The point I was trying to express by citing the SANDAG and SCAG figures and the planned expansion of freeways was more to show that SoCal and SD County are not over-built, but rather have a lot more room to build. And people are leaving not because it’s overbuilt, but rather because it’s so expensive to live here.

Many younger (25-40), middle-class families are choosing to relocate to states like Nevada, Arizona, or others because they can actually own a home and raise a family there without overextending themselves like they would in California.

Again, the primary reasons people come here are for the job opportunities and the weather. Job growth may be ok here(I don’t know the latest stats), but wages have not kept pace with expenses. And the really nice weather is only within so many miles of the coast, where it is way too costly to own a decent home. So, many are basically left with the option of living in a hot desert; but they will be paying more for things like homes, gas, taxes, etc., than they would in other states like Nevada or Arizona. For example, a family earning $100k in San Diego would only have to earn about $75k/yr to maintain the same standard of living Arizona.