/ CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY IN THE NEWS
Toodle-oo Taxpayers!
In a tough blow to Gavin Newsom and California Democrats who regularly preach about California’s superiority over red states, two newly released data sets highlight the ongoing California exodus and the billions in taxpayer dollars that have relocated to red states as part of it.
New IRS data from 2021 shows blue, high-tax states hemorrhaging residents and tax dollars, with California leading the pack, while low-tax, red states gained the most. Here are the highlights:
- California lost $29.1 billion in adjusted gross income (AGI) in 2021, more than any other state, and triple what it lost in 2019.
- Today, California faces a nearly $30 billion budget deficit.
- Florida and Texas had the highest AGI gains in 2021, with a major assist from former Californians. More than half of Texas’ $10.9 billion income gain came from California while $3.5 billion went from California to Florida and another $4.4 billion to neighboring Nevada.
- The new numbers also mirror job growth numbers in those states, with employment growth in Florida (4.5%) and Texas (4.3%) far outpacing California (2.5%). Today, California ranks 45th in lowest unemployment rates by state, sitting comfortably near the bottom, surrounded by fellow Democrat-run states.
Not to be outdone by the IRS’ data dump, California’s Finance Department on Monday released new numbers showing that California’s population declined yet again in 2022, losing more than 138,400 residents, or 0.4%. Here are the highlights:
- California’s population dropped to 38.94 million.
- Population decline occurred in 7 of the 10 largest cities in California, including the 4 largest.
- 46 of California’s 58 counties lost population, including the three most populous counties.
- The Sacramento Bee notes that, “the Department of Finance attributes the continuing population decline to fewer people moving to California and more moving out,” also noting “most people who leave the state move due to family, cost of living and job factors.”
“California Democrats may praise the horrible job that they are doing, but the numbers don’t lie: Californians are leaving in droves, taking their tax dollars with them, and finding a new home in the very red states that Gavin Newsom loves to hate. Democrats’ failed one-party rule has led to rising prices, soaring taxes, surging crime, failing schools, a homeless crisis and a near $30 billion budget deficit. It’s time for Newsom and California Democrats to wake up and embrace Republicans’ good governing and smarter policies that will help to fix our broken state.” – CAGOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson
