Overview
- UC Berkeley’s California Policy Lab reports a net outflow of about 150,000 residents last year.
- Researchers say high living costs are the primary driver, not natural disasters, visible homelessness or state politics.
- People who left moved to places with housing costs roughly half of California’s and saved about $672 a month.
- Former Californians were almost 50% more likely to own a home seven years after moving.
- Researchers highlight Proposition 13, which keeps taxes low for long‑time owners and much higher for recent buyers, as a driver of frustration.