Even in terms of schooling alone, Florida wins for Ms Mayhew. “I think the education is the best in Florida because of school choice.”
School of choice refers to a Florida government policy that allows students to attend any school, not just the state school in their area. Students who wish to attend a private school will also receive a $7,700 (£6,200) voucher to cover their school fees. This is the same amount of taxpayer money that the state school system would have spent on them.
“I really do (like politics in Florida) mainly because of the squatter incident and school choice. That’s where I really appreciate Florida. And don’t pay income tax. Obviously the tax we pay in California is higher than in Texas or Florida. Even if the pay is less, you make more money in Florida or Texas.”
Ms Mayhew in some respects feels “lonely in California, I miss the mountains, and Florida is flat”.
However, “from a practical perspective, it’s better to be in Florida or Texas for the quality of life”.
For him, the quality of life has some important components – more value as a teacher, less income tax payment, cheaper housing, and the whole area is cheaper.
‘My husband misses California where he grew up’
Telegraph reader Marie Wright moved to California after marrying her husband, Jim. “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not glad we left (for Utah),” he said.
Ms Wright is a Republican, so she has always struggled to align with the policies of the state of California.
“When I first moved there, they elected Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor. And he was, at least in theory, a Republican,” he said.
Gradually, however, he believes the situation has worsened. “They stopped worrying about education, started ignoring illegal immigration. Things went downhill from there,” he explained.
“Gavin Newsom came in, and it’s been crazy since he got elected. They’re spending a lot of money on illegal immigrants. It’s hard for people who are citizens and struggling to make enough money to pay rent and buy food — the basic need – to go to the state because the state has no money.
“So the state raises taxes more and more to make up the money they need, but then they spend more on illegal immigrants. It’s always getting bigger and more expensive for anyone who is a legal resident to pass.”
