I'm sure that propping up the stock market, the housing market and few times and the corrupted EB5 investor visa program didn't help over inflate the price of everything ...
Also - when I was living there last year, I posted on the LA reddit that they should crack down on crime and move the homeless out of the city and into centralized housing areas outside of the city. I had 100 comments within 10 minutes, people called me inhumane and a Nazi and an idiot and some person recommended psychological counseling for me, and I was permanently banned from the entire LA reddit group for simply proposing that we stop tolerating this horrendous situation. Yeah, I got canceled from Reddit. That's how bad LA is. I'll never live in LA again until it gets cleaned up.
Honestly, we did the tough on crime era and we had the highest incarceration rates the WORLD has seen. Definitely hard on the taxpayers. So what do we do? Too hard on crime seem not to work and too easy on crime is not working.
Why does crime exist to begin with? Would it be because the government waste trillions of dollars bombing the world instead of creating job opportunities for Americans?
Keeping the rents high on empty buildings to keep value has to be one of the most insane things I have heard. Here is the value if the building is empty, nobody rents and nobody buys: 0
@@jakerazmataz852 Guess the loss with the IRS is better than lowering the price... They get a tax break for the loss and they don't run the risk of lowering the property value. It's so stupid how the system feeds these types of behaviors
probably some sort of money laundering scheme. Otherwise they should be bankrupt. Not possible for it to sit there empty and be legit. Systemic corruption.
As a former crime analyst, it is wild to hear law enforcement say there is no point in reporting it. You cannot track issues or trends without reports. That screams that they want to say they have lower crime rates because they tell them not to report it.
In San Francisco they had/have and online reporting system.. So you can generate the correct paperwork for you or your employer's insurance. Solving the problem was not the priority.
Look up case law , police have learned they have no obligation to serve and protect the public for the tax dollars you are extorted by your government for so now that's what they do , NOTHING but give a false sense of security who think cops can do no wrong
Wrong it’s not they did not reported crime it’s do politics don’t put this criminals in jail they get release as they going and shoplifting has to be 1k in order be arrested it’s based on politics being the hammer on crime.
Santa Monica is like when your beautiful creative girlfriend starts taking drugs and goes downhill, but still claims she has no problem. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
@17:26 "...the weather is very nice..." Oh the fear of reprisal against speaking the obvious.... Moral of the story is, Democrats destroyed California.
Santa Monica is all those except for one thing. Its the failure of the boyfriend for not making the effort to help the girlfriend. The boyfriend in this case being the community that lives there.
I know this didn't happen overnight, but it feels like it did sometimes. I moved to the LA area a little over a decade ago, and while I never lived in Santa Monica, I used to really enjoy visiting there. It was exactly like he described--culturally vibrant, colorful, and fun. There was *always* something to do. Just ten years later and it borders on a dystopian wasteland.
I lived in LA for 10 years and left a year ago for Florida, there was an attempted break-in when my pregnant wife was home alone in the middle of the day. The cops did nothing and took 45 minutes to get there. (three blocks from the police station) We left almost immediately. We both work in the film industry but it just wasn't worth it anymore. The gaslighting of the city saying the crime was going down when you can see it on the streets every day is absolutely insane.
Same. I moved to Mexico. I feeler safer in Mexico- (which is insane to say outloud), but it's true.
5 месяцев назад+81
@@adrians.7489oh its not insane at all. There are tons of places in mexico that are safe and beautiful. Cartel fear mongering is a real thing. They wont mess with u if u dont get in their way or business.
Crime is going down because they don't prosecute anyone that is arrested. They just release them and drop all charges. Bam, no crime. Amazing how leftist policies work
Hey, I'm not certain you'll see this. I'm just curious how you've pivoted career-wise since moving to Florida. Hope that's not too personal. Also, I hope all is well in your new state. I ask b/c I have been considering another state (than CA) for awhile now.
the fact that people are afraid to say something because its “offensive” or “politically incorrect” and just let their city get to this point is tragic.
Well, have you “ just “ found out about that ? It actually has been the case since 20+ years. Social media has been the only place where you get unbiased news for quite sometime now. No one watches the “ news “ media anymore. I myself stopped watching for at least a decade now.
Thanks for the compliment! It’s wild how sometimes the most honest and straightforward information comes from creators on platforms like RUclips. I’m really glad you found the content helpful and unbiased-means a lot to hear that! It’s all about getting the real story out there, without all the spin. Appreciate your support, and I’ll keep working to bring you more content that you can trust.
Visted Santa Monica recently. Got harassed by a homeless man. Went to the beach. Saw a "no dogs" sign. A minute later, a man let his large dog take a dump on the beach and then just kicked some sand over it. Went to a beach cafe. While we were there, at least eight dogs entered. One couple brought three dogs in! It's disgusting. There's no respect for rules because there's no consequences. Won't be back.
''A minute later, a man let his large dog take a dump on the beach and then just kicked some sand over it. '' This is an outcome of 'my rights over my responsibilities' mindset that rules your whole country. I take my dog to our 'dog beach' everyday. The council provides dog crap bags and bins and nobody ever leaves crap on the beach. This is how society should function; where we all work together for a common good. We also have plenty of cafes that encourage people with dogs. It's normal here because we all control our pets and understand what our collective responsibilities are. If you havean uncontrollable hound you don't go in such a cafe.
I am English, and in 1979 I fulfilled a lifetime ambition and visited the country I had long admired from afar as I grew up. I travelled from New York to Los Angeles via the southern states. I experienced many incredible and unforgettable places, however one destination that made an impression on me was Santa Monica. I fell in love with the city. We stayed in a beautiful hotel on Pico Boulevard, just a ten minute walk from the pier and that beautiful little park overlooking the beach. We loved the shops and the restaurants, and a highlight was seeing Frank Sinatra in concert at the Civic Auditorium. Watching your excellent video was heartbreaking, especially when I still have so many vivid memories and wonderful photos of Santa Monica of how it used to be.
I was born and grew up in So. Cal. I used to go to the beaches in Santa Monica all the time. My aunt lived there and I loved visiting her. It is such a beautiful place. The state was headed for ruination in 1973 when I left. Each time I return for a visit the situation just gets worse. My last visit was in 2017 and it was bad then but worse now. Sadly, no one wants to make the tough decisions. Mentally ill and drug addicted people should not be roaming the streets but the majority of voters think mental institutions are inhumane.
This is why gatekeeping is actually extremely important and should not be looked down upon. I’ve seen my favorite cities, movies, comic books, and TV shows fall to activist newcomers that apparently couldn’t see the beauty in the city or storyline in its original form.
@@terryoconnell9773completely agree. I live near Atlanta. It has changed drastically in the last few years. Crime and homelessness is rampant. Has been for a long time. But worse now. The people who think mental institutions are inhumane need to take a close up look at the situation. I think it’s much more inhumane to leave them on the streets. Their lives are sad, awful, and dangerous. It seems most large cities have this problem. Yet the people keep voting the same people into office. Things can’t change unless new people with new ideas get in. Leaders with a vision for the tax paying citizens.
Politicians like Gavin newsom gov and kamala HARRIS the attorney general of California and state senator of CA. Destroyed the legal system and homeless
True. Santa Monica is a fine example of failed Democrat policies. To be fair, I believe the CA elections are rigged and the voters are dumb but not 100% to blame. Are we supposed to believe Governor Newsom and LA DA Gascon survived their recall elections??? This just doesn't compute.
I feel so bad for the lady at the end she said she lives in a really nice neighborhood off Wilshire 😢😢that’s where the heart of the crime is because it’s near dtla so I just hope she has situational awareness 😢
Santa Monica was the spot back in the late 90’s-early 2000’s… My girlfriend and I used to go there often. The pier, the mall, The Promenade, we used to spend the entire day hanging around Santa Monica and it was booming back then. What a shame to see how much it has declined. It is truly heartbreaking…
@@Silentsister It's so hard to believe that The Promenade looks the way that it does now. Back in the day it was crowded by people who were enjoying the street performances, the shops, and getting their faces drawn by street artists. I was in total shock when I found out that The Promenade was full of homeless people and drug addicts. I couldn't believe it when I saw all of the empty shops. It honestly broke my heart because I have so many great memories of that place.
@@NoemadZ. I used to buy records from a guy named John Dancer. He had a little basement record store, I can't remember under which main store, but if you blinked you would miss it. I think it was simply called third Street records. I could get the most fantastic rare records there- lots of Depeche Mode imports. Yeah, it was really amazing . A time when people actually cared, were social in person, I miss those days, too.
It’s hard to nail down specific predictions for the housing market because it’s not yet clear how quickly or how much the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation and borrowing costs without tanking buyer demand for everything from homes to cars.
A lot of folks have been going on about the bull rally and said stocks that would be experiencing significant growth, any idea which stocks this may be? I just sold my home in the Boca Grande area and I’m looking to remunerate a lump sum into the stock market before stocks rebound, is this a good time to buy or no?
Home prices will come down eventually, but for now; get your money (as much as you can) out of the housing market and get into the financial markets or gold. The new mortgage rates are crazy, add to that the recession and the fact that mortgage guidelines are getting more difficult. Home prices will need to fall by a minimum of 40% (more like 50%) before the market normalizes. If you are in cross roads or need sincere advise on the best moves to take now its best you seek an independent advisor who knows about the financial markets.
Sonya Lee Mitchell’ is the licensed fiduciary I use. Just research the name. You’d find necessary details to work with a correspondence to set up an appointment.
I just googled her and I'm really impressed with her credentials; I reached out to her since I need all the assistance I can get. I just scheduled a meeting.
so if you say that they should crack down on crime and move the homeless out of the city, you will be labeled as the "extremist, insensitive, intolerant etc", and you won't want to go on Camera. No wonder everyone wants to leave California. People have had enough!!!
??? People of California voted in the government which did this. "liberalism" They should be not allowed to leave and enjoy what they have created. They have what they wanted.
Not afraid to admit I cried watching this. I'm a Brit who lived here Jan 2000-Dec 2003, I was in 3rd Street Prom 5-6days weekly, I'm now 52 & these were THE happiest, headiest years of my life. I lament Venice/Santa Monica daily, but this is TRULY heartbreaking.
I was there last weekend after living there from. 2012-2020. It’s def gone downhill but it’s not anywhere near as bad as is made out here. Everything north of Wiltshire , which is the nicest bit feels the same.
I lived in Santa Monica 15 years ago, and it was so nice. I built lifelong relationships there, but the culture and attitudes in Los Angeles have changed for the worse. Many people in L.A. exhibit a self-consumed mindset; there's a pervasive self-righteous attitude that reflects a lack of pragmatism, which may explain why progressive ideas often go unchallenged. Real estate prices aren't meeting the needs of the market, as people understandably hesitate to take losses on their properties. This issue parallels New York City, where real estate values should arguably be higher due to structural factors. In China, the phenomenon of ghost cities, with abandoned buildings and infrastructure, highlights how property values can be artificially inflated when seen as investments rather than living spaces.
It's not just Santa Monica, it's all of Los Angeles. Check out all the malls and lively pockets we used to have. Our malls are emptying out, the homeless crisis has EXPLODED to the point that downtown LA has more homeless roaming the streets than residents living in the luxury apartments they beg, scream, and yell in front of. The Walk of Stars in Hollywood is now effectively the Walk of Drugs and Piss (the smell is inescapable). Rodeo Drive, a street infamous for designer stores, has AT LEAST half of their buildings vacant and boarded up for lease. Again, the malls are emptying out and businesses are leaving with no intention of coming back and no prospective replacements, along with many production companies (with multi million dollar filming projects, movies, television shows, ect) moving out of the state because of more attractive tax benefits in places like Atlanta, Texas, and Nevada (among others). California is on borrowed time. People still think we're some cool city to be at and our reputation is ahead of our current state of affairs, but it's catching up. Videos like this are bringing awareness to the reality of our situation. It's sad, so much potential being wasted. So many resources being mismanaged. So many good people and lucrative businesses run off. Just heartbreaking as a native whose watched up close the decline year by year.
Santa Monica and Venice have always had a crime problem. 20 years ago I used to take classes in Santa Monica and almost every time I walked back to my car some beggar would follow me asking for spare change. It was so bad I would always carry change in my front pocket so I didn't have to slow down when paying them to go away. The nicer areas in the rest of the city are not that bad.
