A woman who once swore by the California dream says wildfires, sky-high costs — and a crackdown on her Airbnb lifeline — pushed her to pack up and flee Los Angeles for good.

Natasha Thomlinson-Clark is one of thousands of Angelinos who have left the state in recent months, driven out by a variety of factors, according to newly released Census data.

The urge to relocate crept in slowly, starting when local ordinances and a risk of fines, forced her to stop relying on a short-term rental to supplement her income.

“I had an Airbnb in West Hollywood that was basically how I survived before,” said Thomlinson-Clark. “They shut down my Airbnb…[it was] very hard for me financially.”

Then came the final straw when the Palisades Fire forced her and her husband Luke to reconsider their living situation.

“Then the fires really — that kinda freaked us out a lot,” she said. “We were paying all this money … couldn’t get house insurance. We were basically sitting ducks with no housing insurance.”

“I thought, ‘what are we doing?’”

Within months, Thomlinson-Clark ditched LA for Charlotte, North Carolina — a move she admits was “a bit of a knee-jerk reaction,” but one that quickly paid off.

“We came straight to Charlotte … it was cheaper, it made financial sense to me.”

The couple snapped up a sprawling 2,800-square-foot home for $660,000 in May 2025 — a price that would barely land a modest property in Southern California.

“What you can buy here is ridiculous compared to California,” she said.

The numbers back her up.

Los Angeles County lost roughly 54,000 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, the largest population drop in the nation, according to newly released US Census Bureau data. Once topping 10 million residents, the county has now slipped to under 9.7 million — a steady decline with no clear end in sight.

Experts say affordability is the driving force.

Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner noted that LA’s housing affordability score sits at just 0.41, far below the national average of 0.77. Median rent in the county has surged to $2,709 — compared to $1,667 nationwide — leaving many residents priced out.

“Incomes in LA have simply not kept pace with housing costs,” Berner said, adding that many are “squeezed to the point where they have to choose to leave.”

That’s exactly what Thomlinson-Clark did — even if it wasn’t easy.

“I had never thought about leaving LA. If I’m honest, the fires were a big driving force,” she said. “I worked really hard to get to California — specifically, I picked California.”

She insists the move wasn’t political, still, the financial upside has been hard to ignore. After buying her first home ten months ago, she told The Post, she bought a second one last Friday.

“Money goes much farther here,” she said.

It’s a trend LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is watching closely.

“Los Angeles County’s population decline is a clear signal that we must stay focused on the fundamentals — public safety and affordability,” Barger said in a statement to The Post. “When people feel safe and can afford to live here, they stay and invest in their communities. If we lose sight of that balance, we risk losing the very workforce and families that make our region strong.”

Even so, Thomlinson-Clark hasn’t completely shut the door on the Golden State.

“Financially it’s better, but you do give up a lot,” she admitted. “California — it’s the sunshine tax you pay. There’s a lot to do in California.”

“Really tough to leave,” she added. “I can’t say I’ll be here forever.”

NORMAN — Oklahoma held another spring practice early Monday evening, and local media got a roughly 45-minute window to film and photograph.

Here are some observations from the Sooners On SI staff:

Injuries/Players Not Full-Participants

• Elijah Thomas was wearing a boot on his left foot and not participating.
• Xavier Robinson was wearing a boot on his right leg/foot, he walked off the field as practice began.
• Jer’Michael Carter was wearing a boot on his left foot.
• Fellow wide receiver Trell Harris was on crutches. Brent Venables already mentioned he had a “little cleanup” procedure last week.
• David Stone was not in a helmet, but still same status as the previous media-viewing session on Saturday — involved but not participating.
• Ryan Fodje walked off the field after position groups began and never returned during the viewing window.
• Beau Jandreau was wearing a boot on his left foot.
• Caleb Nitta was in a helmet, but watching in position groups.
• Daniel Akinkunmi was still on a scooter.
• Fred Hinton was also off to the side watching in a helmet among offensive linemen.

