‘Happy Days’ Star Scott Baio Joins Increasing Number Of Hollywood Actors Leaving California: “It’s Just Not A Safe Place Any More”
Scott Baio, perhaps best known for his role as Chachi Arcola in Happy Days and Bob Loblaw in Arrested Development, is the latest celebrity to leave California — expressing his concern for the future of the Golden State.
In an interview with Fox News’ political pundit Jesse Watters, Baio said that the homeless crisis is the main reason why he was prompted to leave California, revealing that he just doesn’t feel safe there any more.
“I’ve been there for 45 years, Jesse, and I’ve watched California, Southern California, devolve into a Third World country,” the frustrated actor explained.
Baio proceeded to list the many reasons why he made up his mind, declaring, “Between the homeless defecating on the sidewalk, doing drugs on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, illegal aliens all over the place. Laws mean nothing. Crime is out of control. Graffiti on everything. And all of my tax dollars, I don’t know what they go for.”
“I’m afraid to go to the mall,” he admitted. “My wife and kid are afraid to go to the mall. It’s become an unwinnable situation […] I’ve been in California a very, very long time and it’s so sad to me. I’ve got family and I’ve got friends there, and I didn’t want to leave but I’ve been pretty much forced out.”
Baio would then go on to call out the hypocrisy of mainstream media, revealing that a sizeable number of outlets have requested to interview him since he announced on Twitter that he was leaving California, pointing out that outlets question his decision because of his political affiliation.
“You know what’s interesting to me? You know how many requests I’ve had for interviews because I tweeted that I’m leaving California? Maybe 40. And nobody has ever asked — or, at least, that I know of — any liberal activist [who has] left California to come on and talk about why they left,” denounced the Arrested Development actor.
He added, “Katy Perry left California to move to Kentucky, or something, [and] nobody asks her. Me? Because I want to get out of the hellhole that it’s become. I don’t get it. I must be a unicorn or something.”
After revealing that he’s since moved to the west coast of Florida, Baio shared a message with those who have voted for Democrat candidates. “If you voted for what you have there? Stay. If you didn’t. Leave. Vote differently. Vote differently.”
“I mean, I would vote for a Democrat if they were going to fix some of this stuff. I would,” he admitted. “But I don’t think the other side would ever vote for a Republican to fix it. And, Jesse, I’m telling you, it’s bad. It’s homeless everywhere, and everything is covered in graffiti, and it’s sad. Because it’s a beautiful place.”
Baio’s fears regarding the homeless situation in California are not misplaced. In December of last year, a study conducted by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicated that a total of 171,521 people in the Golden State were experiencing homelessness, which amounts to 30% of all homeless individuals in the country.
“California accounted for half of all unsheltered people in the country (115,491 people),” the document specifies. “This is more than nine times the number of unsheltered people in the state with the next highest number, Washington.”
As per the report, “California (30% or 171,521 people); New York (13% or 74,178 people); Florida (5% or 25,959 people); and Washington (4% or 25,211)” amount to “more than half of all people experiencing homelessness in the country.”
Further, the study revealed that the homeless population in California grew just over 6% since 2020, including individuals, people in families with children, unaccompanied homeless youth, veterans, and chronically homeless individuals.
In October of last year, Father Stu and Uncharted star Mark Wahlberg revealed that he was motivated to leave California for Nevada because he wanted to give his children a better life, noting that the state’s politics were also a contributing factor.
“I moved to Nevada where after this gubernatorial election, hopefully it will go to legislation and get a bill passed so we can get tax credit for the state — build a state-of-the-art studio here and make this Hollywood 2.0,” Wahlberg declared.
He elaborated, “I want to be able to work from home. I moved to California many years ago to pursue acting and I’ve only made a couple of movies in the entire time that I was there. So, to be able to give my kids a better life and follow and pursue their dreams whether it be my daughter as an equestrian, my son as a basketball player, my younger son as a golfer, this made a lot more sense for us.”
In similar fashion, former Saturday Night Live cast member Rob Schneider announced last year that he’d moved from California to Arizona — specifically stating that he didn’t want the Democratic party interfering with his and his children’s lives.
“There’s not one aspect of your life that they don’t want to interfere with,” said Schneider of the Left-wing party. “So I had it with them. I got out of California and moved to the ‘slightly freer’ state of Arizona.”
Schneider then admitted, “[Governor Gavin Newsom] pushed me over the edge. I mean, it’s just like… I don’t think your life gets better [in California]. It gets worse.”
“As an actor, you’re always coming from a place you’re trying to get work. But at a certain point, you have to worry. I’m in my 50s now. Late 50s. I worry about the freedoms of my kids,” the comedian explained.
“I’m a grandfather now so, at a certain point, you know something’s wrong when people say, ‘If you put God, and family, and country first, that’s somehow controversial. How is that controversial?” he asserted.
What do you make of Baio leaving California for Florida?
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