My Mom punished my Lil' Bro when she caught him trying to lift a small pack of gum from the grocery store when we were kids. He grew up to be a Marine, a business owner, a heavy equipment operator, a husband, and the father of three great kids. Today, the government itself tells business owners that a theft up to $949 is a misdemeanor, won't take police reports, won't collect video, fingerprints, witness testimony, or other evidence, and pushes them onto their insurance companies instead of putting repeat offenders behind bars... now there are people literally dying on the streets in broad daylight. It is so frustrating. Being soft on crimes and drugs is *NOT* compassionate.
It was Prop 47. The law was called Safe School Act for funds saved for not jailing pot busts from a felony to a misdemeanor and schools would get better funding.. No where did any information we received say it included shoplifting and car theft. Voters were lied to.
lol… they are already being cancelled- their businesses are going under. They need to stand up for what is right. No one should be fearful to go walk around in public. They need to get the national guard in to get things under control and remove violent homeless people disturbing the peace.
Poor policies, defunding the police, violent rioting called "peaceful protesting", unchecked and unpunished crime, unreported crime of every and any kind because they've been told that "there's no physical evidence" (which is complete and utter BS!!), illegal i's, all our money going to foreign w@rs and illegal i's instead of to closing the border to shut the drugs out, better rehab centers, better homeless programs, help for our elderly, the veterans and the mentally ill. I can go on and on! Check out the policies in blue states and Blue cities then check the crime rate, homelessness, poverty, single moms, job loss, higher illiteracy, and on and on! Remember that most crime is not even reported!!
i am from India. i worked in LA in late 90s. loved 3rd street, like everyone. I returned back to India in 2003. I wanted to show LA to my kids. So I came with my family to US for a month in 2023. I was deeply disappointed to see Santa Monica, the homelessness, the tents. My kids could not understand what was touristy about Santa Monica. We did go to the Pier and have some fun. But wasnt the same level like it was in the late 90s. My city, Pune, has a lot of slum areas. And a lot of nice bangalows. Generally, in India, these are two different areas, even if they are near to each other. In LA, and also in San Francisco, I see the homeless tents right in posh areas. Homeless people on beaches. With all empathy to the homelessness issue, allowing this brings the whole place down. In Pune, the poor people work as servants, maids, drivers to the people living in better areas. So one knows what to expect when they are in each area. In LA, everything is mixed. Posh areas had tents as well. So it was difficult to get my head around this. I hope Santa Monica returns to its earlier glory.
To take a longer views, cities, like people, die. Cities may die more slowly and painfully, but they still die. All around the world there are ruins of cities which once were filled with life, economic and military power, and zest, but are now reduced to rubble. All glory is fleeting.
Let’s not forget that California basically legalized shoplifting up to $950 per day (Police don’t respond for what is now a “misdemeanor “). Now the law abiding wait and ask for clerks to unlock the locked up store products.
I don't think you're getting to the root of WHY people are stealing. Why do people feel the need to steal? Mental health and greed the disparity between the rich and the poor needs to be talked about. The population in California coupled with mental health crisis and lack of money is what is causing all the issues.
The part that really hit me was "people don't want to share their opinion out of being politically incorrect. They're too scared to share their opinions." This is the current state of our beautiful North America and makes me sad. Why have we gotten to a point in society that people feel scared to share an opinion?
I'm not afraid to, the problem is too many of these sites are pandering to the left because they've convinced them that "they're the good guys" or "they're the majority" or whatever.
I went to LA & SF last november, I have never seen so many homeless and drug users in public in all my life. It's honestly insane, I can't believe how the locals put up with it.
those are the locals that were priced out by corporations, statically around 85% of homeless ppl in CA are natives. the issue is the price of everything, business are empty because ppl don't have money to buy.
I went there and saw it first hand, homeless and drug abusers all over and also commented on a similar post recently and locals were telling me the place is beautiful and my presence there is whats making it bad… crazy how deluded these Cali folks are lol
@@mrchun4018 maybe just the people you know. most of us are not delusional. but when celebrities own our local government and don't pay their share of taxes, you can see what has happened to the state over a period of decades. many of us want change. and most of the guns that come into california are from red states and contribute to the violence.
German in Venice is the OG of bringing these issues to attention. These issues have slowly become worse and worse and until the residents start voting differently and demanding accountability from their local leaders, it isn't going to change.
I lived in Cali 10 years ago. I lived it. I meet my girl friend back in Florida. I was so excited to take her to California for vacation. We got to Santa Monica and it TOTALLY changed. I was so embarrassed because i kept saying how great it was.
I stayed a night in Santa Monica in 2021 and honestly it felt somewhat normal compared to LA and Hollywood. But for real I don’t get how the politicians actively encouraged this.
Leftist policies implemented by a super majority democrat party has destroyed not only Santa Monica, but California as a whole and some people will never see this truth because they won’t step outside the little box they’re in and allow their brains to be informed and think for their selves.
Kid from the 70s here growing up in Silver Lake Los Angeles. Miss the simplicity when a family could go to the beach without any drama or homeless zombie addicts ruining your beach experience.
The DNC meeting has walls around it, security and requires ID. Newsom cleaned up the homeless in San Francisco effectively overnight when Xi Jin Ping visited. But for regular folks crime is a real issue
I live in Texas in very red part of the state and the problems exist here too! It's all over the country. The problem isn't Republican or Democrat it's the rich and powerful, they take everything like a vacuum cleaner and leave the scraps for the rest of us. And they want us to be divided, it make it easier to control us. I am middle class and I am not complaining from the left or right.
Exactly 💯. Same here. L.A. in the 70's and Bay area in '01. Moved after the 911 attacks. That hit the City of Bridges hard. Can't pay me enough money to move back to Cali. So beautiful there, but, the ppl mess has made it unlivable for us...
None of this is a surprise. Thanks for having the guts to make this video, when those who are most affected are too afraid to speak the truth for themselves
@@kaylayoung3672dude, do NOT compare SANTA MONICA to any city in Alabama or Louisiana to make a point. It’s embarrassing what this state has done to what used to be beautiful cities (San Francisco is another example).
@@kaylayoung3672 Decisions like whether to prosecute petty theft or drug-related crimes are generally up to the county DA, not the state, meaning it's influenced by the local government. The majority of people living in poverty in Alabama are found in urban areas that are predominantly represented by democrat officials at the local level who are not tough on crime or drugs. Cities like Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. Which surprise surprise, also suffer from lots of crime and drug issues.
I grew up in SM in the 70’s and 80’s. Loved going to the old mall. Pizza by the slice and the toy store that had the old owners who watched you every second! 😂. Then ride my bike to the pier. Fun times. Sad to see what has happened to Santa Monica.
No surprise here....California has become a place where criminals are incentivized to commit crimes. No accountability, no consequences, no reason to correct bad and violent behavior. Sad to see as I was born and raised in Santa Monica and can't believe how this beautiful city and state has turned into a lawless cesspool.
Look at the ONCE BEAUTIFUL, San Francisco, my Bay Area home! I miss it so much, but will never go back, it's in ruins! What a shame that this was allowed to happen to our God given America, and people are just still concerned about only their ridiculous protests concerning everything imaginable except for the real problems, all from the Democrat desire for control of America, and every one in our once beautiful country😢
The sad fact that people won't even go on camera to criticize the government that caused this in fear of being canceled.. That's a sad world to live in
Look how hard the left and the FBI have tried to shut down the Trump campaign? Harris is an airhead who will be the Democrat's puppet until the new elections come out.
They will vote Democrat again. They get fooled by the Democrats over and over and just keep coming back. Until they stop doing that it will just keep getting worse in California.
You made me laugh with your comment because I can see the innocence in you. They are not refusing to be on camera for fear of criticizing the government. They are afraid of saying that they feel certain people of certain race are the ones committing crimes like Blacks and Latinos, etc. Minorities. And their fear lies on later receiving backlash from the “cancel culture”. You see, if a business owner goes on camera and says something like “I can’t take all this homeless people all over anymore and minorities coming into my store and stealing stuff, etc”, the cancel culture will come later and boycott this business accusing the owner of being racist or discriminating so basically they will destroy your public image and in the process your business. Thats what they are afraid of saying on camera.
That’s what leftist said about riots in France last years. Thousands of thugs breaking windows of Apple stores, computer stores and Foot lockers to get free stuff, burning schools, daycares, police stations…and all the leftists médias called it a citizen’s uprising ! Absolutely pathetic
No! When people allow a slow takedown of our freedoms, slow undermining of our economy, the controls of public with preplanned crisis's and pandemics they withhold cures... YOUR COUNTRY IS UNDER SEIGE!
I lived in LA from 2005-2009. I saw this coming from a mile away. I would tell locals all the problems with LA and they just refused to listen. I have zero sympathy.
Same here.. but in SF.. you could see it coming from a mile away too.. You would express this to people and they didn't really care because they were a transplant.. and the locals were so f-en far left.. they just called you names and then would blame capitalism.
@@jdre1976 Funny thing is, I moved to the Bay Area (East Bay) in 2009. I thought it was in much better shape than LA. But around 2013, I noticed things started to turn south (especially in downtown SF and Oakland). When people are shooting up in broad daylight on a Sunday at noon in a tourist adjacent area of SF, the writing is on the wall. I bailed on the Bay Area (and California) in 2014. It was obvious the politicians and the citizens just didn’t care enough.
This saddens me. Santa Monica was my family's happy place. We would go to the beach and then walk to the promenade after. We have since left CA and get 'homesick' often but this makes me realize the CA I long for is not the same today.
Thank YOU for going out of your comfort zone and filming this video. I actually started crying when you got to the part about GAP closing and showing the 2018 google maps images. I lived in Venice 2020 - 2022 and I LOVED it. During all of 2021, I was at the Santa Monica promenade every Saturday, always shopping at that Urban Outfitters and watching the street performers. So, to see the place empty, with biz shutting down, and people screeching thru the streets, it is so heartbreaking. I didn't believe the reports I've been hearing until now watching your video. Also, I regretted leaving tbh, but now after watching this video I finally don't regret my decision. LOVE your documentary filming style.
Great video! You’ve captured the changes in Santa Monica really well. I don’t think it’s just crime affecting the area high business taxes, shifts in consumer habits, and less indulgent shopping since COVID have also hit hard. Plus, with online shopping trends from the last decade, it’s tough for high street shops to keep up. Many shop owners are moving their focus online just to stay afloat. The whole landscape has definitely changed, and it’s sad to see the impact on the local community and businesses.
Yes, it's a combination of things. Just yesterday I watched a video documentary on ancient cities. One of them was Ҫatalhöyük, I think (in modern day Turkey). It was once (ca. -1400?) a thriving, well designed, and well defended city with beautiful high walls inside the large and powerful Hittite empire. Then it went into decline. So did the empire. The empire is gone and the city is just piles of stones, fallen walls, and distant memories of things long gone.
We know why Cali is going to the crapper but no one will say it. The people and the policies voted for are destroying what used to be such a beautiful state. Its really upsetting
Yes , because Hollywood definitely paints a fake picture and lures more transplants from all over the world. People just don't know what it's really like, if they did.. they wouldn't move here
I moved to Santa Monica from Brooklyn in 1970, when the population was 10,000. Slept on the beach at night, didn't lock my door, hitchhiked to work in West Hollywood, enjoyed it all without fear of any kind. Living overseas in a small town I have that again now. Please be wise, everyone, about the times we are living in. Use discernment, seek the Truth. Time is short.
@@mariaboyd7380. It won’t happen sister. Last days things will continue to decline. America has turned its back on God. Pray for the lost, for their salvation.
😢 I grew up in California and Santa Monica was one of my favorite places to eat and shop. I’m so sad when you mentioned the crêpe Café, which again was one of my favorite places to take my mom and hang out and just have great conversations.
I was an animator in LA back in the 90s and my wife and I left in 2002 when the hand-drawn animation business cratered. I've never doubted that decision, but this is absolute proof that we made the right call. Santa Monica was always an unattainable dream for us due to the amount of $$$ one needed to live there, even with the much-lauded "rent control," but was still a great place to go for a few hours. It's criminal what's happened to the Promenade.
The rent control (though real) is kind of laughable. Nobody ever moves out of those apartments. I worked for a rental search service in Santa Monica in 2011, a few blocks from where Whitey Bulger was caught. There were people trying to step over the police tape to find out when that rent controlled apartment would become available.
