“We don’t feel safe anymore” - What living in California is like now

[rangerrebew]

“We don’t feel safe anymore” - What living in California is like now

For decades, California was seen as a place of opportunity, beauty, and prosperity. But a series of policy changes — most notably Proposition 47 — reshaped crime enforcement, homelessness response, and daily life in its largest cities. The result has been rising retail theft, expanding homeless encampments, business closures, and growing public frustration. Using real examples from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and beyond, this breakdown explains how good intentions turned into systemic failure — and why many now see California as a warning rather than a model

 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/we-don-t-feel-safe-anymore-what-living-in-california-is-like-now/vi-AA1SGmH8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=69459cf88e8741e6beab02f31f694ba3&ei=30

[rangerrebew]

How can you feel unsafe with all the jihadis, illegal alien criminals, and everyday American criminals who infest the state?

[Canuck Conservative]

The really scary part is knowing that the local & State Authorities - supposedly looking out for the safety of citizens - just don't seem to care about enforcing existing laws that could control the nonsense

And the criminals see that, which only encourages them more

[Free Vulcan]

Unless you are restrictively tied down by something there...move. A small property in most parts of Cali will buy you an entire ranch in many places.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Think of all the free room on the highways on which to drive your electric vehicles when gasoline is $20/gallon in Cali and working folk abandon the state.

[Fishrrman]

Let me know when Apple moves out of Cupertino -- taking their spaceship headquarters along with them...

[Smokin Joe]

For decades California has had Hollywood's talent to sell everyone the idea that everything was popping along tickety-boo.

Sure, there has been opportunity there, since the '49ers came over the pass or off the ships in the Bay. Some of them even struck it rich and survived the experience.

But every boom has its bust.

Pity the parasites have ruined a State so rich in resources and natural beauty.

[GtHawk]

How can you feel unsafe with all the jihadis, illegal alien criminals, and everyday American criminals who infest the state?

I’m sorry, WTF? Funny I have lived here my entire life and never heard such twattle(okay bullshit) I venture there are areas in every state that people avoid because of crime, I also would venture there are states more dangerous, with all the illegals and did you say Jihadis? And everyday American criminals…..like say Oregon, Washington, Washington DC, Delaware, New York, Philadelphia, Nevada, etc. etc. But always some ass that has no clue because they don’t live in California will pontificate off some crap the read.

[PeteS in CA]

I’m sorry, WTF? Funny I have lived here my entire life and never heard such twattle(okay bullshit) I venture there are areas in every state that people avoid because of crime, I also would venture there are states more dangerous, with all the illegals and did you say Jihadis? And everyday American criminals…..like say Oregon, Washington, Washington DC, Delaware, New York, Philadelphia, Nevada, etc. etc. But always some ass that has no clue because they don’t live in California will pontificate off some crap the read.

Bingo!

I live in a very middle class post-WW2-built suburb and can walk around our neighborhood safely pretty much any time of the day I'm awake. I do training walks along a nearby trail, anywhere along the trail from the Willow Glen area of San Jose to the dam of Lexington reservoirs in the foothills SSW of Los Gatos. In the past month and a half I've done smallish trail running events on the Coyote Creek Trail in South San Jose, Quarry Lakes Park in Fremont, and the San Francisquito Creek Trail and Bay Trail in East Palo Alto (13 such events so far in 2025, with one more on the 31st). Small trail runs blend into the normal flow of hikers and runners on trails, pretty much indiscernible except for the bibs with runners' numbers. I shop at Lucky or Safeway or Target or eat at restaurants like I would in such a store or restaurant in Anytown, StateName. I commute to work (NE San Jose, ~10.5 mile commute), enter my place of work, do my thing, walk out to my car in the dark (currently), and commute home. I'm careful of idiot drivers, but every state has those, and some are from other states (e.g., I see cars with TX, FL, OR, WA, NV, and AZ license plates several days a week each).

How do I live in California? Pretty much as I would if I lived in pretty much any US state, with adjustments for climate, of course. There are parts of San Jose I know to avoid, but the same is true of pretty much any significant-sized city in any US state. E.G., is much of Phoenix, AZ south of McDowell Road still pretty sketchy, @Cyber Liberty?

