I lived in SoCal for almost 10 years. OMG. Having been raised in VERY rural western NYS, it was a culture shock.
The first time I went to the local mall, “The Oaks”, they had valet parking! The panhandlers out front were drinking Evian! And that was just Week One. Oy!
I was born in San Diego, but was raised in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
I served there in the Marine Corps in the early 70’s, when it was still beautiful and sane, for the most part. Rode my motorcycle all over SoCal, Big Bear, Salton Sea, Palm Springs, San Diego, Tijuana.
I’m glad I got to see California before it was ruined................