I'm gonna go off topic but I have to say much love and respect to you and your wife being OG hand-drawn animators. I was obsessed with how animation was produced as a kid in America and Japan (before anime blew up overseas) and I always wanted to be a fly on the wall at somewhere like Spumco during the John K days (problematic guy, but hey Ren and Stimpy is GOAT level), I ended up working in video games as a programmer supporting 3D animators. I'm sorry about Santa Monica.
@@ls.c.5682 thanks very much. For the record, my wife was an assistant film editor but we both knew that neither of us would ever be able to retire due to downsizing in both fields. As for old John K., the stories about him barely did the reality justice. A good friend of ours worked for him in an administrative job and the stuff she told us was nuts. 😅 Congratulations on your own career. I hope you do well.
I visited Santa Monica 20 years ago as a 15 year old with my dad and step brother. I come from Canada and was utterly amazed by the dynamic nature of Santa Monica. This saddens me that this cool community has declined like this.
I’m so sad to see what happened to this beautiful place near the LA area. When I was a little girl, my dad used to take me and my brother to Santa Monica almost every weekend. I have such beautiful memories from this place, and now I’m in shock to see what has happened. I’m not living in California since 2010, but I continue loving California. Thank you for this video.
I arrived at LAX in July 1990. I saw the big poster of Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley welcomes you to Los Angeles. Later, I went to Santa Monica to feel the vibe of Three's Company and Baywatch. Those days are long gone!
This is an amazing video! Absolutely love this type of content. People need to know what’s really going on in the world. It’s so real and current. Unfortunately newer generations just don’t watch or read the news anymore. People truly live under rocks and the government is constantly ignoring the problems. This type of content on RUclips is golden! I hope you make more!
German tourist ✈ here: I've been to the Pier and 3rd Street with my teenage daughter in 2022, 23 and this year.IMHO, it deteriorated very quickly in those two years. Thanks for this video to proof that my gut feeling wasn't wrong.
Benita’s Fites had a special place in my heart. I used to love that area and am so shocked to see this. Why is there nowhere these mentally ill people can go?
I was a Democrat and had to leave CA: Since the Democratic Party took control of CA, the State has been going down hill fast with crime, tax and homelessness rates UP! Businesses including Tesla had to leave CA! Never Harris or Newsom or anyone Democratic candidate! Enough is enough!
As a European tourist I find it very interesting to come visit L.A. and see a place that has actually become like some dystopian movies in the 80s/90s (Mad Max, Blade Runner,..)
I was there with my daughter a month ago. We had a good time but stayed in Altadena which was a lot more comfortable. We went to Santa Monica for a day on the beach and further down the beach was good but the pier was a dump. I wouldn’t venture to the town side.
Great job covering the issues, without directly addressing the root cause. California's demise is directly connected to politics. That said, you earned my like, subscribe, and comment
It's the entire west coast. I live in western washington. I can drive in literally any direction from my neighborhood and will drive by a homeless camp.
The issue is you have a bunch of people who think they are smart and know everything when they don't. Complain and blame others and then do the same thing over that didn't work and then complain about how its not any better
Not surprised by that, moreso surprised that they have not learned their lesson by now and they LITERALLY see it every day and decide to put their heads in sand. Insanity.
I was raised in the Valley. Graduated in 1985. My parents moved from Cali in 1992. I moved in 1993. Moved back to LA in 2014. Very quickly discovered the LA I grew up in was gone. Moved up to Ventura County. Since 2023 I'm in Miami. I would move back to Socal, but only to Santa Barbara,Ventura, Orange and San Diego counties.
I live in Santa Monica and this video is 100% accurate- witnessed an incident earlier today where a homeless person came into a coffee shop and grabbed someone’s bottle of water they had paid for….
I was there in 2017. It was really nice to walk in the area so I consider move there, buy house and start a family. After this video and now I’m a mother. I wouldn’t want to put my kid to this kind of area.
A really beautiful beach, shops area. Thanks to the demoncrats, bribem, & gruesome, this is definitely purposeful destruction!!!! The Truth is hard to see, and it needs to be exposed, thanks for your efforts!
What's the point? Most candidates are really bad, so whoever wins still wont change what's happening right now. It's really sad that America is heading downhill especially with the economy going on right now. God Bless America indeed!
@pscldax3amazon C*lifornia keeps voting blue is the PROBLEM. How do you keep voting the same EXACT way and expect Different outcomes? That is ludicrous. Ya'll need to vote on POLICIES. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I'm an Australian that has stayed in Santa Monica and Venice countless times starting in 1989. I love the place and this is very upsetting . I remember many great Saturday nights being entertained on the 3rd street Promenade. Thanks for the update.
@@andrewbull4175 Haha. Fitzroy St has always been the scummy part of Melbourne since the 70's. It's just that technology allows people to witness it online without puting your life at risk every time you walk down that flea ridden part of town.
Me too my friend used to DJ nearby and I will go see him play and later grab some munchies and look at the entertainment inside there! It was so cool back then and safe and fun !!
“Crime rates decreasing” due to lack of reporting really hit hard. That is honestly just tragic negligence on the part of the city and their policies handicapping law enforcement to a point that they’re incapable of keeping the people in Santa Monica safe. I just moved to LA (Westchester) at the beginning of this year, and I’m from a small town in Idaho. I moved here for work, and have a wife and kids. Fortunately we looked long and hard for a safe neighborhood and so far so good - but city/overall state policies need to be fixed. It really is a disaster.
I live here and it is one hundred percent true. Wife works retail; her store quit calling the cops years ago because they do squat regarding the constant theft. Keep in mind stuff still gets stolen despite being locked up. What’s locked up? Socks Underwear Legos Movies Video games Makeup Hair products Liquor Phone accessories Bike inertubes and accessories Darts Meds This is just off the top of my head, many more items are under lock and key and have to be retrieved by a clerk and taken to the front of the store to a specific checkout. Keep in mind this adds 15 to 20 minutes minimum on every shopping trip to a store. Brought to you by a long-standing D super majority.
After hearing all the horror about l.a. and you still moved to l.a. what were you thinking.. 😂. There's a million reasons why people flock to other states. Moving to comiefornia was a huge mistake..
I was a tourist there from Australia in 2017 ,staying 2mins from the pier when a homeless guy attacked me while I was standing out the front waiting for an Uber,luckily the guard saw on the camera & rushed out to help just in time
I left Los Angeles when I had a kid. It has gotten so dangerous it's crazy. The fact that a state which takes up majority of the western coast and has the best weather in the nation has a negative net migration is mind-blowing. It's truly something else.
@@Alex-ox7fm They just revised the jobs numbers down 800k. Pretend there's not homeless in recod numbers. Why hasn't your party done anything about it?
Sad part is all those people who voted for an open boarder, free drug spaces, all these laws that have destroyed California those same people are moving to Texas and are still voting the same. Oregon, Washington all the same
@@Briman2052 Oregon, Washington all the same did not just blame one place. the whole coast sanctioned cities allowing illegals in with zero Questions being asked. So yes OPEN BOARDER. May not have been on a ballet but still was allowed because of the people. same group of people who are voting democrat again knowing the boarders are as loose as Kamalas lips. Never once placed all blame on California.
As a teenager, I remember riding my bicycle 😢to Santa Monica along the boardwalk - bike - skate trail back in the mid 1970’s. It was so cool and relaxed back then. There was some crime back then , and a drug problems, but NO homeless. Poor Santa Monica. I feel sorry for all of the honest inhabitants there . 🙏
I started at UCLA in 1999 and by then the homeless were everywhere in Santa Monica. Always cracked me up seeing that park on Ocean Ave in commercials and on TV shows because in real life that place was always completely taken over by homeless 100% of the time I drove by there or walked by there.
I remember homeless in Santa Monica in the late 70s and 80s (I grew up there, lived near 14th and Ocean Park), but they weren't as many, and they were often out of sight.
Places Lake Santa Monica are great for homeless because the weather is so nice and the government pays a stipend to be homeless there just like in manhattan.
There are enough Californian policies protecting the bad people and punishing the hard-working people to make a huge difference like this. The incentives are all wrong. This is not happening only in Santa Monica. Everywhere you see this happening, pay attention to the correlation and patterns. It's not a coincidence.
It's Anarcho Terrorism, a term coined by the late Sam Francis over 30 years ago. Tax, and fine and regulate the good people into submission while making it much easier for street thugs to get away with felony crime. Most finally see this now, but they were blind when it might've been derailed 30 years ago. It's only going to get worse.
It was orchestrated during Covid, helped along by all the little lemmings that no longer cook and get all their food delivered. We are being separated - physically - so that we keep separated in our hearts. Now, the landowners have effed the rest of us. We can't own businesses any more because we can't pay the jacked-up rent.
You're halfway there... Think 🤔 the government don't give AF about you or me. They don't because if they did, our country wouldn't be in the state it is now. I've been wondering if the zombie movies were subliminal messages of homeless people. Might seem stupid but to the untrained eyes many things won't make sense...
I live in Santa Monica now but I come from a RED state. I came from Fort Worth and the crime in Santa Monica is Disneyland compared to TX. I also lived in Houston and Santa Monica is light years away from Houston’s crime, look it up. This isn’t about voting red or blue this is literally the govt against the ppl and a bad economy. The rich and wealthy have been screwing the middle class the last 20 yrs. Crime is high in EVERY part of America. Stop spreading misinformation and false political propaganda. Both parties have been screwing up the middle class and crime is high everywhere in America.
@@pscldax3amazon ehhh, voting for democrats/the left i imagine. It seems to be a common thing amongst democratic cities. thats not even choosing a side, just what i see
The saddest part of watching all the formerly thriving places being run into the ground is all of that was NOT unavoidable. To the contrary - feels like designed.
The video never said the stores are scared to tell their stories on camera. It said the stores don’t want to file a police report over the break ins because there’s not much the police can do about them unless they have clear video footage of the suspects and they worry that their insurance rates will go up if they report these things to the police.
The thing is I really don't understand why USA cannot bring back manufacturing to their country. USA is huge she has as much land as china yet all companies manufacture in China or Vietnam. The one way US can actually solve most of their problems is by simply bringing back manufacturing.
Entire LA is in this condition. From the Skid road to Santa Monica. I was in shock when I arrived last year. People have completely forgotten what it means to have a normal home, where the price of a wooden box with windows should be around $20-30k NOT MORE. That’s the real cost of a house. People have gotten so used to high prices that they think it’s normal. But it’s not, it is not folks.
Millennials who voted for Obama in 2008 are largely to blame for the current condition. The high prices started there. For everything. Notice how crime, high prices, and inflation didn’t start till 2019 when they started moving to the rest of the country? It’s immigration. But one we are not tracking and allowing to happen and the worst part is that the states are encouraging it and not restricting it.
It's a real mystery, how every time a lot of people want the same thing, prices somehow go up. They should just stay the same, or even drop to the price level that I can personally afford.
@@TheLastHelldiverIV and by the time they realize this, they go to Arizona and pay $700k for a $200k house. The money they make in the state shouldn’t leave the state.
You start to make a good point but you're in absolute 1970's la-la land if you think the most basic of house could still cost $20-30K. Multiply that by a factor of 10. Now add even a basic land price.
I heard from someone who cater for celebrities that many people with some Money in CA do not pay taxes. As more and more plastic sold by amazon ( who does not produce anything) keeps growing with their online sales - then the government only keep raising properties and other taxes, no way to survive, as for everyone who “works from home” gets paid by someone who is selling something. No way places like that can survive relying in property and other sorts of taxes, as small business keep shutting down - together those who support our economy. Very sad, such a lovely place.
Even more insane when you head down south like 40 minutes to OC/Irvine where it’s 100% just as nice without any of the BS. It truly shows that LA officials can without a doubt clean the problem up with their unlimited budget, but are actively choosing not to. That’s what makes this whole thing beyond frustrating.
Orange county residents didn't just roll over and go along with covid b.s., that's the difference! Remember that the next time your government entity tries to screw you over.
As a European, I have been coming to LA regularly for the past 17 years (mostly for work) and it saddens me to see the state of the city now. It used to be my favorite place in the whole world and I always dreamt of relocating some day in the future. But now I am not so sure. I don’t know what happened to your great nation, so much poverty, division, anger, violence. Makes me sad - I hope things eventually get better.
@@kufferterogkompas well, Europe is also going through its moments right now! Nothing against emmigration as I myself have lived abroad as well. But illegal immigration is getting out of control and so are house prices, low paid jobs and everything getting more expensive.
