Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site fortune.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!hocda!houxm!ihnp4!fortune!preston From: preston@fortune.UUCP (Carol Preston) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Helpful Hints for moving to California Message-ID: <4343@fortune.UUCP> Date: Tue, 25-Sep-84 21:00:53 EDT Article-I.D.: fortune.4343 Posted: Tue Sep 25 21:00:53 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 27-Sep-84 04:27:11 EDT Distribution: net Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA Lines: 160 Do you or anybody you know plan on moving to the sunny state of California? If so, have I got an article for you. I moved here about 3 months ago. I have been attending some classes at the school of hard knocks. Since tuition is high, and the courses are very time consuming, I thought I'd share my notes with those of you out there in net-land. I hope by reading this you won't have to take the course, too. If you would like more info, send mail to me and I'll try to look into it for you. ************************************************************** These notes are based on personal observations so there may be exceptions, or my cases may have been exceptions. This is meant to be used as a guide, so you may want to investigate into these things further. ************************************************************** Deposits : 1. Pacific Gas and Electric. Get a letter of credit from your current utility company. If you can't get one until after you pay your final bill, write down their telephone number so that you can call them and ask for one later. Shortly after you arrive, you will receive a bill for a $70 deposit, since you haven't had service with them recently. The only ways to be exempt from this is to mail them a letter of credit from your previous utility company or to have 2 current customers of PG&E mail in a reference letter. 2. Pacific Bell doesn't require a deposit if you give them your Visa or MasterCard number. 3. Security Deposits. My apartment required a security deposit of $400. I don't know if this is usual or not. Cars and Licenses : 1. If your car needs any work done, you may want to do it before you come here. Labor charges in the Bay Area are around $50 per hour. Nowadays it seems like labor costs more than the parts. 2. You may want to renew your license plates (tags) in your current state. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) told me that I didn't have to purchase California plates until my current ones expire. The cost of plates is based on the value of your car. I paid $195 for my 1982 Mazda 626. It is necessary to pass the SMOG (exhaust) inspection before you can get your license plates. This can be done at many local gas stations ($25-$30). My car had a dirty air filter and didn't pass the first time. From then on you must have your car exhaust inspected every two years. Note : The DMV bases the value of your car on the amount you write down as the original purchase price of your car. They never checked if the amount I wrote was correct (Hint, hint). 3. When you apply for a driver's license(DL), they take your current DL (they don't give it back) and give you a temporary one that expires after 60 days. Supposedly your 'real' DL will arrive via USnail within 60 days. The temporary DL is just a piece of paper and doesn't contain you new DL number, nor your picture. What this means is you don't have any form of picture id or a DL number for 60 days. Cashing checks, showing id at bars, and filling out application that require the number is virtually impossible. Another thing, if they lose your license it will take a long time to get one. They lost mine. They don't like to issue a new one and try to trace down the one that was lost. I was hoping it would take about 4 more months, but I received mail from a netlander who said he had to be a nuisance for another 7 months (9 months total) to get his. If it's absolutely necessary for you to have a picture id I recommend the following : Go to the DMV and get what is called a 'personal id'. This costs $6 and it should arrive within 60 days. They do not take your current driver's license, so you can use it until your personal id comes. When it does come, then apply for the drivers license. You must call and make an appointment to get your driver's license. Since everyone must call and make an appointment, you may end up trying for days to get through. BTW, you make alot of U-turns in this area (many divided roads). The test I took had 3 questions about U-turns so study them before you take the test. Otherwise it is pretty simple. When I moved to Mass. I really had to study (Rotaries, 'Thickly Settled', Red and Yellow lights together means 'Pedestrian Crossing', etc.) Cost of Living : 1. Rental Housing. I live in the Bay Area. I looked around the peninsula at about 20 apartments and found the price of a one-bedroom apartment to range from $600-$750. There may be cheaper but I would bet that you would really have to look hard, and it may not be in the best of surroundings. I will not attempt to go into houses and condos here. If you want to know about this, send me the type of housing you are looking for and I will get some samples from the newspaper. I have no idea what the prices are in other areas. If you want to live with a roommate, there is a heading in the classifieds called apartments to share. I know of some people who found their apartment that way. 2. Car Insurance. I can only tell you relative to what I previously paid. I am female, single, 25, and no accidents in the previous 3 years. When I lived in Massachusetts in 1982, my insurance rates were $700 per year. In 1983 in Michigan my rates were $400 a year. The rates I was quoted here were around $400 a year. Rates are not regulated (as they are in Massachusetts) so it is wise to shop around. 3. Food. I was pleasantly surprised at the availabity of fresh fruit and produce. The price of this is cheaper than anyplace I have lived. Plus, I have been to some roadside stands where produce and fruit is really cheap. The price of meat is more expensive than in the Midwest but cheaper than the East Coast. There is no bottle deposit law, so the price of soft drinks and beer isn't as much as in the states that have that law. I don't off-hand know what the liquor tax is. If you would like to compare the price of anything, send me mail about what you want the price of. BTW, the grocery stores that I have been to have a large selection of mexican, chinese and japanese food. 4. Taxes. The following figures were given to me by the state tax board. Personal income tax is 11%. The state sales tax is 6%, which is not charged for food which will not be consumed on the premises. Since I don't own a home, I can't tell you what property taxes are. Miscellaneous : 1. Registering to Vote. Libraries and Post Offices have a form that you fill out and mail in. 2. Most banks are only open from 10-3. Some have drive up tellers that have longer hours. There are 24-hour machines, but they are pretty sparse. Usually each bank has about 1 per city. The banks due charge a service charge if your checking account balance falls below the minimum. This varies from bank to bank. Personally, I chose the one with the most convenient 24 machines. 3. As far as I can tell, good pizza parlors haven't made it this far west. Lots of excellent ice cream and relatives (gelato etc. ) --------------------------------------------------------------- I hope this doesn't give you a bad impression of California. This was meant to be a list of helpful hints and things to look out for. I know of people who haven't had any problems. I just have bad luck. I went through alot worse problems when I moved to Massachusetts. I have moved to enough states now that I have wished that people would have written stuff like this up for me. The laws and procedures are so different. If you have any comments or questions, please mail them to me. I'll post any additions, or corrections as warranted. Carol Preston {sri-unix, amd, hpda, harpo, ihnp4, allegra}!fortune!preston (415) 594-2891 Fortune Systems, 101 Twin Dolphin Pkwy, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 -- Carol Preston {sri-unix, amd, hpda, harpo, ihnp4, allegra}!fortune!preston (415) 594-2891 Fortune Systems, 101 Twin Dolphin Pkwy, Redwood Shores, CA 94065