The Californian’s Dilemma

This week in The Bold Italic, we are publishing The Californian’s Dilemma, a series that goes beyond the headlines about the “California Exodus,” featuring essays from San Franciscans about why they’re choosing to stay or leave. Check back daily for new essays.

Every Californian is grappling with the same kinds of heartbreaking questions. If you live here, you already know what some of those are.

How can I justify paying such high rent when I can now work from anywhere?

Could I bear to leave such a majestic place?

Can I really withstand another fire season?

If I were to leave, where the hell would I move?

Should I stay?

Or should I go?

These questions are heavy, just like the past six months. At The Bold Italic, we’ve navigated these unusual days with you as they’ve rolled by, covering the way the Bay Area and California at large have changed.

We’ve covered beloved businesses that have shuttered and how to support those still open.

We’ve taken your porch portraits and captured the silence of the streets.

We’ve looked into new divisions — and a new sense of community.

Over the summer, as protests took over the region in light of the police killing of George Floyd, we captured the movement and have worked to keep up the momentum in the fight for racial justice.

Then, fire season began early—ravaging huge swaths of our land, choking our air, and taking away our one respite: being outside—and we were forced to truly question if the state we loved so much was a viable place to live, even in the short term.

Getting through this time has been a ride. For some, it’s meant questioning everything, including whether they should live here at all.

Some have chosen to go

The California Exodus has been covered ad nauseam—with declining rents in San Francisco for the first time in many, many years. The media has cited this survey of tech workers, in which 40% said they’d leave if told they could work from home forever. And many tech companies have said just that. While these articles make it seem like techies have hated every day spent in the Bay Area and can’t wait to get out, I find the truth to be a different story. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has left or is planning to leave — whether they’ve worked in tech or not—finds it to be a gut-wrenching decision. Leaving a place you call home is never easy, especially one as magical as the Bay Area.

Some have chosen to stay

For many, the pandemic has made them even more grateful to live in the Bay Area, a place that takes the threat of Covid-19 seriously. A place where people are required to wear masks—and want to. A place with plenty of open spaces to be outside and socially distance. A place with so much beauty, you don’t feel sad not to travel anymore.

Others haven’t made up their minds yet. Maybe they’ve left temporarily, moved in with friends or family, are on the road waiting it out, or are sticking around to figure out their next game plan. But the reality is: We’re all thinking about these questions.

This week, we are hearing directly from San Franciscans about why they are sticking it out—or packing up and moving on. Here’s what you can expect in TBI this week. If you haven’t yet signed up for our newsletter, you can do so here.

Today:

• I’m Not Done With California. But Is It Done With Me? | A millennial tech worker grapples with her new ability to work remotely forever, finding herself torn between practicality and a love for California.
• California Will No Longer Be a Livable State | A scientific look at whether the Golden State is even going to be habitable.

Tuesday:

Stories from people who have chosen to get out of town, including:

• A 14-year San Franciscan who just recently moved to Portland and now meets more Bay Area expats than actual Portlanders.
• A former tech worker who found happiness in New Mexico, complete with a house he could afford.
• A woman who despised the idea of the suburbs but is now happy outside of Sacramento.
• A former East Coaster who fell in love with SF, only to return east once the pandemic struck.
• A parent who got the best of both worlds — leaving the city but staying in the Bay Area town of Pacifica.
• Readers who have moved during the pandemic, including to Boston, Southern California, and the Sierras.

Wednesday

Stories from San Franciscans on why they’re staying, including:

• A 21-year resident of the city who has seen an exodus from the city before, back in 2001, and isn’t as fazed by this one.
• A San Francisco native who has found a newfound appreciation for her home during the shelter in place.
• Someone who left L.A. for Oakland, finding The Town a perfect place to ride out Covid-19.
• Readers on why they’re staying in the Bay.

Thursday:

• A look into the pandemic’s digital nomads—people who have chosen to travel while working remotely instead of taking up a permanent residence.
• A check-in on millennials who moved back in with parents for what they thought would be a temporary stay during shelter in place, but are still there today.

Friday

• A report on why Bay Area real estate prices are still so high, despite the pandemic and fires.
• A roundup of cities in the Bay Area that are still somewhat affordable, now that you don’t need to be near the city or BART.
• Tips on how to negotiate a rent reduction.

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