Is California really that Liberal?

Hi all, newbie here, Ive been thinking of relocating to california, Id like to live around people who share my views. Now ive been told that saying california is liberal just because of san francisco is like saying texas is liberal just because of austin.
Ive heard lots of good things about san francisco, I hear you can pretty well do what you want as long as you dont hurt anyone else, The majority of people support individual rights and drug legalization , which coinsides well with my views, Ive heard theyve even gone as far as to ban random drug testing in the workplace, so is all this true? Also is it just san francisco thats like this or are a lot of other areas of cali like this as well?
And can anyone tell me about any other towns around the san francisco bay?
And one last question thats important to anyone before relocating to a place is how is the economy out there?
Thanks in advance for any helo.

 

seems about right. i think some places do drug test though, and it it really expensive and hard to find a job for some people. pleanty of cool heads and layback vibes...

 

SF,Santa Cruz,Mendocino are good.NEVER the central valley.Necks,rich and poor abound.Can't tell you about the economy--don't know what you do.

 

Welder here

 

It really depends, I think people forget how big Cali is, there are so many different kinds of places to go. The area I live in is extremely liberal, but it changes from county to county.

Very few places here in Arcata do drug testing, the only one I've ever seen is Sears. But the economy here is crap, Humboldt county is really poor and there aren't many jobs. But California is big and I'm sure there is somewhere around here that would probably suit you fine.

 

Like antithesis said California is big.....I have lived in So Cal for 30 years, and don't think I would use California and Liberal in the same sentence. I am not saying it isn't in places, but as a whole I would have to say that it is more Conservative. The Bay area tends to be more openminded that's for sure. I know where I live things are ultra conservative, but it is a community of religious ideals (and not my religion). Honestly if my husband wasn't here for the job we would be living elsewhere.

As far as drug testing goes, as far as I know it is still in effect here in So Cal. I know that truck driving companies, schools (teachers) and government type offices do it. I would think as a welder you would probably have to get one for liability reasons, but I think that is up to the employer more than anything else.....

 

Oh, you asked about economy.....well we live in So Cal in a "cheaper" area and it is still outrageously priced. My husband and I have decided to move out of the state so that we can buy a home. The housing prices here are absurd, even in little towns that you would think are cheaper.

My advice; Look online at the local newspapers of where you want to live and see how much rent is and what kinds of jobs are available.

 

California is pretty diverse on all levels including social & political issues. I'm a No. Cal girl & for the most part it's fairly socially liberal. You do still have social conservatism in the smaller communities, but even then it's not like the rest of the country. I guess it would also depend on where you are from. If you are from texas (minus austin), then we are the liberal mecca Remember, this is where Burningman was born!
The economy here is great. We are the sixth largest economy in the world with China following behind us. It is a bit pricey to live here, but you also make more money for the same jobs too.
You should probably live here once in your life at least if you are drawn to it. If you hate it, you can always move away, especially if it's just you & you are not draggin a family around.

 

alot of places in california are really cool and most places are very lliberal .....i live in santa cruz and i love it it is beautiful but it is one of the most or the most expensive place to live compared to the jobs here.... but there alot of places in california just got to find the right one for you

 

not like the myth of califonia liberalism i seem to get the impression what the rest of the u.s. and the world seems to think about it.

how liberal is a state that elects ronald raygun or ahhhney to the governorship? or imposes urban style building codes on rural owner/builders?

or worships the damd automobile?

or ... and i COULD go on, and on, and on.

no i think as far as california being any sort of paragon of libralism, at least what i would call liberalism, i think that's pretty much of a myth.

there ARE places IN califonia though, ...
i'd certainly recomend nevada county, especialy nevada city and the san juan ridge, but i wouldn't mention them too loudly.
don't want to attract too much of the kind of attention that would screw them up
that every place seems to get anyway.

also there's the problem of you get too many people moving into an area, no matter how liberal the intentions of how many of them, and well there's that thing about gas molicules in a containter, pack in too many and it becomes a liquid, then a solid.

works somewhat the same way with people. sometimes. most of the time.

