'Happy Days' star Scott Baio says he's leaving CA over rising homelessness, crime

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Actor Scott Baio, best known for his roles on "Happy Days" and "Charles in Charge," says he's making his way to finally leaving California.

In a series of tweets, the 62-year-old criticized California's soft-on-crime policies, homelessness crisis, and said the state is not a safe place anymore.

"After 45 years, I'm making my way to finally 'exit stage right' from California," Baio said in his tweet.

MORE: California mayors ask Gov. Newsom for $3 billion over 3 years for homeless

Baio continued by quoting KTLA's article on homeless encampments in Beverly Hills: "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."

The actor has just listed his five-bedroom, 4.5-bath home in Woodland Hills for $3.85 million, according to Realtor.com. The real estate site says Baio purchased the property for $1.85 million in 2010.

Baio joins the growing list of Hollywood celebrities leaving the Golden State. Recently, Mark Wahlberg says he has moved his family to Nevada for "a better life."

MORE: Utah's governor asks Californians to stop moving as 'refugees' to his fast-growing state

The idea of a California exodus gained momentum over the years. But is it true?

In a special year-long project, we followed the paths of eight former Californians who uprooted and left for the Lone Star State. Through a combination of video logs and interviews, plus a deep dive trawling through publicly available data and several record requests, we've pieced together a picture of those who made the move.

Our dig into the data has separated fact from fiction.

Watch, "California Dreaming: Moving to Texas," here.

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