🚨 Governor Newsom just bragged that California's "economy" surged 40% to over $4 trillion since 2019 — now the 4th largest in the world.Sounds amazing, right? Here's the truth: That "growth" is not real numbers - it's nominal not taking into account inflation and other real adjustments - It's also almost entirely AI and Silicon Valley tech — a handful of billionaire companies and their stock valuations pumping up the numbers. NVIDIA, Google, Meta, Apple... their paper wealth and venture capital boom make the headline look great on a Bloomberg graphic.But for actual Californians?Housing costs 58% above the national average — median homes over $750k, rents crushing families.
Groceries 11%, gas 40%, utilities 61%.
Net 150,000 people fled the state in 2025 alone because they can't afford to stay.
Real (inflation-adjusted) growth? A modest ~11-12% over those same years — nowhere near the hype.
Homelessness, budget deficits, and crumbling infrastructure for the rest of us while the Bay Area tech bubble gets bigger.