I just came back from Europe (CZ, Germany, Austria, Hungary) and while some places had graffiti, there was no trash or homeless to be seen (unless it is very well hidden). I also learned that there were free college options there, which is unheard of in the US. More education and social services for citizens (mental health/drug recovery) is needed here. The ultra rich / billionaires don't get taxed their fair share in America, which could solve many of these problems (all left over from the trickle down from Reagan in the 1980s, which closed all of the mental hospitals). I was thinking when I was there that Europeans have no reason to want to come to America now, like when my grandfather grew up, we now want to live in Europe. 😪
Identity politics and political correctness fed into the division and delusions we face today, exacerbated by social media and political organizations focused on content that highlights divides between groups and polarized views.
Lived in Santa Monica for two years. My husband is from there. I’m from a small town of 2800 people. I’ve lived in cities all my adult life, STL, Chicago, now Miami, but Santa Monica had some real problems. A shooting a couple blocks from our apartment while we were walking our dogs. A homeless woman was punching a walk sign repeatedly while staring at me and I backed up. Truly believe she was about to punch me. Went to the gas station and a guy was pleasuring himself, naked homeless people at the beach, and taking a piss out in public while talking to themselves, got our electric bikes stolen and my neighbors car, we tracked it and it was obvious who it was, there were plenty of cameras in the area, the police did nothing because they said they didn’t want to “make any assumptions.”
i’m so sorry this happened to you, I live in San Francisco and have experienced many of the same things, being originally from Miami. I hope everything is going well for you and your husband!
Sorry about your situation, but remember if you say anything that goes against the left wing progressive narrative, your open minded tolerant fellow Californians will have you canceled Maoist Style
@@Mike-ek3vo I live in FL now, and have never been ultra liberal or conservative, always identified as an independent, and slightly libertarian, so I haven't attracted those type of friends luckily.
@@juststopitbro Thank you! Sorry you're experiencing those things as well. It can be scary and defeating. Do you think you'll ever move back to Miami or south FL?
I went to that AMC THEATRE FOR 20 YEARS!!! Now it's deserted!! It used to be packed!!! Ugh. SANTA MONICA used to be so beautiful. Why did they allow this to happen??? This is absolutely heartbreaking and disgusting 🫣
My daughter visited there when her and her partner were on holidays from Australia and they were both shocked by the homelessness. They were also shocked about how dirty the streets were in san Francisco. Coming from our little island of Tasmania which is known for its cleanliness and fresh air they say they have no desire to go back there.
Yeah, I took my two young adult children on a last holiday together to LA and San Francisco in 2018 from Adelaide. Same goes. Never seen so many homeless, and yes we thought the same about the street grime in San Francisco. It's hard to describe how bad it is... it's actually filthy. SF was supposed to be the jewel in the crown finale of our holiday. In reality, it was the worst place i've ever seen in my life. My heart breaks for California and the United States of America.
As a tourist, I visited Santa Monica back in May this year. As soon as I got off the bus, I could see so many homeless and then I started to walk up the promenade and was shouted out and followed by a homeless guy. I ended up escaping into a store. Then managed walk to the pier and there was homeless and a few shady guys at the entrance. Just did not feel safe and headed back to my hotel.
It sounds like you believe that the direction of leadership and liberal policies in California has significantly impacted the state. It’s clear you have strong feelings about how these changes have shaped California’s current situation. What specific policies or actions do you feel have had the most significant impact on the state?
Gavin Newsom. That’s what happened… I’m from California and it’s a shame how he has ran that beautiful state into the ground. I will never go back, even to visit.
After 52 years of living in Southern California I left. Newsome and the Democrats have ruined this beautiful state and the people keep re-electing them. I didn’t see it getting better it was time to go 😢
I thought Newsom just started asking the cities to clear the homeless from their encampments and the streets/public places? Like last week I think. Also, at the tail end of the pandemic we got rid of a sheriff that was actively clearing the homeless from being in public spaces like beach cities, and he was replaced by someone less conservative 🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️ you get what you vote for, man
I left San Diego for Tennessee a few months ago and i couldn't be happier. what upsets me the most about this video is all the people who want a change but won't say it out loud or in camera. Keep slurping up the slop they give you California. You deserve it because you refuse to do anything about it.
That notion isnt fair to the ones who do want change tho and would rather reform cali than flee it. Id love to move ! Not knockin that 😂 but some of us still got hope that cali is saveable
@@kilograms2602 that's great, I hope it goes well for you. I'm talking about these people mentioned in the video that don't like the current circumstance but won't speak out. Those of you who aren't willing to take the heat of public ridicule aren't aware that you are the frogs in the boiling pot. Do you want social media heat or life ending heat?
paying $6m to live in a place where you don't feel safe walking around is insanity to me
It Is insanity!
Paying $6M to live anywhere is insane to me.
I'm sure that propping up the stock market, the housing market and few times and the corrupted EB5 investor visa program didn't help over inflate the price of everything ...
Blame the landlords and real estate reapers. They'd rather overcharge and have vacancies, than have a safe & successful city.
Blame the Dems. They have been running this. State into the ground for years.
Also - when I was living there last year, I posted on the LA reddit that they should crack down on crime and move the homeless out of the city and into centralized housing areas outside of the city. I had 100 comments within 10 minutes, people called me inhumane and a Nazi and an idiot and some person recommended psychological counseling for me, and I was permanently banned from the entire LA reddit group for simply proposing that we stop tolerating this horrendous situation. Yeah, I got canceled from Reddit. That's how bad LA is. I'll never live in LA again until it gets cleaned up.
I’m banned from ALL of Reddit
Lol crazy
@@Meowhsss now that’s impressive. What did you do?
@@mikeshafer Replied to debates with facts and the truth. Reddit is terrible now, X is much better for free speech, used to be reversed.
Reddit is a shitshow for Kids
Soft on crime is the problem. When you're kind to the cruel you're cruel to the kind.
I can’t imagine having to lock my garbage
Yea and when you try to defend yourself they take away your legal guns. Newsome is a joke
Honestly, we did the tough on crime era and we had the highest incarceration rates the WORLD has seen. Definitely hard on the taxpayers. So what do we do? Too hard on crime seem not to work and too easy on crime is not working.
The cost of committing a crime is too low. Thus the government is encourage people to commit crimes. Have to stop that crap.
Why does crime exist to begin with? Would it be because the government waste trillions of dollars bombing the world instead of creating job opportunities for Americans?
Keeping the rents high on empty buildings to keep value has to be one of the most insane things I have heard. Here is the value if the building is empty, nobody rents and nobody buys: 0
They would rather make nothing, than have a business there, and make 3k.
@@jakerazmataz852 Guess the loss with the IRS is better than lowering the price... They get a tax break for the loss and they don't run the risk of lowering the property value. It's so stupid how the system feeds these types of behaviors
The rental income denotes the value of the property.Insane anyway
Well at least california is voting for prop 36... Cant beleive Kamala and Newsome are against that prop. Charge theft seriously.
probably some sort of money laundering scheme. Otherwise they should be bankrupt. Not possible for it to sit there empty and be legit. Systemic corruption.
As a former crime analyst, it is wild to hear law enforcement say there is no point in reporting it. You cannot track issues or trends without reports. That screams that they want to say they have lower crime rates because they tell them not to report it.
Exactly how they dealt with Covid Christ
In San Francisco they had/have and online reporting system.. So you can generate the correct paperwork for you or your employer's insurance. Solving the problem was not the priority.
The whole defund the police movement ruined it for everyone. They probably need to just concentrate their efforts on violent crimes.
That is exactly what’s happening. Control the stats and you control the narrative.
BINGO
That 20% crime drop makes sense when you realize 40% of the shops left.
and they STOPPED reporting actual crime
Look up case law , police have learned they have no obligation to serve and protect the public for the tax dollars you are extorted by your government for so now that's what they do , NOTHING but give a false sense of security who think cops can do no wrong
If there are no shops, there is no theft.
Wrong it’s not they did not reported crime it’s do politics don’t put this criminals in jail they get release as they going and shoplifting has to be 1k in order be arrested it’s based on politics being the hammer on crime.
Ya, stealibg anything under $900 isn't considered a crime
Santa Monica is like when your beautiful creative girlfriend starts taking drugs and goes downhill, but still claims she has no problem. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
LMAOOO
I wouldn't stand a week of that behavior. Out you go!!
@17:26 "...the weather is very nice..." Oh the fear of reprisal against speaking the obvious.... Moral of the story is, Democrats destroyed California.
Santa Monica is all those except for one thing. Its the failure of the boyfriend for not making the effort to help the girlfriend. The boyfriend in this case being the community that lives there.
lol!!!
I know this didn't happen overnight, but it feels like it did sometimes. I moved to the LA area a little over a decade ago, and while I never lived in Santa Monica, I used to really enjoy visiting there. It was exactly like he described--culturally vibrant, colorful, and fun. There was *always* something to do. Just ten years later and it borders on a dystopian wasteland.
Who the hell is running that city?? What kind of people are they? Are they hirelings of George Soros, maybe?
I lived in LA for 10 years and left a year ago for Florida, there was an attempted break-in when my pregnant wife was home alone in the middle of the day. The cops did nothing and took 45 minutes to get there. (three blocks from the police station) We left almost immediately. We both work in the film industry but it just wasn't worth it anymore. The gaslighting of the city saying the crime was going down when you can see it on the streets every day is absolutely insane.
Same. I moved to Mexico. I feeler safer in Mexico- (which is insane to say outloud), but it's true.
@@adrians.7489oh its not insane at all. There are tons of places in mexico that are safe and beautiful. Cartel fear mongering is a real thing. They wont mess with u if u dont get in their way or business.
Crime is going down because they don't prosecute anyone that is arrested. They just release them and drop all charges. Bam, no crime. Amazing how leftist policies work
Where did you move to in Florida?
Hey, I'm not certain you'll see this. I'm just curious how you've pivoted career-wise since moving to Florida. Hope that's not too personal. Also, I hope all is well in your new state. I ask b/c I have been considering another state (than CA) for awhile now.
the fact that people are afraid to say something because its “offensive” or “politically incorrect” and just let their city get to this point is tragic.
I visited the LA/OC area in 2016 and am shocked by what has happened
Voting is private.. yet nobody votes the policies out.
@@TrescoFresco Because they are not voting for policies. "Vote blue no matter who" is what they live by. Let them reap the consequences.
Then they run away scared
Stupidity has consequences
Pretty crazy that the most thorough and unbiased news I’ve heard in a while is produced by a RUclipsr, great content man
Well, have you “ just “ found out about that ? It actually has been the case since 20+ years. Social media has been the only place where you get unbiased news for quite sometime now. No one watches the “ news “ media anymore. I myself stopped watching for at least a decade now.
HOW DARE YOU!
It was ok for a walkabout but lacked any deeper substance on the issues.
first time huh?
Thanks for the compliment! It’s wild how sometimes the most honest and straightforward information comes from creators on platforms like RUclips. I’m really glad you found the content helpful and unbiased-means a lot to hear that! It’s all about getting the real story out there, without all the spin. Appreciate your support, and I’ll keep working to bring you more content that you can trust.
Visted Santa Monica recently. Got harassed by a homeless man. Went to the beach. Saw a "no dogs" sign. A minute later, a man let his large dog take a dump on the beach and then just kicked some sand over it. Went to a beach cafe. While we were there, at least eight dogs entered. One couple brought three dogs in! It's disgusting. There's no respect for rules because there's no consequences. Won't be back.
The dog people in LA infuriating.
Poop city Beach ⛱️ 🏖️ no fun , a lot of sun and bums,sickos , roaming and camping out on beach 😊
''A minute later, a man let his large dog take a dump on the beach and then just kicked some sand over it. '' This is an outcome of 'my rights over my responsibilities' mindset that rules your whole country.
I take my dog to our 'dog beach' everyday. The council provides dog crap bags and bins and nobody ever leaves crap on the beach. This is how society should function; where we all work together for a common good.
We also have plenty of cafes that encourage people with dogs. It's normal here because we all control our pets and understand what our collective responsibilities are. If you havean uncontrollable hound you don't go in such a cafe.
@@glennkeppel9836 You have voted for Harris, hadn't you?
Isnt there a loophole with the so-called emotional animals
I am English, and in 1979 I fulfilled a lifetime ambition and visited the country I had long admired from afar as I grew up. I travelled from New York to Los Angeles via the southern states. I experienced many incredible and unforgettable places, however one destination that made an impression on me was Santa Monica. I fell in love with the city. We stayed in a beautiful hotel on Pico Boulevard, just a ten minute walk from the pier and that beautiful little park overlooking the beach. We loved the shops and the restaurants, and a highlight was seeing Frank Sinatra in concert at the Civic Auditorium. Watching your excellent video was heartbreaking, especially when I still have so many vivid memories and wonderful photos of Santa Monica of how it used to be.
