‘Not a Safe Place Anymore’: Actor Scott Baio Leaving California

Scott Baio attends a news conference to discuss harassment allegations in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Aug. 2, 2018. Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Actor Scott Baio is leaving California, after feeling unsafe due to the state’s insurmountable homeless crisis, the star announced on Wednesday.

The 62-year-old has lived in Los Angeles for 45 years, but says it’s now time to “exit stage right’ from California” adding it’s “not a safe place anymore.”

“After 45 years, I’m making my way to finally ‘exit stage right’ from California.” Baio posted on Twitter.

Baio included a quote from a report on KTLA5 that read, “The most recent survey conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found approximately 69,000 people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County and 41,000 in the city in 2022.”

Baio recently listed his southern California five-bedroom, 4.5-bath mansion in the Woodland Hills neighborhood for $3.85 million. The actor paid $1.85 million for the home in 2010, according to Realtor.com

Homeless tents line a freeway overpass in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 6, 2020. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Los Angeles and California as a whole have always struggled with the huge homeless crisis. The government has put into place many programs to help the homeless community but critics say it is tackling the matter slowly.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has launched a program called Inside Safe which aims to clear homeless encampments and help transition those experiencing homelessness into permanent housing. On April 18 Bass her plan to spend $1.3 billion next year to get “unhoused” people into shelter and treatment programs.

“After years of frustration ... we can see a clearer path to a new Los Angeles,” Bass said, speaking inside the ornate City Council chambers.  “We have finally dispelled the myth that people do not want to come inside. They do.”

Bass recognizes that there is more work to be done to improve the homeless issues around Los Angeles.

“I cannot declare that the state of our city is where it needs to be,” she added.

Baio also claims that homelessness “brings down property value. Also, no consequences for crime that is rampant, making things higher in price and it’s just not a safe place anymore. [I’mFree]” he said in a message on Twitter.

Despite Mayor Bass’s efforts to tackle homelessness, some are criticizing her Inside Safe program and say its facilities have lacked adequate social services, such as mental health professionals and substance-use counselors.

“This program seems so much more about clearing the sidewalk, rather than the quality of life of people going into Inside Safe,” Carla Orendorff, who advocates on behalf of unhoused residents living in the San Fernando Valley, told the LA Times.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his own funding plan of $736 million to help cities throughout the state provide resources and housing for the homeless population.

“At a time when more housing is desperately needed, Home Key is proving that we can build faster, and at a fraction of conventional construction costs. My Administration has made available an unprecedented $3.4 billion to date for Homekey to use at the local level to address housing and homelessness. I look forward to seeing more communities use this latest round of funding to boost housing around the state,” Newsom said in a statement.

Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman says the governor and state officials are doing all that they can to make California communities safer and help get homeless individuals off the streets.

“The state’s homelessness crisis is so severe that the Governor has called in the National Guard, and several city leaders have declared emergencies in their jurisdictions. However, lasting progress will be out of reach without an ongoing source of state investment in local communities,” Coleman said in a statement. “City officials are doing their part to be a strong partner to support unhoused residents and keep Californians in their homes, and dedicated state funding is critical if we’re going to reverse this decades-in-the-making crisis.”

So, where are Californians and other Hollywood stars headed?

T.V. show host and podcaster Joe Rogan announced his move to Texas in 2020 on his Spotify podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

Joe Rogan during UFC 274 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 7, 2022. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

“I want to go somewhere in the center of the country ... somewhere you have a little more freedom. I think where we live right here in Los Angeles is a little overcrowded ... I think it’s exposing the fact that it’s a real issue when you look at the number of people that are catching COVID because of the overpopulation issue.” Rogan said on a podcast episode.

“When you look at the traffic, the economic disparity, the homelessness problem ... I think there are too many people,” Rogan added.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott welcomes Californians to Texas and announced that Rogan moved to Texas and visited his home at the time. On Twitter, Abbott posted a photo of himself with Rogan at the governor’s mansion.