California’s population may be peaking, and why that matters

When California, with 17 million residents, surpassed New York to become the nation’s most populous state in 1962, it was a cause for celebration.
The state had boomed during World War II and the postwar era, nearly tripling its population in just one generation. By the 1960s, it was well on its way to becoming a global economic powerhouse.
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, a new state population report issued on May 1 didn’t get much media attention. But it underscored an impo