Utah Governor Tells California To Pound Sand: “We would love for people to stay in California instead of coming as refugees to Utah”

By
Gary Fenster
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Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah told Californians to “stay in California,” as his state has seen massive growth over the last ten years primarily from people fleeing the oppressive laws and taxes of California.

“This last census confirmed that Utah was the fastest-growing state over the past 10 years,” Cox said. “Our biggest problems are more growth-related. We would love for people to stay in California instead of coming as refugees to Utah.”

Cox added that his state “is not working to attract more people.” He said Utah is having problems with not enough housing and water shortages due to a historic drought in the western states.

According to the U.S. Census, Utah grew from 2,763,885 people in 2010 to 3,271,616 in 2020. That is an increase of 18.3% which is the highest in the nation.

California makes up the largest influx of people to Utah from across the country.

In 2018, 18,000 people came to Utah from California. 50,000 Californians went to other states like Arizona or Washington.

According to The Los Angeles Times:

“A majority of the state’s residents are affected by the West’s historic drought, and all of the state’s 29 counties have disaster designations by the United States Department of Agricultural, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“And while Utah experienced a record home-building year in 2021, it still is short about 31,000 units, according to recent estimates.

“In October, Dejan Eskic, a senior research fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, estimated that the median monthly payment for a home in Utah was as high as $2,600, pricing out about ¾ of the state’s residents.”

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