I know what you mean. It is a horrible reality. At least you have seen the places in their "original" state. Stay safe.
I was born and grew up in So. Cal. I used to go to the beaches in Santa Monica all the time. My aunt lived there and I loved visiting her. It is such a beautiful place. The state was headed for ruination in 1973 when I left. Each time I return for a visit the situation just gets worse. My last visit was in 2017 and it was bad then but worse now. Sadly, no one wants to make the tough decisions. Mentally ill and drug addicted people should not be roaming the streets but the majority of voters think mental institutions are inhumane.
This is why gatekeeping is actually extremely important and should not be looked down upon. I’ve seen my favorite cities, movies, comic books, and TV shows fall to activist newcomers that apparently couldn’t see the beauty in the city or storyline in its original form.
@@terryoconnell9773completely agree. I live near Atlanta. It has changed drastically in the last few years. Crime and homelessness is rampant. Has been for a long time. But worse now. The people who think mental institutions are inhumane need to take a close up look at the situation. I think it’s much more inhumane to leave them on the streets. Their lives are sad, awful, and dangerous. It seems most large cities have this problem. Yet the people keep voting the same people into office. Things can’t change unless new people with new ideas get in. Leaders with a vision for the tax paying citizens.
SAD days we live in..😮😢
The moral of the story really: If it's not good to raise kids in, it's not good for you either, even if you don't think so.
Politicians like Gavin newsom gov and kamala HARRIS the attorney general of California and state senator of CA. Destroyed the legal system and homeless
True. Santa Monica is a fine example of failed Democrat policies. To be fair, I believe the CA elections are rigged and the voters are dumb but not 100% to blame. Are we supposed to believe Governor Newsom and LA DA Gascon survived their recall elections??? This just doesn't compute.
Sounds like yall woild love to move back to the Midwest….
…. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out!!!
California need to get rid of Gavin newsom fast
I feel so bad for the lady at the end she said she lives in a really nice neighborhood off Wilshire 😢😢that’s where the heart of the crime is because it’s near dtla so I just hope she has situational awareness 😢
Santa Monica was the spot back in the late 90’s-early 2000’s… My girlfriend and I used to go there often. The pier, the mall, The Promenade, we used to spend the entire day hanging around Santa Monica and it was booming back then. What a shame to see how much it has declined. It is truly heartbreaking…
I remember the promenade well, too. So sad 😢
Dude EXACTLY.
@@Silentsister It's so hard to believe that The Promenade looks the way that it does now. Back in the day it was crowded by people who were enjoying the street performances, the shops, and getting their faces drawn by street artists.
I was in total shock when I found out that The Promenade was full of homeless people and drug addicts. I couldn't believe it when I saw all of the empty shops. It honestly broke my heart because I have so many great memories of that place.
@@NoemadZ. I used to buy records from a guy named John Dancer. He had a little basement record store, I can't remember under which main store, but if you blinked you would miss it. I think it was simply called third Street records. I could get the most fantastic rare records there- lots of Depeche Mode imports.
Yeah, it was really amazing . A time when people actually cared, were social in person, I miss those days, too.
My husband and I went on our first date to an Indy theater there in 2005. I lived in N. Hollywood and WeHo from 1999-2009.
It’s hard to nail down specific predictions for the housing market because it’s not yet clear how quickly or how much the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation and borrowing costs without tanking buyer demand for everything from homes to cars.
A lot of folks have been going on about the bull rally and said stocks that would be experiencing significant growth, any idea which stocks this may be? I just sold my home in the Boca Grande area and I’m looking to remunerate a lump sum into the stock market before stocks rebound, is this a good time to buy or no?
Home prices will come down eventually, but for now; get your money (as much as you can) out of the housing market and get into the financial markets or gold. The new mortgage rates are crazy, add to that the recession and the fact that mortgage guidelines are getting more difficult. Home prices will need to fall by a minimum of 40% (more like 50%) before the market normalizes. If you are in cross roads or need sincere advise on the best moves to take now its best you seek an independent advisor who knows about the financial markets.
Do you mind if I ask you to recommend this particular coach you using their service?
Sonya Lee Mitchell’ is the licensed fiduciary I use. Just research the name. You’d find necessary details to work with a correspondence to set up an appointment.
I just googled her and I'm really impressed with her credentials; I reached out to her since I need all the assistance I can get. I just scheduled a meeting.
Imagine voting for this repeatedly, and then being surprised by it.
haha, exactly!
Voting😂
I agree, but what do you suggest?
Change from democrat to Republican leaders
@@mpl5164so what is the Republican plan?
so if you say that they should crack down on crime and move the homeless out of the city, you will be labeled as the "extremist, insensitive, intolerant etc", and you won't want to go on Camera. No wonder everyone wants to leave California. People have had enough!!!
Enjoy what you voted for!
??? People of California voted in the government which did this. "liberalism" They should be not allowed to leave and enjoy what they have created. They have what they wanted.
@@MartinMartinXAmen, the commies are so badly in denial. They'll probably just move to AZ or TX and continue their bullshit there.
Why crime and why homelessness though? There has to be an initial cause
"Everybody" ya, sure...
Not afraid to admit I cried watching this. I'm a Brit who lived here Jan 2000-Dec 2003, I was in 3rd Street Prom 5-6days weekly, I'm now 52 & these were THE happiest, headiest years of my life. I lament Venice/Santa Monica daily, but this is TRULY heartbreaking.
I used to travel there so much in the 90’s and it was so lovely and travelling on my own. Very sad to see.
The political party that rather protect the thieves and not the owners of the stores.
I was there last weekend after living there from. 2012-2020. It’s def gone downhill but it’s not anywhere near as bad as is made out here. Everything north of Wiltshire , which is the nicest bit feels the same.
Venice is far worse than Santa Monica these days.
We actually all know what's causing these problems but we aren't allowed to say it.
I lived in Santa Monica 15 years ago, and it was so nice. I built lifelong relationships there, but the culture and attitudes in Los Angeles have changed for the worse. Many people in L.A. exhibit a self-consumed mindset; there's a pervasive self-righteous attitude that reflects a lack of pragmatism, which may explain why progressive ideas often go unchallenged.
Real estate prices aren't meeting the needs of the market, as people understandably hesitate to take losses on their properties. This issue parallels New York City, where real estate values should arguably be higher due to structural factors. In China, the phenomenon of ghost cities, with abandoned buildings and infrastructure, highlights how property values can be artificially inflated when seen as investments rather than living spaces.
It's not just Santa Monica, it's all of Los Angeles. Check out all the malls and lively pockets we used to have. Our malls are emptying out, the homeless crisis has EXPLODED to the point that downtown LA has more homeless roaming the streets than residents living in the luxury apartments they beg, scream, and yell in front of. The Walk of Stars in Hollywood is now effectively the Walk of Drugs and Piss (the smell is inescapable). Rodeo Drive, a street infamous for designer stores, has AT LEAST half of their buildings vacant and boarded up for lease. Again, the malls are emptying out and businesses are leaving with no intention of coming back and no prospective replacements, along with many production companies (with multi million dollar filming projects, movies, television shows, ect) moving out of the state because of more attractive tax benefits in places like Atlanta, Texas, and Nevada (among others).
California is on borrowed time. People still think we're some cool city to be at and our reputation is ahead of our current state of affairs, but it's catching up. Videos like this are bringing awareness to the reality of our situation. It's sad, so much potential being wasted. So many resources being mismanaged. So many good people and lucrative businesses run off. Just heartbreaking as a native whose watched up close the decline year by year.
Enjoy what you voted for!
Santa Monica and Venice have always had a crime problem. 20 years ago I used to take classes in Santa Monica and almost every time I walked back to my car some beggar would follow me asking for spare change. It was so bad I would always carry change in my front pocket so I didn't have to slow down when paying them to go away. The nicer areas in the rest of the city are not that bad.
@@jules-cb6ni wrong, politicians get selected by the elites, never voted in by the people.
I'm so.sorry. I was there in December and was shocked- first time I had been there in 20 years. The decline is devastating.
And yet they keep voting for these policies because someone is "black"
The people involved in the 2014 P14 law passing for theft under $950 should be held accountable
My Mom punished my Lil' Bro when she caught him trying to lift a small pack of gum from the grocery store when we were kids. He grew up to be a Marine, a business owner, a heavy equipment operator, a husband, and the father of three great kids. Today, the government itself tells business owners that a theft up to $949 is a misdemeanor, won't take police reports, won't collect video, fingerprints, witness testimony, or other evidence, and pushes them onto their insurance companies instead of putting repeat offenders behind bars... now there are people literally dying on the streets in broad daylight. It is so frustrating. Being soft on crimes and drugs is *NOT* compassionate.
It was Prop 47. The law was called Safe School Act for funds saved for not jailing pot busts from a felony to a misdemeanor and schools would get better funding.. No where did any information we received say it included shoplifting and car theft. Voters were lied to.
@@MelissaR784voters being lied to is the Democrat way
@@bestprice1776🤨Voters choosing to vote for Democrats is the root of the problem 🧐.
@@bestprice1776 Voters being told that their issues are being listened to by billionaires and THEN lied to again is the Republican way.
Love this style of vid Graham! Also, it’s sad business owners are afraid to discuss the real underlying issues in fear of “cancellation.”
and what underlying issues would that be? You can say
Primates looking fellas from Africa@@rickymicky272
lol… they are already being cancelled- their businesses are going under. They need to stand up for what is right. No one should be fearful to go walk around in public. They need to get the national guard in to get things under control and remove violent homeless people disturbing the peace.
Poor policies, defunding the police, violent rioting called "peaceful protesting", unchecked and unpunished crime, unreported crime of every and any kind because they've been told that "there's no physical evidence" (which is complete and utter BS!!), illegal i's, all our money going to foreign w@rs and illegal i's instead of to closing the border to shut the drugs out, better rehab centers, better homeless programs, help for our elderly, the veterans and the mentally ill.
I can go on and on!
Check out the policies in blue states and Blue cities then check the crime rate, homelessness, poverty, single moms, job loss, higher illiteracy, and on and on!
Remember that most crime is not even reported!!
i am from India. i worked in LA in late 90s. loved 3rd street, like everyone. I returned back to India in 2003. I wanted to show LA to my kids. So I came with my family to US for a month in 2023. I was deeply disappointed to see Santa Monica, the homelessness, the tents.
My kids could not understand what was touristy about Santa Monica.
We did go to the Pier and have some fun.
But wasnt the same level like it was in the late 90s.
My city, Pune, has a lot of slum areas. And a lot of nice bangalows. Generally, in India, these are two different areas, even if they are near to each other.
In LA, and also in San Francisco, I see the homeless tents right in posh areas. Homeless people on beaches.
With all empathy to the homelessness issue, allowing this brings the whole place down.
In Pune, the poor people work as servants, maids, drivers to the people living in better areas. So one knows what to expect when they are in each area.
In LA, everything is mixed. Posh areas had tents as well. So it was difficult to get my head around this.
I hope Santa Monica returns to its earlier glory.
To take a longer views, cities, like people, die. Cities may die more slowly and painfully, but they still die. All around the world there are ruins of cities which once were filled with life, economic and military power, and zest, but are now reduced to rubble. All glory is fleeting.
Let’s not forget that California basically legalized shoplifting up to $950 per day (Police don’t respond for what is now a “misdemeanor “). Now the law abiding wait and ask for clerks to unlock the locked up store products.
Will the City Council refund when they steal below $950?
I don't think you're getting to the root of WHY people are stealing. Why do people feel the need to steal? Mental health and greed the disparity between the rich and the poor needs to be talked about. The population in California coupled with mental health crisis and lack of money is what is causing all the issues.
@@bens3767 According to your woke logic, the problem won't be solved until Marxists realize the ideal communism.
@@bens3767 You can't justify theft.
@@bens3767 People like this steal because they're subhumans and are empowered to do so by their dimwitted political leaders.
The part that really hit me was "people don't want to share their opinion out of being politically incorrect. They're too scared to share their opinions." This is the current state of our beautiful North America and makes me sad. Why have we gotten to a point in society that people feel scared to share an opinion?
