The “City of Angels” is the birthplace of the entertainment industry and home to most celebrities in the United States. Los Angeles may look good on the silver screen, but in the era of COVID 19, it’s becoming a pretty disgusting place.
Most are aware of the obscene traffic, overcrowded areas, and smog that hangs over the city – but coronavirus has made things even worse. Add in the lawlessness from the Black Lives Matter protests, the state’s absurd tax rate for the wealthy, and the skyrocketing homeless rate – it’s all become too much for the city’s elite, who are looking for greener pastures away from the city.
What was once the land of Hollywood hopes and dreams has become a cesspool. The worst parts of LA have started to pervade even the richer sections of the city.
President Trump was onto something when he said celebrities bash him in public but vote for him in private because, “They don’t want to lose their wealth. They are greedy people.” The same rings true for where they choose to live. They publicly love California and Hollywood but privately are looking to get out.
Finding a way out
So where are they going? Hollywood publicist Cherie Kerr told Fox News recently that they are headed to the burbs. “They want to be in the suburbs in the San Fernando Valley or places farther out like the Westlake area – places more peaceful, safe, and clean,” Kerr said. “Places like Hollywood and Westwood don’t boast the same allure as they once did – not like 40 years ago. It’s too easy to live in other areas and enjoy similar amenities.”
Others are opting to get out of California altogether. And who can blame them? The already overtaxed state is going to get even more expensive. The AB 2088 bill proposed by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, would institute a 0.4% wealth tax on California residents worth more than $30 million. This is total wealth which means if you have assets internationally, those are taxable by the state of California.
The liberal enclave that houses the Hollywood elite is becoming unlivable. It’s yet another prime example of how bustling cities with Democratic leadership can turn into lawless wastelands. Actors and other celebrities will tell you to vote Democrat and then leave after their elected officials have run the city into the ground.
Emblematic of Bigger Problems
The declining population of high networth individuals in California due to higher taxes is hardly surprising. But people in every tax bracket have had enough. According to the California Department of Finance, the state’s population stalled at 39.96 million in 2019. More people left than moved to California last year. In 2019, the state recorded its slowest growth rate since 1900.
Taxes in California are higher than almost any other state and the money is being grossly mismanaged by Gavin Newsom. California is forecasting a $54 billion deficit by June 2021. which includes a record $18 billion revenue shortfall for K-12 schools and community colleges.
66,433 people now live on the streets, shelters or in vehicles in LA county as of June 2020 – up 12.7% from 2019. Within LA city limits, the homeless population is up 14.2% from 2019. LA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to fight the homeless crisis. LA Homeless Services Authority reported that they housed 23,000 people over the past year but it’s just not enough.
People are paying more than ever in LA. Yet, they still wake to homeless people in their yards and walk through cardboard cities en route to morning coffee. As they pay more, they are seeing the state decline more and have finally had enough.
Los Angeles and California as a whole has been run by Democrats since the early 90s. The Democrat-responsible problems in the state have been growing ever since. It’s finally reached a breaking point where even Los Angeles’ fiercest defenders are packing up and moving out.
COVID Marks a Breaking Point
COVID 19 may be the catalyst that causes a mass exodus of wealthy celebrities from California. It’s had a significant impact on how we live, work and has made many of Los Angeles’ problems much worse, including the homelessness and the state’s budget deficit.
Dennis Brager, tax attorney to the stars in L.A. confirms this to Fox News in a recent interview. “In my practice, I am already hearing from clients who would like advice on how to break ties with California in order to avoid paying what will amount to confiscatory taxes on their income and wealth,”
Democratic legislators in the state have done what Democrats usually do in times like this: tax the rich. They want to put the burden of the government’s mismanagement on the wealthiest taxpayers. Even the most liberal celebrities aren’t OK with paying for California’s failures.
Do as I say, Not as I do
The attitude of celebrities towards Los Angeles can be explained by what recently happened to Nancy Pelosi. The speaker of the House of Representatives was caught on camera getting her hair done in a San Francisco salon despite the statewide mandate requiring all salons to remain closed.
She tried to claim it was a “setup”. This was immediately debunked by the salon owner who shared when interviewed by Fox News. “She’s been coming in for quite a while, and just to see her come in and especially not wearing the mask, that’s what really got to me, but this isn’t even political. I mean, she’s been coming in there. It’s the fact that she actually came in and didn’t have a mask on,” Kious said. “And I just thought about you know my staff and people not being able to work and make money and provide for their families, and if she’s in there comfortably without a mask and feeling safe, then why are we shut down? Why am I not able to have clients come in?”
Many celebrities have the exact same attitude when it comes to offering their political views. They tell you to vote Democrat, then run away when their elected officials start taxing the rich and doing a bad job. They say ‘wear a mask’ until it inconveniences them or they need to get their hair done. What they say and what they do are two completely different things.
It’s clear they live by a different set of rules than the rest of us. Yet they don’t hesitate when telling us how to live our lives despite being completely disconnected from the reality most of us face on a daily basis.
They made their bed, but they’re not going to lie in it.
Treasonous harpy
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