is good because it keeps away Californians who might want to move to a more affordable place.”
Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
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February 21, 2021 at 07:03PM
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California Exit Interview: Too much stress to enjoy the surroundings - San Francisco Chronicle
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