Hollywood has been incredibly bigoted all of my life. So many in Los Angeles act the same way.
I'm not afraid to, the problem is too many of these sites are pandering to the left because they've convinced them that "they're the good guys" or "they're the majority" or whatever.
you voted for it
The Nazi liberal party has created a hostile environment for our Constitutional rights.
Good times make weak men. Weak men make hard times.
I went to LA & SF last november, I have never seen so many homeless and drug users in public in all my life. It's honestly insane, I can't believe how the locals put up with it.
those are the locals that were priced out by corporations, statically around 85% of homeless ppl in CA are natives. the issue is the price of everything, business are empty because ppl don't have money to buy.
I went there and saw it first hand, homeless and drug abusers all over and also commented on a similar post recently and locals were telling me the place is beautiful and my presence there is whats making it bad… crazy how deluded these Cali folks are lol
Open boarders, defunding police, liberal thinking. Keep that junk there. Don’t want it moving east.
I'm near SF. It is horrible. But we are powerless because the militant radicals are in charge.
@@mrchun4018 maybe just the people you know. most of us are not delusional. but when celebrities own our local government and don't pay their share of taxes, you can see what has happened to the state over a period of decades. many of us want change. and most of the guns that come into california are from red states and contribute to the violence.
German in Venice is the OG of bringing these issues to attention. These issues have slowly become worse and worse and until the residents start voting differently and demanding accountability from their local leaders, it isn't going to change.
I lived in Cali 10 years ago. I lived it. I meet my girl friend back in Florida. I was so excited to take her to California for vacation. We got to Santa Monica and it TOTALLY changed. I was so embarrassed because i kept saying how great it was.
California was so much better off when Republicans were in charge.
I stayed a night in Santa Monica in 2021 and honestly it felt somewhat normal compared to LA and Hollywood. But for real I don’t get how the politicians actively encouraged this.
You were right in a way. It “was” great. 🍻
No one calls it “cali”.
Kamala Harris was the attorney general of California. She devastated safety in CA
Compassion for criminals is cruelty to law abiding citizens.
"Compassion" is a term of misdirection used to disguise sinister intentions.
@@Eaton-10 Yup
Leftist policies implemented by a super majority democrat party has destroyed not only Santa Monica, but California as a whole and some people will never see this truth because they won’t step outside the little box they’re in and allow their brains to be informed and think for their selves.
That's called democracy in the 1st world country ))))
1,000% Agreed!
Kid from the 70s here growing up in Silver Lake Los Angeles. Miss the simplicity when a family could go to the beach without any drama or homeless zombie addicts ruining your beach experience.
The DNC meeting has walls around it, security and requires ID. Newsom cleaned up the homeless in San Francisco effectively overnight when Xi Jin Ping visited. But for regular folks crime is a real issue
I live in Texas in very red part of the state and the problems exist here too! It's all over the country. The problem isn't Republican or Democrat it's the rich and powerful, they take everything like a vacuum cleaner and leave the scraps for the rest of us. And they want us to be divided, it make it easier to control us. I am middle class and I am not complaining from the left or right.
Exactly 💯. Same here. L.A. in the 70's and Bay area in '01. Moved after the 911 attacks. That hit the City of Bridges hard. Can't pay me enough money to move back to Cali. So beautiful there, but, the ppl mess has made it unlivable for us...
I grew up there in the 60’s and early 70’s. It was paradise and the schools were wonderful.
right?! Lived in Hermosa from 83 to 85 and it was the best. Loved the 80's in California. There are still many parts that are great. Many.
Lived there ten years ago. Loved it. Left the USA for good and don't regret it for a second.
Watched you for many years Graham and this is probably your most important video.
None of this is a surprise. Thanks for having the guts to make this video, when those who are most affected are too afraid to speak the truth for themselves
If you're soft on crime. and soft on drugs, this is what happens. It's not rocket science.
@@addd21323 actually, the states that are harsh on crime also have the highest poverty rates. Look at Alabama and Louisiana.
@@kaylayoung3672dude, do NOT compare SANTA MONICA to any city in Alabama or Louisiana to make a point. It’s embarrassing what this state has done to what used to be beautiful cities (San Francisco is another example).
There is a bigger issue. Crime and homelessness is a symptom.
@@kaylayoung3672 Decisions like whether to prosecute petty theft or drug-related crimes are generally up to the county DA, not the state, meaning it's influenced by the local government. The majority of people living in poverty in Alabama are found in urban areas that are predominantly represented by democrat officials at the local level who are not tough on crime or drugs. Cities like Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. Which surprise surprise, also suffer from lots of crime and drug issues.
@@YoLyrick he already said it.... DRUGS..
I grew up in SM in the 70’s and 80’s. Loved going to the old mall. Pizza by the slice and the toy store that had the old owners who watched you every second! 😂. Then ride my bike to the pier. Fun times. Sad to see what has happened to Santa Monica.
No surprise here....California has become a place where criminals are incentivized to commit crimes. No accountability, no consequences, no reason to correct bad and violent behavior. Sad to see as I was born and raised in Santa Monica and can't believe how this beautiful city and state has turned into a lawless cesspool.
All true.
Look at the ONCE BEAUTIFUL, San Francisco, my Bay Area home! I miss it so much, but will never go back, it's in ruins! What a shame that this was allowed to happen to our God given America, and people are just still concerned about only their ridiculous protests concerning everything imaginable except for the real problems, all from the Democrat desire for control of America, and every one in our once beautiful country😢
Payback from the Chicoms for the opium wars..we should never have done that.
Same here - born and raised in San Francisco - left decades ago - ashamed to say I come from the same area as Kamala Harris
AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaand they vote for it some more
The sad fact that people won't even go on camera to criticize the government that caused this in fear of being canceled.. That's a sad world to live in
Look how hard the left and the FBI have tried to shut down the Trump campaign? Harris is an airhead who will be the Democrat's puppet until the new elections come out.
It’s cowardice and sad indeed
Yup. People voting for their own downfall.
They will vote Democrat again. They get fooled by the Democrats over and over and just keep coming back. Until they stop doing that it will just keep getting worse in California.
You made me laugh with your comment because I can see the innocence in you. They are not refusing to be on camera for fear of criticizing the government. They are afraid of saying that they feel certain people of certain race are the ones committing crimes like Blacks and Latinos, etc. Minorities.
And their fear lies on later receiving backlash from the “cancel culture”.
You see, if a business owner goes on camera and says something like “I can’t take all this homeless people all over anymore and minorities coming into my store and stealing stuff, etc”, the cancel culture will come later and boycott this business accusing the owner of being racist or discriminating so basically they will destroy your public image and in the process your business.
Thats what they are afraid of saying on camera.
When the local media is content to call riots, “protests”, your city is lost.
Amen 🙏
and murder is now Aggravated assault...😒
Mostly “Peaceful” Protest…🔥🔥🏠🔥🏠nothing to see here kids😵💫
That’s what leftist said about riots in France last years. Thousands of thugs breaking windows of Apple stores, computer stores and Foot lockers to get free stuff, burning schools, daycares, police stations…and all the leftists médias called it a citizen’s uprising ! Absolutely pathetic
No! When people allow a slow takedown of our freedoms, slow undermining of our economy, the controls of public with preplanned crisis's and pandemics they withhold cures... YOUR COUNTRY IS UNDER SEIGE!
Appreciate this type of content!!
I lived in LA from 2005-2009. I saw this coming from a mile away. I would tell locals all the problems with LA and they just refused to listen. I have zero sympathy.
Same here.. but in SF.. you could see it coming from a mile away too.. You would express this to people and they didn't really care because they were a transplant.. and the locals were so f-en far left.. they just called you names and then would blame capitalism.
@@jdre1976 Funny thing is, I moved to the Bay Area (East Bay) in 2009. I thought it was in much better shape than LA. But around 2013, I noticed things started to turn south (especially in downtown SF and Oakland). When people are shooting up in broad daylight on a Sunday at noon in a tourist adjacent area of SF, the writing is on the wall. I bailed on the Bay Area (and California) in 2014. It was obvious the politicians and the citizens just didn’t care enough.
smart moves guys
Everyone gets what ..... he de ... err ..... serves
@@jdre1976 nomadism and its consequences.
This saddens me. Santa Monica was my family's happy place. We would go to the beach and then walk to the promenade after. We have since left CA and get 'homesick' often but this makes me realize the CA I long for is not the same today.
It doesn't exist anymore. Thanks small hats!
Where did u end up going to? (i hear a lot of people who leave California end up in Texas, Colorado etc )
@@lightningsmokerXx NC
Thank YOU for going out of your comfort zone and filming this video. I actually started crying when you got to the part about GAP closing and showing the 2018 google maps images. I lived in Venice 2020 - 2022 and I LOVED it. During all of 2021, I was at the Santa Monica promenade every Saturday, always shopping at that Urban Outfitters and watching the street performers. So, to see the place empty, with biz shutting down, and people screeching thru the streets, it is so heartbreaking. I didn't believe the reports I've been hearing until now watching your video. Also, I regretted leaving tbh, but now after watching this video I finally don't regret my decision. LOVE your documentary filming style.
Great video! You’ve captured the changes in Santa Monica really well. I don’t think it’s just crime affecting the area high business taxes, shifts in consumer habits, and less indulgent shopping since COVID have also hit hard. Plus, with online shopping trends from the last decade, it’s tough for high street shops to keep up. Many shop owners are moving their focus online just to stay afloat. The whole landscape has definitely changed, and it’s sad to see the impact on the local community and businesses.
Yes, it's a combination of things. Just yesterday I watched a video documentary on ancient cities. One of them was Ҫatalhöyük, I think (in modern day Turkey). It was once (ca. -1400?) a thriving, well designed, and well defended city with beautiful high walls inside the large and powerful Hittite empire. Then it went into decline. So did the empire. The empire is gone and the city is just piles of stones, fallen walls, and distant memories of things long gone.
We know why Cali is going to the crapper but no one will say it. The people and the policies voted for are destroying what used to be such a beautiful state. Its really upsetting
Democrats....there I said it
Sooo? Are we going to vote it in for the whole country???
Yup 💯
@@kestonsmith1354exactly
@@tracydg7158no thanks
I like this video. It’s about time RUclipsrs went out on the streets to show real proof of what’s going on everywhere.
show proof of people not being paid liveable wages????? 😂😂😂
@@gahto2479 you deserve what you tolerate.
Yes , because Hollywood definitely paints a fake picture and lures more transplants from all over the world. People just don't know what it's really like, if they did.. they wouldn't move here
"I don't like it, there people here" Graham
@@gahto2479how are they supposed have jobs when democrats policies drive business out of the state?
I moved to Santa Monica from Brooklyn in 1970, when the population was 10,000. Slept on the beach at night, didn't lock my door, hitchhiked to work in West Hollywood, enjoyed it all without fear of any kind. Living overseas in a small town I have that again now. Please be wise, everyone, about the times we are living in. Use discernment, seek the Truth. Time is short.
What Country overseas? I don't expect you to divulge your secret hideaway I understand. TY
Turn back to Almighty God. Repent and pray for the country to restore the blessing for America.
🧡
@@mariaboyd7380. It won’t happen sister. Last days things will continue to decline. America has turned its back on God. Pray for the lost, for their salvation.
Would 60 Minutes ever do a show of their’s on this? 😢 na!
😢 I grew up in California and Santa Monica was one of my favorite places to eat and shop. I’m so sad when you mentioned the crêpe Café, which again was one of my favorite places to take my mom and hang out and just have great conversations.
I was an animator in LA back in the 90s and my wife and I left in 2002 when the hand-drawn animation business cratered. I've never doubted that decision, but this is absolute proof that we made the right call. Santa Monica was always an unattainable dream for us due to the amount of $$$ one needed to live there, even with the much-lauded "rent control," but was still a great place to go for a few hours. It's criminal what's happened to the Promenade.
The rent control (though real) is kind of laughable. Nobody ever moves out of those apartments. I worked for a rental search service in Santa Monica in 2011, a few blocks from where Whitey Bulger was caught. There were people trying to step over the police tape to find out when that rent controlled apartment would become available.
where do you live now if you dont mind me askins? and is it financially better now?
I'm gonna go off topic but I have to say much love and respect to you and your wife being OG hand-drawn animators. I was obsessed with how animation was produced as a kid in America and Japan (before anime blew up overseas) and I always wanted to be a fly on the wall at somewhere like Spumco during the John K days (problematic guy, but hey Ren and Stimpy is GOAT level), I ended up working in video games as a programmer supporting 3D animators.
