Ha! This reminds me of being a 20-something on the East Coast during the 1990s. I remember thinking, "Earthquakes? Fires? Landslides? Police Brutality? Gangs? Riots? OJ Simpson??? Who would ever want to live in that hellscape!??" Happily I had a girlfriend at the time who was from California and she patiently convinced me it was the right place for me. I moved here in 1997 and have loved it ever since.

Don't believe all the crazy hyperbolic news - it's always overblown - and definitely don't believe the onslaught of right-wing propaganda.