The Simplicity of Scripture: NOTES on California

James 1:10-11

King James Version

10 But the rich, in that he is made low:

because as the flower of the grass

he shall pass away.

11 For the sun is no sooner risen

with a burning heat,

but it withereth the grass,

and the flower thereof falleth,

and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth:

so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Why did California burn?

Was it from GOD's rage?

Was it from man's neglect?

Was it from both?

To better understand, we dive deep.

I've been to California several times.

I appreciated the laid-back culture, especially in LA.

Somehow, it felt like a fun city to live in.

But has CA, and LA changed?

What did the fires reveal?

Let's look into the "pride" of California.

In the areas, and industries that matter.

Here are the excerpts, from the experts:

( All quoted from Wikipedia.)

GEOGRAPHY, general info

"California (/ˌkælɪˈfɔːrnjə/ ) is a state in the Western Region of the United States that lies on the Pacific Coast.

It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south.

With over 39 million residents across an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2),[11] it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest by area, and most populated subnational entity in North America.

Los Angeles is the state's most populous city and the nation's second-most;

Droughts and wildfires are an ongoing issue."

ECONOMY

"California has the nation's largest economy with a gross state product of $4.132 trillion as of Q3 2024.[15]

It is the world's largest sub-national economy, and would by most estimations rank 5th globally by nominal GDP.[16][17]

The state also leads the nation in agricultural output,[18][19][20] led by its production of dairy, almonds, and grapes.[21]

With the busiest port in the country (Los Angeles), California plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain, hauling in about 40% of goods imported to the US.[22]"

CULTURE

"The culture of California is a Western culture and has its modern roots in the culture of the United States, but also, historically, many Hispanic Californio and Mexican influences.

California has long been a subject of interest in the public mind and has often been promoted by its boosters as a kind of paradise.

Notable contributions to popular culture, ranging from entertainment, sports, music, and fashion, have their origins in California.

California is the home of Hollywood, the oldest and one of the largest film industries in the world, profoundly influencing global entertainment.

The San Francisco Bay and the Greater Los Angeles areas are seen as the centers of the global technology and U.S. film industries, respectively.

California, particularly Southern California,[259] is considered the birthplace of modern car culture."

POPULATION

"According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2021 and 2022, 818,000 California residents moved out of state[180] with emigrants listing high cost of living,[181] high taxes,[182][183] and a difficult business environment as the motivation.[183]

The net loss of population in California between July 2020 and July 2023 was 433,000.

As of 2020, California ranked fourth among states by life expectancy, with a life expectancy of 79.0 years.

illegal aliens constituted an estimated 7.3 percent of the state's population, the third highest percentage of any state in the country,[193][note 4] totaling nearly 2.6 million.[194]

In particular, illegal immigrants tended to be concentrated in Los Angeles, Monterey, San Benito, Imperial, and Napa Counties—the latter four of which have significant agricultural industries that depend on manual labor.[195]

More than half of illegal immigrants originate from Mexico.[194]

The state of California and some California cities, including Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco,[196] have adopted sanctuary policies.

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 171,521 homeless people in California.

California has the largest population of White Americans in the United States, an estimated 22,200,000 residents including people identifying as white in combination with any other race.

According to estimates from 2011, California has the largest minority population in the United States by numbers, making up 60% of the state population.

Most of California's immigrant population are born in Mexico (3.9 million), the Philippines (825,200), China (768,400), India (556,500), and Vietnam (502,600)."

RELIGION

"The largest religious denominations by number of adherents as a percentage of California's population in 2014 were the Catholic Church with 28 percent, Evangelical Protestants with 20 percent, and Mainline Protestants with 10 percent.

Together, all kinds of Protestants accounted for 32 percent.

Those unaffiliated with any religion represented 27 percent of the population.

The breakdown of other religions is 1% Muslim, 2% Hindu and 2% Buddhist.

The American Jewish Year Book placed the total Jewish population of California at about 1,194,190 in 2006.[254]

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) the largest denominations by adherents in 2010 were the Catholic Church with 10,233,334; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 763,818; and the Southern Baptist Convention with 489,953."

MEDIA

"The four major American television commercial broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) as well as other networks all have production facilities and offices in the state.

