Family Says 'Communistic California' Forcing Them To Leave State: 'You Get Taxed For Breathing'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KOVR-TV) - A Sacramento couple is leaving the state because they claim they're fed up with California in more ways than one.
There is no question why Trever Huft and his girlfriend are packing their bags and leaving California. The Natomas residents are sending one last message before they drive to the Lone Star State. Huft wrote on the back of his pick-up truck "Leaving communistic California!"
"I feel like that really sums it up: you do what you are told," he explained. "The deciding factor for me is when they required my girlfriend to get a vaccination just to apply for a job."
It's not just COVID policies, it's politics, cost of living, and the baby the couple has on the way all factoring into their decision. "You get taxed for breathing here, it's horrible," explained Huft. "That's not life, that's just going to work and trying to figure out where your next meal is," he said.
So just how many people could be packing up? A UC study found 23 percent of California voters are considering leaving the state.
"In 2019 we saw 653,000 residents leave and only 480,000 people come...so there is a gap but that's normal in California," explained Ryan Lundquist, a Sacramento area certified appraiser and housing analyst.
It's not the number of Californians exiting but the reason why Texas ranked the top destination. "When people are going to Texas it's usually about lifestyle. People wanted less regulations, less rules, affordability...you can get so much more home in most portions of Texas compared to California," explained Lundquist.
Huft is now looking to set roots in a new home before his first child is born. "As a father, I want to protect them as much as I can and that is definitely not going to happen here," he explained.
He and his family left for Texas on Tuesday. He says his mother is considering moving as well.