'If You Can't Say Anything Nice': L.A. Times Editor Asks Ex-Pats Not to Smack-Talk the State

It isn't news that people have been leaving California in droves. California, which recently changed its state song to "Crap-sody in Blue," has seen a steady exodus of people leaving on the first, second, or even third thing smoking in search of friendlier, saner, cheaper, and safer places. 

Instead of engaging in some much-needed reflection about why so many former residents would prefer a lean-to in Pocatello to a ranch home in Anaheim, Los Angeles Times editor Paul Thornton penned an op-ed piece asking departing Californians not to disparage the Golden State and maybe leave a positive review on Yelp or something. 

In the piece entitled "If you want to leave, fine. But don't insult California on the way out," Thornton exhorts departing residents to refrain from speaking ill of the state. He notes that "Often, the departees, cash in hand from the sale of their $1-million bungalows, feel the need to express disdain for their home state, and even some anger too." 

He also takes the opportunity to remind those looking for the exit that their new home may not offer a climate as comfortable as California's and laments the story of a friend who moved away and was told not to bring any "weird California ways" with him:

And which ways would those be? I have a hunch it isn’t California’s low property tax rate and zoning rules that conspire to push up home values so homeowners can sell their houses for a huge profit.

Perhaps it’s our embrace of LGBTQ+ Californians. Or it’s our liberal politics, with the state Republican Party shrunk to irrelevance after its vicious attempt in 1994 to marginalize immigrants with Proposition 187.

Perhaps I’m sensitive because California — and especially Los Angeles — used to be the place people would come. And plenty still move here, especially immigrants. I come from an immigrant family blessed by the working-class riches our state once offered.

Instead, he instructs people fleeing California to be more like his friends, Joe and Shannon, who love their home in New England but still have warm memories of their old neighborhood. They may have been nicer with their sentiments, but they still left. 

For that matter, if California is still the promised land, why are there so many cars with California plates in my state? Then there's San Francisco with its hollowed-out business, homeless population, drug use, crime, and out-of-control housing costs. And let's not forget the poop maps. You can't tour the city without a poop map.

Or we can jet across the bay to Oakland, a city that is well on its way to making the average war zone look like a Sandals Resort. It was only yesterday when I wrote about how Oakland's only In-N-Out Burger was closing up shop due to the rampant crime. The store was turning a profit, but the money was not worth the risk. There's a nifty paragraph for the Chamber of Commerce brochure!  

And those incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. I ran a simple search of just the PJ Media archives to get a sampling of California stories. I only went back to just a few months. Read on.

• California had been mulling the idea of a wealth tax, which would be the perfect thing to frighten away investors and industry. 
• California's appellate court recently ruled that the homeless can sleep on the sidewalks, which is neither safe nor sanitary for the homeless or residents. 
• The state's taxpayers are being told that they will have to foot the bill for healthcare for illegal immigrants. Hey! More taxes!
• California started the year staring into the face of a $68 billion budget deficit.
• After his business was damaged and burglarized in December, an L.A. man exclaimed, "I voted for Karen Bass. I voted for [Joe] Biden. I voted for Gavin Newsom. I'm sick of it. It's like, at some point, you have to give me a reason to vote for you again." 

You see, Mr. Thornton, what you call insults constitute what other people know to be reality. I'm sure they are angry. They have had enough of being victimized, intimidated, over-taxed, forced to pay more for less, and having to constantly navigate new regulations designed to bolster career bureaucrats and justify the worldview of the intellectual and cultural elites. 

They were sick of dodging the homeless encampments and trying to sidestep the needles and assorted piles of squalor. They grew tired of being bent over and told they should be grateful for the privilege. Not everyone is one of the elite, and the California sun does not mask the multitude of sins. 

Having pride in one's state is all well and good. But if you love California, or what is left of it, you should have the integrity to look at your state and admit that it is failing fast and that people have good reasons for leaving. That would be preferable to propping up the stained, sagging, torn, and faded scenery, proclaiming that the show must go on. If California is worth loving, it is worth saving.