[A CA Guy]

Doesn't reflect the whole truth.
California has people who pay taxes leaving and many who don't or are illegal both looking for welfare and that is coming in.

That stuff very dire and not reflected in an article like this one.

[cicero2k]

From this:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F12%2F09%2FBABV1GOF7B.DTL

you get this:

Also, over the past few years, more people have left California for other states than have come here, though foreign immigration and natural increases due to births have kept the Golden State's population on an upward trend to 38.8 million, according to the department's annual population estimate released Thursday.

So CA is still gaining population. Not to mention that often people move from CA as they age rather than die there.

The most telling statistic is interstate movement as presented by say U-Haul company. That's the real "follow the money" number.