Scott Baio leaves California and sells his $3.85 million mansion due to rising homelessness and crime
Scott Baio says he’s about to become the latest celebrity to escape California as he put his $3.85 million home on the market, citing the state’s disastrous homelessness and crime problems.
The former Happy Days star put his Woodland Hills, LA, home on the market last month, after buying it for just $1.85 million in 2010.
Taking to Twitter, the conservative sitcom star said he just doesn’t feel safe in the Golden State anymore given the various issues under Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
“After 45 years, I’m on my way to finally leaving ‘the stage right’ from California,” he wrote.
He then cited the state’s statistics on homelessness, noting that “it lowers property values.” Also no consequences for crime, which is rampant, making things more expensive and it’s just no longer a safe place.’
Scott Baio says he will be the latest celebrity to escape California as he puts his $3.85 million home on the market, citing the state’s disastrous homelessness and crime problems
The Joanie Loves Chachi star tacked on the hashtag ‘#ImFree’.
Baio also joked that Californians won’t miss his right-wing views. The actor was a guest at President Trump’s White House in the past.
The actor lives in a gated community called Westchester County Estates, according to broker. com.
A 6,300-square-foot property with five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, it also includes a grand ceiling, stone floors, a curved staircase, a great room, a dining room, and a home office.
The exterior includes a pool, spa and lots and lots of plantings and an unbuilt zone behind it.
Los Angeles’ wealthiest residents flee the city as Governor Gavin Newsom raises taxes on the wealthy and the city crumbles under rising crime rates – with actor Jim Carrey, the latest A-lister to put his home up for sale.
Carey, 61, who bought his Brentwood mansion for $3.8 million in 1994, listed his home for a whopping $28.9 million after announcing his plan to retire from acting.
In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Carey said he no longer spends much time at the property and was ready for “Cha cha cha cha… changes,” referring to David Bowie’s hit song. It is unclear if Carey will stay in Los Angeles.
The former Happy Days star put his Woodland Hills home on the market last month, having bought it for just $1.85 million in 2010.
Baio cited the state’s homelessness statistics, noting that “it lowers property values”
He also stated that there is “no impact on crime which is rampant, making things more expensive and it just isn’t a safe place anymore”
It’s unclear if Carrey will stay in Los Angeles, but with the departure of several other icons of entertainment, will there be anyone who wants to enjoy it?
According to the LA timesthe state of California has lost more than 500,000 residents between 2020 and 2022. It is the fourth largest drop in the country at the time, after New York, Illinois and Louisiana.
Not only is California lawmakers pushing for legislation that would impose a new tax on the state’s wealthiest residents, there is also an increasing crime and homeless problem that has caused these celebrities to flee.
Actor Mark Wahlberg has sold his longtime Los Angeles home for just over $55 million, more than $30 million below its original asking price, as he leaves in favor of Nevada in a quest to eventually build ‘Hollywood 2.0’ in Sin City .
With these celebs all packing up and heading to greener pastures, even more could be fleeing with Progressive Democratic Rep. Alex Lee recently introducing a bill that would impose an additional 1.5 percent annual tax on residents – past and present – with a worldwide net worth of more than $1 billion, starting January 2024.
As early as 2026, the threshold to be taxed would fall. Those with worldwide net worth of more than $50 million would have to pay 1 percent annual wealth taxes, while billionaires would still have to pay 1.5 percent.
Global wealth includes diverse assets such as farm assets, art, and other collectibles, as well as stocks and hedge fund interest.
California already taxes the wealthy more than most states, with the top 1 percent of earners accounting for about half of the state’s income tax collections.
According to Forbes’ 2022 World’s Billionaires list, 186 billionaires live in California, up from 189 the previous year, but far more than any other state.
On the list: Jim Carrey, 61, officially lists his lavish Los Angeles estate in the Brentwood neighborhood for a whopping $28.9 million after living in the home for nearly 30 years
Special: The talented star also spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the sale of the sprawling 12,704-square-foot mansion, saying the home was “a place of enchantment and inspiration”
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced another multi-billion dollar investment to solve the state’s radical homeless problem
Homeless people are seen in Los Angeles, California on December 20, 2022
Nicole Ginsberg, 51, and her dog Lilly Day wait to see if they will be offered housing on January 13, 2023 while living on 3rd Street in Venice
Eric Freeman, 59, clears the sidewalk in front of his tent during a lull from the rainstorm in Skid Row, where he has lived on and off homeless in downtown Los Angeles for the past 30 years
In 2020, California had the largest number of millionaire households in the US, with 1.14 million households with one million or more in investable assets.
While some are fleeing Los Angeles because of the tax increase, others worry that homelessness, poverty and crime are also on the rise.
According to SafeWisethe Golden State saw “4.4 violent crime incidents per 1,000 people — more than the national rate of 4.0.”
Homelessness, and especially homelessness with the additional facet of serious drug addiction, is currently a significant problem for many major metropolitan areas in the US.
Especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where the drug-addicted homeless populations have taken over almost entire swathes of the cities, making it difficult for people to run a business and for parents to feel comfortable being their children walk to school.
Late last year, members of the Los Angeles City Council voted to prevent homeless people from pitching tents within 500 feet of schools in the city.
LA, like the rest of California, is struggling to come to grips with the homelessness problem.
Between 2010 and 2020, the state saw a 31 percent increase in homelessness, while the rest of the country experienced an 18 percent decline.
An estimated 40,000 people are homeless in the city, which has a population of nearly 4 million.