Letters to the Editor: California is complicated. The people staying here are OK with that

To the editor: Consider this letter a tribute to California. (“Has the Golden State lost its luster? California population shrinks for the first time ever,” May 8)

In 1948, my father, a young doctor in Boston, moved my mother and sister (we call her a naturalized Angeleno, high praise indeed) to California for the opportunities it presented. I was born here, a native, and will never move from the state I love and admire. My family and friends have thrived here.

We Californians are independent in thought, a patchwork quilt of unique individuals. We say what we mean and follow our own beliefs, loyal to our ideals rather than to those who tell us otherwise. This is the California state of mind.

“Open up that Golden Gate, California here I come” — it still rings true.

Ellen Seiden, Manhattan Beach

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To the editor: California’s population declined in 2020? No surprise there.

As a native Californian who lived in Los Angeles for 57 years until 2017, when I defected to Las Vegas, I have no regrets.

For me, California got weird — the socialist leanings of political leaders, the homeless encampments in parts of L.A. It was time for me to flee the Golden State.

Now, I live happily in the Silver State, where I can afford a new condo in a high-rise building that overlooks the Las Vegas Strip. I pay no state income taxes, and I no longer spend two hours commuting on the freeway.

I had better stop. Too many Californians may want to plant roots in my beloved new town.

David Tulanian, Las Vegas

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To the editor: While the article on California’s (very nominal) population decline over the past year touches on some very important issues, it ignores a foundational question that is neglected by almost everyone.

Why is growth always assumed to be a good thing? And why is a stable population considered to be unacceptable?

At some point soon, we need to address the fundamental issues of ever-increasing population, consumption growth and carrying capacity. We see examples everywhere that nearly all living, growing things, at some point, reach equilibrium in terms of size and consumption.

One notable exception brings to mind the old saying, “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”

Bob Gutzman, Pasadena