California is also the birthplace of several international music genres, including the Bakersfield sound, Bay Area thrash metal, alternative rock, g-funk, nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, psychedelic rock, stoner rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, metalcore, pop punk, surf music, third wave ska, west coast hip hop, west coast jazz, jazz rap, and many other genres.

Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics, marking the fourth time that California will have hosted the Olympic Games."

EDUCATION

"California has the most school students in the country, with over 6.2 million in the 2005–06 school year...

California is also home to notable private universities such as Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of Southern California, the Claremont Colleges, Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, the University of San Diego, the University of San Francisco, Chapman University, Pepperdine University, Occidental College, and University of the Pacific..."

ECONOMY

"California is responsible for one seventh of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

California's economy is larger than Africa and Australia and is almost as large as South America.

The five largest sectors of employment in California are trade, transportation, and utilities; government; professional and business services; education and health services; and leisure and hospitality.

California's biggest trade partner is Mexico.

The agriculture sector accounts for two percent of the state's GDP and employs around three percent of its total workforce.

Per capita GDP in 2021 was $85,546, ranking fourth in the nation.

California has a poverty rate of 23.5%, the highest of any state in the country.

Many coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the United States.

California residents were ranked first among the states with the best average credit score of 754.

On June 27, 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed a balanced budget (no deficit) for the state, its first in decades; however, the state's debt remains at $132 billion.

minimum state sales tax of 7.5%

California now levies a 13.3% maximum marginal income tax rate with ten tax brackets."

ENERGY

"Because it is the most populous state in the United States, California is one of the country's largest users of energy.

Due to the high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other state, primarily hydroelectric power.

The state's crude oil and natural gas deposits are located in the Central Valley and along the coast, including the large Midway-Sunset Oil Field.

Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for more than one-half of state electricity generation.

As a result of the state's strong environmental movement, California has some of the most aggressive renewable energy goals in the United States.

California has one major nuclear power plant (Diablo Canyon) in operation."

WATER

"California's interconnected water system is the world's largest, managing over 40,000,000 acre-feet (49 km3) of water per year, centered on six main systems of aqueducts and infrastructure projects.

Water use and conservation in California is a politically divisive issue, as the state experiences periodic droughts and has to balance the demands of its large agricultural and urban sectors, especially in the arid southern portion of the state.

The state's widespread redistribution of water also invites the frequent scorn of environmentalists.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said:

"We've been in crisis for quite some time because we're now 38 million people and not anymore 18 million people like we were in the late 60s. So it developed into a battle between environmentalists and farmers and between the south and the north and between rural and urban. And everyone has been fighting for the last four decades about water."

Many other functions, such as fire protection and water supply, especially in unincorporated areas, are handled by special districts."

GOVERNMENT

"The capital city of California is Sacramento.

California's judiciary system is the largest in the United States with a total of 1,600 judges (the federal system has only about 840).

California is divided into 58 counties.

The state of California sends 52 members to the House of Representatives,[354] the nation's largest congressional state delegation.

as of 2002, Californians were relatively under-represented in the military as a proportion to its population

California had the third highest percentage of Democratic votes behind the District of Columbia and Hawaii.

Since 1990, California has generally elected Democratic candidates to federal, state and local offices,

Several political movements have advocated for California independence. The California National Party and the California Freedom Coalition both advocate for California independence along the lines of progressivism and civic nationalism.

There are 62 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Assembly; and 32 Democrats and eight Republicans in the Senate.

In general, Democratic strength is centered in the populous coastal regions of the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Republican strength is still greatest in eastern parts of the state.

In October 2022, out of the 26,876,800 people eligible to vote, 21,940,274 people were registered to vote.[369] Of the people registered, the three largest registered groups were Democrats (10,283,258), Republicans (5,232,094), and No Party Preference (4,943,696)."

Now you can see why CA also wants to be a "separate" state.

Is she acting "progressive", because she is progressive?

Has success gone to her pretty head?

Is that why she defies the incoming Trump administration?

Former governor Schwarzenegger said the water "battle" has been on, for the past 40 years now.

As CA burns, we got to know more about her, thanks to Wikipedia.

As born again, we're merely here to state the facts of the state.

And to see what the WORD of GOD has to say.

Is CA being "humbled"?

Is she under "judgment"?

We do know she's proud.

Because she's beautiful, rich, and powerful.