California
We moved from California to Texas after a wildfire destroyed our home. Our income is lower, but we love the state.
- Gerardo and Tomi Ruiz moved from San Bernardino, California, to San Antonio, Texas, in September.
- They moved with their two young sons after a nearby fire destroyed their rented home.
- The couple loves Texas for its cheaper cost of living and the people but misses California’s food.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gerardo Ruiz, 29, and Tomi Ruiz, 26, native Californians who moved from San Bernardino, California, to San Antonio in 2024. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Gerardo: My wife, Tomi, and I are from San Bernardino, California. We met at a party in 2019 and married last April.
San Bernardino isn’t as nice as it used to be. Many things, like homelessness and gang activity, seem to have gotten worse in recent years.
Tomi: There were things we liked about California. I had family only about an hour away. I loved being in the snow or at the beach whenever I wanted.
We had been talking about leaving California for a while because the cost of living was dramatically increasing. We had discussed Texas, Arizona, or maybe Utah, but we weren’t serious about it.
A fire finally pushed us to leave
Courtesy of Gerardo and Tomi Ruiz
Tomi: In September, the Line Fire broke out in Highland, California, next to my grandparents’ house.
We were renting a house on the other side of town. The Line Fire wasn’t directly threatening our house at first, but our neighbor’s home caught fire. They said it started from an ember from the Line Fire.
It was terrifying. We were asleep, and suddenly, my husband woke up to what sounded like a huge explosion. I felt him pushing me and yelling.
When I sat up, I saw flames coming through our bedroom window, not even six feet away.
Gerardo: We have two kids, Anthony, who is 3, and Charlie, who is 1. We grabbed them both and ran outside.
Tomi: We both ran out in our underwear because we didn’t have time to get clothes.
The fire destroyed about half of our house, plus there was smoke damage everywhere.
Gerardo: We lost almost everything in our bedroom and the dining area.
Tomi: We were just in shock. We sat outside staring at the house for a long time.
Gerardo: The Red Cross gave us some money for a hotel.
We had to restart our lives somewhere
Tomi: A few days later, our landlord told us they had to terminate the lease because they couldn’t estimate how long the repairs would take and couldn’t put us in another place in the meantime. We were homeless and realized that we had to start all over again.
We discussed staying in California, but starting a new lease in the state is expensive with a deposit, the first month’s rent, and all the fees.
We figured if we had to start over completely, we’d be better off starting in Texas.
Gerardo: My brother has lived in San Antonio for about 10 years. We came out to visit a few years back and just fell in love with the city.
Tomi: We packed up what we had left, my husband took out his 401(k), and we drove to Texas.
Texas is so much more affordable
Gerardo: Our first impression of Texas was how cheap the rent is. We paid about $2,350 in San Bernardino for a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment. We’re now in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom place in San Antonio and pay $1,250.
Tomi: We first applied for a few houses, but the wait took forever. We decided to apply for an apartment and got approved the next day. We stayed in a hotel for three weeks until we got approved for the apartment.
In addition to rent being cheaper, gas is much cheaper, which is great for us because we have pretty big cars.
Gerardo: Car registration is, too.
Tomi: Groceries, however, seem to be about the same.
While the cost of living is more affordable here, the pay is lower.
I’m a certified phlebotomist, and in California, I was making about $25 an hour. Here in Texas, I got some offers ranging from $16 to $20 an hour, and I accepted one. I’m making less than I was in California, but with the money we’re saving, it’s not too big a difference.
Gerardo: I’m a tow truck driver. I worked two driving jobs in California, making $21 an hour and $24 an hour.
I expected to be able to find a similar job in Texas, but once I got here, it was more difficult than I thought. The highest-paying towing job I could find was for a little more than $15 an hour.
For now, I’ve been holding off on getting a job to watch the kids since we don’t know many people here in Texas who could babysit.
The state has exceeded our expectations
Tomi: We just fell in love with Texas. It’s so much greener than we expected. We thought it would be all desert and cowboys, but San Antonio has many nice parks and playgrounds. It feels very family-oriented.
Gerardo: The environment out here is great. My wife has some PTSD from the fire, and it’s nice that it’s not as dry.
Tomi: You definitely feel the Texas heat, though. It was still so hot on Halloween. We’re used to a breeze in October.
It also snowed since we’ve been here, which is uncommon for San Antonio. We love the snow.
There have been some challenges, but we made the right choice
Gerardo: The hardest adjustment has been the food. Even the McDonald’s here tastes different. Texas street tacos are not like California street tacos at all.
