LA, San Francisco Bay Area lost residents during pandemic

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s major population centers of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area have both lost population in the same year for the first time. California lost 173,000 people in the year ending July 1. It’s the second time ever the state has reported an annual population loss. But it’s the first time Los Angeles County and all nine counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay have lost population in the same year. Populations declined in seven of California’s 10 counties that have at least 1 million people. Critics blame California’s high cost of living. State officials blame the pandemic and a declining birth rate.