California is still losing Californians. It’s no mystery why

Good morning. It’s Monday, April 8. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• The Golden State exodus continues, though at a slower pace.
• State lawmakers seek to ban a powerful weedkiller.
• 6 excellent L.A. spots to watch the awe-inspiring solar eclipse
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

The Golden State exodus continues, though at a slower pace

Another year, another dip in California’s population.

As of July, California’s population fell to an estimated 38,965,000, down by 75,400 over 12 months, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

This recent map shows more details of the population decline in 2023, presenting county-by-county changes across the U.S.

From July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, 17 of California’s 58 counties experienced a population increase while the majority lost residents. Populations fell in every coastal county from Del Norte down to San Diego.

Los Angeles County lost 56,420 residents in 2023, the most of any county across the U.S., census data show. But that’s notably fewer people than the 89,697 the county lost in 2022. And despite a few years of shrinking, L.A. County is still the most populous county in the U.S. by a healthy margin.

Orange and San Diego counties were also among the top 10 U.S. counties that lost the most residents in the July-to-July counts; their populations fell by 14,617 and 7,203 people, respectively.

“Entering this century, when California’s still-growing population was 34 million, we were predicted to reach 45 million by 2020 and almost 60 million by 2040,” Times political columnist George Skelton wrote this week. “So much for that.”

Although a portion of those population changes is attributed to what the Census Bureau refers to as “natural change” — births and deaths — primarily, the numbers are shifting because more people are moving out of California than are moving in, a phenomenon that’s been in the news since the pandemic.

Individual circumstances may vary, but the main reasons for leaving are not a mystery. Simply put, California is an expensive place to live compared with nearly every other state. More people have found themselves disillusioned with the California dream amid skyrocketing housing prices and paychecks that don’t go as far as they would across state lines.

Essential California readers told us as much last April, when we asked Californians who’d moved to different counties or out of the state to share their reasons.

Many said they’d moved because of the rising cost of living, especially housing that felt increasingly unaffordable. Some left to be closer to family, a priority during those isolating early pandemic years. Others cited growing concerns about public safety or dissatisfaction with the state’s government — officials’ response to homelessness, or inaction on air quality or simply differences in political ideology.

“My quality of life is better than it has ever been,” wrote Alberto E., who moved to New Mexico from Alameda County. “Both because I’ve advanced in my career but also because I can live comfortably, save money and have a mortgage in a place that is more affordable. I do miss California dearly, but not enough to move back.”

California’s population had grown every year since statehood in 1850, but around 2000, that growth started to slow. Skelton offered an explanation: “California just got too big for its carrying capacity.”

“Blame California’s high costs of land and labor plus regulatory quagmires and neighborhood resistance to growth,” he wrote. “[Gov.] Newsom and legislators have been wrestling with these issues for years and enacted new laws, but they haven’t generated much progress in making home buying more affordable.”

Although people moving out of state represent the largest share of the population decline, researchers also cite lower birthrates, plus an increased mortality rate and a sharp drop in people moving to California from other countries — both fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the long term, declining birth rates, longer life expectancy, and the aging of the baby boomers all mean that California’s population is getting older, and deaths will likely rise as the population ages,” the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California reported late last year.

Some in the California-is-full camp might be tempted to celebrate. But if the state continues on this trajectory, that could mean less tax revenue and diminished congressional power via fewer House seats (we already lost one after the 2020 census).

So, what can be done? Skelton offered one suggestion that he said “worked well for generations until the state got greedy” about half a century back:

“Free tuition at public universities for California residents. That would at least help prevent a brain drain.”

Today’s top stories

Gary and Tammie Mund at their home in Sparks, Nev. Gary, who has Parkinson’s disease, is part of a lawsuit filed against the maker of the herbicide paraquat.

(Monique Sady / For The Times)

Climate and environment

• Massive water pumps have been killing threatened and endangered fish migrating along the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Now critics are urging water managers to scale back pumping to protect the vulnerable populations.
• A new California bill would ban the use of paraquat. The powerful weedkiller has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and other health issues.

Government and politics

• Tax day is fast approaching. Should you itemize or take a standard deduction on this year’s return? Check out our explainer.
• Visa changes for foreign workers could burden some California businesses. Here’s what experts say about the potential effects.

Policing, courts and public safety

• A convicted Beverly Hills con artist admitted that he duped investors out of more than $18 million by concocting a sham cannabis empire.
• Twenty protesters at Pomona College were arrested after storming and occupying the president’s office during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
• Long Beach police arrested a minor suspected in four shootings within the city.
• One person was dead and three others hospitalized after a possible fentanyl overdose in Lakewood

More big stories

• Scandal shadows Andrew Do’s final year on the O.C Board of Supervisors.
• From film sets to farms, visa changes for foreign workers could burden some California businesses.
• Why Jim Harbaugh jumped at chance to live ‘The Rockford Files’ RV beach life.
• 10 people were injured and 30 displaced in a Covina apartment fire.
• Anthony Davis suffered another eye injury in the Lakers loss to Minnesota.

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Commentary and opinions

• Dale Maharidge: I’ve covered California’s homeless since before the word was used. This is what I learned.
• Robin Abcarian: The boomer versus millennial grudge match is silly.
• Steve Lopez: Benny Wasserman handled the heat — in life and in the batting cage.
• Times editorial board: Speaker Johnson must ignore GOP hard-liners and approve Ukraine aid now.

Today’s great reads

Children play soccer at the Sidewalk School in Matamoros, Mexico.

(Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

An L.A.-based nonprofit with support from Angel City FC is using soccer to help children stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border cope with waiting for asylum. “For children who have experienced a lot of hardship and trauma and uncertainty, the opportunity to just move their bodies and be children in a structured environment will go a really long way,” the executive director of iACT told Times reporter Kevin Baxter.

More great reads

• Raids, fines and digging through underwear drawers: Korean president’s war on ‘fake news’

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Travelers are getting a window-seat view of wildflowers blooming between runways at Los Angeles International Airport.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

• 🖼️ “Ed Ruscha / Now Then,” a retrospective of the great American Pop and Conceptual artist, opened Sunday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art after a debut run in New York City. Times art critic Christopher Knight says it’s even better in L.A.
• 🌞 🌝 You’ve probably heard by now that there’s a solar eclipse happening today. The view from California is only partial, but here’s how to get the best possible view.
• 🌼 Dying to see a superbloom this spring? Look no farther than LAX.

Staying in

• 📖 Check out The Times’ list of the 50 best Hollywood books of all time.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for fennel salad with spicy green olives and crushed pistachios
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

(Steve Meepos)

Today’s great photo, from Steve Meepos, showcases Los Angeles’ scenic Venice neighborhood with a shimmering beach sunset, as seen from a lifeguard tower at Venice Beach.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break

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