[Cyber Liberty]

Bingo!

I live in a very middle class post-WW2-built suburb and can walk around our neighborhood safely pretty much any time of the day I'm awake. I do training walks along a nearby trail, anywhere along the trail from the Willow Glen area of San Jose to the dam of Lexington reservoirs in the foothills SSW of Los Gatos. In the past month and a half I've done smallish trail running events on the Coyote Creek Trail in South San Jose, Quarry Lakes Park in Fremont, and the San Francisquito Creek Trail and Bay Trail in East Palo Alto (13 such events so far in 2025, with one more on the 31st). Small trail runs blend into the normal flow of hikers and runners on trails, pretty much indiscernible except for the bibs with runners' numbers. I shop at Lucky or Safeway or Target or eat at restaurants like I would in such a store or restaurant in Anytown, StateName. I commute to work (NE San Jose, ~10.5 mile commute), enter my place of work, do my thing, walk out to my car in the dark (currently), and commute home. I'm careful of idiot drivers, but every state has those, and some are from other states (e.g., I see cars with TX, FL, OR, WA, NV, and AZ license plates several days a week each).

How do I live in California? Pretty much as I would if I lived in pretty much any US state, with adjustments for climate, of course. There are parts of San Jose I know to avoid, but the same is true of pretty much any significant-sized city in any US state. E.G., is much of Phoenix, AZ south of McDowell Road still pretty sketchy, @Cyber Liberty?

Don't know, moved away 5-6 years ago.  South of Baseline, yeah, pretty bad....I just stayed away from most of Phoenix as a rule.  I lived in the SE Valley when I was there, and it was going liberal.  We decided the whole Metro area sucked and we moved to Mohave County.  I lived in the Phoenix area for 40 years and that's enough .

[DB]

Bingo!

I live in a very middle class post-WW2-built suburb and can walk around our neighborhood safely pretty much any time of the day I'm awake. I do training walks along a nearby trail, anywhere along the trail from the Willow Glen area of San Jose to the dam of Lexington reservoirs in the foothills SSW of Los Gatos. In the past month and a half I've done smallish trail running events on the Coyote Creek Trail in South San Jose, Quarry Lakes Park in Fremont, and the San Francisquito Creek Trail and Bay Trail in East Palo Alto (13 such events so far in 2025, with one more on the 31st). Small trail runs blend into the normal flow of hikers and runners on trails, pretty much indiscernible except for the bibs with runners' numbers. I shop at Lucky or Safeway or Target or eat at restaurants like I would in such a store or restaurant in Anytown, StateName. I commute to work (NE San Jose, ~10.5 mile commute), enter my place of work, do my thing, walk out to my car in the dark (currently), and commute home. I'm careful of idiot drivers, but every state has those, and some are from other states (e.g., I see cars with TX, FL, OR, WA, NV, and AZ license plates several days a week each).

How do I live in California? Pretty much as I would if I lived in pretty much any US state, with adjustments for climate, of course. There are parts of San Jose I know to avoid, but the same is true of pretty much any significant-sized city in any US state. E.G., is much of Phoenix, AZ south of McDowell Road still pretty sketchy, @Cyber Liberty?

I avoid west Pheonix. I'm in the northeast corner of the metro area (not Pheonix) and for the most part it is pretty quiet here.

[mountaineer]

I doubt many of us would feel safe trying to negotiate San Francisco - or any large city - in the dark.

San Francisco outages leaves 130,000 without power
By  JAIMIE DING
Updated 11:00 PM EST, December 20, 2025


A massive outage knocked out power to 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco on Saturday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said.

The power failure left a large swath of the northern part of the city in the dark, beginning with the Richmond and Presidio neighborhoods and areas around Golden Gate Park in the early afternoon and growing in size.

PG&E did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the cause of the blackouts. The outage represents roughly one-third of the utility company’s customers in the city. ...

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said on X there were “significant transit disruptions” happening citywide and urged residents to avoid nonessential travel and treat down traffic signals as four-way stops. ...

Associated Press

[mountaineer]

Self driving Waymo cars get confused in a San Francisco intersection during a power outage.
Also, when the streets are dark, you can't see well enough to avoid stepping on junkies or in their excrement.

https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2002577250793947527