| The great California exodus has mostly ended, but some Golden State residents have continued to flee the state. |
| Although the primary destination has been Texas, Arizona is not too far behind. |
| As my colleague Terry Castleman wrote, increasing numbers of Californians have in recent years started new lives in Lake Havasu City — an Arizona town known for its spring break recreation. |
| Californians fed up with taxes and expenses in the Golden State may find relief by moving to a place with a lower cost of living. But what does that mean for locals? |
A magnet for Californians |
| More Californians have moved to Havasu than people from other parts of Arizona. In 2023, 5,358 Californians moved to Mojave County (home to Havasu) compared with 2,651 Arizonans. |
| The city now has nearly 60,000 residents, and has steadily grown over the last two decades with the help of some eager-to-leave-California Californians. |
| The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic also sparked a California migration boom in Lake Havasu as people were looking for open space. The rise of remote work during that time contributed to the exodus. |
| Even as the pandemic faded, the popularity of the city remained. |
Vacation homes become full-time homes |
| Southern Californians have for years come to Havasu in search of a vacation home, Lake Havasu City Mayor Cal Sheehy told Terry. But the pandemic gave them the added incentive to move into their secondary homes full time. |
| That falls in line with what Kristina Horton has observed. The real estate agent said a majority of her clients have come from California looking for second homes. |
| Since she began working in real estate, the luxury market has exploded, she told Terry. In 2019, there were about 10 homes valued at more than a million dollars on the market at a given time. Now, there are more than 100. |
| The median home price is about $435,000, making it more affordable as a lakeside getaway than many vacation destinations one state over. |
| But for how long? |
Locals are priced out |
| Before California residents started flocking to Lake Havasu, many of them moved to Texas cities such as Houston and Austin, looking for lower housing costs. |
| That boom forced Texas to contend with some of the same issues that were driving Californians to leave the Golden State. |
| "Some people blame Californians for driving up housing prices, particularly in the city of Austin," said Mechele Dickerson, a University of Texas at Austin law professor, who spoke with Terry in 2023. |
| As buyers "come here with cash in hand having sold their homes in California," she said, longtime renters are priced out of cities like Austin. |
| Although the Havasu market has cooled, new housing remains on the higher end, possibly "changing the fabric of Havasu," Horton said. |
| Californians who have made a move to Havasu are worried that too many others will follow them. |
| "I don't want to talk it up too much, cause we don't want a bunch of people moving in from California," said Amber Whitehead, who lived the first 47 years of her life in California and has been in Havasu for a year. |
| Only time will tell whether Lake Havasu City remains a draw. |
Today's top stories |
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| Jessica Newman and her 3-year-old daughter, Luna, pose for a portrait at Splat Studios. They were displaced by January's firestorm. (Ted Soqui/For The Times) |
A disabled mom survived the Eaton fire. Now, the recovery is killing her |
- New research on the aftermath of wildfires has found what one expert called "a slow-burning bureaucracy" that leaves people with disabilities especially vulnerable.
- Jessica Newman, who has a rare heart condition, is among those struggling to navigate the system a year after being displaced by the Eaton fire.
- Disabled Americans are often locked out of recovery programs and far less likely ever to return home after fires, according to a Nov. 13 report from the University of Hawaii.
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This L.A. car wash depends on immigrant labor. Can it survive Trump? |
- An L.A. car wash owner wonders whether his business can survive ICE raids targeting immigrant workers.
- The mood at the car wash was once lighthearted, with employees joking as they sprayed down cars and polished windows. Now everybody, the manager included, keep one eye on the street as they work.
- In recent months, at least 340 workers have been detained in raids on more than 100 Southern California car washes, devastating an industry reliant on immigrant labor.
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A scenic L.A. suburb with ocean views went off grid. How are residents surviving? |
- About 120 homes in Rancho Palos Verdes' Portuguese Bend neighborhood now make up one of California's largest off-grid communities after public utilities stopped providing service there because of damaging landslide movement.
- Most residents have been operating fully off-grid for more than a year, using a combination of solar panels, batteries and backup generators.
- The community, however, depends on a network of electric-powered pumps that help mitigate local landsliding. Residents are calling for electricity to be restored, particularly to aid in the fight against ongoing land movement.
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What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
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This morning's must read |
| | | The unraveling of Dr. Phil's media venture was a blow to the celebrity therapist who built a reputation as one of the most trusted voices on television. But his fortunes faded amid a dying market for syndicated TV and clashes with a distributor and partner. | | | |
Other must reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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A question for you: What's one special dish your family makes for Thanksgiving? |
| Holly Angeloty said, "Our family's must have for the holidays is Drunk Pie. My mom cut out the recipe for Eggnog Pie from the Los Angeles Times food section many, many years ago. As she was adding bourbon to the whipped cream portion, my sister and I said "that pie will be drunk". And the name stuck. We never were a family of pumpkin pie fans. We all eagerly await seeing eggnog for sale in the grocery stores, signaling time for Drunk Pie." |
| Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
And finally ... your photo of the day |
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| The Hobbit House in Culver City. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times) |
| Today's great photo is from Times photographer Christina House at L.A.'s famous Hobbit Houses, which have a new owner who calls himself the "King of Storybook." |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
