The California Dream

The simplest form of self government in our automobile dominated life style is the familiar red and white “stop” sign. It works most of the time, despite our deplorable rate of accidents.

But no kind of stop sign appears to deter newcomers to the Southland.

Our earthquakes, smog, lack of adequate public rapid transit, traffic gridlock, crime and cocaine, shortage of water, our homeless population, toxic wastes, truck spills--even the records of the Rams and Raiders--fail to frighten off migrants or to stem the continuing flow from other states and other nations.

A misguided effort by government officials early in the Great Depression attempted to stop California-bound families in over-laden, rickety cars and trucks from crossing the state line at the Arizona border.

One judge’s solution to the problem was to find the trespassers guilty of various misdemeanor charges and place them on probation. As a condition, he ordered that they leave the area and mail him a postcard--from a community outside of California.

Very obviously, we are in the place to be. Earlier this year, Rick Smolan, a former Time magazine photographer who now publishes a series called a “Day in the Life” photography books, summoned 100 of the world’s best photographers to San Francisco and dispersed them on assignments for his eighth book, “A Day in the Life of California.”

All pictures were to be taken on the same day--April 29--and his parting orders were to “take extraordinary photographs of ordinary, everyday events.”

Someone asked him why the project was being carried out in the Golden State. He replied:

“California is America’s future. To see where California is today is to know where America will be heading tomorrow.”

That rationale explains the promise and attraction California holds out for the migrating thousands of families continuing to move here.

This area’s combination of a strong economy and its legendary climate--smog et al notwithstanding--continues to hold out the promise of opportunity, success and affluence.

For 1989, all indications are that Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Los Angeles, San Diego and the Anaheim area will continue to remain among the nation’s most active housing markets, although an overall drop in building permits and starts are expected.

U.S. Housing Markets, in its latest report, notes that residential building permits and housing starts will be at their lowest level in six years. Since last spring, there has been a decline in starts, headed for an estimated total of 1.45 million for 1988, an 11% drop from last year’s 1.62 million starts.

For building permits, at year’s end, there will be an estimated 970,000 issued for detached homes, a decline of 5.3% from last year. About 430,000 multifamily units appear to be authorized for construction for all of 1988, 15.8% less than last year.

In 1989, Los Angeles, with an anticipated 45,000 housing starts, will continue to set the national pace, according to the Chicago Title and Trust Co. Statewide, projections are for 229,500 starts, down 4.4% from this year’s expected total of 240,000.

But to put the issue in hard perspective, and to indicate that we haven’t seen anything yet, more housing starts are anticipated for California next year than the total for all of Texas, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Illinois.