=^^=
.../\...

 

Southern Cali is more conservative, Northern Cali is more liberal. peace.

 

Agree wholeheartedly with themnax. I'm from GA, been out here a little over a year, when I first got here I didn't see any difference whatsoever. As a matter of fact the first people I came into contact with where conservatives, although surprisingly so, not as conservative as the conservatives back in GA. It was disappointing, but really I think it's probably about as equally conservative as it is liberal. The truth is, it's just a very big place. It's a lot about making money, which is why the conservatives are here, and I think the beautiful mountains, forests, beaches bring a lot of liberals here, as well.

 

i would say that california, as a whole, isn't very liberal. i mean, just look at the legislation that gets passed here. yeah, we may have medical marijuana, but prop 187 (to deny illegal immigrants and their children health care, public education, etc.) was also passed, mainly due to widespread fear and hatred of hispanics. so while there may be certain areas, the bay area and, that are open-minded and accepting, CA (including where i live, the central coast) is just full of upper-middle-class suburban white people who think mexicans want to take their jobs, and "the gays" want to recruit their children. look at who our governor is!
i'd say places like oregon or washington, if you're aiming for the west coast, are much friendlier to outsiders, and the price of living is way cheaper, to boot. not to mention oregon's minimum wage is about a dollar higher than CA's. really, the idea that CA is some last bastion of liberal ideals is a total myth, for the most part, it's somewhere in the middle, maybe slightly left of center, but many areas are about as right wing as you can get.

 

can you say fascist? hmmm? It's a special word. the following story is just the tip of the iceburg
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/stolenjustice/

California liberal? I have some beach front property on Pluto if your interested.
sine cera

 

The link I posted in this thread has expired, so I opted to copy and paste "lowlights" of this Merc. editiorial on a weeklong special they ran on "Tainted Trials, Stolen Justice".

Editorial: Too many defendants suffer a fractured justice system


Mercury News Editorial
Article Launched: 01/22/2006 03:12:16 PM PST

A Mercury News special report on criminal trials in Santa Clara County that begins today is a stinging indictment of a system that is failing too often, at every level.

After reviewing more than 700 cases, reporter Rick Tulsky has uncovered systemic failures by all involved: prosecutors, defense attorneys, trial judges and the appellate court.

In one in three of the cases reviewed, the criminal trial had been marred by questionable conduct that worked against the defendant....

...The most alarming finding of Tulsky's investigation may be this: Much of the legal community appears satisfied with a ``good enough'' criminal-trial system.

• In nearly 100 cases, prosecutors engaged in questionable conduct, including withholding evidence, defying a judge's orders or misleading juries. Prosecutors are the key players in a criminal case because they determine what charges are filed and decide whether to negotiate a plea bargain rather than going before a judge or jury. Experts say individual prosecutors reflect the dominant culture in their office, and too often it's all about winning rather than ethics and fairness.

• In 100 cases, defense attorneys failed their clients by neglecting to do even the most basic independent investigation or to raise objections to questionable prosecution tactics. Experts suggest that local bar associations, including the defense bar, establish strict standards for determining when a lawyer is qualified to represent a criminal defendant.

• In more than 150 cases, judges failed to oversee trials impartially and repeatedly failed to properly instruct juries. Judicial councils and judges associations must be more aggressive in providing training and rooting out bad jurists. In general, they need to be more critical of their colleagues and willing to identify those who should not be on the bench.

• In more than 100 cases, the 6th District Court of Appeal upheld verdicts even while acknowledging trial errors, deeming them ``harmless.'' While that might have been true in some of the cases, judges devised questionable rationales to dismiss others. The court reviews errors from a judicial perspective, not a community one. Would a jury view these errors as ``harmless''? Experts believe that appellate judges must be more wary of using the ``harmless error'' rule.

The 6th District Court, which upholds 97 percent of all convictions, also publishes only 2 percent of its rulings -- the lowest percentage in the state -- which means its work is relatively hidden.