There was incredible Hawaiian barbecue in California. Since we moved, I haven’t been able to find similar food.
Tomi: Texas has been so good to us. I felt like I was home right away. I feel like I’ve connected with the people. Everyone is so kind.
Gerardo: Our goal is to stay in Texas long-term, but we want to move to Amarillo, Texas, eventually. It snows there more often, and we love the cold.
Tomi: I’m so glad we moved. It was scary when we decided to do it, but we had nothing to lose and made it work.
Gerardo: The recent fires in Los Angeles were terrible, and we’re praying for everyone involved.
The reassurance of not having to worry about wildfires here like we did in California has been a huge plus already.
A California man was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts and exploiting minors through online platforms.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Edward “Eddie” Alessandro Zarate, 20, of Santa Maria.
On May 28, authorities began investigating Zarate over allegations that he was communicating with underage girls online and exchanging sexually explicit material with them.
Detectives later learned that Zarate allegedly communicated with minor victims through mobile phone apps such as Whipd, Purp, Wizz and Snapchat, along with exchanging text messages.
Zarate’s profiles appeared to portray him as a juvenile.
“Once he established communication with minors, he would often encourage them to move conversations off the platform and continue communicating via text message,” the sheriff’s department said. “During these conversations, Zarate would disclose his true age and identity.”
So far, authorities are aware of two female juveniles who have met with Zarate in person and reportedly engaged in lewd acts.
He is accused of communicating with minors in multiple states including California, Florida and Illinois. In California alone, detectives believe Zarate contacted minors from Los Angeles, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Paso Robles, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande and San Francisco.
“Based on the scope of the investigation, detectives believe there may be additional survivors who have not yet been identified,” authorities said.
On June 10, Zarate was arrested and booked on multiple felony charges including oral copulation with a person under 18 years of age, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, sending harmful matter to a minor, and two counts of possession of obscene material depicting a minor.
Anyone who may be a victim, has communicated with Zarate online or through text or has information on the case is asked to call Sheriff’s Detectives at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be provided to the SBSD’s tipline at 805-681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
Top universities reject Trump’s ‘compact’ over academic freedom
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California rejected Trump’s “compact.”
To the surprise of perhaps no Californians, several California universities appeared in the top rankings of the world’s best universities in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings released on June 16.
Of the more than 2,250 worldwide research institutions that U.S. News & World Report evaluated for this list, six California universities ranked in the top 50 globally, with an even split among Northern and Southern California institutions.
The 2026 list includes universities from more than 100 countries, with the following countries receiving the most schools in the overall rankings:
- China: 409
- United States: 275
- India: 123
- United Kingdom: 93
- Japan: 86
Did your California alma mater appear among the top global universities?
U.S. News and World Report methodology
When determining a university’s placement on the list, U.S. News & World Report considered factors more relevant to research-oriented institutions than to undergraduate-focused metrics like bachelor’s degree graduation rates.
It focused on aspects like academic institutions’ research and reputation, number of publications, the quality of publications and citations. It considers other factors, including location, campus culture, the strength of particular programs, and cost, which are also very important.
“For students seeking universities with strong academic excellence and global recognition, the Best Global Universities rankings offer an essential comparative resource,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News.
“Our methodology focuses on a school’s research mission and scholarly impact, helping students identify institutions that are truly at the forefront of global knowledge creation.”
Out of the top 10 global universities, two California institutions made the list:
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Stanford University
- University of Oxford
- University of Cambridge
- Tsinghua University
- University of California Berkeley
- Yale University
- University College London
- Columbia University
How did California colleges rank in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities 2026 list?
Outside of the top 10 universities, California saw a handful of other institutions rank highly on U.S. News & World Report list.
Notably, the University of California – Los Angeles just missed the top 10 list, ultimately ranking as the 11th-best global university and the second-best public institution on the list. It was beaten out as the best public institution by its academic counterpart, the University of California, Berkeley, which was ranked the 7th-best global university.
Additionally, a number of University of California schools made the top of the list, ultimately reaffirming the quality of the institutions’ public campuses across the state.
“Research from the University of California is vital to work that benefits all Americans, from breakthroughs in the treatment of Parkinson’s to the science behind previously unimagined successes in fighting cancer and the development of quantum computers that will enable the critical advances of the 21st century,” the University of California said in a press release about its rankings.