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General Observations

• Danny Okoye broke the team down after stretching to send players to their position drills.
• Jeremiah Newcombe was in the blue no-contact jersey and worked with the linebackers — he stepped in for Reggie Powers III as the backup cheetah during situational scrimmages.
• Venables continued to spend a lot of time with the tight ends.
• During ball-security drills, he was emphasizing force on the player tasked with trying to smash the ball away from Jack Van Dorselaer — “Hit the ball!”
• Jake Maikkula shows no signs of fatigue and comfortably the starting center and leading the charge out of huddles.
• Marcus James was in a blue no-contact jersey among the linebackers.
• Nigel Smith received consistent praise during position drills and made nice plays during situational scrimmages.
• DeZephen Walker has a low-center of gravity and very quick feet — received praise from running backs coach Deland McCullough running through dummies.
• Jonathan Hatton is an upright runner, has great power and speed for his size, but McCullough got on him to keep his pad level down consistently — he runs similar to Alex Ross, with more fluidity in his hips.
• Noah Best routinely took second reps behind Maikkula.
• E’Marion Harris received praise from Bill Bedenbaugh consistently.

Situational Scrimmage

The team went offense vs. defense in situational football.

• Starting offensive line (left to right) for the rushing period: Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Maikkula, Heath Ozaeta, Harris
• Starting wide receivers/tight ends: Manny Choice, Mackenzie Alleyene, Isaiah Sategna, Hayden Hansen
• Hatton and John Mateer in the backfield.
• Starting defensive line: Okoye, Smith, Trent Wilson, Taylor Wein
• Starting linebackers: Kip Lewis, James Nesta and Powers (cheetah)
• Starting defensive backs: Eli Bowen, Courtland Guillory, Michael Boganowski, Peyton Bowen
• Michigan transfer Cole Sullivan came on at linebacker during second-team defense.
• Freshman Bowe Bentley showed some speed on QB keepers.
• Tate Sandell was 1-for-3 on field goal hurry-up drills, including a missed 49-yard attempt wide right into a stiff wind.

WASHINGTON — ICE agents will be stationed outside graduation events for the nation’s newest Marines to identify whether any of their family members are undocumented, according to the Marine Corps.

As the U.S. continues the war in Iran, the Marine Corps has boosted protection measures on bases, requiring everyone to present REAL IDs, U.S. passports or U.S. birth certificates to access any sites. 

Undocumented immigrants are generally ineligible for federal REAL IDs and don’t have U.S. passports or birth certificates. So people without identifying documents who arrive at the gate of Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island in Beaufort, South Carolina, for recruit family days and graduation events this week may now have to answer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, the Marine Corps said. 

Because of “increased force protection measures” at the recruit depot, “federal law enforcement personnel will be present at installation access points to conduct enhanced screening and lawful immigration status inquiries during recruit family and graduation days,” a message on the Parris Island website read.

While sometimes family members don’t have proper documentation, it wasn’t clear why ICE had decided to target Parris Island. A spokesperson for ICE didn’t immediately reply to a message seeking comment.   

Graduation is Friday morning, but family members are invited to visit the base and celebrate their sons’ and daughters’ completion of the grueling training beginning Wednesday. Marine recruits aren’t allowed to see their families during the 13-week boot camp.

“While the Marine Corps routinely coordinates with federal partners on security matters, this is the first time in recent memory that federal law enforcement agencies have supported base access operations at Parris Island in this capacity,” according to a spokesperson for MCRD Parris Island.  

The spokesperson encouraged all visitors to be prepared for additional screening measures.   

“To help ensure a smooth and timely process, guests should bring proper identification and limit the number of items they carry onto the installation,” the spokesperson said.  

Marine Corps recruits have trained at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island since November 1915. It has graduation ceremonies about 46 weeks of the year, according to a spokesperson. 

It’s not clear whether ICE will be at the gate to Parris Island for the foreseeable future or whether the ICE involvement could expand to other bases.