I'm sorry about Santa Monica.
@@ls.c.5682 thanks very much. For the record, my wife was an assistant film editor but we both knew that neither of us would ever be able to retire due to downsizing in both fields. As for old John K., the stories about him barely did the reality justice. A good friend of ours worked for him in an administrative job and the stuff she told us was nuts. 😅 Congratulations on your own career. I hope you do well.
Loving that you are using your platform to bring attention to the downfall of these cities.
I visited Santa Monica 20 years ago as a 15 year old with my dad and step brother. I come from Canada and was utterly amazed by the dynamic nature of Santa Monica. This saddens me that this cool community has declined like this.
Its very similar Communist Policies of Trudeau
@@braddavid9173it’s similar but different . California used to be great, LA used to be everyone dream place but it’s nothing but a piece of crap now.
thanks for the video. you should do one for San Diego and San Francisco if you have not done already!
I’m so sad to see what happened to this beautiful place near the LA area. When I was a little girl, my dad used to take me and my brother to Santa Monica almost every weekend. I have such beautiful memories from this place, and now I’m in shock to see what has happened. I’m not living in California since 2010, but I continue loving California. Thank you for this video.
Enjoy what you voted for!
@@jules-cb6ni Bot
what you go to Santa Monica every weekend for?
Thank you for continuing to love California
I arrived at LAX in July 1990. I saw the big poster of Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley welcomes you to Los Angeles. Later, I went to Santa Monica to feel the vibe of Three's Company and Baywatch. Those days are long gone!
I remember that poster
This is an amazing video! Absolutely love this type of content. People need to know what’s really going on in the world. It’s so real and current. Unfortunately newer generations just don’t watch or read the news anymore. People truly live under rocks and the government is constantly ignoring the problems. This type of content on RUclips is golden! I hope you make more!
And very well done. Tks.
In their own bubble..so don't see it and don't even want to..
No plans to visit anytime soon. Thanks for the video.
German tourist ✈ here: I've been to the Pier and 3rd Street with my teenage daughter in 2022, 23 and this year.IMHO, it deteriorated very quickly in those two years. Thanks for this video to proof that my gut feeling wasn't wrong.
How is Cologne...
@@aurorerich Honestly I don't know, I've been there only once for business. When you're from Munich, the bar is high, though 🙂
Yeah, the pandemic affected every city and country in the world. But, it affected US cities much less than other countries.
Worked in Santa Monica 30 years ago…
I’m shocked to see the 3rd St Promenade so empty and dangerous
It was upscale, safe and hopping back then
Benita’s Fites had a special place in my heart. I used to love that area and am so shocked to see this. Why is there nowhere these mentally ill people can go?
I was a Democrat and had to leave CA: Since the Democratic Party took control of CA, the State has been going down hill fast with crime, tax and homelessness rates UP! Businesses including Tesla had to leave CA! Never Harris or Newsom or anyone Democratic candidate! Enough is enough!
You better have left your foolish California politics in California.
I bet you moved to WA and vote the same. Thanks.
They’ve ruined every state they moved to 😢. Colorado in particular.
@@HalfAznHonkey-ox3oo he said "was" a Democrat
Sadly, Kamala gains in the polls every day. She doesn't even need to discuss her plans for her presidency.
Beautifully done video. Kudos.
As a European tourist I find it very interesting to come visit L.A. and see a place that has actually become like some dystopian movies in the 80s/90s (Mad Max, Blade Runner,..)
Detroit is more Fallout.
I was there with my daughter a month ago. We had a good time but stayed in Altadena which was a lot more comfortable. We went to Santa Monica for a day on the beach and further down the beach was good but the pier was a dump. I wouldn’t venture to the town side.
Prophetic. Oslo had the same problem but the fixed it.
They Live
Diversity
Great job covering the issues, without directly addressing the root cause.
California's demise is directly connected to politics.
That said, you earned my like, subscribe, and comment
You get what you vote fore. Nobody outside of California is surprised by this
Exactly smh
It's the entire west coast. I live in western washington. I can drive in literally any direction from my neighborhood and will drive by a homeless camp.
Stockholm Syndrome
The issue is you have a bunch of people who think they are smart and know everything when they don't. Complain and blame others and then do the same thing over that didn't work and then complain about how its not any better
Not surprised by that, moreso surprised that they have not learned their lesson by now and they LITERALLY see it every day and decide to put their heads in sand. Insanity.
I was raised in the Valley. Graduated in 1985. My parents moved from Cali in 1992. I moved in 1993. Moved back to LA in 2014. Very quickly discovered the LA I grew up in was gone. Moved up to Ventura County. Since 2023 I'm in Miami. I would move back to Socal, but only to Santa Barbara,Ventura, Orange and San Diego counties.
I live in Santa Monica and this video is 100% accurate- witnessed an incident earlier today where a homeless person came into a coffee shop and grabbed someone’s bottle of water they had paid for….
Damn, I had a homeless person grab my sandwich out of my hand in San Francisco Union Square in the late 90s, lol.
@@cocojames2289😂😂 i would be sad and kind of comedic of the situation if it was me
Can you get any better leadership?
I was there in 2017. It was really nice to walk in the area so I consider move there, buy house and start a family.
After this video and now I’m a mother. I wouldn’t want to put my kid to this kind of area.
That homeless dude getting bottle treatment
Thank you Graham for bringing this to all your viewers.
America…wake up. Vote wisely.
A really beautiful beach, shops area. Thanks to the demoncrats, bribem, & gruesome, this is definitely purposeful destruction!!!! The Truth is hard to see, and it needs to be exposed, thanks for your efforts!
What's the point? Most candidates are really bad, so whoever wins still wont change what's happening right now. It's really sad that America is heading downhill especially with the economy going on right now. God Bless America indeed!
@pscldax3amazon C*lifornia keeps voting blue is the PROBLEM. How do you keep voting the same EXACT way and expect Different outcomes? That is ludicrous. Ya'll need to vote on POLICIES. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Voting blue.
@@pscldax3amazonIt’s written in Scripture what will happen to America aka Mystery Babylon, the land that took Gods Chosen people in chains ⛓️
I'm an Australian that has stayed in Santa Monica and Venice countless times starting in 1989. I love the place and this is very upsetting . I remember many great Saturday nights being entertained on the 3rd street Promenade. Thanks for the update.
The thing that scares me is that this is where parts of Australia are headed. Fitzroy St in St kilda is well on its way.
@@andrewbull4175 Haha. Fitzroy St has always been the scummy part of Melbourne since the 70's. It's just that technology allows people to witness it online without puting your life at risk every time you walk down that flea ridden part of town.
Was just there. You'll find Saturday night pretty much as you remembered it. This goof is shooting at 2:00PM on a weekday. Hilarious.
Me too my friend used to DJ nearby and I will go see him play and later grab some munchies and look at the entertainment inside there! It was so cool back then and safe and fun !!
You guilt tripped me into liking and subscribing but I thought it was cute, so I did. Nice job!
Nothing wrong with Santa Monica. The voters received what they wanted from their elected officials. Now they can enjoy the fruits of their vote.
I went to Santa Monica before the democrats were in power and guess what, it was still full of homeless people
Not as many
Nailed it; their utopia of Democrats Cesspool!
Not lime today sir! It’s much much much worse since the State turned One Party Democrat in like 1998.
@@LordBranniganTheBut it was never lawless. I guess they're reaping what thsy sew by defunding the police
This is why people in less crowded states say they don’t want to be calfornicated.
It's gonna happen money talks and people will be priced out
It’s not so much the crowding as it is the democrat policies.
Californians ruined Vegas and Austin.
California's ruin everything
@@igloozoo3771 Austin’s been liberal for a long, long time
“Crime rates decreasing” due to lack of reporting really hit hard. That is honestly just tragic negligence on the part of the city and their policies handicapping law enforcement to a point that they’re incapable of keeping the people in Santa Monica safe.
I just moved to LA (Westchester) at the beginning of this year, and I’m from a small town in Idaho. I moved here for work, and have a wife and kids. Fortunately we looked long and hard for a safe neighborhood and so far so good - but city/overall state policies need to be fixed. It really is a disaster.
I live here and it is one hundred percent true. Wife works retail; her store quit calling the cops years ago because they do squat regarding the constant theft. Keep in mind stuff still gets stolen despite being locked up. What’s locked up?
Socks
Underwear
Legos
Movies
Video games
Makeup
Hair products
Liquor
Phone accessories
Bike inertubes and accessories
Darts
Meds
This is just off the top of my head, many more items are under lock and key and have to be retrieved by a clerk and taken to the front of the store to a specific checkout. Keep in mind this adds 15 to 20 minutes minimum on every shopping trip to a store. Brought to you by a long-standing D super majority.
Westchester has always been good. I lived there a long time ago. I hope it stays that way.
After hearing all the horror about l.a. and you still moved to l.a. what were you thinking.. 😂. There's a million reasons why people flock to other states. Moving to comiefornia was a huge mistake..
From my understanding throughout the years Westchester is and has been one of the top five safer cities in the county of Los Angeles
@@JacquelineIslas-ij2sr Westchester is even worse than Santa Monica
What day of the week were you there on?
Thank you for going outside you’re comfort zone! I live in California and I’m concerned about how quickly it’s deteriorating
It’s not the only city…Add NY, Chicago, Seattle, Oregon. I may be forgetting a few
@@lifeofreilly9943 What do all those cities have in common? 🤔
@@lifeofreilly9943 Now Denver and Aurora, Colorado with the illegals being flown in there.
@@nicole7s they all have millions of people living there? lmao
Move to a red state and change the way you vote
I was a tourist there from Australia in 2017 ,staying 2mins from the pier when a homeless guy attacked me while I was standing out the front waiting for an Uber,luckily the guard saw on the camera & rushed out to help just in time
That's terrible. Glad you are ok.
@Anti-Fake-ul9oe yeah totally provoked him ,I asked for it ...SMH fw
@Anti-Fake-ul9oeanti fake?
I left Los Angeles when I had a kid. It has gotten so dangerous it's crazy. The fact that a state which takes up majority of the western coast and has the best weather in the nation has a negative net migration is mind-blowing. It's truly something else.
it's not more dangerous overall, not even close. but the nicer parts have gotten more dangerous for sure.
@@Alex-ox7fmIt's multiples more dangerous. Crime just isn't being reported correctly
@@Alex-ox7fmI bet you think unemployment is low too😅
@@mr.monitor. it IS low. Everyone has a job, or two jobs, and it's not enough to actually get anywhere.
@@Alex-ox7fm They just revised the jobs numbers down 800k. Pretend there's not homeless in recod numbers. Why hasn't your party done anything about it?
Sad part is all those people who voted for an open boarder, free drug spaces, all these laws that have destroyed California those same people are moving to Texas and are still voting the same. Oregon, Washington all the same
No one voted for an open border, that was not on the ballot. You can't blame all your problems on Californians. That's very dumb.
@@Briman2052 Oregon, Washington all the same did not just blame one place. the whole coast sanctioned cities allowing illegals in with zero Questions being asked. So yes OPEN BOARDER. May not have been on a ballet but still was allowed because of the people. same group of people who are voting democrat again knowing the boarders are as loose as Kamalas lips. Never once placed all blame on California.
As a teenager, I remember riding my bicycle 😢to Santa Monica along the boardwalk - bike - skate trail back in the mid 1970’s. It was so cool and relaxed back then. There was some crime back then , and a drug problems, but NO homeless. Poor Santa Monica. I feel sorry for all of the honest inhabitants there . 🙏
I started at UCLA in 1999 and by then the homeless were everywhere in Santa Monica. Always cracked me up seeing that park on Ocean Ave in commercials and on TV shows because in real life that place was always completely taken over by homeless 100% of the time I drove by there or walked by there.
I remember homeless in Santa Monica in the late 70s and 80s (I grew up there, lived near 14th and Ocean Park), but they weren't as many, and they were often out of sight.
@@mygoatisdead They also weren't as wacked out on hard drugs...
Places Lake Santa Monica are great for homeless because the weather is so nice and the government pays a stipend to be homeless there just like in manhattan.
It makes me sad to see this. Spent many wonderful weekends in Santa Monica & Venice.
I think that you did an excellent job reporting on this issue
There are enough Californian policies protecting the bad people and punishing the hard-working people to make a huge difference like this. The incentives are all wrong. This is not happening only in Santa Monica. Everywhere you see this happening, pay attention to the correlation and patterns. It's not a coincidence.