An extremely relevant issue (IMO) was not addressed in this entire series, it is an alarming issue, and it is a nationwide issue. Have you ever heard of the "private corrections industry"? This industry was started by Corrections Corporation of America" in 1983. (okay so I linked the wrong phrase, sue me, (you probably could in todays frivolous litigation environment))

This corporation is traded on the NYSE, now you tell me, that there is any business for profit in existance that seeks to decrease its' stock and trade, sure these people are into rehabilitation!!!

Oh btw brothers and sisters, across the pond, this industry is also active in the UK. Prisnoers for profit, what a concept.

sine cera

 

Wow, I'm pretty surprised at a lot of these comments... I mean wow, Northern California is probably the most liberal place in the entire *world*. Not trying to be a dick, but you people who say California isn't liberal, have you ever been outside the state? Try living in Alabama or Mississippi for a few years and then come tell me California is conservative. Gee whiz.

 

I'd like to add that while obviously there are going to be plenty of conversatives in California, and more conservative areas of California, I feel like to call California middle of the road or conservative would be like calling New York City middle of the road. Sure it's less liberal now than it was, and sure Giuliani has upped the police force and all of that... there are plenty of conservatives, conservative businessmen, and all of that, but NYC is liberal as fuck compared to, well, everywhere except probably a few places on the west coast There are health food stores everywhere, and you're practically shot if you even hint that George Bush is any less than Satan incarnate. Although I'll admit I haven't spent much time in CA, I know for a fact that NorCal is even more liberal than NYC, and to call either "not that liberal" means you simply have no idea what middle of the road is.

 

Okay bro, I can hear what your saying, and I can relate to the ardent idealism that influences your conclusion, I am fairly confident I've got at least a 70% accuracy on where your coming from. But man, check this out, I've been wearing at the surface of this barely encrusted ball of dirty molten iron, circling yon fusion furnace for have a century, and there is no doubt I am by nature one of the "discontent",(a historically identifiable 5% subset of all populations). I can also say that anything you see me asserting, has considerable, and careful thought behind it, and has been thoroughly examined with critical thinking. I will not say your wrong, in your concept of California your not, in many peoples concept of California, your not: however I would urge you to reexamine your position based on the current legal code of the state, and the policies, practices, and procedures of its' legal system. I'm really short on time right now but would be happy to discuss this further, for I see what is going on here, I've lived in California for the last 30 years, and there is significant difference between the general concept of CA, and the current reality of it. That article I referenced treated the problems with the judicial system here with kid gloves, and yet the points made are chilling. Read again the parts in red, and consider the implications. Gotta run for now, take care brother, keep the faith, but be sure that faith does not blind you to what is. Fare thee well.

(edit to insert post script)

btw I forgot to mention I grew up in Pgh, PA, lived in Biloxi Mississippi for 5 months, New Hampshire for 3 years, Maine for a year, worked pulling railroad ties out of the ground deep in West Virginia, ("deliverence" country), Yosemite Valley for 3 years, El Portal Ca 2 years, Modesto and Turlock CA, 5 years, and in the bay area for the last 14+years
And no I will not tell you that California is conservative, it is borderline facsist, and I think it just dawned on me why people don't see this, it is because of the people of California, I"ll even chance being in error and say the majority of people in CA are non-conservatives, but the problem is the majority have no social conscience, zip, zero, zilch, nada, what they have is "Tickey Tackey"*** What they have is self serving materialistic capitalism, in their minds, and icewater in their veins, and in my opinion are one of the current "variations on the theme", homo sapient, currently vying to be the "latest and greatest" in the homo line, they are homo sapient excardia, man who has removed heart.
Damn should have known I couldn't get out of this post without some mild ranting, sorry man, be well assured I was not ranting at you. As I said I think I understand where your coming from.
Peace and fullfillment brother,
sine cera

 

Yo man, I had to let you know this, cracked me up, when I searched for a lyrics link for Tickey Tackey, for the above post, guess what I came across???
http://www.hipforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-182805.html
I think it was page 2 of a google search
Take care
sine cera