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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
PP again. I'm not super familiar with Monterey. My impression is that it is pretty bifurcated. Lots of very, very poor farmworkers in Salinas and the Carmel/Pebble Beach crowd at the other end of the spectrum. The commute will be very, very long. That 101/1 corridor through Gilroy is total misery to drive. As with anywhere, the best schools are going to be in the wealthier areas. Housing might be moderately more affordable overall? The weather would not appeal to me at all. Lots of gray days. Politically, it's one of the more conservative of our coastal areas, but that's still going to be primarily in the libertarian sense (at least in the wealthy parts). The farmworker crowd tends to be very strong Catholic, strong family ties with traditional values overall, but a lot of the dysfunction of poverty. You could probably find a Maga crowd in Monterey, but you will also have a Gay Pride parade too.

As for kids who don't want to do their pronouns, they will be welcome in in some crowds and ostracized in others, just as happens in any group in any school. It won't be a result of any official school policy, but as I've been saying, the other kids and their interests are going to be where these issues come up. Kids start getting into their cliques in late elementary school. Some join the environmental clubs, others go to church groups, others are in band. Whatever. [/quote]

Yes I've traveled that 101/1 corridor, that commute would be a pain but still within my limits if I wanted to get a life that is better suited for my income and my family. I've heard about Salinas being totally unsafe (a friend of mine described it as a "warzone") so I would have to consider the coastal areas even if Salinas has more traditional values. I don't care about the Maga crowds or the Gay pride crowds - just to see if life is affordable with a decent home and private school that does not have too much of those progressive stuff that my family would not tolerate.

Sure kids get into cliques, but I don't want all the progressive stuff "in my kid's face".

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
OP, you've got 3 pages of people telling you not to move to CA.

1. The money will not go as far as you think.
2. The public schools are not good, even in wealthy areas.  Great Schools is relative within a state, so a school that is a "9" in CA would not be a "9" here.
3.[b] You are looking for a community that hates the things you hate but doesn't hate you: you aren't going to find it there.[/b][/quote]

This is it exactly.[/quote]

For their particular situation, there are probably areas they will fit in, but social conservatism in California is heavily anti immigrant, probably more than its anti lgbt [/quote]

I am not looking for an area that is anti-lgbt anti-BLM blah blah which as you say would also be anti-immigrant. I'm just looking for an area that is more "neutral" w.r.t. these issues, especially within schools. And as schools there seem to be much lower education quality than those in Fairfax, it looks like private school is the only reasonable option for me.

[quote=Anonymous]
Prepare to spend 4+ hours commuting.

To get to SV from Monterey you have to get through the Santa Cruz mountains.

One day, around 10am on a weekday, go onto google maps, and map from Monterey to SV.  See how long google maps is telling you it would take.

A PP had it right.. if you want less liberal, you need to move way further out, which means it's not only cheaper, but the commute will be hell.

Also, CA is looking to slow down math progression which prevents students from taking Alg 1 until they reach HS, so if that's important to you, then be aware.  They like to frame it as "harder Algebra 1" in 9th, but this leads to kids doubling math (Alg and Geometry) in order to reach Calc by 12th grade.  And yep, it's all in the name of equity.

https://edsource.org/2021/california-math-guidance-sparks-new-curriculum-controversy-among-parents/655272

https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2021/11/california-math/[/quote]

Re commute: I thought 1/101 is more like 1 - 1.5 hours? 4 hours you mean roundtrip? Yes that's brutal but still within my limits if I only have to do it twice per week.

Wow that information about math is so dissappointing.. Looks like this would be a huge difference from FCPS AAP! I've heard about the CA exodus and this explains a lot.. Does it "dumbed-down math" thing apply also to private schools?

[quote=Anonymous]There’s not as much overt anti-immigrant sentiment on Peninsula but there’s one difference that might fly below your radar —homelessness is visible and a part of every day life. If you lived in DC now you might be used to it but coming out of the Virginia suburbs it may be a surprise.  Your kids will see it in SF and in the Peninsula suburbs like downtown San Mateo, MV. Mostly harmless but still something that has to be discussed (both in terms of helping others/inequality and also public safety/a child’s anxiety) especially with younger kids. This isn’t a commentary on social policy but a decision for parents on how much you want to shelter your kids.

A suggestion — I’d go out and visit different town to get a feel before making a decision. You’ll get more first hand data. Walk in San Carlos or Burlingame or Pleasanton etc. Also in case you are looking at East Bay, Berkeley is not going to be your cup of tea politically. [/quote]

The homelessness issue is not a problem itself for me, but I guess this goes hand-in-hand with overall community safety, which is important.

[quote=Anonymous]OP- I make significantly more than you do but am far from rich and am moderate politically but seem more liberal than you are (rainbow flag wouldn’t bother me, making my kids choose pronouns would) and there is no way I would consider this move.  From a financial and political comfort level standpoint, this isn’t even a close call.  [/quote]

Thanks for your input - increasingly getting convinced to pass the offer unless I can find an area within my commutable limits that would be fitting and tolerable.[/quote]

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