Here’s the list of California universities that made the top 100 list:
- 3. Stanford University
- 7. University of California Berkeley
- 11. University of California – Los Angeles
- 22. University of California – San Francisco
- 23. (Tied) California Institute of Technology
- 23. (Tied) University of California – San Diego
- 74. University of Southern California
- 95. University of California – Davis
- 99. University of California – Irvine
- 100. University of California – Santa Barbara
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
The most significant seismic event in California’s history – an earthquake of 7.9 magnitude – occurred in 1857 and ruptured about 225 miles on the San Andreas Fault. That earthquake, dubbed the last “Big One,” killed two people and produced shaking that lasted between one and three minutes.
Since then, California has exploded in population and been has been rattled by many major earthquakes. But Californians have also grown familiar with the existential dread of another “Big One” looming.
Researchers have long warned there will be another massive earthquake in Southern California. They just don’t know when.
A recent study says warning signs continue to grow in 2026. The San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems have reached the highest stress levels seen in the past 1,000 years, according to a study conducted at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
The San Andreas fault runs throughout the state, passing through San Francisco and San Bernardino, while the San Jacinto fault is in Southern California and runs through Riverside, San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.
Why the San Andreas Fault is so risky
Faults rupture on the San Andreas Fault approximately every 150 years, according to UCLA professor Jonathan Stewart, who studies earthquake engineering.
But it’s been over 300 years since the last “large rupture” occurred south of the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, Stewart said. “As far we know it didn’t produce a large rupture since around 1690. To the present that’s a lot more than 150 years, so there’s a lot of build-up. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen immediately, it just means there is more stress built-up.”
When the earthquake happens, it is likely to cause a lot of damage. One major concern is the state’s water systems.
“An earthquake like this would rupture most, if not all of the major aqueducts bringing water into Southern California,” Stewart said. “Most people will not be in a collapsed structure after this earthquake, but everybody’s going to be affected by water problems.”
Study highlights longstanding risk
To investigate the probability of an earthquake occurring, researchers built a physics-based simulation and fed it the earthquake history from the region. By doing so, they were able to estimate how much stress has built up along the southern San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems.
The results suggest that catastrophe may be near.
“Right now, with stress at historically high levels across the region and more than 160 years elapsed since the last major rupture, the system is in a critically loaded state,” lead author Liliane Burkhard said.
Most importantly, the Cajon Pass, at the junction of the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults, could facilitate a joint rupture of the two faults. This scenario, according to the study, would probably be “significantly more damaging” than a single-fault event.
How is earthquake safety considered?
Seismic hazard assessments are critical for the safety of the millions of residents in California’s densely-populated and earthquake-prone areas.
Seismic Hazard maps show the relative hazard associated with earthquakes using information on past faults, the behavior of seismic waves and the near-surface conditions of specific locations, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Larger values indicate a stronger level of earthquake shaking. A peak ground velocity of 269 cm/sec would correspond to extreme shaking and heavy damage. For reference, the largest ground velocity recorded in Taiwan’s 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake reached 318 cm/sec and had a magnitude of 6.7.
That earthquake killed more than 2,000 people and incurred approximately $14 billion in damage.
How do the fault lines rupture?
The San Andreas and San Jacinto faults are strike-slip faults, which typically cause horizontal displacement. Both faults comprise the geologic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.
If a major earthquake occurs on the San Andreas fault, it is likely to produce surface rupture, which occurs when a fault breaks through to the surface. Most earthquakes, however, do not produce surface rupture, according to USGS.
In a major rupture, strong shaking could cause severe damage near the fault and in areas built on soft or water-saturated soils, which can amplify shaking. Rupture can directly offset roads, buildings, and other structures that span the fault trace.
Although the study helps explain the risk associated with the California fault lines, Burkhard emphasized that it shouldn’t serve as a forecast.
“This is not a prediction of when an earthquake will happen,” Burkhard said. “However, studies like this are important contributions to national and global earthquake hazard research in that we are using rigorous, quantitative science to better understand the risk facing millions of people.”
Contributing: Brandi D. Addison, USA TODAY NETWORK
-
World11 minutes agoTrump doubles down on Meloni photo comments
-
News34 minutes agoThe Real Love Company made her feel whole. Then ‘Daddy’ said to strip naked.
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoWoman, man found shot to death in Pomona, suspect leads officers on erratic chase
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoToday in History: June 20, race-related rioting erupts in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSan Francisco hotels see steady World Cup business, but fall short of Super Bowl surge
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoDallas International Piano Competition brings finalists June 23
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoWhere to watch San Francisco Giants vs Miami Marlins: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 20
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoDuck parades, outdoor drinking, and Gronk in a kilt. Here’s how Friday’s World Cup festivities unfolded. – The Boston Globe