So true. Well said
It's Anarcho Terrorism, a term coined by the late Sam Francis over 30 years ago. Tax, and fine and regulate the good people into submission while making it much easier for street thugs to get away with felony crime. Most finally see this now, but they were blind when it might've been derailed 30 years ago. It's only going to get worse.
Well kamala shoulda fixed it or governor ahnold?😂😂😂😂
It was orchestrated during Covid, helped along by all the little lemmings that no longer cook and get all their food delivered. We are being separated - physically - so that we keep separated in our hearts. Now, the landowners have effed the rest of us. We can't own businesses any more because we can't pay the jacked-up rent.
You're halfway there... Think 🤔 the government don't give AF about you or me. They don't because if they did, our country wouldn't be in the state it is now. I've been wondering if the zombie movies were subliminal messages of homeless people. Might seem stupid but to the untrained eyes many things won't make sense...
This was highly informative!
You get what you vote for. I grew up there as well and I would not set foot back there again. The crime is out of control.
Are you suggesting the solution is to build more prisons?
You can tell it's bad if even McDonalds decided to leave.
For certain, this is the leadership Santa Monica selected.
I live in Santa Monica now but I come from a RED state. I came from Fort Worth and the crime in Santa Monica is Disneyland compared to TX. I also lived in Houston and Santa Monica is light years away from Houston’s crime, look it up. This isn’t about voting red or blue this is literally the govt against the ppl and a bad economy. The rich and wealthy have been screwing the middle class the last 20 yrs. Crime is high in EVERY part of America. Stop spreading misinformation and false political propaganda. Both parties have been screwing up the middle class and crime is high everywhere in America.
Many who support the troops call it the Gaza Strip of the US. It’s even shaped like it too.
YOU VOTED FOR IT DO NOT COMPLAIN NOW.......VOTE OUT THE PEOPLE NOT HARD ON CRIME!!!!!
voted for what? tf are you ranting for
@pscldax3amazon it's because of your man ..Gavin
@@pscldax3amazonvoting democrat he means.
Exactly ! Thank you !
@@pscldax3amazon ehhh, voting for democrats/the left i imagine. It seems to be a common thing amongst democratic cities. thats not even choosing a side, just what i see
The saddest part of watching all the formerly thriving places being run into the ground is all of that was NOT unavoidable. To the contrary - feels like designed.
Maybe it’s an experiment the elites want to have for ‘research’
It is.
democratic design, have all the people at your mercy and still do nothing for them
@@richardsmith4187if you think it’s a partisan thing you got a lot to learn
@@CoercedJabexactly
What an absolute sit hole. I’m from UK and was planning a holiday there. No way I’m doing that now.
Business owners being 'afraid' to tell their stories on camera is very revealing of the core problem here.
The real issue is a certain demographic that RUclips won’t let us talk about in comments
When there are no universal principles and everything is relative, there is no reason to risk one's own personal safety for anything.
@@Powertuber1000 the scholars
The video never said the stores are scared to tell their stories on camera. It said the stores don’t want to file a police report over the break ins because there’s not much the police can do about them unless they have clear video footage of the suspects and they worry that their insurance rates will go up if they report these things to the police.
@@HisDudeness_69 There is a section when he says people are willing to tell their stories but not on camera.
When a lot of people's jobs depend on finding a solution to a problem; the problem never gets solved.
💯
Poverty is big business.
The thing is I really don't understand why USA cannot bring back manufacturing to their country. USA is huge she has as much land as china yet all companies manufacture in China or Vietnam. The one way US can actually solve most of their problems is by simply bringing back manufacturing.
@@bharat-dz9wi because companies have to pay US workers more money and shareholders do not want to do that
@@uncleremus64 Bingo
Entire LA is in this condition. From the Skid road to Santa Monica. I was in shock when I arrived last year. People have completely forgotten what it means to have a normal home, where the price of a wooden box with windows should be around $20-30k NOT MORE. That’s the real cost of a house. People have gotten so used to high prices that they think it’s normal. But it’s not, it is not folks.
Millennials who voted for Obama in 2008 are largely to blame for the current condition. The high prices started there. For everything. Notice how crime, high prices, and inflation didn’t start till 2019 when they started moving to the rest of the country? It’s immigration. But one we are not tracking and allowing to happen and the worst part is that the states are encouraging it and not restricting it.
It's a real mystery, how every time a lot of people want the same thing, prices somehow go up. They should just stay the same, or even drop to the price level that I can personally afford.
@@TheLastHelldiverIV and by the time they realize this, they go to Arizona and pay $700k for a $200k house. The money they make in the state shouldn’t leave the state.
You're on another planet... You can barely do a bathroom reno for 20k.
You start to make a good point but you're in absolute 1970's la-la land if you think the most basic of house could still cost $20-30K. Multiply that by a factor of 10. Now add even a basic land price.
I heard from someone who cater for celebrities that many people with some
Money in CA do not pay taxes. As more and more plastic sold by amazon ( who does not produce anything) keeps growing with their online sales - then the government only keep raising properties and other taxes, no way to survive, as for everyone who “works from home” gets paid by someone who is selling something. No way places like that can survive relying in property and other sorts of taxes, as small business keep shutting down - together those who support our economy.
Very sad, such a lovely place.
Even more insane when you head down south like 40 minutes to OC/Irvine where it’s 100% just as nice without any of the BS. It truly shows that LA officials can without a doubt clean the problem up with their unlimited budget, but are actively choosing not to. That’s what makes this whole thing beyond frustrating.
Who is on city council vs who are the residents? No alignment.
Take Schiff's area for example. Tons of homeless in L.A. but Burbank? Largely untouched.
6:50 retail is dead everywhere. Not unique to SM. Hello Amazon and many others selling online. 7:50
Orange county residents didn't just roll over and go along with covid b.s., that's the difference! Remember that the next time your government entity tries to screw you over.
Does the spending happen significantly at the county level? Otherwise the budget isn't so unlimited
As a European, I have been coming to LA regularly for the past 17 years (mostly for work) and it saddens me to see the state of the city now. It used to be my favorite place in the whole world and I always dreamt of relocating some day in the future. But now I am not so sure. I don’t know what happened to your great nation, so much poverty, division, anger, violence. Makes me sad - I hope things eventually get better.
Where are you from in Europe? I spend a lot of time in Europe (here now)- Europeans must be disgusted when they see LA now....
Yes Europe knows nothing of the woke crap that got SM here. 🤣
@@kufferterogkompas well, Europe is also going through its moments right now! Nothing against emmigration as I myself have lived abroad as well. But illegal immigration is getting out of control and so are house prices, low paid jobs and everything getting more expensive.
I just came back from Europe (CZ, Germany, Austria, Hungary) and while some places had graffiti, there was no trash or homeless to be seen (unless it is very well hidden). I also learned that there were free college options there, which is unheard of in the US. More education and social services for citizens (mental health/drug recovery) is needed here. The ultra rich / billionaires don't get taxed their fair share in America, which could solve many of these problems (all left over from the trickle down from Reagan in the 1980s, which closed all of the mental hospitals). I was thinking when I was there that Europeans have no reason to want to come to America now, like when my grandfather grew up, we now want to live in Europe. 😪
Identity politics and political correctness fed into the division and delusions we face today, exacerbated by social media and political organizations focused on content that highlights divides between groups and polarized views.
Lived in Santa Monica for two years. My husband is from there. I’m from a small town of 2800 people. I’ve lived in cities all my adult life, STL, Chicago, now Miami, but Santa Monica had some real problems. A shooting a couple blocks from our apartment while we were walking our dogs. A homeless woman was punching a walk sign repeatedly while staring at me and I backed up. Truly believe she was about to punch me. Went to the gas station and a guy was pleasuring himself, naked homeless people at the beach, and taking a piss out in public while talking to themselves, got our electric bikes stolen and my neighbors car, we tracked it and it was obvious who it was, there were plenty of cameras in the area, the police did nothing because they said they didn’t want to “make any assumptions.”
i’m so sorry this happened to you, I live in San Francisco and have experienced many of the same things, being originally from Miami. I hope everything is going well for you and your husband!
😢😢😢😢😭💔🇺🇲
Sorry about your situation, but remember if you say anything that goes against the left wing progressive narrative, your open minded tolerant fellow Californians will have you canceled Maoist Style
@@Mike-ek3vo I live in FL now, and have never been ultra liberal or conservative, always identified as an independent, and slightly libertarian, so I haven't attracted those type of friends luckily.
@@juststopitbro Thank you! Sorry you're experiencing those things as well. It can be scary and defeating. Do you think you'll ever move back to Miami or south FL?
I went to that AMC THEATRE FOR 20 YEARS!!! Now it's deserted!! It used to be packed!!! Ugh. SANTA MONICA used to be so beautiful. Why did they allow this to happen??? This is absolutely heartbreaking and disgusting 🫣
My daughter visited there when her and her partner were on holidays from Australia and they were both shocked by the homelessness. They were also shocked about how dirty the streets were in san Francisco. Coming from our little island of Tasmania which is known for its cleanliness and fresh air they say they have no desire to go back there.
Yeah, I took my two young adult children on a last holiday together to LA and San Francisco in 2018 from Adelaide. Same goes. Never seen so many homeless, and yes we thought the same about the street grime in San Francisco. It's hard to describe how bad it is... it's actually filthy. SF was supposed to be the jewel in the crown finale of our holiday. In reality, it was the worst place i've ever seen in my life. My heart breaks for California and the United States of America.
As a tourist, I visited Santa Monica back in May this year. As soon as I got off the bus, I could see so many homeless and then I started to walk up the promenade and was shouted out and followed by a homeless guy. I ended up escaping into a store. Then managed walk to the pier and there was homeless and a few shady guys at the entrance. Just did not feel safe and headed back to my hotel.
You should have checked under the pier. That’s where the magic is
This is more than voting any political party....😅
@nickcritelli6619 maybe it is safer to be a tourist if you are disguised as a homeless
@@stoop404 🤣
That's horrible. As a Californian, I am embarrassed that visitors see this. But I'm in the Berkeley area and it's worse here.
liberalism happened to the entire state of California, thank your leadership
Leadership wouldn't be there if they didnt vote for them
its not only the leaders its the citezens too ..
This is the WOKE LIBERAL UTOPIA they want us all to live in 😂😂😂
It sounds like you believe that the direction of leadership and liberal policies in California has significantly impacted the state. It’s clear you have strong feelings about how these changes have shaped California’s current situation. What specific policies or actions do you feel have had the most significant impact on the state?
jews > blacks > liberalism
You did a great doc.
Gavin Newsom. That’s what happened… I’m from California and it’s a shame how he has ran that beautiful state into the ground. I will never go back, even to visit.
Gavin is the problem? Not the voters? They all support him.
Amen
And they keep voting for him, and the same policies! Brainwashed masses!
After 52 years of living in Southern California I left. Newsome and the Democrats have ruined
this beautiful state and the people keep re-electing them. I didn’t see it getting better it was
time to go 😢
Nothing will change under Trump. Grow a pair and get over it.
They gotta get rid of Gavin Newsom. What a mess.
I was expecting some car skeletons?
His replacement will do more of the same.
I thought Newsom just started asking the cities to clear the homeless from their encampments and the streets/public places? Like last week I think. Also, at the tail end of the pandemic we got rid of a sheriff that was actively clearing the homeless from being in public spaces like beach cities, and he was replaced by someone less conservative 🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️ you get what you vote for, man
Newsom has nothing to do with it.
Hair man bad.
I left San Diego for Tennessee a few months ago and i couldn't be happier. what upsets me the most about this video is all the people who want a change but won't say it out loud or in camera. Keep slurping up the slop they give you California. You deserve it because you refuse to do anything about it.
That notion isnt fair to the ones who do want change tho and would rather reform cali than flee it.
Id love to move ! Not knockin that 😂 but some of us still got hope that cali is saveable
@@kilograms2602It’s not.
@@kilograms2602 You need to directly push against the ppl who want to keep things as is, in that case.
@@kilograms2602 that's great, I hope it goes well for you. I'm talking about these people mentioned in the video that don't like the current circumstance but won't speak out. Those of you who aren't willing to take the heat of public ridicule aren't aware that you are the frogs in the boiling pot. Do you want social media heat or life ending heat?
That’s great man I’m happy you’re happier, just please make sure you don’t bring the same politics with you!
Thanks, Newsome and Co.